"Layna's Here!"

Ah, the mind of a two year old. They are figuring out so much. I cannot believe the things my daughter seems to have taken in, let alone pinpoint where or when she did so. Everything is "Layna do dat" right now, including going potty. (Unless, of course, I want her to go by herself.)

After church last Sunday, we stopped for one last potty break before heading out and she successfully did nearly everything on her own with the help of stool. I, too, used the facilities, washed my hands and grabbed a paper towel, which dispensed after I gave it a little wave.

Layna had figured out that the soap need only the presence of a hand before supplying ample pre-bubbled soap, and after five or so helpings, she finally moved on to rinse and dry. I started to help her get the paper towel and was met with a curt "I do dat!" so I stepped aside, but not before the red light recognized my hand and began to dispense. Fortunately, it was at exactly the same time as Layna stepped up to the dispenser, placed her hands deliberately under it (nowhere near the sensor) and proclaimed, "Layna's heeeeere," while watching expectantly. In her mind, the paper towels immediately complied to her announcement, and I can only hope that this is now how she believes all paper towel dispensers work, because I'm always up for a good laugh.

Hello, My Name Is...

My husband and I agree; there will be no pets in our near future. It's not that we dislike animals, but the thought of taking on more responsibility seems like a really bad idea right now.

Our neighbors, however, have two dogs, which is perfect for our animal-loving daughter and easily-entertained son. We often check to see if the dogs are out, and when they are there are shouts of excitement accompanied by jumping and laughter. I'm fairly certain the dogs are equally excited when they find Layna outside. They bark and jump and run the length of the fence, them on their side and Layna on hers. 

One afternoon Layna and I were in the middle of just such a scenario and Aaron decided to join us. Our friendly neighbors are often out with the dogs, and Layna is quite taken with them as well. I believe she was engaged with the neighbor talking about her day as Aaron approached. 

Layna, not wanting to be rude of course, said to our neighbor, "This is Mama's friend, Dada!" Which is quite possibly one of my favorite quotes yet. A small glimpse into how a two year old interprets the world. 

-Dada's Friend, Mama

A Sad Day

Every kid has their own quirky vernacular when they first start talking. It's one of the things that finally got me writing again. I knew the days that they say "ono" for orange, "feep" for sleep... and sheep, and "blana" for banana were numbered. I want to capture them so I don't forget the unashamed learning of their childhood.

In an overnight turn of events, "lovey" is suddenly pronounced "wovey" instead of by making a circle with your mouth and moving your tongue back and forth over the opening (often with various inflections in tone). Countless times we said, "Do we have that on video?" and I'm still not sure we do, but our opportunities to capture it are gone. That piece of my little girl is left to live on only in our minds, and I found this simple thing oddly heartbreaking.

In a nutshell that's what all parenting is like. You see moments slipping by, know they won't last, but can't seem to grasp them any more than you can reach out and hold the air in front of you. And so you're left with a memory of what they used to do, and the only comfort is knowing there's a whole world of "going to do". And maybe we'll have figured out how to capture those moments before they, too, slip away into memories of "used to".

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have." -Eckhart Tolle