quote of the day

"Mommy, your hair looks like Halloween."

umm... ok

The other night at dinner (this all took place AFTER the Cinderella Tea Party lunch with a Cinderella cake and NO BOYS, ONLY GIRLS! and more doll stuff and squeals than I've seen/heard in a long time):

Daddy: Pink, do you like being a girl?
Pink: Uh-huh.
Daddy: You do?
Pink: Uh-huh.
Daddy: That's great! What do you like most about being a girl?
Pink: Um, being a boy.
Daddy: The part you like most about being a girl, is pretending to be a boy?
Pink: YEAH!

For more on "gender confusion" that really has nothing to do with confusion and everything to do with being little, see my friend's post here. I think it's all hilariously cute and will treasure it. Sadly, I think too many will not agree with me. But that's their right, I suppose.

thoughts on healthy eating

Pink: Let's talk about what has lots of protein, and especially lots of vitamin C.


Mama: Well, cream cheese has protein.

Pink: And milk. And cows. Mama! We should get a cow and then we could eat it and get lots of protein! We should go to a farm and find a cow and buy it and we could bring it home and cut it up and then we could eat COW! Cause cows have lots of protein and we could just cut it all up and EAT IT!

need more coffee

I love coffee, but there are times in life when I'm addicted. Now is one of those times. Yesterday I only had a half cup in the morning because we were scrambling to get out the door with half of our kitchen to prepare a surprise b-day brunch for my MIL, the day after we had two b-day parties for Pink. My eyes got sore. My head was hurting. My neck was achy and stiff. I got my hands on two more cups and the problems were solved.

Today, I had one cup this morning as usual. And then I got my hands on another cup a couple hours later. And now, only 5 hours after waking up, I'm desperate for a third. It's not even working anymore!

happy b-day, pink

Finally! You have made it to four, even though sometimes it's like you turned four a long time ago since you look and act so much older than three. And yet you said to me the morning of your b-day that you "didn't feel four yet" but still felt three. You seemed so disappointed! This may take a while to set in for you. :)

At four you are quicker than ever and you're loving the challenge of preschool. You also made enough friends early on that you invited four girls from school to your birthday party. You love anything princess or having to do with babies, whether they're dolls or real babies. You have mostly given up naps and instead you spend an hour of quiet time reading books in the afternoon. You're grown up enough that I can even trust you to read books on my bed, and it feels a bit strange to watch you act so competent in getting your things together for quiet time.

I wonder sometimes how my baby has become a bigger, older, wiser, and smarter baby. Day after day I watched and memorized and studied and soaked in, but your preschool years still sneaked up on me. And I'm so very happy for the way you've grown up so far. You're a wonderful girl, a blessing to those around you, and you're very dearly loved. I'm thankful every day for you, and still studying and memorizing as much as I can. Happy birthday, sweet pea!

happy birthday, sweet girl

My Lizzie,

You are ONE today! And you've nestled your way down into my heart even more deeply than one year ago when I first saw your swirled, dark hair. Now you...

have blond hair with strawberry highlights

wrinkle your nose when you smile

giggle with your whole body

still laugh harder for your sister than for anyone else (I'm coming to the realization that this may always be true, which makes me excited for the laughs you two have in store)

love to splash water but are still too scared to take a bath by yourself

make a hobby out of pulling out your sister's hair

still kick with excitement when you see us get out the infant carrier

greet dada (and me, too) with a wide grin, flapping arms, and squeals

enjoy being outside more than inside

are flexible with your schedule and love to go on adventures

almost always roll over onto your blankie to fall asleep

love to see either of your two nannies arrive in the morning

are the apple of your daddy's eye, and he loves watching things like how your fingers move when you pick things up

make us proud of the person you are and the perfect addition you are to our life. We love you, Lizzie. More than we could say.

my favorite response

We've had lots of responses to BG (her unofficial name; stands for "Baby Girl") coming on the heels of Lizzie and mostly we've heard great things about our exciting news. The funniest response, though, came from our opinionated landlady who could be called an old codger:

Edie: You're pregnant again?
Me: Yep
Edie: Oh. You guys wanted another one, huh? You wanted to do that again?
Me: Well, sometimes they come whether you're ready or not
Edie: Oh, really. Well. You really wanted another one, huh?
Me: (trying to redirect her)We're having another girl; exciting, isn't it?
Edie: (walking toward me with her finger pointing)Well, you know, I just have to tell you something: around here, we only allow FIVE people in one place, and so if y'all are planning on having any MORE kids, well, you're gonna have to leave!

Duly noted.