My Baby...Growing Up

I know that I have not posted in what seems like FOREVER! I had a moment tonight that I really felt like writing about, so I guess I am jumping back into my blog. It has been a difficult week, so this moment, however fleeting, was so precious that I felt like I needed to document it. Lilly Grace had been playing downstairs with her Daddy and had on her princess Belle dress. I was walking up the stairs with her, and she was struggling with getting up the stairs...tripping on her dress and falling as she tried to navigate each step. I grabbed her waist and explained to her that if she picked up her dress in the front that she wouldn't trip. I held her dress for her as she ascended the stairs, and a mixture of emotion and premonition hit me like a ton of bricks. As I held her dress, I got a mental picture of her wedding day and me helping her walk in her dress. I began to tear up as a realized (and prayed) that I would be able to help her navigate her way to what will one day be her future husband on the one day that she will actually be a princess. I wanted to capture that moment forever...as a little girl who needs me to tell her how to walk in her gown because I know that one day she will be able to do it on her own. I said a little prayer in the middle of my emotional moment that she will again ask for my help on her wedding day and that she will still remember how much I love her and cherish her precious heart as I let her go, as a woman, to begin her life with her husband. I love you, Lilly-Bean!

"Uh Oh!"

Pressley said her first actual words (that she meant to say) today. It was the cutest thing...she was sitting on the floor in front of the fridge playing with the magnets when she dropped one. She looked down and said, "uh oh." I looked at Mike and said, "did you hear that?" I thought for a minute that it was a fluke, seeing as how she isn't even saying "Mama" or "Dada" yet (well, she does, accidentally say dada sometimes, but not in direct reference to Mike). Then she picked up another magnet, threw it down, and said, "uh oh" again. She repeated this a few times, which I am sure had something to do with the fact that she realized she had an audience. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...I did laugh because it was hilarious, but I wanted to cry because I feel like Pressley has truly grown up in an instant. I am not sure if it is just because she is the second child or what. With LG, it always seemed as though we waited forever for the "next" thing to happen, but with Pressley it feels like I just blinked and it's almost been a year since she was born. I just want to put her in slow motion so I can enjoy every moment of her like I did with Lilly Grace. I guess the only remedy is to keep having kids so I can keep having moments:) (no, I am not dropping any hints or even thinking about a number three right now!!!)

I thought I would share some pictures that Lilly Grace took of my little Pressley just so we could freeze this moment in her life...the day she spoke her first words. LG has become quite the photography fanatic...her angles need work, but she's not half bad for a two-year-old. By the way, those are two little teeth you see in the picture...they just sprouted last week.

Gymboree Rocks!

Yeah, yeah...I know it's been a while...get over it. Anyway, I took Lilly Grace shopping today because it's Gymbucks redemption time. If you are a total Gymboree freak (which also makes you a total geek like me), you know what that means. LG is really into shopping these days and loves the mall, so I took her to good old GA Square this evening to buy some clothes. I intentionally DID NOT take her to the MOG (Mall of GA) because the Disney Store is strategically placed right across from Gymboree, which assures every mother who walks out of Gymboree a trip to Disney Princess land filled with toys from floor to ceiling that every kid wants and is totally willing to pitch a fit for. That's called planning ahead...I didn't have the energy to convince Lilly Grace that she doesn't need a Minnie Mouse coffee mug. Ok, to the point...we bought bathing suits!!!! I know it's January, but I like to think ahead. We are going to the beach in June...I know what you're thinking, and I don't care...they were just too dang cute to resist. LG picked hers out (the cute green one-piece and matching cover up) and I picked the adorable pink bikini for Pressley...can't you just see that little butterball on the beach with the butterfly fanny stuck up in the air - I CAN'T WAIT!!!! Maybe she'll actually agree to touch sand. As for LG, I'm not counting on it.