Here we are in January, and one of my New Years Resolutions this year was to get back to the basics of what makes me happy -- and writing in this blog about my girls used to make me so happy! So I'm back! And I cringe to see that it's almost been a year since I last wrote. There's so much to tell you about how my girls have grown and changed.
Eleanor turned 2 in October. She is so very different from Evelyn at this age -- namely, more mischievous :) We joke around that she can be so "bad," but I know other moms and dads understand what we mean -- she isn't bad; she's just a rascal!
She is that toddler that literally gets into everything. Like, we had to call Poison Control when she ate some of her Daddy's hair styling wax (I mean a healthy serving)... and also that time she ate a dishwashing tab... and luckily we caught her with Daddy's nicotine lozenges before something really bad happened! Yikes! Yes, we have switched over to Melaleuca chemical-free cleaning products for EVERYTHING because of this child (and of course because they are a safer, healthier choice for all of us).
What else does Lele like to get into? Mommy's makeup and toiletries, for sure. She'll take my expensive face lotions and toners and wipe them all over herself. She claws the deodorant out of my deodorant bar and eats my chapstick. I have never bought so many new chapsticks. She likes to take the remote and change settings on the TV (Daddy LOVES when that happens), she does the same with our landline phone (work called me the other day to let me know my voicemail was not working correctly). She drinks bath water, rain water from puddles, a swig of beer occasionally when we aren't looking... she eats sand at the beach and will run fearlessly into the rough surf, so we are always on alert.
It is a common thing to observe a brief period of silence in our home, wonder where Lele went? And finally find her in a room, survey the damage and cry out, "Leeeeleeeeee! Noooooooo!"
Then if you ask her "Who did it?" she will blame it on someone else! "Sissy did it." "Daddy did it." "Pops did it." "Duddles did it." Our friend Mr. Brian did it. Mommy almost never does it. And Lele, of course, is never guilty. If you ask her if she did it, she will say, "Noooooooooooooooooo?" in a very incriminating way.
Her favorite word is "No," and my good friend Evelina joked that the song "My Name is No" by Megan Trainor is her song, haha! I have the funniest video of the girls singing happy birthday to my mom last Spring -- well, Evelyn is singing so beautifully -- while Lele looks straight at the camera and says an emphatic "NO!"
But she doesn't like it if you tell HER no. One of the funniest things to me is how she will tell on others who say "No" to her: "DADDY TELL NO-NO ME!" she cries. "SISSY TELL NO-NO ME!!!!" I almost hope she never corrects her grammar because it is so cute.
I will be honest that she gets into a lot of trouble, but she is sure sorry when she disappoints Mommy, and she will shower me with kisses all over my face and hold her little cheek to mine to apologize. "Sa-yee, Mommy, Sa-yee."
And my other favorite thing-- if you tell her not to do something again, she says all forlorn: "O-tay...." :)
She is definitely a Mama's girl right now. She doesn't want anyone else to feed her, change her, bathe her, tuck her in, or hold her first thing in the morning or before bed. It's all Mommy. "I wan hode you, Mommy! I wan hode you!" When she was very tiny I would wear my big oversized purple bath robe, and tuck her inside on my chest. She still wants me to do that with her, even though she's now a healthy 36 lbs. "I wan get in you jacket, Mommy!"
Speaking of mommy's chest, another quirky thing she does lately is squeeze my padded bra in public! Haha! "You boobies, Mommy!" she squeals and just squeezes! Yes sometimes it hurts! Thank goodness I wear one that's padded!
Eleanor loves music and loves to dance. I get so tickled at her in the car when she rocks side to side to the songs on the radio. When she dances, she holds one little finger up and shakes it side to side and all around, Christina-Aguilera-style. So cute!
She is a beautiful child, slightly fairer than Evelyn with blonder hair and darker blue eyes. She has a round little face and the biggest, pouty lips. And the fact that she is usually pouting just makes them even plumper! A kiss from her and those lips is literally like the sweetest thing on Earth! Most people think she looks just like Conan, but I like to think I can see a little resemblance of her in my baby pictures.
She has a super contagious giggle and laughs about EVERYTHING. She laughs when she eats something really cold like ice cream, because she thinks it feels funny. You can make a funny face at her across the room and she will giggle hysterically. She likes to play "monsa" (monster) and will put her little hands up like claws and "Raaaawwwrrr!" then when you play back with her, she runs away giggling wildly.
She loves the moon. Every afternoon when I pick up the girls from school, we leave the day care and she looks up at the sky: "Hey Moon! Silly Moon! I see you Moon!" And so this Christmas I got her a "Moon in my Room" which is this large moon nightlight that hangs up on her wall, and it has a little remote control you use to change the moon phases or turn it on/off (to glow). She loves to fall asleep to it at night!
Although she has hit a bit of the terrible twos lately (Evie was different -- she had the terrible threes, but it's come early for Eleanor), Lele is still my sweet, plump-faced, affectionate baby doll who lights up my every day with her smiles and laughter. I look forward to writing more about the silly and sweet things she does this year. She is just now beginning to speak in short sentences and speak more clearly in general. It took her a little longer than her big sister, but that's probably because it's hard to get a word in when your sister is Evelyn!
They play really well together at times, and then at others, they argue incessantly over a favorite toy or a particular blanket or just any old item.... it can drive me a bit crazy at times! I guess they both have such strong personalities, so the arguing and defiance toward each other is bound to happen.
Evelyn is now 5, and I swear it seems like she grew so much more mature as soon as she turned 5! My baby is gone and is now a little girl who wants to pick out her own clothes every day, will tell me if she is concerned that something isn't "fashion" enough for her taste, talks back to mommy quite a bit, and tries to mimic the pop stars and singers she hears on the radio. I wasn't quite ready for all of that yet, but here we are!
She is just as beautiful as ever, and I can still see the same little heart-shaped pixie face I first fell in love with 5 years ago. She is the little girl who thrives off close friendships with other little girls. She's had a hard time saying goodbye and moving on from her best friends back in Sugar Land since we moved to Florida 2 months ago. She still talks about Lily, Nylah, Leann and Layla regularly. But she has also started to make new friends here. Just last week, she suddenly seemed happier than she has been since the move. She seemed like her old self again, not gloomy or timid/afraid like she was in our first weeks here. I asked her what was different? And she told me, "I have a new best friend. Katie." :)
This month, I'm planning to enroll Ev (and Eleanor) in ballet again. Evelyn first began around this time last year in Sugar Land, and although we had to stop last May after her first recital, she has still continued to dance on her own, giving us private performances where we must give her a grand introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Evelyn Frith!" She is really a natural at dance, and I look for her to do wonderful things with it.
I'm very proud of my girls for making yet another transition in our recent move. It is so hard to comprehend that Evelyn has lived in four states in her short five years of life, and I lived in Alabama from the time I was born until I was in my mid-20s. They are very resilient, and they help me to be resilient as well. I am looking forward to growing in to our new home here in Florida this year, and I'm especially ready for Spring and Summer, as I expect that is when I will finally stop missing Sugar Land so badly (and start really appreciating living at the beach!)
I'm so happy to be writing about my girls again! Happy New Year to all!
With love,
Ames
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