Lil Lady Update

It has been a pretty special couple of weeks. I'm so proud of my lil lady. While a preemie, she is growing and developing fantastically. Here are some of the latest development mile markers:

- Army crawling: This lil lady is mobile! She is everywhere! She is very fast!
- Two teeth!: She is putting everything in her mouth. No toy or anything for that matter is safe. Her favorite things, which of course are not the toys she should be playing with include: Frank's purple dog toy, cords of all types (hair dryer, cable, TV, etc.)
- Sits up all by herself
- Favorite foods: Oatmeal, Sweet Potatoes, Squash
- Smiles, giggles, chatters and squeals: Her smile lights up a room. She is a lil social butterfly.
- Between 15-16 pounds

Favorite Quotes of the Week

"I'm Home, I'm home, it's time to take me home..." (Lil Man's interpretation of "Hi Ho" by the Seven Dwarves

"Can't go to swim lessons today." Why not? "There's a monster in the pool!" (Lil Man's reason/excuse for not wanting to go to his swimming lessons. Gotta love his creativity!)

"Bill ate Ben." (OK, not true. One of Lil Man's frogs passed and this is his explanation for what happened. But, have no fear, we got him a new frog - and his name? Ben)

Bringing Joy to Others

This story warmed my heart and I had to capture it. Lil lady is nearing 7 months old (woo-hoo!!). She is a 13.3 lb bundle of joy, full of smiles, giggles and jabber-chatter. She's a little social butterfly! (I LOVE that peanut girl!!!)

During the day, our good friend and neighbor takes care of Lil Lady while we're working. On this particular day, she needed to deliver some of her Avon orders and took peanut along to an assisted living community.

When she walked in with Lil Lady, a man and his wife (new to the community) spotted her immediately and made their way over to her. As they approached, it was clear that he was crying. He proceeded to say, "Thank you, thank you for bringing her here today! God bless her." And he handed our friend a penny and said, "here's a penny for her piggy bank."

(I'm getting goosebumps as I type.)Our friend continued to say that more people came up to her, wanting to see Lil Lady than she had seen before. She saw many new faces. Some people approached with arms outstretched, wanting to hold Lil Lady. Others extended their finger for peanut to hold onto. Once she grabbed a hold of it, a clear shot of immediate joy spread through these men and women, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers ... like lightening.

Peanut is very expressive and made her many faces. She has a smile that radiates, beaming throughout her whole body. She smiled, cooed, laughed and chatted with everyone. Loving each and every person, bringing joy and smiles to light up their day.

It was clear that she brought a great deal of joy to these men and women... maybe reminding them of their family, of being parents, bringing back memories, taking them back to a different time, or just bringing some joy to their day. Lil lady has this infectious effect on people - making them smile a little bigger, turning a serious expression to a happy one, etc.

I can't wait to share this story with my peanut girl someday. She did more that day in just being her loving little self that many people ever do. I'd like to think about what the men and women thought of her overall, how she made them feel, and how she impacted their day. I can't wait for her to go back again!!

It prompts me to ask, what have you done today to bring a little joy to someone's life? Sometimes just being yourself or doing the simpliest of things can brighten someone's day. I challenge myself, my family, friends and everyone out there to pay it forward. Have you done something nice today?

What your excuse?

Three-year-old-isms:

"I can't go to swimming lessons. There's a monster in the pool!"

"It's too windy, I'm going to swallow the wind!"

"Papa you're getting smaller, mama you're getting bigger."

"I can't go to school today!"

Mine's Bigger ... My Earthquake that is

Today was a first. We were sleeping (wish I could say soundly, but I had recently gone back to bed after nursing lil lady) and then at apx 4:00 AM, we were awoken by the room shaking. We experienced our very first earthquake!!

My husband and I are both from the Midwest, so this was definitely a first. The good news is that no one was hurt, the kids didn't wake up and the dog didn't even bark (which is a miracle as he is quite a talker!!).

Two things I had to share. The first is an email that my husband sent to my entire family (which is split between living in IL and California) - mom, dad, sisters, brother, etc. all included. The second speaks to the immediacy of social media and its impact on how we communicate.

First, here is my hubby's email (not for the faint of heart or anyone easily offended).

Subject: Mine's Bigger...
My Earthquake that is - it's bigger than yours. We we're awoken at 4:00 AM this morning by a 4.1 earthquake, which is pretty substantial for the Land of Lincoln.

- The house started shaking
- We woke up
- Stephanie said "WHATS THAT?"
- I said "Earthquake, go back to sleep"

How ya' like me now California???!!!

The second is about social media. You see, I did not go back to sleep after the earthquake. I was a little shaken, no pun intended, so I decided to see what was being said on TV. I turned to all of the local news stations, waiting for a moment... and then nothing. No breaking news, nothing. I then went online to see what Yahoo news or MSN would have to say, but again, nothing. (I actually thought that maybe I was delusional. Maybe it was not an earthquake at all.) So, I turned to Twitter. I got on Tweet Grid and typed in earthquake. There I found it. A stream of tweets that was running as fast as it could, trying to keep up with all of the new tweets. There, and within minutes, I was able to find out that it was a 4.3 earthquake and that the epicenter was just outside of De Kalb, IL.

Later the news stations caught up, but it was social media that prevailed with the fastest account and urgency on the day's anomaly. Our world is changing and I can't wait to see what happens next!!!

A Tea Party to Remember!

This week I got a very special invitation. My husband and I were invited to my son's classroom tea party. The invitation was absolutely adorable. A construction paper tea cup and inside a tea bag with the details of the event. (This is why I could never be a teacher. So not creatively wired.)



Lil man talked about it all week - it was very special. We discussed what he would bring to the tea party (cookies of course), what would happen there and the best thing - that both mom and papa would be there!



When I entered the classroom, I scanned the room (glancing by parents and kids galore), and then I spotted him!! He was handing out cups to all of the kids and parents. He ran right up to me and held me tighter than he has in a long time. I was so proud to be there with him and picked him up and hugged him.



We found our seat and he proudly sat in my lap, hugging me. I was so proud to be there and to be with him! Soon, papa walked through the door and I saw my son's joy erupt again. We spent the rest of the afternoon making decorating cookies, sipping ice tea and lemonade and sharing a special moment. One that could only be complimented by going out for chips and salsa afterwards.



I love my lil man!!!!

From the mouth of a pre-schooler

My son is going to be 4 year old in May, and I must say that he is in his prime of saying the best things. I am really enjoying his explorations and discoveries - and then hearing the perception of the world through his words. And I think the best are yet to come!!



From the mouth of a pre-schooler... memorable quotes from the week:



"MaPa!" - his favorite new way to call for mama and papa. I love how he has combined them into one word. Very smart as it's a sure fire way to get a response!!



"Look Frank, I got a new train!! We need to buy Frank a doggie train." - today we went to the store and yes, I hate to say it, but I needed to resort to a bribe. Not typical, but a reality. He picked out a train, Douglas - from Thomas the Tank Engine series - and the first thing he did when he got home was to show it to Franklin, the dog. Talk about no truer sense of man's best friend - or maybe it should be pre-schooler's best friend. It was endearing and I love that he did it!

"Can't go to school today!" - This statement alone proves that he is my son. While it might hold little significance to you, it speaks volumes to me. I have never been a fan of school, and that is putting it mildly. In fact, the only grade I liked was kindergarten. When I got to first grade I use to lock myself in the bathroom stall and cry, refusing to come out (until coaxed or threatened by an impatient teaching assistant that I would be sent back to kindergarten if I did not come out and rejoin the class). I love that he enjoys to spend time at home with us, playing with his toys. It is a special moment as I know that someday he will want to trade at-home time for friend time.

"Where's his mommy? She must be at work!" - This quote is hard to write. Lately when we're watching one of his shows and he sees a child character he always asks, "Where's his mommy?" His response sums up the reality of our situation - "His mommy must be at work!" You seen, I am a working mom. While I really enjoy what I do (and I do), it's moments like these that tug at my heart. In just this one statement he is reflecting on life as he knows it and that is hard for me.