It is hard for me to continue with the regular updates. It seems that life catches up too quickly, and I don’t have enough time during the day (or night) to remember to update the site with Lily’s latest adventures. I did want to quickly pop in to show you an example of what she is like now, a solid 2-year-old little lady with a mind of her own, and the intelligence that strikes us every which way we turn. At this rate, she will outsmart and outwit us by the time she’s 4. We’re in trouble. And yet, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lily is learning how to put meaning to her rote counting. She can meaningfully count to 5 now (meaning, she knows what the number “5″ means instead of it just coming after 4 and before 6). She can recognize and read brand new words every week, though most of the time she is reluctant to say a new word out loud to us. When she does try to read new words, sometimes she gets them wrong but we catch her sounding it out with phonics that she knows. It’s amazing to see her grow.

They say toddlers come up with the most amazing things, and yet we often don’t have evidence of this because the day goes by so fast. Before we know it, she will be 3, 4 and so on, and we’d have forgotten the little amazing things she “used” to tell us when she was just 2. So I’ve made it a point to record them on my facebook every so often. I wanted to show you some of the collection now.

——-

Lily: “Let’s go to the playground, Mommy!”
Mommy: “We’re going to go shopping first, baby.”
Lily: “AAAANNNDDDD go to the playground!!”

I think this whole “but” to “and” therapeutic training is working too well with this little one.

——-

That’s sweet: Lily will eat pretty much anything that is grown in our back yard. “I pick it, and eat it!!”

——-

Lily: “I’m a girl, Mommy!”
Mommy: “Yes, you are! What am I?”
Lily: “Mommy’s a mommy.”
Daddy: “What’s Daddy?”
Lily: “Daddy’s a daddy.”

——-

August 16th, 2010:

She’s been in bed for about an hour now, and she’s still singing the bedtime song to herself. “It’s beeeeddtime now, it’s beeeeeddtiiime now. My oh myyyy it’s beeeddtime now.” Yeah, we know, baby.

——-

Lily: “Maybe we go to the playground today, Daddy? It’s not hot anymore.”

——-

Mommy: “Are you a girl?”
Lily: “NNoooo…”
Mommy: “Are you a boy?”
Lily: “Nnoooo…”
Mommy: “Hmmm… what are you, then?”
…Lily: “Lily!!!” (pronounced: “Yee-yee!”)

——-

August 16, 2010:

During tonight’s routine of bedtime hugs and kisses for Daddy, Lily Bean promptly said, after kissing her Daddy’s face, “Daddy, you need to shave again. There hair growing here!”

——-

*crash, bang, bang*
Mommy: “Lily, what are you doing?”
Lily: “Making a mess, Mommy! Go away!”

This does not bode well.

——-

I love how each night at bedtime, when we’re cuddling in the dark right before I tuck her in, she recounts the whole day to me, and what she would like to do for the next day. Last night, she recounted what we did at Harrison and Cultus Lake.

“And Uncle Tom (Tom Edwards) said, ‘You can DO it, Chelsea!!!’”

——-

Lily: “What’s that, Daddy?”
Daddy: “That’s your belly button.”
Lily: “How that happen???”
Daddy: “Hmm.. I don’t know?”
Lily: “Something in your tummy, Daddy?”

——-

September 1, 2010:

Tonight at
bedtime, her bunny “bubby” talked to her.

Lily as Bubby: “Lily, let’s play!”
Lily: “Bubby, it’s bedtime.”
…Bubby: “We play
tomorrow, Lily?”
Lily: “Yes, Bubby. You have to listen to Mommy. It’s
bedtime now. Nooo more playing until tomorroowwww..!”
Bubby: “Okay, Lily! We listen to Mommy!”

Imagine this conversation with Bubby’s voice very, very high-pitched. Heh.

——-

September 2, 2010:

During bedtime tonight, Miss Lily Bean and I were talking about our day, and suddenly she farted. Big pause. Then…

Lily: “Mommy, Lily farted.”
Mommy: “Yup, that you did.”
Lily: “… hehhee.. it was LOUD…”
…Mommy: “Yup, it was!”
Lily: “Excuse me, Mommy… Pardon me!”

——-

Lily: *WHIINEEEE EEEE SQUEEAAK!!! Wah wah waahh*
Daddy: “What’s wrong?”
Lily: “I want a hug. I’m sad now!”

——-

And there ya have it. A snippet or six of some of Lily’s awesome conversational skills with us. We are so lucky to have her. Everyday is amazing, and everyday is a struggle, and everyday is a reward.

We can’t believe that Lily is already two years old. Two years ago right now, she and I were bonding in the hospital, and she was keeping the entire maternity ward floor awake with her *really loud* newborn shrieks in the middle of the night. That girl’s got lungs on her from the very beginning. Heh.

Yesterday, we had her birthday party, and Dave’s side of the family came to celebrate it, as well as one of my friends. She loves playing “hostess,” as she thinks it’s the most awesome thing in the world for people to come over and hang out with us. She was ecstatic to see the decorations.

And even more ecstatic to see the presents piling up. She kept asking, “Presents now? Presents now?” Heh. Yup, the “kid” stage has officially begun.

Our little Lily is so big now, she looks like a little girl instead of a baby. Her baby fat is almost non-existent, with the exception of those darn cheeks she inherited from me. She dressed in her birthday outfit (a onesie with the number “2″ on it, and a yellow tutu I made for her), and she strutted around proud, declaring, “ME! Lily’s birthday!” the entire day. Heh. However, when you told her, “Happy birthday, Lily!” she would respond in like to you. For example, when I said that to her, she’d say back to me, “Happy birthday, Mommy!” She loves sharing the spotlight.

She liked the part where she got to open presents, of course. We were all overwhelmed by the excitement of it all, and how many cool things she got.

She also liked the part where everyone sang her “happy birthday” and she got to blow out the candle on the cake. She thought that was awesome. Her cousin, Jaeden, got to help too.

And then, she got the willies when she actually saw the birthday cake up close (which she chose!). She thought the squiggly icing decorations were “worms,” and refused to eat any of the cake, even after we took the icing off! Silly girl.

Today was actually her official birthday. We didn’t do a whole lot special. We went to the park, for her to slide, as usual. And then we converted her crib into a toddler bed (basically, same bed, just took one of the sides off). She absolutely LOVES having the mobility to get in and out, and she stayed put when it was time for naps and bedtime. What a good little girl! She thinks it’s so awesome being able to *read* in bed!

Our little girl is so wonderful. She is beautiful, smart, loving, kind, LOUD, cheeky, almost always happy, and just an all-around most awesome little creature. So beautiful. In recent weeks, she’s also learned how to tantrum (the full-blown on-the-floor, fist-pounding, leg-stomping, yelling-at-the-top-of-her-lungs type), and says “MY ____” to basically everything, from “car” to “house” to “cat” to “Mommy” (the most popular one: “MY mommy!”). She talks a mile a minute, almost non-stop from the time she wakes up to the time we put her to bed again. She comes up with the funniest phrases and sayings, as well as actions and dances. She makes up her songs and lyrics, and sings all the time. She is just so bubbly, so wonderful in her personality, so loving. She is generous with her kisses, she asks how you are in the mornings, if you’re still tired after waking you up, if you need a nap. She’ll give you hugs so you can feel “all better now,” and she tugs her best friend, “Bubby,” her stuffed pink bunny everywhere she goes.

She is awesome.

When did our toddler grow up to be such a lovely, lively, cheerful young lady, who can converse so well and so accurately and articulately over the phone?

*ring ring ring*
Nana: “Hello?”
Lily: “Hi, Nana!”
Nana: “Hi, sweetheart! It is so good to hear from you.”
Lily: “What doing, Nana?”
Nana: “Nana’s talking on the phone with Lily, and Nana enjoys it so much.”
Lily: “I love you, Nana!”
Nana: “I love you too, Lily. What did you do today?”
Lily: “Eat lunch, Nana! Daddy!”
Nana: “That sounds fun! You’re coming to Nana’s house tomorrow. Did you know that?”
Lily: “Nana’s house!!!”
Nana: “What will you be doing at Nana’s house?”
Lily: *pause.. thinking* “Play toys… and… eat lunch… and… nap time!”
Nana: “I’m looking forward to seeing you, Lily.”
Lily: “Nana’s house, ‘morrow! I love you, Nana! I miss you!”
Nana: “I love you too, baby!”
Lily: “BYE!!!!”

Our little 22-month-old baby girl just read her first book this morning, cover to cover, word for word. She went into her room, got the book, sat down in the rocking chair, got Elmo to sit next to her, and read the book to him. It’s where we usually read to her before bedtime, and she was re-enacting the experience with her Elmo doll. The book she read was “I love you, sun. I love you, moon.” It’s great. Our little reader, reading her first book, full sentences, before she’s even 2 years old. I can’t help but brag and be so proud.