Lily Doins 12-2-08

Here's the latest list of Lily Doins...

1. “Back”: It’s reassurance of someone’s return. If Daddy goes outside to take the trash out, then he will be “back”. I realized we must say this to her a lot as she says it often and has the delivery perfected. She nods her head up and down to help reassure even more.

2. Water: I do hope to catch this on video soon as the visual is far more cute than my description but Lily will say “Water” by lapping her tongue followed by saying “er”.

3. Cup drinking: This goes hand in hand with water as water does the least amount of damage when spilled (which happens often). I can tell she feels like quite the big girl when she has cup in hand. Of course, the immense pride is balanced by dumping way too much water into her mouth, coughing, letting out a whine then trying it all over again. Determination - that's our girl.

4. Bye bye: Lily loves to tell everything Bye Bye (the dog “doh”, bird “bii”, school “KOOOL”, Mommy, Daddy, you name it). It’s a fun way to try out new vocabulary too. She actually said “bye bye ta-toh” to a tractor one day.

5. Ketchup: It's all she would eat for supper if Mommy and Daddy didn’t intervene. Lily loves ketchup. She’ll halfway say it too which sounds something like “kit kit”. Anything is dipping potential for ketchup: fries, weinies, green beans and especially fingers. She's added a nifty little Ketchup trick to her aresenal too. She smears the ketchup into oblivion on her tray then asks for more. Translation: more to play with (eating? not so much).

6. Dunno?: Lily holds out her hands, palms up, elbows bent and will say “dunno” when looking for or asked about something.

7. Nenekaka: Lily’s name for Aunt Karla. I noticed a weekend that Aunt Karla was down, Lily would alternate between labeling her Neenee and Kaka. So we combined the two labels into one fun name. We looove our Nenekaka which, when asked, will be “BACK” according to Lily.

8. Pig Sound: This could have been going on for a while and we just now got it as it’s not exactly a pig sound. It’s more like a cough/bark. But – close enough! I can see where the snort sound may be a little hard for a toddler!

9. Laugh Mimick: If Dale or I laugh about something, Lily will look up, check our expression and laugh along right with us. There’s a level of fakeness to it which only makes us laugh even harder.

10. Signing Updates: Specifically for bird, juice, crackers, and bath that we can decipher (which is really a big disclaimer as many times – we run off to the pc trying to Google the motion she just made). Though sometimes, I do think she does some Bluff Signing (i.e. making up something) just to see us confused!

Pictures Post 11-23-08

Here are a few pics from the lastest couple weeks at the Lilypad...

Super cute dress...1 teeny tiny problem

With the wonderful Christmas season approaching, I purchased a cute little holiday dress for my precious daughter last week. I was excited to find this dress because not only was the style cute, but the price was very nice, as well. So, lost in the utopia of finding a double threat dress (cute n cheap), I failed to do something very vital. I didn't give the dress a good Look-See. I eventually looked it over but not until after the purchase was made (big Mommy Mistake). When I finally looked it over, it was then that I realized, in the grips of utter chagrin and horror, why the dress was marked down. Yes, I believe there was a reason. Can you tell what is....off...with this dress? Click on the picture of the dress to the upper left. I do hope I am alone in this assessment. Click HERE (PG-13) if you need the answer.

The Monster, Ned Flanders and Me

Quick disclaimer: Sorry this is a bit long. This has been stuck in my head for awhile so forgive the wordiness...and oddness (but oddness is a given, right?)...

I am a visual person. Well, to be more accurate, I am really a cartoon visual person. I translate too many of life's doins into some pretty hilarious cartoons in my head. This took on a new meaning with me recently as I realized: I also have a cartoon conscience.

In a nutshell, it's the shoulder devil & shoulder angel concept.

We've all seen it in some form: the classic battle of good versus evil vying for our attention and obedience. There are days I feel like I can almost hear the little shoulder angel and devil bickering (feathers flying, hooves stomping). I've read a couple books recently that have inspired my personal labeling of this little conscience devil as a "monster". To me, Monster is a far more accurate term. He's cunning, intimidating, short-tempered, demanding, relentless and just an all around pain. So that's the reason for "Monster" in the posting title. I fight The Monster a lot (aka "sinful nature"). Give in to work gossip with a coworker? I can feel the Monster purr with delight. Stand up for what is right and I can hear the monster roar with rage. I could go on and on. Unfortunately, the Monster knows me all too well. But, I digress. So you get the idea of the Monster.

Not long after The Monster was labeled and as I dwelled on this more, the shoulder angel took on a more defined form. While joking with Dale one day, I recited back what I knew to be the right decision in a slow, hokey-yet-righteous accent. It was a mix of the Church Lady and Forrest Gump. It finally dawned on me WHO this accent belonged to: Ned Flanders. Yes, that's right. The sweet yet all-too-often ignored promptings of goodness (aka the Holy Spirit) take on the voice of Ned Flanders, from The Simpsons, in my head. Complete with the occasional "diddly". I ignore Ned a lot, sadly. There are even times where I wonder if I finally snuffed him out once I return to sanity after another shameful frolic with the Monster. But no, sweet Ned is always there. Beaten and bruised yet still smiling, sitting on my shoulder; waiting for me to return.

I should conclude with a Weak Sanity Disclaimer (WSD) - I really don't hear voices. But as I often think of the Monster and Ned, parts of my life and this world make a bit more sense. I believe unseen spiritual battles are very very real. Maybe this is how my debatably "Sane" brain processes it all? After all - we are ALL spee-diddly-ecial, right?

Toy Genius...Not so much

I have a quick story I have to share. Dale and I were convinced we were witnessing a very Significant Toy Playing First this weekend. Lily seemed to be playing with her Barbie dolls. We were astounded. What a milestone! Our sweet baby girl playing with Barbies (jabbering, chattering, pretending). We were almost moved to tears when Lily walked by us, put the Barbie to her ear and pretended to jabber into her doll like the BARBIE WAS A PHONE. She wasn’t playing with the Barbies at all. They were a phone to her. What????? We had to laugh. So close and yet….so far.

Halloweenie 2008

Here are a few pictures of Lily and Max at Halloween this year...

The Same but Different

I have an invention idea that, I'm convinced, will change the world. Brace yourself: A milk bone ideally suited for both kids and dogs. Please - hold your applause and praise until the end (haha). But seriously. For those of us with dogs and a child (or children) - you can see the genius in this awesome invention. Max has eaten a lot of people food thanks to Lily and Lily has eaten more than her fair share of dog food. So why the obsession to find this perfect treat? 90lb dog gas. People food gives Max gas. You...just...can't... imagine.

Anyway, the reason for this post is I found my genius invention, or at least something very close, in Kroger recently. It is a milk bone shaped cracker stick (for people). I was extremely excited to find this discovery. Sure it's not the exact same thing as my invention but its close enough. I opened the box only to realize there was a big big problem. They look too much like milk bones. I tested this theory by giving one to Lily and she immediately started looking for Max and tried handing him one. I'd rather Max eat people food than Lily eat dog food but this does NOT cure the 90lb dog gas problem. So, sadly, I admitted defeat. Since Lily has yet to really eat one, not to mention the mass confusion a milk bone shaped cookie would cause, Dale and I are left with the only remaining solution. We eat them all ourselves. We are still coping with this decision (I think I've eaten 10+ already).

Could you tell the difference between dog treat and human treat? Click HERE to see the answer.