The Early Bird

Very rarely am I envious of other parents, but the last two days I have been...well, at least the last two mornings I have been. Today was the second day in a row that Abby got me up around 5:30 am. Now, yesterday my lovely husband ordered me back to bed, but this morning I told him to stay put - at least one of us should get rest.

I have no idea how Abby manages through the day after getting up so early, but somehow she does. I've tried to encourage naps, but they have long since been abandoned.

Now the flip side of getting up early is that by the time dinner is over we begin winding down for bed, and tonight she made it until quarter to seven before she was asking to go to bed. After two early mornings and full days, it took her mere minutes to drift off.

So here I sit, watching TV and doing some knitting....you know? I take it back....about being envious that is - it seems that I'm just fine with my little early bird - just the way she is.

Abby was up for some silly faces today.

Fishy Abby!

Abby's Favorite Things

Tonight after dinner, and while watching some Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Abby and I got talking about some of her favorite things. Lately, it seems that usually whatever we are watching, eating, doing, etc. is immediately declared her "favorite". I thought I would get to the bottom of this and actually see what her favorites actually are. Since some of her answers were pretty cute I thought I would let you in on our conversation.

Mom: Abby, what's your favorite color?

Abby: Red! Rojo in Spanish. (Yep, she is bilingual. She is awesome at counting to 10 in Spanish as well.)

Mom: What's your favorite number?

Abby: One.....and two and three......and five.....and two. (Apparently it was just too hard to decide.)

Mom: What's your favorite animal?

Abby: A dog! (I'm guessing Bruiser has something to do with this one.)

Mom: What's your favorite game?

Abby: Cards, like at Carter's house. (hmmm....could they be her poker buddies?)

Mom: What's your favorite snack?

Abby: Ice cream! (She's her mother's daughter)

Mom: What's your favorite time of the day?

Abby: Bath. When I take a bath...and then get jammies on and go to bed. (Wow, that happens to be a favorite of mine as well.)

Mom: What's your favorite TV show?

Abby: Spiderman! (Lately she has really gotten into watching The Amazing Spiderman and His Friends from the 80's - I think this is hilarious!)

Mom: What's your favorite movie?

Abby: Mulan (I think she just likes that she can do karate while she's watching it.)

It was at this point that I paused in my questioning, wondering what "favorite" to ask about next. That's when Abby chimed in.

Abby: Mama....Mama....talk! Favorite toy, Mama!

Mom: Oh, sorry Abby. What's your favorite toy?

Abby: Ummm.....Barbies, that's my favorite toy. (This was a no brainer, since she thinks the grocery store is actually a Barbie store.)

It was a fun conversation, and a bit enlightening. I love having these little chats with her, they drive home her unique personality and the fun things that make her who she is.

Although pizza is certainly her favorite, "noodles"
may be a close second. Today she enjoyed a nice
Italian lunch!

Leaves

Each day at recess this week I've watched the kids at school gather pile after pile of leaves so they could play in them. They've had a blast, after all,  there's just something about a pile of leaves that is so much fun. It made me think about raking up our own leaves and letting Abby have at them. Watching my students also put me in mind of a time that we did just that, years ago when we were visiting with Nana and Papa.

Abby was a wee two-year-old when we plopped her down in her first mound of leaves. Once she got the hang of what she was supposed to do with those crunchy leaves, she had a grand old time. These are still some of my favorite pictures.

Yes, we may just have to pull out the rake this weekend, because despite the fact that after playing Abby had leaves everywhere (even down her pants), we all had a great time!

Abby See, Abby Do

Abby has always been good at impressions. The other night, when I was enjoying some sushi for dinner she did a rather excellent impression of me trying to use my chop sticks.

Forget it...I'll just use my fingers - yep that's about how Mom
does it.

Or maybe I could just stab it with these things.

I thought I had seen it all, but tonight, after her bath Abby decided that she would do an impression of Bruiser. She started out by panting and then went into some howling, but then she did something that really got me laughing. See, although Bruiser and Abby are good buddies, when he wants some serious attention (or food, or a potty break, or....) he comes to me. Sometimes he doesn't wait for an invitation. Often, when I am sitting on the couch, chatting with Abby about her day, Bruiser will come and nose his way in between me and the arm of the couch. Now, Bruiser is a big boy, and when he wants attention, he wants attention. His "I-want-attention-now" move always gets Abby laughing hysterically - or maybe she is just laughing at my efforts to get him off of me. What ever it is, it's pretty funny.

Tonight when she became Bruiser/Abby I was sitting on her bed, helping her get dressed. As soon as she got her clothes on, and after she'd finished panting, she stuck her face and head under my arm and started laughing as she nosed her way into my side. That's when I lost it. She had him down to a T.

Yep, Abby has always been a pro at mimicking what she sees. It makes me a little nervous about how she "portrays" Mama when I'm not around....

Student of the Month

I have a confession to make: I hate strongly dislike talking on the phone. Jason will attest to this. He has pretty much accepted that he will be the one to call and order things, or make any other necessary "household" calls - he doesn't even ask anymore if I will do it. Now, this isn't to say I don't enjoy the occasional long chat with a friend or family member, (and I would much rather be the "call-ee" than the "call-er") but as preferences go, talking on the phone isn't one of mine.

What does this have to do with Abby, or today, for that matter, you ask? Well, this afternoon I got a call. I was walking back to my classroom, after dismissing the last of my little darlings for the day, and my phone rang. Expecting to see Jason's name pop up on my phone (since he was at the store getting my flat tire set to rights, which involved a new round of tires - but that's a different story), I was surprised to see a number I didn't recognize. Now, considering my reticence when it comes to phone calls in the first place, it will come as little surprise that when a number pops up I don't recognize I will typically let the call go to voice mail. For some reason today was different, and I actually answered the call - and I'm so very glad I did.

The caller on the other end identified herself as the principal at Abby's school. As soon as I heard her name my stomach fell to my toes. My "Oh-no-something's-happened" flag went up and I picked up my pace, anticipating having to zoom over to Abby's school. Instead she told me that they'd recently started a new program at the school, where they have teachers nominate students to be recognized as a "Student of the Month". She was calling to tell me that Abby's teacher had nominated her and that Abby would be the "Student of the Month" for October.

My gait slowed a bit, and my throat got that silly little lump in it that comes before tears, as she told me how her teacher mentioned that Abby had been "very agreeable" at school and that "she had matured over the summer" and that was apparent as she came back to school. Along with the title Abby would get a free bag of popcorn on Popcorn Day, and her picture would be displayed for the month in the hall. I didn't know what to say. I think I just kept repeating, "Thank you" and "That's great!" I was blown away.

As soon as I could I sent a note to Jason and he was just as proud as I was. When Abby got off the bus that was the first thing I mentioned, that I'd gotten a call from her principal and she was the Student of the Month. She took it all in stride and didn't seem phased by all the fuss. In fact, the minute she got in the house she opened up her backpack and pulled out some work she needed to finish up - proving she deserved her newest honor.

She did all the coloring herself, even added the background
without any suggestions! Pretty spectacular - don't you think?

After dinner I took her out for a celebratory ice cream sundae - she'd certainly earned it, and as we drove home she wowed me with her alphabet knowledge. I tell you, the "Parental-Pride Seams" were near to bursting tonight.

In the end, I am so very glad I went against my nature and accepted that unknown caller. I can't guarantee that it will change my feelings about talking on the phone completely, but I will certainly think twice about letting calls go directly to voice mail....maybe.

Congratulations Abby - you certainly deserve it!

Even though this one is from last week, I had to get one
of her being "studious" - it just fit tonight!

Food!

Abby has always been a bit of a foodie, and so when she requested a story about "Baby Abby" tonight from Dada he told her about all the fun foods that she ate when she was a baby. He told her how she loved the little baby hot dogs in the jars (yuck!), how we always made sure that we had a container of puffs ready at a moment's notice, and how she couldn't seem to get enough of those Crasins (which we called "cherries"). This is how she fell asleep tonight - listening to a list of her favorite foods.

Thinking this would be the perfect post tonight I set about looking for a particular picture that was quite funny. An hour and a half later I've given up, but I did come across some other cute "eating" pictures - I will leave you with them for the night.

Squash is my guess - she doesn't look impressed, whatever it was.

Your first graham cracker is apparently something to celebrate!

I made this one extra big so you could see how much she enjoyed her first PB&J - she also enjoyed the bath that followed.

Work is hard - fishies are required.

Oreos - good with milk (and smeared across your face).

I should mention that there were many, many more food pictures of Abby - maybe I'll save those for another post.

Blessed Beyond Measure

Once upon a time there was a little girl who thought a lot about her future. Some days she wanted to be an actress, some days she wanted to be a world traveler, and some days she thought a pharmacist sounded exotic. This little girl had lots of questions and possibilities concerning her future, and there were many things that were undecided....but there were two things she knew for sure - she wanted to be a wife and mother.

Since the girl was sure of these things she did the one thing that she knew to do - she prayed. The girl prayed daily for the boy that would one day become her husband. She asked that he would be safe, and that God would look out for him while she waited. The girl also prayed for the family she would one day have, and the mother she might one day become.

As time went on many things changed in the little girl's life. Some moments were happy, and some moments were sad, but as she grew she learned and became stronger. She continued to pray.

One day she met a man, who had once been a boy, and she knew he was the one that had been in her thoughts and prayers for so long. With each story of his childhood, she was happy that she'd asked for protection, for he'd had quite a few close calls. Soon the man and woman were married and they began a life together.

Then, one day, years later, the man and woman discovered they would become parents. The woman remembered her wishes and prayers of long ago and she was so very, very thankful. There were many people that joined in praying for the little baby that the woman was carrying - even the young students she taught would pray each day that the baby would be safe. And the baby was.

Unexpectedly, before anyone was ready, the woman got sick and the baby needed to come early. The woman was frightened, but when she awoke her husband was there to tell her they had a daughter, a beautiful little girl. The woman was happy, thinking about all the possibilities that awaited her exquisite child.

It wasn't long before the man and woman received news that their daughter was sick - very sick, and that she wouldn't have the future they'd imagined. The woman mourned the loss of that future, but before she knew it she fell head-over-heels in love with her daughter, and nothing else mattered.

Today the woman is so very, very thankful. She is thankful to be a wife, and she is thankful to be the mother of a truly amazing little girl. She long ago realized that the imaginings of the girl she once had been pale in comparison to what her life has become, and it is because of this that she continues to pray - but where once her prayers were heavy on the requests, now they are filled with thanks, for she is blessed beyond measure.

So very blessed.