Three years

Three years ago today, she made me into a mama...

...and became her own separate little person in our great big world.

"Welcome to the spinning world!" they said.  "We're so glad you've come."

Perfect Fall Day

After going to bed late last night and waking up early, I suppose it's fair to say we didn't have high hopes or lofty goals for our Sunday today.  But, ever the optimist that he is (especially on the weekends), my dear husband dragged our lazy bones out of the house for some pumpkin pancakes this morning.  That turned out to be the beginning of the most awesomely awesome Fall Sunday ever!

After breakfast we drove to the farmer's market.  It was one of the last weekends of the "summer" market, so we had to stock up.  We bought ten (10!) bars of soap to last us the winter, and our usual purchases of meat from our favorite farmer, Bar 5.  Then home for nap.  Eliza slept from 10:30 to 1:30 (!), and I joined her for most of that time - it was amazing.  I've decided that any perfect day includes a nap. :)

While hubby and Eliza watched some football, I meal planned and then went to the store to stock up on food for this week's meals.  I've recently tried to be better about meal planning and it's saved me so much stress/hassle, time and money.  I don't know why I didn't do it sooner!  Ever since I withdrew from my Ph.D. program I've tried to become more productive/efficient at home and this is one of the ways that has made the most impact.  I think we eat more healthfully overall, and we definitely eat out less (one of our achilles heels!).

Anyway, it was unseasonably warm here today, so when I came home, Andy and Eliza were in the backyard raking and cleaning up the yard.  I joined them and it wasn't long before yard work was replaced by jumping in leaves, burying each other in leaves, leaf fights, and other fall-like shenanigans (like naked sand-box playing, apparently).

Then hubby started the grill and I learned that while I was gone he and Eliza had made both a spice rub and glaze for the pork chops we bought this morning.  He proceeded to make an amazing meal for us of smoked pork chops, baked potato and roasted carrots.  It was so yummy!

After dinner, it was bed time for the girl, so hubby took her upstairs for bath, teeth brushing and stories.  It was a great day.  Perhaps not the best blog fodder, but just something I wanted to write about here so that I'd remember it.  We are so lucky to have each other.  I love this family of mine.

In Which I Get All Sappy On You

Eliza is nearly three years old now.  We will be celebrating a birthday in just five short weeks!  This girl has changed so much in the last year, it is really remarkable.  I've been so caught up with my own drama, that my girl hasn't gotten much attention on the ol' blog lately.

So what's she been up to?

Questions.  Oh the questions!  She is naturally curious about everything.  The 'why?'s, that started nearly a year ago now, have blown up exponentially and are never ending!  It often reaches the point where her 'why?' questions no longer makes sense, and we've started to try to help her rephrase her questions, challenging her to think about what she's really trying to ask.

She is NOT a morning person.  Mornings are... rough, to say the least.  It doesn't help that I am also not a morning person.  The two of us do not make the most enthusiastic or good natured duo between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning.  That's usually when an episode of Mr. Roger's is watched while we try to wake up (or sleep a bit more, in my case).

Fears.  Fears are creeping in - she is learning and sort of experimenting with them.  Figuring out what other people are afraid of, and "testing" them out.  Most recently, she's not quite sure about the radiator in her room, which she can see at the end of her bed (our new house has radiators, our previous house did not, so they are new to her).  "Cover it up with a blanket, mama, so I can't see it", she requests each night before bed.  But then the next morning she'll say "I'm not scared of the radiator, he's just a nice guy who keeps us warm.  He's a silly warm guy!".

Nakedness.  Oh boy, does this child like to be naked.  She takes any opportunity.  When she has to pee?  Why not do that completely naked?  When she doesn't want to spill on her shirt during breakfast? Meh, Imma just gonna take off all these clothes, Ma.  Who cares if it's 50 degrees outside?  Let's go outside naked too (she did do that once and immediately came screaming back inside the house).  And then, when it's time to get dressed again (for the 30th time in a day)?  She needs an entirely new outfit.  Of course.  Why not?

Friends.  She has made so many new friends lately (primarily thanks to our move - we live in the best neighborhood that is FULL of kids!), and she loves it.  I love watching her develop relationships with other kids.  It's so sweet and innocent.  Let's be real, though, there are times when she can be equally as UN-friendly as she is friendly with her friends.  The normal preschool relationship stuff, I guess, nothing out of the ordinary... the occasional violence, difficulty sharing, etc.  It's definitely there.  But then she reaches out and wants to hold their hand, she shares a toy or snack, gives them a hug and kiss, talks about them randomly when they aren't there ("Isaac is my favorite friend!", "I want to draw a picture for Ingrid", "I love my ECFE friends!")... and I know that the makings of an amazing friend are there - somewhere inside, developing quietly, waiting in the wings.

Blossoming Foodie.  The girl eats everything - well, okay, that's an overstatement.  But she'll at least try anything.  It seems she favors international foods more than anything - especially mediterranean (well, except for the general food group known as carbs.  Oh the love this girl has for carbs is astounding... sorry honey, but you didn't get that from me!).  We were at a housewarming party the other day and she loudly announced "I WOULD LIKE MORE OLIVES AND HUMMUS AND PITA, MAMA!".  She also likes Vietnamese food (above!).  A family favorite is Pho, and she's been eating at our favorite Pho place since she was a teeny tiny baby (and in fact we went there today for my dad's birthday!).  It's nice that we can take her anywhere and know that she'll be able to eat what we order, and that she'll be relatively well behaved at the restaurant (let's just say she's had a lot of practice).  We are trying our best to raise her to appreciate not only good food, but the culture of food and how it can bring people together.  How we relate to each other via food, over shared meals, etc.  Sharing meals together is as important to us as healthy, balanced food choices, and we hope that Eliza will grow up and feel the same.

Sleep.  As I mentioned before, she sleeps.  God Bless America, this child sleeps.  And we are so happy (and rested).  Not only does she sleep, but bedtimes are a lovely, easy experience for everyone involved.  Daddy gives her a bath, brushes her teeth, reads her books/sings her a song, and then it's "mama time": five (or so) minutes of milky in her bed, followed by singing "Simple Gifts".  I stay with her for a few minutes (or as she says, "lay with me in a minute, mama"), and then I tuck her in and say goodnight.  She is awake when I leave, and she falls asleep on her own.  This may not sound like much to some, but here in this house? It's nothing short of a miracle.  We are so very proud of her for this.  She really is turning into our big girl.

Teh Sweetness.  She has her moments, but oh is this girl sweet.  Just so so sweet (when she wants to be!).  She expresses real, genuine love for her family and friends quite often.  It's so cute.  And the way she's already so excited about her baby brother or sister?  There is nothing sweeter than hearing her talk about the baby in mama's belly.  She slays me.  This afternoon, I wasn't feeling particularly well, and I finally told her that (previously I'd just been trying to power through, but couldn't do it anymore today). She immediately told me to "lie down mama!", and she brought me a pillow, put it under my head, and then asked me if I'd like a blanket.  Then she brought a pillow to put over my belly, "for the baby" (uhh, yeah, we'll have to make sure she knows that's not cool once the baby is out!), and then sat with me and cuddled.

...

Okay, enough sap (and length - geesh!) for tonight.  Guess I could write a novel about that girl of mine.  Don't worry though, another day I'll write about those moments, those oh-my-god-get-me-out-of-here-before-I-scream moments that we all feel as parents.  Because believe me, they are numerous around here!!!!

It started with cream cheese.

I wasn't going to do anything special for valentine's day.  It was turning out to be an average day in our house.  A homemade valentine's card for Dada from Eliza, sure, but nothing more than that.  

And then I remembered I had cream cheese in the fridge.  

Why did I have cream cheese?  Honestly, I can't remember.  We're not big cream cheese eaters around here... but for some reason I bought it the other day at the store.  I think I was thinking it would be a nice addition to a cream sauce?  Or something?  

Anyway, remembering the cream cheese, the thought of making a fruit tart popped into my head.  So, I made a fruit tart.  And then, seeing how fancy it looked, I decided I had to spruce up our dinner plans to match it.  So I made homemade red sauce and meatballs to serve with penne.  THEN, I looked at our table and decided to make it special, too.  Off I went, searching the house for every pink or red or heart shaped/themed thing in our house to decorate our valentine's day table (turns out I don't have a lot of that stuff...).  

It was fun, and made the evening feel really special as the three of us sat around the table to have dinner.

Hope everyone had a sweet day yesterday!

Weekend Overfloweth

What a great weekend!

Saturday morning I got to sleep in until 8.  It would have been perfect except that I woke to the sound of a screeching toddler telling her Daddy "NO MAMA DOOOO IIIIIITTTTT!!!!".  Oh boy.  So I got up and tried to reason with her, explaining that, in fact, Dada CAN help her put her pants on - not just Mama.  Turns out, reasoning with a teenager 2 year old is pointless because they will just yell "NO!" and slam the door in your face.

Saturday afternoon/evening, while Eliza spent the better part of the day with her Grandma and Grandpa (and also fell asleep for them - WOOHOO!!), hubby and I went to dinner with my brother and SIL to a really cool new(ish) restaurant in our area.  It was, in a word, epic.  In every way - the FOUR HOUR WAIT for a table was epic (no reservations accepted - OMGZ PEOPLE), the 10-course chef's tasting menu was epic, the bottle of wine that we brought was epic, and the hour at which we got home - the latest since before Eliza was born - was epic.  I'll stop saying epic now.

Sunday morning, after 5 very interrupted hours of sleep, I woke up with the girl and we made coffee.  Well, actually she made me coffee.  She now knows how to work our k-cup machine.  WHAT THE?  Then Daddy woke up and we made breakfast.  My brother had given us some venison potato sausage that he made (like, from beginning to... er... end... let's not talk about it), so we cooked that up along with some Norwegian waffles.  I didn't know the Norwegians were big waffle people, but, apparently, I was very wrong.  And I'm glad, because those things were YUMMY.  We all helped - Eliza sat at the counter and took fistfuls of flour "for pizza dough" (?) and spread it on the countertop (wait did I say help?), Dada cooked up the sausage, and I womanned the waffle maker.

Later in the morning, I left Daddy and Daughter on their own (and in their pajamas) to go have lunch with a dear friend for her birthday.  There were four of us there, but I didn't know the other two women.  It was so delightful and... much needed (though I chastised myself on the way home for talking so much; I do that when I get nervous, I've realized).  The two women I didn't know turned out to be veteran mamas who had nursed toddlers, nightweaned/weaned them, and were on the other side.  It felt really good to ask them questions, find support and understanding in their experiences, and, honestly, just to be meeting new people!  It struck me that I don't do that often.  Remember when you were little and you made new friends easily, and all the time?  Anyway.  It was nice.

And then I came home and took a nap!

Sunday night, we took Eliza to her first musical!  It was a Children's Theater performance of Harold and the Purple Crayon.  We didn't know what to expect from Eliza during the show, being newly 2 and not known to sit still for 90 minutes at a time, but with $10 rush tickets, we didn't have much to lose.  But the minute that curtain rose, we knew we had nothing to worry about.  She was captivated.  She smiled, laughed, clapped, stared, and was completely in love with the entire experience.  I had an unexpected emotional mama moment when I saw her face as she watched the show - I actually teared up.  I know.  Come ON, Ella, it was HAROLD. AND THE FREAKING PURPLE CRAYON.  But something about the whole experience - the specialness (I know that is not a word OMG I just looked it up and it turns out it's a word), making such a fun memory together as a family of three, having it hit me that, yep, she IS big enough, old enough, READY for big kid things like this... it just alllllll hit me and made me cry a little bit right there while a slightly overweight (and 40-something) Harold was leaping and dancing across the stage in blue footie pajamas.  It was so much fun, and I didn't want it to end (It was the perfect length though, so I'm also glad it ended when it did!).  It was the cherry on top of a perfect weekend.

Without a doubt, this weekend delivered.  And once again, I asked myself how I got so lucky.

Partay!

Eliza's party was today, and after a rough start to the day - refusing to nap, and she had a cold - the party was a success!  Our food theme was "dips", partly because the party was at 3:00 and I didn't want to serve a big meal, and partly because I was trying to avoid having to use forks (ended up still needing them, but oh well!), so we had guacamole and chips, devil's caviar (also for the chips), spinach and artichoke dip with crackers, baked brie and veggies and dill dip.  And then of course, there was dessert!  My mom made the most delicious chocolate w/salted caramel cupcakes, and hubby made the yummiest coconut-vanilla cupcakes.  I have to say, I could honestly not pick a favorite... so I had half of each.  Eliza loved her party, and was totally comfortable and happy even with all the people and noise and chaos (and without her nap) - she really is a trooper, so flexible and willing to go with the flow.

A few highlights from the day:

• As everyone was singing happy birthday, I was holding Eliza's little cake out for her with the little "2" candle lit... and I started to tear up just watching her and listening to everyone -- so many people who love and care for her, who have supported us for the last 2 years -- sing to her, to my sweet girl... it was so overwhelming and touching and I think it just hit me that she's TWO now, and really her own little person... very memorable.

• After she blew out her candle (she totally blew it out all by herself - haha it was pretty cute :) and everyone clapped, the room fell silent and Eliza just said "need spoon!".  HA!  The girl just wanted to dig into her cake!

• My brother gave Eliza a special little straw sippy cup in the shape of a bunny.  It is completely adorable and "leak-resistant" - and I have to say, it really is!  I will let you all know when it hits the shelves, it's a bit of a preview of an item that his team worked on (he's an engineer).  I was really touched that he thought to give one to his niece on her birthday.

• Eliza's Nana gave her a whole bag of gingerbread making supplies and other accessories for the Christmas season - it is so sweet!  There's a gingerbread house kit, lots of gingerbread cookie cutters (including the elusive gingerbread woman!), gingerbread cookie-making supplies, a sweet gingerbread-themed child-sized apron, and gingerbread man kitchen towels.  It was sweet because Eliza has really gotten into baking with her Dada, so it will be lots of fun for them (and I'll join in the fun too!).

• Oh!  And one from earlier this morning.  Hubby and I set up her play kitchen - her gift from us - last night after Eliza went to sleep and so when she woke up this morning we brought her over to it.  The look on her face was so so so sweet; I think I will remember it forever!  It was the face of pure toddler joy, and also a shy little look that said "really? this is for me?".  Priceless.  

• Eliza's voice got a bit hoarse by the end of the day - both because of her cold, and all the excitement, I think.  Bu that little voice talking like that was really cute.  Haha, is that horrible of me that I think my daughter's sick voice is cute??  It's a bit lower and all scratchy... I think it's adorable!

• My amazing hubby did SO much work today - not only did he make the cupcakes, he did almost all of the party clean-up, and I am so grateful.  I hate that part of the party - I love the setting up, the cleaning and prepping FOR the party, but afterwards it's such a letdown and all I want to do is sit on the couch (or in this case, sit down and play with organize Eliza's new play kitchen, food, and dishes!!).

The day was wonderful and I so soooooo appreciate every one of the family and friends who help make Eliza's life so rich and full of love.  Many of those people were at her party today, but due to space issues (i.e. we live in a shoebox of a house - but it's a cute little 900 square foot shoebox!), some of those people were not.  So, to ALL of you (you know who you are!), thank you thank you thank you.  We are amazingly lucky and grateful to have such a network of loving friends and family who support us in so many ways.  I hope someday I am able to have all of you in one room together :)

Photos to come!

2 years, 1 day...

...and still going strong!

Happy Birthday Eliza!

Happy birthday to the sweetest, smartest, most loved, happiest, cutest, most adventurous, flexible, reasonable, and fun TWO YEAR OLD I know!

To our miracle girl.  

Our long-awaited, hoped-and-dreamed-for... you.  It was always meant to be you.

Happy birthday to you, my little love.  

I can't believe it's been two years, and yet I can't believe it's only been two years.

xoxo

Mama

A First (aka: Your Mom Getting All Sappy On You)

Eliza, today was a big day for you.  This morning, you went to play at the hourly daycare co-op that we joined.  You have been there once before, this was your second visit there.  Last week, you did great, though your teachers said you did get a little sad about 30 minutes before I came to pick you up.  But, even with that, you were happy as can be when I picked you up and you told me you had "fun!" playing there.  So I was not surprised when I dropped you off there again this morning and you happily said goodbye to me and started playing without a problem (you have NEVER ONCE cried when I have left you with someone!).

I returned three hours later.  When I walked in the room, I couldn't find you playing in the classroom anywhere.  All of a sudden I heard Teacher Claire's voice say: "She fell asleep about 45 minutes ago! Isn't she cute?".  

Hold up.

What?  

My brain did not compute.  Certainly she must have me mistaken for someone else (but she should KNOW who I AM, I thought.  How could she get me mixed up with another parent?  For that split second, I was so annoyed!), because you, my dear child, will not fall asleep for anyone but me (and sometimes Grandma) - no way, no how!  And yet, there you were.  Asleep on the big stuffed doggie in the corner of the room.  My sweet sweet baby - asleep...???  This was so out of context and confusing for my brain that I immediately starting panicking internally.  Yes, this over-protective mama's first thought was "AHMYGOD MAH POOR BAYBEE!"  I can't explain it, exactly, but my immediate fear was that you had been so upset that you cried yourself to sleep and were scared and alone and missing your mama, and, and, and...more drama and helicopter parenting, etc.  

Teacher Claire said that you did get a little sad while out on the playground, about an hour before I was scheduled to come pick you up, and that she told you that mama was coming back soon ("Mamas always come back!") and that you understood that and continued to play.  Then, you came back into the classroom with Teacher Claire and went to lay down on the floor with a baby doll.  She said you were a bit fussy and whiny and she thought you were tired.  So she picked you up and put you over on the big soft cuddly doggie and you fell asleep.  

Okay, that sounded fine... even though my brain was still confused, I thanked her, I woke you up softly and we went home.  

Then I started thinking more and worrying more (haha of course!) and wanted to know all the minute details of how this went down.  So, I emailed teacher Claire.  She was so kind and emailed me back right away.  Here is her email:

• Hi Ella, I will break down Eliza's day for you:
  
  9-10 we have free play. Eliza played in the house area (she went on a picnic with some other friends). We read books ("The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear" SEVERAL times) She played with the magnetic train set, balls and bean bags; pushed babies around in the cart; built and knocked down block structures...kind of a usual morning here. :)
  
  At 10:00 we have snack time. We had Cheerios and raisins. She ate a great snack and enjoyed hanging out with her friends.
  
  Around 10:15/10:30ish we have group time. We read our book "Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin" and talked about jack-o-lanterns. We sang Halloween songs, did the 5 Little Pumpkin flannel board story and sang Baby Beluga. We talked about the letter O practicing the sounds that O makes in the microphone and discussing words that start with O. She participated at group time and enjoyed singing the songs especially.
  
  Around 10:40/10:50ish we went outside to play. We were on the playground for about 10 minutes when she started to get sad and ask for mommy and daddy. Susan and I kept reminding her that moms and dads always come back. That seemed to help. She said "yeah" and then go play for another few minutes. This cycle repeated a few times. I asked if she wanted to come in early with me to set out lunches. She said yes, so she and some of the friends came in at around 11:20. She was so tired she was sort of whiney but not really crying. When we came into the classroom she laid on the floor with a baby and in about 30 seconds I could see that she was almost asleep. So I scooped her up and laid her on Big Puppy (mostly because she was in front of the door and I didn't want her to get stepped on when the other kids came in from the playground). She snuggled in and fell right to sleep. I was sort of expecting her to wake up when the class came in (and sat next to her on Big Puppy) but she didn't, she slept right through it!
  
  She was sound asleep by 11:30 and stayed that way until you came to get her.
  
  Her morning was great! She was busy all morning and played with many different toys and lots of different kids. She wasn't crabby AT ALL and she would let us comfort her and it seemed to help her to feel better. She just seemed to be worn out by the end of a busy morning. All the kids were--it takes a couple of days for them to come down from Halloween. :)

I was so very calmed and comforted by this email that I nearly burst into tears.  You are such a strong, smart little girl, Eliza.  "What a competent child," your Grandma said to me in an email today, "able to console herself and find comfort from others." It's so true.  You are growing up not only physically, but emotionally.  You are, as we say in the family field, securely attached.  You know that mom and dad are here and will have your back - and so, you are independent, you are growing (tiny, for now!) wings.  You know we will be here to catch you if you fall and so you feel confident going out into the world on your own.  Right now, that world is small and safe - it's your day care center - but you are exploring it and mastering it with ease and confidence.  Soon, it will be your grade school, your friends' houses, your peer group, your dorm room...your first job... and I know you will be just as confident in all of those settings.  Even if you feel sad or scared at times like you might have today, you will look back and see us there supporting you and rooting for you and you'll know that it's okay to go and explore and discover the new world around you.

It may sound like a silly little thing to some people, that you fell asleep on your own today... but it represented so much more to your daddy and me.  We love you so much and are so proud of you, and that will never change.

xoxo

Mama

Today

Eliza,

Today, I watched you walk out the door with your grandma, on your way to a fun morning date to the Science Museum.  You walked down the stairs in front of our little white house, one hand holding the railing, the other holding grandma's hand.  You looked like such a big girl.  I said to myself 'where did my baby go?'   I thought of two summers ago, when I was waddling up and down those stairs, my belly so big and full of life - you were all curled up in there, getting ready to come out - and I was busy getting ready for your arrival: planning a nursery, washing diapers and onesies, all while dreaming of you, my sweet Baby P.  How are you already almost two years old?

Today, you played at a little indoor play area at our local mall with grandma and me.  We shared (and I use that word lightly because I think you drank most of it) a mango smoothie and you sat on my lap, enjoying the novelty of drinking out of three straws.  I told your grandma that last time you and I shared a smoothie (about 6 or 7 months ago), it was a much more equitable experience :)  But it's okay, I know it's all part of growing up.  You know what is yours, or, more accurately, what you would like to be yours, and you know how to defend it.

You are growing up.

Later, when you were playing (after you made sure that the mango smoothie was gone), you found it difficult to share the play area with the other children, telling them "No" and saying "Eliza's!" when they tried to play where you wanted to play.  You were upset that a little girl was on the slide.  You pushed her and were not very gentle with her.  I jumped up and came over to you and we talked about gentle touches and you told the little girl you were sorry.  It was hard for mama to see you do that; I know you are a kind, tender, gentle girl, and you were just having a hard time sharing today.

You are growing up, and this is all part of growing up.  As I watched you, again I wondered, 'where did my baby go?'


Today, you pooped in your potty for the first time and you were happy and proud of yourself, and yet, at the same time, it was like it was no big deal to you.  You just stood up and slammed the lid shut and (almost) walked away (there was still the small matter of wiping to be dealt with...).  When dada came home, you said "I pooped!" and we all laughed and high-fived.  When I called grandma and grandpa to tell them, grandpa said it made him a little sad - you are growing up.

Today, I am a very proud, very happy mama.

There are moments when this is hard.  Like, really really hard.  Moments when parenting you, my dear toddler girl, is not fun, or even The Thing I Would Like To Be Doing Most at that moment.  But that is normal, and those moments pass.  And I remind myself that each day will be different, each day you will change, that 'this too shall pass'... I remind myself that you are growing up.  And it is bittersweet.

Today, you needed me when daddy was rinsing your soapy hair at bath time.  You were scared and didn't want all the water splashing over your head.  You are usually okay with it, but tonight you weren't, and we don't know why, but you just needed to be held while daddy rinsed your hair.  I held you and told you it was okay and that the water wouldn't hurt you, but that I would hold you and give you kisses while daddy poured the water.  You agreed, and I gave you big raspberry kisses on your belly - just like I've been doing since you were one week old - and you laughed, which made me laugh.

Today, you grew up a little bit more.  But I want you to know that you will always be my baby and I will always be here to hold you when you are scared - even if all you are scared of is bath water.

Eliza, you are growing up, but you will always be my baby girl, and I will always be your Mama.  I love you so much.

xoxo

Mama

Ahma

Eliza is finally learning to say "grandma".  For a while, she didn't really have a word for my mom (we're calling my parents "grandma" and "grandpa", and hubby's parents are "nana" and "pop pop", names which she both says and uses quite efficiently).  It was weird.  She clearly knew who grandma was all along, but whenever we talked about grandma and grandpa, she would only verbalize "grandpa" (which came out "bumpah", and still does), making the sign along with it.  It was as though this word/sign combination represented both grandpa and grandma...?  Maybe?  Or perhaps she just never got around to learning the word "grandma"?  I guess we'll never know.  

But finally - finally - she has started to try to say grandma and it is so cute.  It comes out as "ahma".  It melts my heart (and if it melts my heart, I can't even imagine what it does to my mom's).  

Those two are best friends.  Eliza always prefers to be with/be held by my mom over me when given the choice (unless of course there is nursing to be done, then she will settle for mama), and it doesn't make me sad or jealous in the least.  I am so happy to see them together and to see Eliza love her grandma so much.  They have a special bond and they are both very lucky to have the other!

Sappy Sunday

This girl makes me smile every day.  She is so sweet and so caring.  She loves her family, her dolls, her stuffed animals, her kitties... she gives kisses and tells us she loves us.  She makes silly faces and throws her head back and laughs and laughs. She loves to be tickled, and always says "again!" when you stop.  She loves her friends and asks to see them by name ("isey!" "eddie!" "vi!" "audie!").  She is such a little love.  

She is a happy, happy girl, and I do not know what I would do without her.