All the things that I should have written about before today...

Last week, I made you and your brother popcorn for a snack and I poured some into a bowl for you when you requested "Asher's turn" so I then got a bowl for Asher.  Then you took your adorable little self and walked over and gave it to Asher.  Awww...this from the girl who used to cry when he touched her.

You officially take your glasses off at night "All done glasses" and ask for them when you get up "Where's my glasses?"

Had what I call "a breakthrough of sorts" at speech on Thursday.  After MONTHS are asking you to say "I want... and Help me..." you just magically started doing it.  If you forget, we just point to our chest and you whisper "I want..." and yell "whatever you want".  I have no clue why you do that but right now I'm counting my blessings and reminding you to try and say the whole phrase loud.

Have days where you don't nap and are perfectly fine and then days where you get up at 6am and nap.  I'm not worrying about it at all till August.

You:
Regularly take off and put on your shoes
Are still resisting the whole potty situation
Will kiss your brother if asked
Smile when I say cheese while taking a picture again (for a while you weren't for some reason)
Can officially fit into size 4 girls now (tear...)
Ask for Dad, Grandma, and Katie (your speech "teacher") every day
Are OBSESSED with tea parties and playdoh this week.  We have seriously like 4 tea parties a day and play with playdoh for at least an hour a day. 
Buckle yourself in your carseat now.  

The other day at the park you kept putting your hand in the water fountain play thing over and over and each time would put your hand in and then out loud say Good Job!  It was hilarious because it was literally every time.  Plus, you giving yourself a little pat on the back is adorable.

You say new phrases honestly everyday and I'm sorry I'm SO bad about remembering to A. Write them down and B. losing the paper when I do write them down.  I put out a notebook right before writing this so I can write everything in there so I can get better at documenting your speech journey.

Today you allowed a little girl at the park to share the same tunnel with you.  Baby step to ending your shyness.

And some nights when you wake up and have a hard time falling back asleep, you call out for me and ask me to "hug" you till you fall back asleep.  It's one of my favorite things you do when you do it.  

MORE new

OMG you just read me The Foot Book (mostly)and Blue Hat, Green Hat!  (Every single word!)  I may have gotten a little kerflempt....

(You even added the silly commentary that Dad does when he read to you.  Shoe on your head, so silly)

Newness

10 days ago, you got your glasses.  3 days ago we found out that starting in September you will be in the PM class at preschool (read no/later naps) and today you kissed your brother THREE times with a huge smile on your face.  You say things I've never heard you say EVERY SINGLE DAY.  That is so awesome that it clearly deserves capital letters.  You are now kissing and hugging everyone you love good bye and just becoming this new little person.

All this newness is boggling my mind and quite honestly stressing me out.  I don't do change well.  Not to get all psychological on you but when I was little, I had so much change that over time I started to dread it - even in small necessary doses.  I see change as scary and "the unknown".  A "place" where so many things can go wrong.  But like you and your brother tend to do, you are slowly teaching me to look at it differently.  I want you two to see change as exciting and a place where great positive things can happen.  Because they do.

In speech this week, Katie decided to change it up and decide that you two weren't going to do anything you usually do and when she first made this announcement, my chest tightened up.  I anticipated crying or unhappiness/resistance on your end.  So for at least the first 10 minutes, I waited for it.  IT.  I don't even know what IT was now.  But you totally loved doing all these new things. 

I dreaded and literally did not sleep the night before we got your glasses.  My chest tightened again with complete dread that you would hate them and cry.  I can't do the crying.  Quite honestly, it makes me cry.  But then you put them on and were like "Ok.  Whatever." and I was literally in awe all day long.  Still am.

AND then today!  Well, first off you didn't nap.  And you were totally adorable all day.  Now I don't know how you will sleep tonight so I'll get back to you on that.  BUT after we went to the park and came home waiting for dinner, you and Asher were sharing Dad's lap when he suggested you give Asher a kiss.  Now we have been suggesting that you kiss Asher for 16 months and NEVER have you even allowed him to touch you.  BUT then to everyone's surprise you just leaned over and kissed him.  THREE times!  (I was trying to capture it in a picture of course.  But you just kissed him so fast that I couldn't get the shot.  But I will don't worry).

All this to say that whether I like it or not, you are growing up right before my eyes and change is going to happen whether I want it to or not.  I just have to figure out how to enbrace the new without feeling such sadness for the old.  I mean I knew getting into this mommy thing that you and your brother were going to get older and not need me but I didn't realize that the not needing business was going to be so bittersweet and sometimes downright painful. 

I read this mommy blog and so fittingly she was talking about her kids growing up and her growing with them and while talking about all the small first milestones she wrote, "And I will weep each and every time (one goes by), but I know that the whole problem with this job is that if you do it right, they stop needing you. Shit."

My feelings likewise.  

Talky Talk

Today while walking to the park in the stroller, you turned about to me and in the sweetest little voice said,
"Mom, I want Dad".

OMG the SWEETNESS!

And this too:

To Horsey, "Come on Horsey, sit here."

"Where the computer, Mom?"

JUMPING!!!

Talky Talk

I'm going to try to remember to write down more of what you are saying these days because this small glimpse is nothing compared to what you are really doing these days.

While driving to the library today we get to the Elston stop light, you then point to the left and say, "That way for Dad" - A.  Let's amazing talking right there and B.  You were spot on.  Going that way does indeed bring us to Dad

While stalling before bed, you call me in there and play this my turn your turn try on game with my glasses. While doing so (and the reason I kept playing) you kept saying in your adorable little voice, "Your turn mom" and then after a few seconds "My turn".

I find it nothing short of amazing that week after week the stuff you learn during therapy is mastered by the next Thursday.  We hit the lessons hard and home and you just keep talking more and more.  I mean I get it - that's the point of the therapy but the span of time it happens is what boggles my mind.  You amaze me every single day.

You and your brother laughing hysterically

There are few things in life more precious than your babies laughing and playing together.  Life stops for a moment and everything is perfect for those 60 seconds.  Doesn't get better than that.

This face!

Eve's Dropping

From the other room, I hear you say, "Ready,  set, go!" -multiple times. (Now I was over the moon hearing that sentence.  A sentence!"  But then...

"Asher...go.  (waits like a few seconds)  Asher. go."

Then the sound of Asher hitting the ground.  Evidently, Asher didn't go fast enough for you.

I, of course, don't condone the pushing but everything before that makes me very happy.