Still My Baby. . .

I just opened the refrigerator to make lunches for Charlie and Chanelle to take to school tomorrow.  While grabbing the lunch meat and carrots I noticed a container buried in the back.  I grabbed the container and examined it and did the calculations in my head. . . Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. . . five days–we can make this work for one more meal.  Behind container number one I found another one.  This one took a bit of time to recognize.  I lifted the lid and smelled the contents. . . ah, yes.  A dessert I made a week ago.  Apparently, the dessert was unpopular or completely forgotten.

Also in our fridge are a gallon and a half of milk, water bottles, Diet Dew, eggs, enough BBQ sauce for a small rural school, and other miscellaneous condiments.  Have I mentioned that our new home is 15 minutes from a grocery store?

Yep, we’re adjusting.  It’s been a crazy few weeks for us and as I’ve mentioned before, I am longing for time to sit and breathe and write. 

(Update:  Apparently the dessert was forgotten, not unpopular.  Chad is currently licking the bottom of container 2.)

Anyway, I’m popping in today because if too much time goes by, the stories will be lost.  I don’t want to lose the stories.  I want to remember.  I want to remember why we say almost daily. . . she is something else. 

Oh, Meadow.  She is a trip.  Not a day goes by that we don’t comment on how much she has added to our family.  How lively she is.  How happy.  How joyful.

How. . . Meadow she is. 

1. Potty-Training

Meadow loves to sit on the potty.  She stands at my feet and hollers “poopy” and points to the bathroom.  She nods and squeals when I ask her if she wants to go potty.  She sprints to the bathroom and insists on ripping her clothes and diaper off and sits on the potty and directs me “reee! reee”  (Translation:  Read). 

So we sit in the bathroom.  We read.  I encourage.  I invite.  I do anything I can do to prompt her to do her business. 

She refuses. 

She gets down.

She switches roles.

. . . it’s a game.

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2.  Beauty Regimen

I’m not sure if what we are seeing now is indicative of what we will see in the years to come, but I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous.

I’m not real sure where she gets it.  I would call myself pretty low maintenance (okay, maybe not emotionally), but in the beauty department, I’m pretty simple.  Meadow, however, seems to think that make-up needs to be applied several times a day.

I find her like this often. 

Oh and lotion.  Girlfriend loves to apply lotion. 

After “Mama” and “Daddy”, I believe “lotion” was her next word.

And clothes. . . no ones clothes are safe.  She’s worn all of our clothes at one time or another.  On this particular day she had raided my closet. . .

I’ll confess. . . I added the belt.  The rest was all Meadow. 

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3.  Big Girl Bed

When we moved into our new house, we decided to put Meadow in a big girl bed.  Basically, we didn’t want the hassle of putting the crib up to take it down in a few months. 

It may have been too early. 

Don’t get me wrong, Meadow loves it.  She gets to roam around the house at all hours of the night.  For three weeks, she has extended bedtime to a 1.5 hour process.  We often find her in our bed at 3 a.m. ready to play while issuing a happy, “Hello!”  Nap time is her favorite time to play dress up and she often descends down the stairs wearing three different outfits.  After we put her to bed at night, she likes visits Chanelle’s room.  Thankfully, Chanelle sleeps right through it. 

On one particular night Chad and I were unaware of her adventures until we heard her at the top of the stairs.

This was well over an hour after we had put her to bed.  Apparently, she had gone into Chanelle’s room and found her markers.  After coloring all over Chanelle’s desk she found another canvas. . .

Needless to say, Chad and I are tired.

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4.  Extrovert?

When it comes to personality types–Chad and I tend to be more introverted.  We kind of absolutely prefer to go unnoticed.  (Except for the minor detail of my putting our entire life online.) We like to fade into the background.  It may be too early to tell, but we see similar traits in Charlie and Chanelle.  But Meadow?  Well, we are wondering if she might be on the more extroverted side. 

Just a week (or was it two) ago, I watched Meadow dance in front of a crowd of strangers during a soccer game.  She likes to say “Hello” to each and every person that crosses her path.  If there is a center stage–she most typically will place herself on it. 

Let’s just say, Sister likes to entertain. . .

. . . no matter the cost.

I suspect she will keep life interesting.

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5.  Fwends. . .

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6.  Sisters

Meadow adores her big sister.  What Chanelle does, Meadow must do. . .

Where Chanelle sits, Meadow must sit. . .

Love is unconditional. . .

. . . and very, very mutual. . .

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7. Animals

Much like her sister, she will choose animals over most everything else. . .

They can be real or fake–she will always chose the animals. 

. . . even over chocolate.

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8.  The Face

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9.  Daddy

When Chad comes home her reaction goes like this. . .squeal. . . clap. . .jump. . . dadadadadadad.

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10.  Blanket

She can’t drink her milk without it.  If we forget to take it with us–we panic.  The blanket was first Chanelle’s treasure, until she decided to give it to her future brother or sister nearly two years ago.  Just when I think she’s getting so big, I see her laying there with her comforting little blanket and I remember that despite her BIG personality. . .

. . . she’s still my baby.

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Have a happy Monday, Friends.

(I’ll be grocery shopping)