Oh to be two

If I were to die tomorrow (not planning on it though), I would want to come back as one of Myla's baby dolls.  She is such a good little mommy.  She makes sure she has a good grip on baby, patting their back and saying "its okay baby".  Babies get lovingly tucked in under their blankets, or get to go exciting places like the car wash - "look baby, wash car" - and they get milk whenever they want it, or don't want it.  Every baby has a toy, a rattle or if they are being really good a penguin, and she makes sure they are softly put down in the middle of the floor before she goes to play with something else.  Sounds like a hard life huh?

Myla has been powering through a little cold she got during her week of not sleeping well.  Every morning, 2:00, she was up screaming for her dad.  Which of course was not fun because he was at work, so I got up.  We've determined that it wasn't night terrors, or that she was thirsty or hungry, just that she wants us to rotate who puts her to bed.  So simple, it was almost laughable.

We took Myla to a brass concert on Saturday with Mam-mam that was supposed to be just for kids under four.  She sat through the first song, but then she was done.  I thought she would want to stomp her feet or clap since she loves to do that at home, but she was having too much fun making her mom and dad chase her.  Maybe when she's three she'll be more inclined to listen.  I thought it was a good time... does that count?

Say Cheese - A Photo Essay

"Myla, let's take a picture in your dress for Grammy. Say cheese!"

"Elephant say cheese"

"Lion say cheese"

"Monkey say cheese"

"Carebear say cheese"

"James Penguin say cheese"

"Thank you Myla for (finally!) saying cheese!  I'm sure Grammy will love the pictures."

Back to Reality

I took last week off so I could spend some time with Myla (and get some degree of sanity back). So this week, it was back to reality. Myla has gotten right back into the groove of things without much of a problem. The naps she wouldn't take for me, she takes for her Nonni and she's been eating really well too - again, something she wouldn't do for me. I hear its a mom and dad thing, testing her boundaries or some such. We had a good time last week though and I know I did not enjoy Monday at all having to wake up early and not getting to see her all day. I think another mental health day may be coming up shortly...

(Scott, this is for you - her best gangsta' impression.) Myla's words have taken off like nothing else. She repeats almost anything you say and sometimes whole sentences. She still has some Myla words for things, but we are getting there. The other day, she was singing the ABC's in the back seat. It was so cute! She's really good at W X Y Z but the others get pretty mashed up.

She was very excited to see the snow falling this afternoon. I see crunching in the snow in our future...

New Year's Eve

Last New Year's Eve, we kind of installed a tradition for our little family of visiting lights around town (we went to Zoo Lights). This year, we decided to check out the Blossoms of Lights at the botanic gardens. Yes, it was cold, but we enjoyed all the wonderful paths that were set out for us to see the lights. It was even more fun to see them through a two-year-old's eyes. Cause let me tell you, they move much faster when you are two...

Myla had a blast! She kept saying "run, run, run" all the way through. She would say "this way!" whenever a new path popped up and "more lights" when we would stop for a minute. She made so many people that were walking around us just giggle and enjoy her too. She just loved it. One gal said she was a little pink snowball barrelling though. (I was the one who said we should bring the stroller, although all it did was tag along and keep her with us in the parking garage.)

If you ask me though, I think her favorite part was crunching in the snow with her new snow boots.


Happy 2010!

Homecoming anniversary

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of Myla coming home from the hospital after nine really long weeks. And tonight, we celebrated with her making us a wonderful fruit salad from the kitchen she got for Christmas from Mam-mam and Pop-pop. She was so cute cutting the fruit in half and telling us what it was (pear, orange, strawberry). She was having a lot of fun until real dinner was ready and then we weren't so cool. If I'd been thinking, I would have put together a real fruit salad and maybe that would have appeased her.

Today we went swimming at Aimee's high school pool. I think Myla had more fun watching the divers that Aimee was coaching and critiquing their splashes. (I think she made it hard for Aim to coach too because she does some really cute things, but that's just me...) She did do some great kicks and gliding, worked on her scoops and almost floated on her back. I think we are making progress.

So, we were thinking about how amazing and really inspiring our girl is that in two years, she's ignored the whole born early thing and cruised through every milestone. She talks like nothing else - three and four words in a row sometimes that you can understand! - runs, plays, colors, and gets heavy if you carry her for too long. She also gets antsy and wants to walk, but that's a different story. Two years ago we brought home a tiny four pound baby on oxygen who got lost in her car seat. She's had no setbacks, no real illnesses and reservations about doing things on her own time. Maybe the nurses were right. Maybe we really will have our hands full when she is a teenager...

Merry Christmas

We just got home from a week of joyous Christmas celebrations. Sunday, we played with Witulski cousins and had a great dinner. One of Myla's cousins wouldn't let her down she was having so much fun coloring and playing. Then last night, we played with more cousins running around and playing with new toys. She's a little confused as to how there are so many cousins and they don't all have the same name I think, but she has fun with them just the same.

Today, Myla had the best day, opening presents and playing with her new toys and reading her new books. We had a great day watching her do it all too. She got new beds for her babies, a kitchen, and some very cute outfits. Add in all the Little People stuff and the bath crayons and she was in heaven! She got very good at saying Merry Christmas by the end of the day and it was very cute. John and I got spoiled too - web cams and Cricut cartridges and movies, oh my! - and we certainly felt like little kids again.

We are especially grateful for our families this year. It hasn't been an easy year for us but we always knew that we could count on them to rally around us. We know how important they are to us, and we know we probably don't always tell them but we hope that they know they are. We'll do our best in 2010 to tell them more.

Remember - only 364 days to go till Christmas! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Stylin'

Myla completed her first round of swim lessons today. She had the best time chasing ducks and kicking. We still need to work on her scoop and the floating on your back parts, but she loved it I think. All morning she went around the house saying "simmin lemmons" and was really excited to put her suit on. I think we'll have to look into the next round once the Y releases their schedule. She even got a pretty yellow certificate to show off - if you could get past the shy part that she's all of a sudden doing with anyone. But once she flashes that smile, you know you are okay.

She's also been a busy girl learning her colors (most things are blue or green, sometimes purple) and counting to ten (even if she does miss a couple of numbers here and there). This week, Myla got to play with one of her East Coast friends, Emma, and teach her the word "no, no" and how much fun it is to run away from mom. That Myla, she's a trouble maker I guess.

We have been counting down to Christmas on our calendar and are very excited to begin the festivities tomorrow with the Witulskis. It will be the first time since she became mobile that she will really get to play with her cousins on that side of the family. They are bigger and older than her, but I think she'll have just as much fun watching them as she will trying to keep up. Or maybe they will just make her laugh cause they are so funny. We'll have to see!