Dear Lola,

Oh my.

You are 26 months old and I swear we still FALL more and more in LOVE with you every day. Does it ever just plato?

It’s quite possible we are all one full house of stage 5 clingers.

Can you blame us though? You get more confident, sassy, sweet, talkative and bossy by the hour and it’s the greatest joy to watch you in action.

You continue to amaze your daddy and I with one thing each and every day. That is how very good and beautiful this life with you can be. Each minute, each meal, each car ride, each walk in the neighborhood, each dance fest, it is all just too good.

So here is what your up to now!

You are funny.

Like daddy’s funny.

The other night we got home late from a party and you fell asleep in the car. You slept so hard (unusually hard) that you were transferred and put in your crib without even caring to wake up! Well I tried getting your dress off of you as you laid in your crib and one arm hole got stuck…. I tugged and tugged at it trying not to wake you and just when I thought you were going to wake up and rip my head off you started cracking up laughing! The kind of laughing someone does after they literally can’t hold it inside anymore! LOL

Daddy had to leave the room he was laughing so hard at you laughing!

He says you have his sense of humor and he LOVES that weirdness about you lol

You say “okay” in the funniest ways… I have no idea why it’s so funny but it is! Today you were in the middle of a mild and mostly just dramatic “meltdown” for another popsicle and after I gave you a second to cry you let me pick you up and I said “Lola if you want another popsicle just ask for it with your words ok” your response- full of tears- “Okayyy” in the sweetest most endearing voice!

Its so cute and sweet and it’s so funny when it doesn’t match your current “attitude” lol it literally makes me wonder “does she even know what okay means”? You do the same thing when you say your sorry…. you say it even while still upset and crying and you add our names on it… “Sorry mommy” still full of tears.

My heart MELTS every time!

You LOVE picking flowers!

Every time we get in and out the car you start screaming “mo fower” and groceries and all I am chasing you down the driveway praying you don’t pick the ones our neighbors planted!

You also have just gotten into playing dress up in the last month and as you would imagine- MOMMY LOVES IT!

This was Monday, you call your rain boots your “swimming boots” so naturally you had to wear them with your swim suit!

You also LOVE hearing about my work- On evenings that I work and daddy puts you to bed you wake up asking for him. When I show up to get you- you get so excited and instantly start asking about the babies.

Daddy tells you that I go to work to check on the sick babies and sad mommies and daddy’s at the hospital. Unfortunately every time you hear the word babies and hospital in the same sentence you lift up my shirt and say baby!?!

You are SUCH a care taker which is balanced out because you are also SUPER confident so mama doesn’t have to worry too much lol… You love finding any little booboo and then kissing it on us. You also always point them out to us and ask us to kiss them on you!

You know that you aren’t supposed to wear socks in the house because you slip, so the other day when I tripped you came running to check on me. You noticed my socks on and instantly came to my rescue and sat at my feet to pull my socks off.

Your so smart.

We tell you that daily but you REALLY are.

Thankfully, since getting the “new car” daddy thought to implement a “oh you can’t watch TV during the day in the new car because the windows are SO big you have to look out of them to find flowers, airplanes, tractors” etc. Anyway since then you love finding things and what’s new is you scream “Ana, Elsa” any time we pass a church because you think churches are castles!

You also yell “Coco” every time we see a crane or construction site and you still yell “B airpane” every time you see an airplane!

You are so polite and I don’t even know if you realize it… anytime I ask you something and your answer is no (even if it’s something you have to do anyway) you say “No thanks, I’m fine” as cool and calm as can be!

I always crack up especially when it’s something you don’t know your going to do anyway… “Lo want to go sit on the potty and make TT”…. “No thanks I’m fine!” lol

You also say “Oh” before anything to show us you understand… like if we say Lola did you know JJ has a puppy names Charlie? You say “OH Charlie!” in a very excited, now I understand voice. It’s so cute as if your jut showing interest to be polite!

You talk about yourself in third person and we love to hear you say your name- “Wowa”.

If we say we will do something and you want to do it, like smacking a wasp-with your shoe… (that phrase was on repeat for about a week) you say “NO! Wowa smack it”!

We have to admit we say things just to hear you argue and tell us “Wowa” is going to do it!

We are SO proud of you and how well you are already at gymnastics!

About a month ago you were asked to join the next level up at gymnastics! Mama hasn’t let you go yet because it’s not a mommy and me class and you will be on your own and I selfishly need maybe another week (Ok or 3 or 4) to let it sink in!

Never the less you are one of the top in your class- the other little girl is a year older than you

You love to dance with mommy in the dining room when the music is on, we do a “side shuffle” and you love when I pick you up and spin you.. it’s usually before or after dinner and each time we do it all I can think is these days are going by way too fast. I know they are the moments I will miss so much one day so I just try and enjoy them and relish in the moment!

 

 

As far as food you are pretty picky I would say but not horribly bad… I will say when I put something new on your plate you usually try it first and at least taste it which I think is GREAT!

You still LOVE noodles, yogurt, chocolate (reesce), most fruits, port wine and goat cheese and nuggets! You even say “Chicka-lay” now when we drive by one- sad I know!

Your FAVORITE thing is probably popsicles and ice cream!

I will say at first TWO scared the daylights out of me!

You became SO independent yet still weren’t understanding the seriousness of needing to listen to us.

We had to quickly fin a balance in how we have always treated you like a baby and actually needing to “discipline”- aka talking with you about when No really means NO!

We had a few come to Jesus situations AS SOON as we walked in the door to Publix and Target a handful of times but we seem to be in the clear now.

You were really rebelling from riding in the cart and if I let you down you would literally run away from me and hide (your new favorite thing to do)! You thought it was a a game. It was getting so dangerous especially in Publix when you ran clear down the isle, past the check out, out the first door and I caught  you just before the second door (that leads to the parking lot) opened!

We seem to have a better understanding of things now but let’s be honest, mommy has MAYBE two rules(?). I can’t even name any now… but certainly I have some right?

Either way-  I’m sure there will be many more come to Jesus meetings in our future! 

Notice that you LOVE picking out groceries!?

Everything with Frozen on it goes in the cart- it’s that easy!

You have a few little friends now and it’s SO sad to see when you tell them bye, you don’t even want to look at them! Typically you give “bye bye love you’s” to everyone but if your REALLY sad that they are leaving you give a cold shoulder!

Most other things are still the same. We stil climb into bed with you at night to help you fall asleep. You always request a few frozen songs for mommy to sing and then a “Nemo song” which is baby beluga bust instead of beluga we replace it with Nemo and I usually throw dory’s and Crush’s name in their too somewhere!

Speaking of which your favorite movies at home are Nemo and Frozen and your favorite movie in the car (for whatever reason you keep them separated) is Ice Age!

We have to kiss both of lovies ears on both sides before crawling out the crib and when your in the mood you give the BIGGEST and best hugs ever to tell us good night.

You never fight your nap or sleep because you are pretty content in your crib but your naps are starting to shrink a little. Typically they are about an hour and a half now…. I fear you will be like mama and never nap past the age of 3!

You still HAVE TO HAVE lovie and paci and odly enough it’s actually “desired” more frequently since turning two than less frequently… I said I would take paci at two but well…. I didn’t.

Shocker I know.

Mama’s a sucker.

HOWEVER, we have JUST started potty training you! You are pretty excited about it and picked out your very own potty today! I will report back with that at your next Dear Lola and hopefully it will be a good report! LOL

We have a pretty casual approach but either way, pray for this mama!

I will say my big DREAM of you becoming a cuddler who watches movies finally came true (not sure if that was in your last “Dear Lola”) but yes hallelujah, praise the lord you like to cuddle now!!

Total mom win.

My most favorite thing EVER happened the other day- I got a video of you calling us “best friends”. My heart nearly exploded. So I leave you with that baby girl.

I can promise you that as long as you want a best friend, your mama is here to be just that. We were made for each other like I always say, most days I truly believe your daddy and I’s life didn’t truly start until we met you.

We love you so much sweet Lola. You already are more confident in who you are than most people are by the time they are your mama’s age. Please don’t ever change.

Xoxo,

Mama and Daddy