And Then You Turned Four

Wow! You've kept me really busy the past year! I hope that one day when you grow up and see that your Mommy did not do a very good job documenting your childhood, you'll know it was because I was too busy embracing each day I got to spend with you.

Every day you grow and change, and I just love you more and more. You amaze me with all of your questions and the things you want to understand. You are a bright, funny and beautiful little girl, and you're growing up faster than I'd like. You've been writing your name - Hannah B dot - for six months now. You have such a sweet heart, and I love hearing your little voice singing each morning when you wake up before your clock is green.

I am so so thankful that God chose me to be your Mommy. I think you've taught me as much as I've taught you. You show me how to look at things through your eyes - your beautiful big brown eyes.

You often ask me if I will be your best friend, and I always say, "Yes." Because now matter how old you are, I will always be your best friend. I will always love you, and I will always be proud of you.

I love you more today than I did yesterday, but not as much as I will love you tomorrow.

Happy birthday my sweet baby girl.

Love,
Mommy

Are you really 3 years old already?

Happy birthday my sweet girl! I can't believe you are already 3 years old today! It seems like every year just goes by faster and faster. You are such a sweet, beautiful and smart little girl. You love your big baby doll, playing the "letter game" with Mommy & Daddy, swimming at the pool and writing the letter "H" with your crayons. You make me laugh every single day.

You have no idea how much Mommy & Daddy love you. Maybe someday when you have a little girl, you will finally understand our love for you.

I can't believe how much you've "grown up" in the past year. You are so independent and love to do things by yourself. Sometimes it feels like I just blinked my eyes, and suddenly you can do so many more things. I love watching you learn new things, and you are constantly saying sentences that sound so mature.

I'm so thankful you still let me rock you every night. I love the time we spend together in your room after we've read your books, said your prayers and sang your favorite songs ("ABCD," "Itsy Bitsy Spider, " "Rock-a-bye Hannah" and "Jesus Loves Me"). I run my fingers through your soft hair and trace the outline of your face with my fingers. You giggle when my fingers go under your chin and down your sweet neck. I rock you as you close your big brown eyes and start to fall asleep. Then I tiptoe over to your bed and lay you down gently. I kiss your sweet head and whisper, "I love you."

I am so very proud of you, Hannah Claire. Can you make the next year go by a little more slowly? I want to hold you in my lap a little while longer, OK?

I love you with all of my heart,
Mommy

Kids Say the Funniest Things - Part 2

While at my mom's house a couple of months ago, I was putting Hannah to bed in my room. My mom has pictures from my wedding day in my bedroom. Hannah was studying the pictures and pointing out faces she recognized. "Dat's Mommy?" she would ask.

"Yes," I replied.

"Dat's Daddy?" she questioned further.

"Yes," I answered again.

"Dat's Day?" Another question and Hannah's version of "Gran."

"Yes."

"Where's me?"

I laughed so hard, but I'm sure she had no idea what was so funny. To her, the world didn't exist prior to her birth.

My Little Snow Bunny

We don't get much snow here in Nashville. Sure, maybe a few flurries a couple of times a year, but 4" - 5" inches? Not likely for us. So when it snowed all day on Friday we were super excited. We waited until Saturday afternoon to try out the snow, and then we got all bundled up in our coats, hats and gloves and went sledding. In a laundry basket. Like I said, we don't get much snow here in Nashville. There's never been a reason to invest in a sled. But I sure wished we had one on Saturday.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

Potty training Hannah has been a much lengthier process than I'd imagined. I guess I thought she would “get it” a little sooner and without much training. Weaning her off the pacifier at six months was a breeze. She’s a good eater and doesn’t refuse most things on her plate. She does well obeying me and Steve. But this potty training is sure taking some work.

She misses no opportunity to tell you she’s a big girl and even knows that “big girls pee pee in potty.” She usually follows me when I use the bathroom, so the other day I decided to use it as a training experience for her. She watched me sit down on the toilet and then asked, “You pee pee on potty?”

I responded, “Yes because I’m a big girl.”

“No, you Den-fer, I big girl.” Apparently, there can be only one big girl at our house.

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While we were having Christmas at my mom’s house Hannah started to get a little cranky about 30 minutes before dinner was ready. I thought maybe she just needed a little snack to tide her over until the meal was ready. I asked her if she wanted something to eat, and she said she needed a cracker. So, I asked, “Do you need an appetizer?”

“No, I need a cracker.”

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While lying in bed with me the other day, Hannah poked me in the chest and said, “What’s that?”

“That’s Mommy’s bosom,” I replied. “Where’s your bosom?”

Hannah pulled out her shirt, looked down at her chest and said, “I got lil' bosoms.”

Aren't two year olds hilarious?

Santa Claus Progress

Last year we took Hannah to see Santa Claus completely unaware of how she would react. We stood in line for 45 minutes while she watched all of the other children walk up and climb in his lap. When it was finally our turn, Hannah held on for dear life and screamed bloody murder while I tried to take a quick picture.

See?



So this year we decided to try the Santa experience again fully prepared for a complete melt down. While Hannah had no interest in sitting in Santa's lap, she agreed to stand in front of him while I took a few pictures. I think the candy cane, pencil and rubber bracelet Santa gave her might have had something to do with it. Instead of learning that Santa is really a nice man, I think we may have just taught her that strange men give you presents if you don't scream.

Elmo's Party

Since Steve and I have been together, we've always spent Thanksgiving with his family. My family has never really done anything special for the day except enjoy a day off of work or school. But since it's a long weekend, and my mom's birthday is November 25th, we always go visit her for her birthday more than Thanksgiving. So, this past Thanksgiving when Hannah saw my mom's birthday present wrapped in pretty pink paper while we were in Georgia, she informed us she was "reh-reh go to the party." For four and half hours while we drove from Columbus to Pulaski she talked about going to the party. About half way through the trip, it went from just a party to Elmo's party. I'm still not sure where the idea of Elmo having a party came from, but Hannah was adamant that we should be going. We made it to my mom's house, and my mom unwrapped her birthday presents. I think Hannah may have been a little disappointed in my mom's gifts and that Elmo didn't show up for the "party."

So when we heard that Sesame Street Live would be coming to Nashville, we decided Hannah would love to go. I worried that the adult size characters would scare her since she'd only seen Elmo on TV, in books or the doll size version. We tried to prepare her by telling her we were going to see a BIG Elmo so she wouldn't be too freaked out at the show.

For the first 15 minutes of the performance, Hannah didn't move. She stared in complete awe at the stage. But as soon as she realized the child in front of her had some sort of toy that could spin and light up, her attention quickly shifted from the stage. She still enjoyed the characters, but she constantly pointed to the child's toy and said, "I have that." The toy didn't look particularly safe to me, so I didn't jump at the chance to spend $15 so my child could poke her eye out. Even without the toy, I think Hannah did very well and really enjoyed her first musical.