Guys Tatouni!

One of the pregnancy websites is encouraging me, when struggling with extreme morning sickness, just to eat whatever I can, promising that "your body knows what you need to stay healthy during this time."

Well, I'm PRETTY sure that's not true, because I'm also pretty sure that I need something more than what Doritos, mint ginger tea and the occasional Jello cup is giving me.  Nonetheless, I have NEVER eaten more than 20 Doritos in my life, and I am making up for it now thanks to some wonderful family trying to help my whims.

It might just be that I'm a first time mom, but I swear there are some things about Lily that just aren't normal for an almost 2 year old.

Playing in the cabinets?  Normal.

Shaving cream?  Normal.  ("Just a LITTLE bit!" she always says :)

But telling us in the middle of her bedtime stories, "Nigh-Night, Mommy.  Nigh-Night, Poppy.  Off light, please.  Close door!  Bye-Bye!" ???  Most nights, we are tripping over each other trying to get out of her room fast enough before she has to resort to, "PLEASE! BYE-BYE!".  Can't be normal.
And this morning, while we were working up at the Seminary, she asked Gertha to please, "Go see Poppy. Go see Mommy." So, Gertha brought her up to Matt's office, and for a few minutes we cuddled her and she played with my calculator.  After about five minutes, I said, "Ok, hunnie.  Mommy and Poppy have to finish working.  Can you go with Gertha now?"

I waited for the meltdown, and instead, she said, "Oh, Man!  Ok, Mommy.  Bye-Bye, Mommy.  Bye-Bye Poppy," and toddled off with Gertha.  JUST LIKE THAT.  That can't be normal.

Then this afternoon she was playing with some face wash and starting to open it.  I said, "Lily, no no.  Can you please give that to Mommy?"  And again!  "OK, Mommy." and forked it right over.

Maybe it's all the hours of prayer over this spunky little one, but I am so thankful that, for now, she knows when it is time to obey and does.  Her joy, creativity and contentment make life so much sweeter.

 Her newest thing is doubling over in laughter whenever Matt or something makes her laugh.  She throws her head into her arms and howls...it is too cute.

eatin' her ribs last night!

Tonight, while she and Matt were walking, they walked past the mens dorm, and she saw a bunch of the guys (just their heads and shoulders, don't worry...and YES, we need curtains) showering.

"Guys Tatouni!" she yelled, laughing hilariously.  (Guys "Naked" in Creol)

Praise the Lord for this little gift.  It is hard to imagine having another one, who will be an entirely different human being, on the way!

singing songs

This morning on Lily and Matt's daily walk, they were daydreaming, as normal.

"Lily," Matt said, "Wouldn't it be fun if we lived in a log cabin in the woods?  And it was snowing?  And we were sitting around the fire?  And you and Mommy and the Baby and I were reading books?"

"Mm-Hmm!" Lily said immediately.  "'n sing songs!"

SO cute :)  She's becoming more and more of a little person!

"Mommy's SICK!" Lily keeps saying, reminding me that it's getting harder and harder to keep things from her these days... I HATE that I'm too nauseated and exhausted all the time to run around with her, dance, chase her and play outside.  She waits for Daddy to come home and then the two of them go nuts.

Lily had a wonderful time with "G-pa" and loved getting the extra attention and spoilage.  She is talking like crazy, just recently very into Princesses, and is getting the hang of singing, and has started singing to herself all the time everything from "ABC song", "Twinkle Twinkle" to "Jesus Loves Me."  She's almost got the alphabet down, numbers 1-10, most of her animals, but MAN, I can't get colors into her little head for the life of me.

I've been anxious to find out if she's colorblind like her Daddy...hopefully this isn't a sign :)  And yes, Don, we are STILL working on potty training!  Some days she does SO  well, and then yesterday she climbed up on the coffee table, peed all over it, and yelled, "Mommy!  Pee-pee!" while clapping her hands.  Not quite there yet.

So thankful for Matt during this time, who is Lily's hero, playmate, always helping me, keeping our spirits up and working overtime at Emmaus and at home...Gift from God!

pix soon...