Big Laughs

Dear Lila,

I've said it so many times before and I'll say it again: You are growing so big so fast! I just bought some things for your summer wardrobe and since your current shirts, pants and shoes are already getting a little snug, I ordered the next sizes up: size 7 clothes and size 11 sandals. GuhGaw wears size 12 shoes but he still fits into his size 6 clothes so your clothes are officially bigger than your big brother's!

You are a big girl who also gives me big laughs with all of the funny things you do and say. Some recent examples:

-There was a hole in the knee of one of your leggings, so you went into the study, grabbed a piece of tape and put it over the hole.

-You found a dead ladybug in the play attic and told me, "Ladybug no coal." I didn't understand you and asked you, "Coal? What do you mean, the ladybug's not coal?" You sighed, exaggeratedly crawled across the floor and said, "Coal!" Ohhhhh, crawl! The ladybug's not crawling!

-When I scold GuhGaw, I often ask him, "You understand me?" Now, you say the same thing to me sometimes, except you say, "You unnertand me?"

-I realized that you can't pronounce the letter s and drop it when it's at the beginning of a word, so smile becomes "mile," school becomes "cool," squirrel becomes "quirrel" and so on. I have to admit, I find your baby talk comforting--my baby girl is still in there! You're not a total big girl yet!

Playing firefighter

-You ate a lot at dinner last night and I said I didn't think you'd have room for dessert. You pointed at your hip and said, "I have room right here."

-GuhGaw often reads aloud to us and points to the words as he reads them. You have started copying him. You can't read yet but you point to the words as you "read" them, i.e. recite made-up stories based on what you see in the pictures.

-You like to clip a blanket around your waist and turn it into a skirt. You also often ask me to clip one into the back of your shirt to make a cape. You are definitely my Supergirl!

Love,
Mom

Really Much

Dear Lila,

Cute things you said to me recently:

"Mama, I like you really much."

"I like hearts because you make my heart feel really nice for my life."

Not-so-cute thing you did recently:

While I was brushing GuhGaw's teeth last night, you and DiDi were in DiDi's room and he suddenly started crying in pain. When I ran into the room, you explained that DiDi had been crawling toward the heat vent (which you know he shouldn't touch) so you kept him away from it by pulling him backward across the floor by his arm. Oh no no no! You were so good to try and protect him but thank goodness you didn't dislocate his shoulder, yeesh.

Love,
Mom

Beautiful Girl

Dear Lila,

You pretended to read a letter from GuhGaw today and said, "Dear Lila, Lila is booeyfull [beautiful]."

I agree!

Love,
Mom

No Privacy

Dear Lila,

You (calling out from down the hall): Mama!
Me: I'm in the bathroom.
You: Mama!
Me (shouting louder): I'm in the bathroom! I'll be right out!
You: Mama!
Me: In the bathroom! Wait a minute!
You (barging into my bathroom): What you doing?

Not peeing in peace, that's what.

Love,
Mom

Slow and Steady

Dear Lila,

I love your independence and self-efficiency, I really do, but when it's time for you to take a shower and GuhGaw is waiting so that I can help him with his shower after your shower and DiDi is starting to fuss in his crib and I just need you to get undressed, like, yesterday so that I can get all three of my kids cleaned, pajama'd, brushed and in bed but I can't because you say, "No, I can do it!" and insist on sitting down to slooooowly take off one sock, standing up to put it in the hamper, sitting down again to slooooowly take off the other sock, getting up to put that one in the hamper, plopping down yet again to slooooowly pull off your right pant leg before slooooowly pulling off your left pant leg and pushing me away when I attempt to assist you and make this painfully slow process go even a millisecond faster . . . OH DEAR GOD.

Love,
Mom

Pretend Mom

Dear Lila,

Yesterday, you were talking and then suddenly said, "Aww, I so cute. My voice so cute." Haha, yes it is!

Later, we were playing and you told me, "I baby. You pretend you my mom." Um, I don't have to pretend that!

Love,
Your actual mom

Awesome Big Sis

Dear Lila,

You always take such good care of your baby brother and I don't even have to ask you to do it. This afternoon, our hot water heater wasn't working and I was on the phone with the repairman, who was giving me instructions on how to fix it over the phone. My cell phone doesn't get any reception in the basement where the heater is so I had to stand in the living room to talk to the repairman on my phone, run downstairs to do what he told me to do, run back upstairs to tell him that the hot water still wasn't on, run downstairs again to try another thing, go upstairs to tell him that didn't work, either, etc. That alone was chaotic enough but DiDi was also in his high chair and crying at the top of his lungs because he wanted me to hold him. Witnessing the situation, you went over to DiDi and tried to calm him down by talking to him and giving him toys. At one point, you were shaking his ball rattle and when he kept crying, you shouted to me, "Ball not working! DiDi still crying!"

You weren't able to get DiDi to stop crying but I am so proud of you for trying to!

Love,
Mom