Eva-isms

Eva talks incessantly. Like, all the time. Like, sometimes Paul and I actually have to ask her to stop talking for a second so we can talk. And I love it. I love that she wants to talk to us and that her mind is constantly going. But sometimes, I just need her to stop. SO I can think...hear other things...function.

In all of this constant jabber, Paul and I sometimes notice a word escape her sweet mouth that we don't quite see fit for that particular sentence. For example...

Eva wears a pull-up to bed. She is potty trained, but still has night time accidents more often than not and so she wears a pull-up. In the mornings after an accident-free night, she'll wake up and exclaim loudly, "Look Mom, I drive!" Which, in Eva land means "Look Mom, I'm DRY."

Or, if we're in a store and Eva suddenly feels the need to use the ladies room, she'll tug on my shirt and say, "Mom, I need to go peep."

Or, say you ask Eva if she would like some yogurt for a snack. If she wouldn't, than instead of giving you a simple "no", Eva would say "no, I didn't," as she shakes her head, giggling.

Or, if you tell Eva that there is something that she needs to do, and hasn't done like clean her room, her response would be a frustrated, "Yes, I am." Which, in Eva land means, "yes, I did."

All of these little Eva-isms make for many laughter filled conversations and in their own little way, keep me grounded and calm when I might otherwise be inclined to fly off the handle for no good reason.

I mean who could be upset at someone who desperately needs to go "peep" in the middle of a commissary excursion?

"Yeah...That"

Upon awakening from her afternoon nap today, Eva made the routine request for fruit snacks. This came as no surprise because that is when she gets fruit snacks every day. This time, when the familiar question came out of her mouth, "Momma, can I had some fru-nack?" I replied, "sure...but you have to give me a kiss."

She promptly puckered her lips and planted a juicy one right on the kisser. She then turned and positioned her little body to frolic toward the kitchen but I grabbed her hand and tugged her back to me which got her giggling.

"And you have to give me a big hug," I demanded. She rolled her eyes and wrapped her petite arms around my neck. As I had her in my embrace, I made one final request.

"Okay, now you have to say 'Momma I love you so much and you're my most favorite momma ever and my love of fruit snacks doesn't even come close to how much I love you,' okay?" She stepped back, looked at me and replied, "yeah...that."

Fire Bees

Last night, my sister, the girls and I all sat on our small front porch and watched the rain. I love the cool breeze that comes just before the first few droplets make their way to the ground. I love the smell of rain and the sound it makes when it hits the pavement. I love watching the leaves on the flowers bend as they catch each tiny drop knowing that they're being fed and nourished and that they'll be beautiful tomorrow!

The four of us sat there for a while watching the rain go through it's phases. Beginning with the single drops that make their way onto random spots like the tip of your nose or your elbow or the exact place on your head where your hair is parted. And then it comes on steady and strong, sometimes accompanied by rolling thunder or flashing lightning, and then finally, it begins to subside.

This particular shower went through it's phases in a matter of minutes. And when the sky was clear of drops and the ground was wet, Eva ran out into the yard and did a few twirls, splashed in a few puddles and then turned around to look at me with an intense excited look on her face. She ran as fast as she could until she reached me and screamed..."FIRE BEES!"

Fire Bees are apparently Eva's name for lightning bugs and I must say, I like it! We laughed and sat for a bit longer until the sweet breeze melted into the humidity and then we made our way back inside.

20 days to being 3 Years Old Logic

"Mom, let's build a snowman today!"

"Eva, we can't build a snowman today, it's too hot."

"Okay, well howbout snowballs?"

"No, baby. We can't do anything with snow. It's too hot for snow. We have to wait until it's really cold and then we can play with snow."

"But Mom, my feet are cold."

Smile to Myself

My sweet Eva, upstairs singing to herself when she's supposed to be going to sleep. The "Jasmine Song" as she would call it. I hear only a muffled tune until she gets to the "...whole new world..." part of the song, and then she sings it with gusto.

Sing baby sing. Sing at the top of your lungs while you can get away with it, dignity intact. When you're older, people will look at you funny. I know this from experience (s).

Music to My Ears

Yesterday morning, as I ran around my house doing all the things that were much needed to do, I took a few moments to sweep and mop the kitchen floor. I did this while Eva was in her chair eating lunch so that I wouldn't have to worry about her running in the kitchen and slipping on the soon-to-be-wet floors. I started up by the fridge and moved backward towards the breakfast nook. As I swept under Eva's chair, she looked at me with shining eyes and said, "Thank you, Momma."

Well, I guess she's heard me complain under my breath about the "thanks I get around here" and decided to do something about it. I didn't know whether to smile or cry. Such a sweet little gesture. And would you know, with all the hullabaloo of the morning and the overwhelming feeling of never being able to get everything done that needed to be, that simple "thank you" from my little girl really made my day brighter.

I guess I can't complain anymore about "the thanks I get around here." It seems I'm getting more than my fair share.

Roo's Sad

This morning, after Éva woke up and had some cereal, she asked if she could watch her Heffalump movie. I approved and turned it on for her.

For those of you who haven't seen it, about 10 minutes into the movie the familiar characters of Winnie the Pooh discover that a dreaded Heffalump has been in the Hundred Acre Wood. Because of this, they launch a plan to go in to the unknown Heffalump Hollow to catch one. As everyone practices their lasso skills on a barrel with a heffalump drawn on the front, Roo is told by Rabbit (who is quite bossy) that he is simply too young to join the expedition. Roo, of course is sad and turns around to trudge home as his mother is calling him in the distance.

Well, Éva almost always turns to tell me that "Roo is sad" at this point in the movie, but today after informing me once again that Roo was sad, she then put her arms out toward the TV, made her sweetest, poutiest face and said, "C'mere Roo. I'll hold you."

Too sweet.

The Sweetest Words

Éva loves to make me wait for things. I think she knows how badly I struggle with patience. When I call her to me, she takes her sweet time, taking the smallest, slowest baby steps I've ever seen. If I tell her she needs to finish her dinner, she doddles all that much more. And when it comes to her milestones, she's always made me wait. She made me wait until she was almost 9 months old to see her crawl. She made me wait until she was 14 months old to see her walk. Her first word was "Dada" when I specifically asked her to say "Mama" first and now, she's already told Paul "I love you" and I haven't been able to get her to say it to me even by bribing her with fruit snacks and juice.

But, tonight, as I left her room from kissing her good night, there it was; with no coaxing, bribing or prodding..."I luh you, Momma."

My heart melted in my chest and I turned right back around, peeked my head in and said, " I love you too, Love Bug."

That little stinker.

Sedation Part 2

Éva was obviously a little loopy all afternoon so we put her down for a late afternoon nap around 2pm. Well, 2 and a half hours later, she was still snoozing and I was afraid she wouldn't sleep well tonight if she slept any longer. So I went up to get her. Well, her room was a mess with books and toys all over and I thought I would clean it up quietly before I woke her. She must of heard me put her kukui nut necklace in her toy box because all of the sudden, from a dead sleep, she pops her head up and says "Wassup?" I was so startled by her that I started laughing uncontrollably and fell onto the bed...she then proceeded to tell me that a lion says "arrrrrrr" and many other random tid-bits of information. I have no idea what that loopy little mind of hers was conjuring up, but it made sense to her even if I couldn't track her at all.

Happy?

Paul and I continue to be amazed at the things that will come out of our Éva's mouth. Everyday, it seems, she says something new that absolutely floors us! Today, my sensitive girl asked a very intuitive question. "Momma, you happy?" she asks with a very inquisitive look on her face. "I'm happy. Are you happy?" I reply. "Okay" she says and turns around to fall into her bean bag giggling as she sinks into the hot pink fabric.

Momma is very happy.