Cute Cousins

Aunt Jenn brought Wyatt and Caleb down for a visit this past week. We had lots of play time with Wyatt and cuddle time with Caleb...Lily adores them both!

What a difference two and a half years makes....

December 2007, three months after the accident....

March 2009...

Attention to Detail

Lily has an amazing attention to detail when she wants to....she has this thing right now where she wants to check books for the page that has the cover art on it. She will look at the cover of a book and then go through every page until she finds the matching picture inside. A cute quirk, to be sure, but beware the book that does NOT have a copy of the cover art as part of the story.



She brought a book to me the other day (one of my old Richard Scarry "Please and Thank You" books) and handed it to me with a very exasperated sigh, saying, "Mommy, this picture is NOT in this book!" I tried to explain to her that sometimes the cover is different from the pictures inside and then I went through the book looking for a match. I thought at one point I had found it and I was pretty proud of spotting it until I showed it to her...



She looked at me with a very knowing expression, pointed at the hippo's mouth and said, "(Sigh) Mommy. This hippo's mouth is closed. It is not the same."



Whoops.

Lily Love

OK, so you know that feeling you got when you fell in love for the first time? I mean, really , truly fell in love...that sense of excitement and that need to be around the object of your affection at all times at all costs?

I certainly felt that when Lily was born. I felt it when she grasped my finger with her little fist the first time. I felt it that sweet September morning when she smiled at me for the first time. I felt it when she snuggled up next to me as she fell asleep...knowing that she was safe in her mommy's arms.

As Lily got older, I immediately felt wistful for those days gone by...they go by too fast! But every new discovery she made thrilled me. When she discovered her toes or discovered that the baby in the mirror was her own sweet face I was charmed. When she discovered the motions she needed to crawl and then walk I was proud-but a little sad to know that it meant independence from mommy. Her first words were a joy to me and her first sing-song notes of lullabies and snappy alphabet melodies were literally music to my ears.

After my accident-and not being able to see her or hold her forever-my desperation to be around her and be mommy increased. It was so long before I was able to hold her in my arms again. So long before I could really play with her or comfort her when she needed me. I cherised those moments that she found a way to snuggle into mommy's wheelchair-bound lap and hold on to my shirt so that I could push us into the next room. She adapted so well to my limitations and still does even when she really just wants mommy to run with her and play like the other mommies do.

Now, as I see her grow into a little girl-a funny, charming, smart little girl-I am falling in love all over again. Her observations on the world around her are amazing to me and her sense of humor thrills me. I love the fact that she comes to me in the morning so that I will snuggle with her in my bed before we greet the day. I love that even though she is a "big girl" she still wants me to rock and sing to her at night before sleep. I adore our little routines-whether it be planning out what we are going to do the next day or going over all the big events of her day or even anticipating what is going to cause her to flip out in a three-year-old tantrum in order to nip it in the bud!

Watching her develop relationships with other people gives me such hope for her future. She loves to spend time with her cousins, she gets excited for every opportunity to go to church or school to see her friends. I hope that she will always have relationships in her life that bring her happiness. And, even though I know I can't protect her from heartbreak, I pray that it will not devastate her and that she will have friends that love her and will care for her when she needs it and I'm not right there with her.

She makes me happy. Even when she is driving me crazy with the "mommy, mommy, mommy, MOMMY!" moments, I am blessed to be hers. Seeing her happy causes those little bubbles of joy to rise up in my heart. And knowing that no matter what life brings me and no matter how many tough episodes we will have to endure, I will always have my little girl to look at and love is the greatest gift I could ask for.

Guess what Lily learned in preschool...

Lily learned how to use scissors in preschool this week. She has spent approximately two hours today cutting an old coloring book into strips.

Paper...you've been warned.

"Me" time

I am preparing to leave for a short trip to CA to attend the wedding of a very dear friend. If you include travel days (verrrry loooong travel days) I will be gone a total of six days. Just me. Alone. No husband, no preschooler, nobody.
Sounds relaxing, right?
Wrong.
I'm sure that this will be a wonderful-albeit hurried-trip. I'm excited to see friends that I have not seen in over 10 years and hang with my Sharon. But getting everything settled to leave has not been easy. I think it is almost easier to pack for myself and for Lily when we have taken trips together. Packing for just myself-and the myriad of activities I have planned-and trying to leave notes about every possible need Lily may have for the various people that are going to pitch in to watch her while I'm gone has been nerve wracking. Yes, I know that everyone who is going to be taking care of her has done it before and knows my child well. But they are not her mommies...
Plus, this is the first time since I was bedridden at the Med, unable to move my limbs on my own that I have been away from her for any extended period of time. (Cue the sniffles.)
So, as I write this, Lily is sleeping facedown on the living room floor because she was too tired to make it to her bedroom once I put her down. I'm gonna go watch her snooze and be there when she wakes up since I'll miss the next few moments like those.

Braids!

This is a HUGE deal...no, really! The nerve damage in my left arm and hand have caused a lag in reaction time for the past two years. My left hand is still slow to process what my brain is telling it to do, and too much exertion (like typing or knitting, etc.) causes it to grow tired very quickly and feel a bit like what I imagine carpal tunnel syndrome must feel like.

However, one of my big goal this past year has been to braid Lily's hair. I used to be able to french braid my own hair upside down and backwards, so it is tremendously frustrating that I cannot handle such a simple task.

But....

....after almost 30 minutes of Lily standing patiently on her Disney princess footstool

....and mommy wrestling with her smooth-as-silk hair....

...we have braids.