Hadley and Baby Cousin....

This week my niece, Hadley, has been visiting and we have been playing non-stop. Hadley calls Analayne, baby cousin. She calls Russ, Uncle Bus and me, Aunt Lee-Lee. It is so sweet and we just love it! Analayne and Hadley are so very sweet together and they play really well together, with only the occasional "tiff" over who gets what (but the art of distraction works well with both of them so one of us can generally help diffuse the "give it to me now" situation). Every time Analayne sees an airplane in the sky she says, "airplane...Hadley" (which means Analayne or Hadley must get on an airplane in order to get to see each other). Analayne also really enjoys calling Hadley and Aunt Candace (Chad, she loves you too...but your usually at work and you don't talk a whole lot). Well, this week we were eating dinner and the girls had finished up and had moved on to playing in the family room. We could see them from the kitchen and they had discovered a drawer full of papers and pencils and pens and random other non-harmful objects. They loved discovering all that the drawer had inside and we could hear them talking to each other and playing cooperatively. We don't think they really knew we were watching and Poppa was able to capture the moment with these awesome pictures!

The Wonder Horse Lives On

I am sure you are familier with the Wonder Horse spring ride-on toy if you were a child in the 70's or were raising a child in the 70's. I know many households had this amazing bouncing horse and you can probably still hear the springs making that sound (ee-eee,eehhhh, ee-ee, ehhh). Guess what? My parents kept our wonder horse! Yes, for 30 years this horse has been a part of the family and now there are two little girls who get to enjoy riding the wonder horse when they visit Mimi and Poppa's house. It is one of the favorites for Analayne and she puts all of her energy and spunk into her wonder horse adventures. Take notice that the springs have now been covered with a foam tube to ensure that any little fingers do not get pinched (the 8 years as an ER child life specialist forced me to caution Poppa and prompt him to help ensure safety). On the other hand, its probably one the safest toys around because it was probably made in the USA and does not have lead paint and I don't have to worry about some small part containing the date rape drug if its ingested!

How 'bout them cow girls.....

The other day I was hanging clothes up in our closet and I turned around to find my sassy, spunky, living life to the fullest, daughter putting on her daddy's cow boy boots. Well, I knew right then that as soon as she could get the boots on and figure out how to stand up in them that she was going to be all smiles. I quickly ran upstairs, grabbed my camera and caught her just as I re-entered our bedroom.

Alright, I know everyone may not be a country music fan. However, if you know me very well you already know that I have very eclectic music taste and you also know that I love George Straight. With that said, as soon as I saw Analayne with the boots on I started hearing George Straight singing the song, "How bout them cow girls." She's our little cow girl and boy...howdy...she's a cute one at that!

**Update 11/17/07: Since this original post our cowgirl has added another "cow girl accessory" to her "get-up." No cow girl would be complete without her pink and purple shiny stick horse that actually makes horse sounds and a galloping noise! Friday evening Analayne's Minnie and Gob (grandparents) spent time with her and showered her with a bag of goodies, including this very cute stick horse. I was unable to see all the fun times that Analayne had while riding the stick horse up and down their driveway, but I heard it was a real riot and that Analayne put on a big cow girl show. Russ told me that the laughter could be heard throughout the entire neighborhood. The fun times did not end on Friday... because I got to witness and participate all day on Saturday. I caught two pictures with Analayne being her true self... putting on clothes from the pile of laundry I was folding...while continuing to ride her stick horse!

I Love You

Analayne told us she loved us for the first time today! She said both of these sentences, I love you daddy and I love you mommy. We were blown away and we looked at each other and just smiled. It was so sweet! We tell her that we love her all the time...because we do. However, to hear those words back was awesome.

The sweetest little puppy I know!

Analayne dressed up as a puppy dog for Halloween. We went to our churches "truncktacular" event the Sunday before Halloween and then we spent Halloween night going trick-or-treating at the homes of our family members who live nearby. It did not take her long to figure out that everyone had treats (or prizes as she calls them) for her. She didn't quite understand that she could put the candy in her bag rather than stuff it all in her mouth at once! I let her eat at least a dozen pieces of candy before I had to hide her stash. Analayne sure did look cute in her puppy dog costume. However, she never did learn any usable commands such as "come" or "sit." Oh well...

A Legacy

Fun, laughter, happiness, smiles, stories, conversation, togetherness, sadness, grief, mourning and acceptance are just a few of the words I will use to describe this past week.

On October 20th we loaded up the truck and camper and drove to the lake with several members of the family. We had such a good time. We played cards and dominoes, ate meals together, carved a few pumpkins, roasted marshmellows, enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake, shared stories and had many meaningful conversations. When we arrived home I told Russ that this particular camping trip had been my favorite thus far. I didnt know if it was the combination of beautiful weather, Analayne being old enough to truly enjoy herself, or if it was just the "connectedness" I felt with each member of the family that had been present. Quite possibly it was all of these factors.

When we arrived back home the following Monday, we said good-bye to family and drove to our house to begin the laborous afternoon of unpacking, cleaning things up etc. However, around 8:45 Russ's cell phone rang, his brother was calling to share some very bad news. Russ's granddaddy had died. We were shocked. Literally 7 hours earlier we had stood in his driveway hugging and saying good-bye. I thought to myself, how could this be? We had just had such a great time together. On Tuesday while Russ was with his family handling some arrangements, I sat at home filled to the brim with emotions. While Analayne was napping (thank goodness she slept for almost 2 hours) I tried my best to gather my thoughts and I wrote (that is what deep thinkers with an inclination towards writing do...) below is some of what I wrote. I think it describes my feelings best.

I am a writer. In most instances I am able to get my feelings out on paper better than in words and in the midst of sadness, this is no exception. I first met granddaddy when I began dating Russ. Even from the earliest point in my relationship with Russ, I was told about Granddaddy. Russ told me about the many experiences he had already shared with his granddaddy, such as camping trips, working on cars, tales about a truck, and fishing excursions...just to name a few. I knew those were sacred times. I knew from the intensity of the words, the non-verbal cues, and Russ’s body language that when he spoke about his granddaddy he felt loved and cherished every experience, conversation and moment of laughter he shared with this special man. I knew that Granddaddy was rock solid to Russ. I knew that there was nothing that would ever stand in the way of the relationship that they shared.

As time progressed and as Russ and I eventually married, I too experienced Granddaddy’s genuine and true loving nature. He was intentional in his actions and unconditional in the way he loved. Granddaddy accepted me and it was clear that I had nothing to prove. Granddaddy knew that I loved his grandson and that was all that he ever expected. He knew that I was as genuine in my love for Russ as he was towards Granny. Once Analayne was born he fell in love with her too. There was never a time that I don’t recall pulling up in the driveway, barely getting my vehicle in “park” before Granddaddy appeared at Analayne’s door ready to carry her into the house. He loved for her to sit in his lap. You could see the charm in his eyes when Analayne would read him books about llamas or horses. Just about a month or so ago, Analayne began yelling out “Gannnnieee, Ganddaddy” (most recently the name had changed to Pap). If we ever drove past the intersection that led to their house and did not stop, she would let us know about it. She loved going to their house. She loved that he would hold her up high and let her look at the birdhouses and wind chimes. She loved that Granny and Granddaddy would let her stomp in their leaves and run through their flower beds, never once becoming annoyed or complaining that she could be handful.

Granddaddy loved fairly. He never played favorites. I always admired that about him. What he did for one, he would be willing to do for all. He was never manipulative and he was always sacrificial. He would give you the shirt off his back if he knew it would help. I always loved the impromptu conversations that I would share with Granddaddy and Granny when I was at their home. I could trust them. I could always be “real” with them. I always felt welcome in their home. I could come right on in, kick my feet up, grab a pack of crackers or chocolate covered raisins and make myself at home. There are very few people that create this level of comfort for their guests but they managed to do this not only for me but for everyone.

I must say that Granddaddy was the most loving grandfather figure I have ever had the opportunity to be around. My mother’s dad was killed in a zinc mine before I was born and my father’s dad has always been distant and stern with his grandchildren, which makes it very difficult to ever establish a deep relationship. The experience to develop this unique grand-father/grand-daughter relationship has been such a thrill to me. About two years ago, after Russ finished school at Nashville Auto Diesel, I wrote a letter to Granddaddy. It was the first time I had ever “gone out on a limb” and shared some of my deepest thoughts and gratitude with someone other than Russ or my parents. I am so thankful that I did that. I am so thankful that I was able to reveal my transparency in the form of written words on paper. Russ mentioned to me last night that he wished he had done more. He wished he had given him one last hug and told him that he loved him one last time before we drove away upon returning from the lake. I reminded Russ that he was holding Analayne and that Analayne was giving out the hugs and kisses, but deep inside I knew what Russ meant. There is always that normal, retrospective desire to go back and do something differently. We would all probably have done something differently if we had known what was to come. I doubt that Russ knew that I wrote that letter to Granddaddy. However, as my dear sweet husband wrestles with the emotions of wishing he could go back and tell his granddaddy one more time how special and important he was, I want Russ to know that Granddaddy already knew it. He knew it from all previous actions and words. However, Russ should not ever feel that his granddaddy didn’t know how special he was to Russ. I made sure that I wrote about that in the letter.

Today, I feel so very sad. Selfishly, I am sad that my dear sweet husband will no longer get to spend countless hours working, talking and “playing” in the barn with his precious granddaddy. I am sad that we just experienced the last camping trip weekend with granddaddy. I am sad that Analayne has already read him his very last book. I am sad that Granny has lost her husband. I am sad that Mike and Mary have lost their daddy. I am sad that all the grand children and great grand children have lost their granddaddy, or Pap as many called him. I am sad. I know that he is sitting at Jesus’s feet right now and I should be happy that he can now enjoy heaven. However, selfishly I don’t feel anything other than sadness. Granddaddy will be missed by so many. There will definitely be a void that no human being will ever be able to fill. Granddaddy was loved by so many and will be greatly missed.

Though it has been a very difficult week we share a happiness that granddaddy is in heaven and that he never had to suffer a long and painful death. Granddaddy meant so much to everyone and he left a legacy! Posted below are some of the pictures taken during the weekend camping trip that we shared with him.

A Visit To The Farm

Last Saturday we headed to Gentry's farm to experience some good ol' farm activities! We got to take a hay ride, pick out a pumpkin, play in the corn and grain trough, swing on the tire swing and say hello to the goats, ducks, cows, hens and roosters. Analayne loved it and well... so did we! Check out my new slide show...

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NO MAE...

Since Analayne's birth she has periodically heard me say "no Mae...NO!" to our cat. Usually when I am saying this the cat has gotten in the house and has decided to scratch at the carpet or attempt to get on the ledge above our sink. Typically when I am reprimanding the cat I clap my hands or yell at her really loud. I knew I was doing this but if you want something to come back and HAUNT you....then have a child and watch them imitate you. There is nothing like your sweet little cutie-pie imitating you as she runs all over the front yard, yelling "no Mae" and clapping her hands (you will notice in the picture that Mae has left our property to join the neighbors). However, if Mae knew better she would have realized that the neighbors have two little girls---which means they can yell louder and chase her longer!

I know pets are good for kids (or let me clarify that statement for my household.... "A PET" is good for a child). Child development research continually shows that a child that is exposed to animals in a loving and caring environment develops the ability to show compassion, care for others, develop skills of responsibility etc. In addition, some research has shown that children exposed to pets at an early age tend to develop less allergies.

I was born into a family with a cat. When my brother was 2 he wanted a pet (a dog...) but at the time money was tight for my parents and apparently my dad knew of someone that had a young cat for free. I guess, free was the key word and so that became the family pet. This cat happened to live for almost 23 years! As a young child I would dress her up and put her in my doll stroller and push her around. She would meow and look at me in distress, but nonetheless she endured. I am convinced that she knew that in her geriatric years I would be the one that would advocate for her. Even on her last day on earth (she was VERY Sick, unable to move, and in the long process of dying) it was me that wrapped her up in a towel, cried all the way to the vet and made the humane decision to free her of pain and sickness.

When Analayne finished yelling "no Mae..." and running around the yard, I watched as Analayne in her two-year old way began to play with the cat. She carried little rocks and twigs over to her and put them in a pile in front of her, each time saying, "here oouuuu go." I envision that it won't be long until Mae is being pushed around the yard or down the sidewalk in the wagon or doll stroller and when that happens I am not sure if I will cry or laugh myself crazy and wet my pants!

Play Is A Child's Work!

So what have we been doing the last few weeks you might ask? Well, we have been playing and we have been on the GO!

I joined Bible Study Fellowship and it has been really great. I get to learn about the book of Matthew and Analayne gets to attend the 2-year old class where they do fun Bible based play and activities. Last week when I picked her up she was singing a song and doing some hand motions with it that they must have been singing. I never could figure out what song it was, but I could tell that she was happy and had enjoyed her class. This week when I picked her up she kept saying the words "little baby" and she would clasp her hands together and rock her arms back and fourth. After I read the parents take home sheet from her class I learned that the teaching topic from the morning was, Jesus was born a baby. It all made sense! The BSF children's teachers so good. BSF takes pride in the quality of their adult and children's programs and this is very evident by the way the teachers are always prepared, how they interact with the children and how they go the extra mile and take extra effort to greet each child at the door (sometimes using a little distraction....like a puppet). I cannot stress how great and incredible the last two weeks have been for both Analayne and me!

On Tuesdays our Church's preschool group have been doing some really fun "play mornings." We meet up at the designated location and let the kids play or take part in the planned activity. Thus far we have been to Chuckee Cheese, the park and Sting Ray Reef. Analayne loved the sting ray fish and the fabulous unlimited carousel rides!

We are ready for some cooler fall weather (I am sure you feel somewhat the same). We really enjoy being outside when we are not sweating to death. I plan on not taking for granted any beautiful fall weather we might get. Analayne loves to be pulled around in our wagon. She also had a great time going from one outdoor toy or ride on car to another (giving each toy about a 25 second try). Analayne has also recently discovered that our neighbors have two little girls and she loves to play outside with them. As you can see life is busy but we are both learning so much.

If you ever wonder where we are or what we are doing you can bet that we are either "on the go" or outside playing!

5 Highlights

1. Analayne has been introduced to Disney characters (by her daddy...of course). She loves Mickey and Donald Duck and gets very excited when she sees either of them. She calls Donald Duck D-Duck (pronounced just like it is spelled). Its funny to hear her get excited and loudly proclaim, D-Duck...D-Duck. We are now getting her ready for a possible trip to Disney!

2. When Analayne uses her potty, I get some toilet paper off the roll and as I help her wipe I say, "dabble dabble.." Well this week she surprised me and tucked her little hands under her arm-pits and said, "gobble gobble" and flapped them like a turkey. Hilarious! Apparently, we are getting ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving Turkey Day!

3. Many times at night as we put Analayne to bed, I tuck her in and kneel down beside her and say, "want to talk?" She would start whispering and talking but many times I could not understand everything she was saying (but it was cute anyway). I would often understand peoples names or she would start talking about her doll, Lolly. Well, this past week as we have begun the process of tucking her into bed, she has started saying, "lets talk.... talk....mama talk.." Of course I just kneel down and say, "okay, what would you like to talk about?" I can always see her wheels spinning in her little brain and I LOVE THAT!

4. We love to use our pens, crayons, markers and any paper, receipt or piece of mail available to create our masterpieces. Today at the post office I let her fill out a delivery confirmation slip and I let her hand it to the postal employee (she was so proud and of course the postal employee just thought she was precious and took the slip and pretended to use it). It was very cute!

5. The other day we were using post-its and a pen and I wrote out the letter "A" on one of the post-its. As I wrote the letter I said, "this is the letter A." Analayne repeated me and then wrote out her own letter "A" on another post-it. Now anytime she has a pen & a piece of paper she says, "A" and makes some lines (they actually resemble an "A". This little pumpkin will be writing her name out very soon (get ready everybody....here comes my sarcasm.... "and everyone told me that she would never learn to spell her name..." Oh, you silly people!)

The funny things a 2-year old will do...

I can't imagine how standing or sitting right up close to the television screen would be comfortable. However, Analayne must think it is because she is notorious for getting too close and she becomes mesmorized. Apparently this is a very common thing amongst preschool aged children, since many of the mothers of Analayne's friends have also shared with me that their children do this exact same thing! I guess its especially good that I don't really let her watch much more than 30-45 minutes of television a day. Sitting too close to the television screen must be a "written rule" in the beloved toddler rule-book (written by the lasik surgery guru, Ming-Wang!).

We are potty trained...and other updates from the week!

Okay...Okay...Okay... I realized that not everyone really cares about potty training but indulge me for a few minutes...please!

About 2 weeks ago I began reading up on potty training tactics. However, I must make a "disclosure statement" and let everyone know that I am not really one of those Mommy's who "goes straight by the book" when it comes to my child. It is extremely helpful that my educational background is in child development and child life, but as a mommy I just like to take one day at a time. I do find that I can learn great amounts of interesting information from reading the works of some trusted research and utilizing some great resources (T.Berry Brazelton & the American Academy of Pediatrics...to name a few). However, only so much can be retained or truly put into practice when it comes to the individuality of each child! I try my best to be "as in touch" with Analayne's growth, intellectually, physically, emotionally, developmentally and spiritually and I think that the most vital way to help her grow and develop at her own pace is to watch her cues!

With that said, I started watching her closely and noticed that she was showing interest in learning how to use her potty. She could say vital words such as "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" and her attention span was capable of lasting several minutes. She had also already shown me (many months previously) that she knew how to relax her muscles to allow herself to pee-pee, a vital part of being able to sit on the potty and get something to happen! However, even though these cues were evident, Russ and I would need to create a potty training game plan.

I bought a baby doll that had a potty and could go "pee-pee" and I created a sticker page for the refrigerator. In addition, I bought her some tiny panties with Elmo, pink horses and some with kitty-cats on them. I also created a "prize" system, based on getting two little M&M's or Skittles after each successful attempt---which has worked really well (as she now cares very little for the candy but still wants to go potty). To top it off, I became the worlds best cheerleader! Imagine me proclaiming with delight something like this, "yeah--- you did it. You can pee-pee in the potty." This plan has been very successful for us and within a day or two she really had the hang of it all. Today at church she even told her teacher "pee-pee" and they grabbed her up ran to the restroom and she proceeded to show off her new trick! We are proud parents and our budget is all the better for it too. YEAH Analayne...Way to GO!

Other FUN and Interesting moments that occurred this week:

**Analayne locked her mommy out of the house on Saturday. I was running to the mailbox (which takes me less than 10 seconds) and she decided to come to the door to watch but locked the glass door. When I got back up to the door there she was standing in front of the glass with nothing but her undies on. I tried for quite sometime to get her to unlock the door. She tried but kept turning the knob the opposite direction. Needless to say, I figured it all out and got back in the house...but it took about 15 minutes. The lesson I learned was... take her with me to the mailbox (or get a full time nanny to watch her 24/7). I'm opting for the nanny's help but Russ said, "that is not an option." I guess I am the nanny! Oh well...I tried :)

**Analayne proclaims at least 100 times a day the phrase, "Daddy go to work." Just in case I ever forget where Russ is during the work week she can remind me.

**Every time the phone rings, Analayne thinks her aunt Candace is calling and wants to talk on the phone. This gets really interesting when a real-estate client or the southwest airlines representative calls and they can hear her adamant desire to talk to Candace in the background. On that note...I want to take a moment to thank my friend Camille for being willing to "talk" on the phone with my 2-year old. With 3 kids of her own, I am sure she would rather not hear another preschoolers chit chat but since Camille has a heart of gold, she endures and does so with an energetic spirit. Mimi you should also get an award!

More to come in the weeks ahead!

A Little Time Out

Lets talk about whining and crying...Whining and crying for no apparent reason drives me insane (ironic because I know how to whine really well). When I was little I know I drove my parents crazy. I would whine and cry every time my brother said something mean or wouldn't let me play with him and as I recall he picked on me and didn't let me play with him very much, so my whining and crying must have been heard alot (sorry Chad...no mercy on this one). However, I am thankful that my parents tried to guide me by helping me learn to ignore some of the worlds external annoyances and verbalize what I could not ignore (its still a work in progress, except now my sweet husband helps me keep my tone down!)

As for my dear sweet daughter, I too have to help her learn to verbalize her frustrations. She is learning language (and has an exploding vocabulary) but she still needs our help to express her feelings (and 2-year olds have lots of feelings). So to help her "get a grip" I implemented time out last week. I am using the bottom two stairs on the staircase for her time out spot (its perfect because I can still see her from almost any angle of the den or kitchen, but she can't always see me and there is absolutely nothing to do anywhere near the staircase--so its rather a boring place). She learned really quickly what time out was and therefore in a 6 or 7 day time period she has only had to sit there three times! This is how the scenario sounds, "Analayne, no more whining. Use your words." When the whining persists, I tell her she will have to sit in time out and I pick her up and carry her over to her spot and say, "Analayne, when you are finished crying and whining you can get up." She sits there and continues on for about 20 seconds and then just stops puts a smile on her face and gets up and comes to me. I greet her as if I am excited to see her and we move on. Which brings me to thinking....if time out works so well, maybe everyone in the entire world needs to sit in some time out to get a grip. Next time I am losing my cool...I am heading for the stairs, literally!

Our new chef...

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My New Car....okay it's a cozy coupe!

We finally found a used cozy coupe car that we could afford! I have always loved this type of ride-on toy. Its been in production for many years. As far as I am concerned, its a classic! I can remember my friend, Kate having one when I was little. We would ride around their back yard (they had a gravel drive way) and since their large backyard sloped, we had the perfect running start to a nice ride that took little effort on our part. I realize that there are battery operated
ride-on cars now and I am not oppossed to Analayne getting a toy of this kind at some point, but there is just something about toys that don't do all the work for you!

Analayne loves the door of the car. She gets in and out of the car and smiles so big! Since its so hot outside (and we just cleaned the wheels with a clorox wipe) we are allowing her to ride it around the house. This morning when she woke up she immediately drove her car from the front door area to the kitchen so that she could get her cup of milk (now thats the life...isn't it?)

Russ's truck is still in the shop. We encountered a major problem that involved the speed sensor. So even with his incredible knowledge, tool collection and master skills he was forced to take it to the dealer. Mostly because the problem is due to the fact that it involves the speedometer cluster and only a few places are equipped to handle something as tricky as dealing with your milage and the sensor that perceives the mileage of the vehicle. Well, the dealer is also been at a loss and they have mis-diagnosed the car twice and have ordered the wrong parts etc. Since we are now entering week 3 of his truck being in their technicians hands they finally gave us a rental car. Now if we had just been able to find Russ his own cozy coupe car (he, he, he...)

View my birthday slide show!

Thanks to all my friends and family for making my 2nd birthday so fun and memorable. I love you all. -- Analayne

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Good-bye Beloved Pacifier

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for Analayne's 2-year check-up. We got a clean bill of health and we had a great visit. However, her doctor encouraged me to help Analayne give up her pacifier. Russ and I were only allowing her to have it during nap times and at bedtime, but I knew the day would come when we would have to stop using the "paci" altogether.

Well, I am the type of mom that just has to make up my mind, change my course, and go for it. No "wallowing" around with the issue, no sulking and no turning back. You see, I had a pacifier when I was a baby, toddler, and preschooler (yes--I had the paci through several developmental stages) and it was very difficult for me to let it go. So when it came time for me to let the "paci" go my mom successfully bribed me with a pair of wonder woman under-roos!

So with my known personal history of "paci" use, I decided that there was no time like the present for Analayne to bid farewell to her beloved pacifier. So as soon as we got home from the doctor I went around the house gathered up all of the pacifiers and put them away. Then when it was time for Analayne's nap I told her "the pacifiers had to go bye-bye. All the little bitty babies needed them." She looked at me puzzled and repeated the word "bye-bye" and I layed her down for her nap. She cried a few minutes but then went to sleep (her nap was about 45 minutes shorter then normal). When Russ got home I told him what I had done. He looked at me and said, "okay, I don't want her teeth to be messed up." Then bedtime came and she cried for at least 20 minutes. It was so sad to hear her crying "paci...paci.." It broke my heart. I just wanted to go in there and give it back but then I thought she might get the idea that if she cried enough I would give in under any circumstance, so to alter my focus....I cleaned. Russ was very helpful and he continued to affirm the decision and he helped me clean (that was the best part of it all).

As we cleaned I thought about what a paci really is and then I decided to look up the definition of pacifier, according to Webster. Webster's Dictionary defines pacifier as: a nipple or teething ring for babies, or a person or thing that secures peace. Peace is a perfect word for what that little plastic thing brought to Analayne. She found great comfort in her "paci." She would cozy up and settle in for a long snooze. She would relax and gaze off and dream and best of all she would be comforted enough to stop crying. I started thinking, if this thing can bring so much peace to this little girl, why don't I get one for myself? Maybe I wouldn't snack so much during the day.

I also thought to myself---what earthly object do I find peace in that I don't really need? Where should my (our) peace come from? Thank God that I am a Christian and I know that my peace comes from the Prince of Peace! Once again, Analayne has provided me with another opportunity to reflect on my life, my feelings, my thoughts and my beliefs. What a blessing she is to me (and to her sweet daddy---Russ). Now... let's see if we can just get through another night without the pacifier!

Happy Birthday To You.....

On July 24th Analayne turned two years old. Several of her little friends were able to come to her birthday party. It was fun to celebrate together and watch all the toddler/preschoolers play!

On Analayne's first birthday I decided that each year I would purchase a birthday card and write a message for her in it. I would then stash the cards away and wait until she was older before I gave them to her. I decided that as she gets older and realizes what a card really is that I would purchase two cards. One card to give her that is fun and the other that I will write my message in and save for her. Here is a portion of what I wrote to her this year.

Analayne,

You continue to amaze me with your sweet and caring spirit. You really love life and you live it to the fullest. You are beautiful and your beauty radiates from the inside out. I am so blessed to be your mommy. You teach me so much. You are truly my greatest teacher! You have grown so much this year. Sometimes I feel sad that you are not a "baby" anymore, but yet I am so happy that you are my little girl and that I get to watch and help you grow into a young lady. Each day I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to be your mommy and for entrusting you to us. Your daddy and I love you so much. Nothing will ever change that. Analayne, did you know that our heavenly Father feels the same way about you? He loves you and you can not do anything to change that. As you get older, I pray you will fully understand His love for you and His sacrifice for you. He is the model for unconditional love!

Happy 2nd birthday my dear sweet "Annie" (that is what you call yourself these days). I cherish each day that we share and though these years are flying by so fast I feel peace in the fact that no matter how old you are, or where you live someday, or who you marry, I will still have the privlege of being your mommy and I am thankful for that.

I love you,

Mommy

What's Your Name?

Just last week Analayne really started calling me "mommy" instead of Ma-ma. She also started saying "daddy" instead of da-da. When Russ leaves for work in the morning we go through what we are now calling "role call." Role call is when Analayne says, "where daddy go?" in which I reply "he went to work." Then Analayne says, "where mommy go?" and I say, "mommy is going to stay with you today. Do you want to play?" Then she starts repeating every name of every family member or friend she can recall. It's a real hoot!

Well, yesterday as we were eating lunch at Mimi's house (prior to me going to work---it was a Friday!) I began playing a little game. I would say, "Analayne, what's my name?" and she would reply, "MOMMY." Then I started saying, "what's your name?" and to my surprise she said, "Annie" and smiled really big. I then said, "your name is Analayne." We did this several times and each time she would smile really big and say, "Annie." Now, what's really funny and sentimental to me about all of this is that when I was little that was my nick-name. My daddy would call me Annie. As I got older the nick-name eventually faded away. It's been years since I have been called that (or heard that name). However, I always liked the name, Annie. In fact, it was on my list of names that I liked when Russ and I were searching for the perfect name for our little girl. However, it was brought to my attention (by me dear sweet hubby) that Annie might not be a good choice for our little girl, since she was being born to one red-headed daddy and one curly headed mommy. Russ even joked around saying he would have to shave his head and call himself "daddy no-bucks." Needless, to say the name fell off the list and we moved on. Now, I feel like I get to call her Annie if I want too!

I love having multiple names. I love being Leeanne, mommy, mama, and aunt Lee-Lee! There is room enough in this world to get to enjoy multiple names. It sure does make life more fun!

Next Time Won't You Sing With Me?

"HIJKLMNOP. Jeepers...Eyyes, Quack..." You thought I had a typo didn't you?

Actually, that is what I hear nearly every morning when I walk into Analayne's room and begin to lift her out of her crib (except the HIJKLMNOP part kinda runs together and sounds more like "ella-nnn-ooooooo-p"). Our first conversation of the day starts out with me saying, "good morning, Analayne. I missed you. Did you sleep well? We are going to have such a fun day today." I can barely get those words out of my mouth before she immediately tucks her little hands up under her arm-pits and within 20 seconds we have sung the alphabet song, followed quickly by her new favorite, jeepers-creepers-where'd you get those peepers, and then our concert is wrapped up with the song cock-a-doodle-doo by the Wiggles (in which Analayne has physically had her hands tucked into her armpits waiting for the quack-quack part the entire time we sang the other mandated and necessary songs). It is a riot and I love every minute of it. It has become our morning ritual this week. I am not sure how long we must sing these songs in this particular order but its so cute---so I don't mind to accompany her!

So what have we been doing? I have been meaning to post since July 5th but we have been so busy. This week Analayne is going to Vacation Bible School. Our mornings are filled with hurrying to get ready, shoveling breakfast in our mouths and dashing off to the church for drop off (well--not dashing--actually sitting in loads of traffic). When we get home we hurry to get some lunch ready and then we read books in preparation for Analayne's afternoon nap!

Analayne's favorite things to do right now are sing and read books. Let me indulge you with the details of her favorites. The four main books that I can think of are: Llama Llama Red Pajama, Goodnight Moon, Wheels on the Bus, and Chicka Chicka ABC. In particular, she loves Llama Llama Red Pajama, which we read at least 6 times a day! Her song list is made up of the following: Jesus Loves Me, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Ol McDonald, Hot Potato, Cock-a-Doodle Doo (wiggles song), Hokey Pokey, and last but not least her new favorite, Jeepers-Creepers-Where'd You Get Those Peepers!

Other than singing and reading, Analayne finds great enjoyment in wearing my shoes and she is more than willing to wear anyone else's shoes too! She has always loved the feeling of being "big." From day one she felt the need to show me who made the agenda for the day! For instance, why would she be content sitting in her a stroller travel system, eating a little snack so mommy could look at something in a store when she could open her great big mouth and cry a great big loud sound for a great big long time. Now that she is older why would she be content strapped into a contraption such a stoller or grocery cart when she could be BIG and walk or better yet run alongside (or down the aisle) OR why would she be content letting her mommy make a phone call when she can always manage to talk on the phone better?

I always love it when Analayne does something that teaches me something too! It dawned on me that we as adults are a little like this too. We want to walk and run ahead sometimes in our effort to feel special, important, viewed as if we know something. We decide we need to feel big. We think we have to live up to the standards that our community, world, or possibly family and friends place on us. In our need to feel big we are quick to run to other humans to get these needs fulfilled, instead of running first to our Father God--who has a plan for us---who already knows that we are special. God knows that we are important, He loves us---because He is "BIGS." He is the Biggest! It is only normal for Analayne to demonstrate her abilities to be Big. However, as Analayne grows older I want to teach her and show her that God is Bigs. He made her and He sets the standard.

Life

Since blogging is new to me I decided to write a synopsis of our life with Analayne up until now. I was thinking it would be nice to have this type of a "date-line" all in one place. I guess this entry is more for me but for those of you interested... its for you too!

July and August 2005: If I could sum the month of July 2005 up with just 5 words, I would choose amazement, bonded, thankful, happy and busy. We were amazed at how beautiful our daughter was to us. We were amazed that God could and did bless us with her. We were bonded. Bonding happened immediately for me. One look at her and I was changed (I guess that is how God intends for it to occur). However, each day we bonded more and each day I felt more secure with my mothering. We were thankful that we had a healthy and happy baby (well...happy when she was fed and being held). We were thankful that we finally had our baby girl to hold. We were happy. Despite being tired--emotionally, physically and mentally happiness was still felt. Lastly, we were busy. Never a dull moment and almost two years later we still rarely have a dull moment! When Analayne was born she had a very low resting heart rate that was worrisome to her pediatrician and to the cardiologists at Vanderbilt. I can remember being so scared. She looked good (she was pink, breathing well, crying well, and did not seem to be "working to breathe). We had to do several EKG's which ending up being fine and the doctors concluded the low resting heart rate was from a long delivery (yes, it was very long...). One thing about Analayne's infancy was that she was ALWAYS very alert and responsive. Even just a few hours after being born you could walk into the newborn nursery and there she would be lying in her bed with her eyes wide open. She did that all the time! In fact, she very rarely slept during daylight hours until she was 2 weeks away from turning one year old. That's right folks, I had a newborn that would sleep through the night but did not close her eyes the entire day which obviously meant that we had very long days together! Looking back on that characteristic of Analayne I am not surprised at all by her lack of daytime napping. She still has strange sleep issues that we have learned to deal with and/or modify.

September/October 2005: You smiled for the first time on Sept 6th. You repeat me when I say, "ohhhh." You laugh out loud on October 3rd. You grasp and hold an object for a long period of time on October 19th.

November/December 2005: You can "talk" really loud now (you are still really loud)--November 17th . You roll over for the first time on December 13th. You love to hold your little lambert lamb.

January/February 2006: You love your exersaucer, You took your first airplane ride on Feb 8th. You can now sit up, play with toys in the bathtub, say, "dadadada," eat some baby food.

March/April 2006: You are trying to crawl, you love music. You waved for the first time on April 16th. We went to the beach in Tx.

May/June 2006: You crawl for the first time on May 23rd, You love to crinkle paper in your hand, Your favorite book is Meet Little Tex, Your favorite song is "itsy bitsy spider" You can clap your hands.

July August 2006: You can eat table food, We had a luau birthday party for you. You love to eat fruit, You can say "eyes." You love the books, Splish-Splash and Cookies Week. You enjoy riding in your wagon.

September/October 2006: You can say the words, bird, cat, fly, outside, Russ, da da, poppa, GiGi) and you can point to specific people on pictures. You can also climb off our bed onto the floor. You walked for the first time today without help (October 12th).
November/December 2006: You love to open cabinets!

January/Feb 2007: You say, mama, bus, show, baby, sky, bird, cat, hi, bye, that, fish, socks, duck, whoops, wee, pee-pee. You can make some animal sounds, you love to hold the phone and pretend, you can spin in a circle, you love to be chased, you like to put your head on the floor, you know what toilet paper is for, you love to unload the dishwasher with me, you love to go to your class at church, you say the word show when you want to watch baby einstein

March/April 2007: You say "ut-oh" You say "amen" after the prayer, you love the horses, and say the word "jo-jo" when you want to watch Jo Jo's circus on the computer. You brought your first "scribble" picture home from church (it was a horse pictured with a few colored lines on it). You play with your sand table and love taking wagon rides, you love to go to the zoo.

May 2007: You can dance to "ring around the rosie" like a pro!

Well, in a nut-shell that is all I seem to have recorded on paper. I feel like I have left out SO MUCH. I want to really keep up with the phrases she says and the new things she does. Despite feeling busy almost all the time, its not just "being busy." I want my life to be filled with meaningful events not with trivial business. I try hard not to fill our days with silly things like watching television. Each day should be spent doing things together. I figure when she older she won't remember the day she watched the wiggles but she will remember that we went to the beach together, or that we went to the petting zoo. We live our busy lives but in all actuality we are not just "living life" We are truly experiencing life---its so much more fun that way. From now on expect greater detail. I am just getting going!

Put You're Running Shoes On...Let's Go Through Life Together!

Hey Friends & Family,

This is my first ever attempt at blogging, so hang in there with me! I love to write. I am a practical person. I think deeply. I actually communicate best when I am allowed the opportunity to express my thoughts in the form of writing and the weird thing about it all, is that I can't compose anything with a pen and piece of paper. I am a computer girl. I love to type. I love the delete key. I love that I can type really fast and I can compose complete thoughts without my words starting to "slope down the page." I have tried to keep a journal to record all the irreplaceable memories of my life. More importantly, I have tried really hard to document and record the happenings of Analayne's life. I would declare that I have failed miserably at both, since I have about 12 entrys written and Analayne is almost 2 years old!

This blog is definetly for a dual purpose. I want to have a recording of what each week is like for our family, but I also want our friends and family to get a better glimpse of us! Soon after the birth of our daughter I was really struggling with the MANY changes that take place within a mother's heart, life, home and relationships. I was talking about these feelings with my mother and she reminded me that each day, week, or phase of life is "a season." A season being a time in life that whether difficult, easy, sad or sweet, it is just that....a season! Often these "seasons" go by way to quickly (although there have been a few that dragged on for way too many months). I invite you to put your running shoes on and come along...we can pass through these seasons together!