Mommy's first braid

I am sure Leeza is gonna read this one day and roll her eyes and say "Mom, you blogged about MY FIRST Braid my teacher did THEN you blogged about YOUR first braid?"

yes, I did Leeza, and it's only because I cherish EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT with you, except, maybe for those times you won't go to sleep at night and are DRIVING ME CRAZY! But, mostly, I adore you and everything about you. However, I am a lil over your whole new "arms crossed stink eye" stance. :)

What I love most is how I asked you if I could try a braid today. You just wanted a bow, but you said "Ok, Mommy". I fumbled my way thru it, thru your patience and you encouraging me all the way..'You can do it mommy, Don't get frustrated !" When I finished, and it WAS kind of lame, you said "You did it mommy, GOOD JOB!" You can be such a sweet lil thing when you wanna be.

I love picking your clothes SO MUCH, but, I have realized that I should probably start letting you chooose. So, today I asked you if you wanted shorts, skirt, dress, capri's, or pants. Wow, girls have SO MANY CHOICES! No wonder I go so insane with your wardrobe. You chose a skirt, and then I let you pick the shoes. :)

All of a sudden, this week, your FAVORITE shows to watch are "Word World" and "Curious George" on PBS and you LOVE the Letter Factory video. Sesame Street is all reruns and you've seen them all a zillion times, so I think it's just too boring right now. I am ready for somes new episodes myself. However, I am LOVING these new shows and watching the little wheels turn in your head. :)

I captured a great pic of your "stink eye" face in this pic. However, your arms are not crossed, and that is how we usually get your stink eye. :)
How cute is your outfit?? Mommy found this last spring on Ebay for only $10. I think it's a pageant outfit. I am NO PAGEANT mommy but man, I sure think this outfit is fun. :) Good lord I love dressing you. :)



Update: 9:30 pm on Tuesday 8/31.
I braided her bangs again out of the bathtub. Damp hair IS EASIER! Oh my gosh, I feel like a dog with a new trick. :)

And, after 3 books (long ones, may I add) Leeza said, "ok, i'm ready to go to bed now". SHOCKER. I about fell out. Let's hope our new powernap strategy keeps working!!!

Off to school...and a NEW hairstyle to boot!!!

This was Leeza, last year, on November 2nd. She looks so different! However, THE OUTFIT STILL FITS! In fact, the skirt is really big on her now cuz she got taller and thinner. :)





Ahhh....our first full week of school....last week she just went to orientation for an hour on Monday (with me there) and Wednesday.

This week is our first "regular" week back...Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 9-12, and we start Kindermusic this week too, at 12:15 on Wednesday. She MOVES up in Kindermusic to the 3-5 year old class. I am excited for her! I think we are going to do gymnastics on Thursday's at 9:30. She will be 3 ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH so she can do the gymnastics class without ME! HURRAY! I liked doing it, but she acted super ornery with mommy there. :)

Today at school, her apple bow fell out of her hair when she was playing dress up, and on the playground, her hair was blowing in her face. Her wonderful teacher, Ms. Kara, put this DARLING BRAID IN for me! I have coveted Sadie's hair with this braid for the past year but I didn't think I could do it cuz Leeza's hair is so fine and it's hard to make her sit still. WELL, I WAS SURE WRONG! I have to get lessons now cuz it was SO PRECIOUS and it kept those bangs out of her face! I love it!!








In other news, I THINK I have found a successful strategy in dealing with our bedtime struggles. Honestly, she just isn't tired when it's time for bed, but, we tried no naps and it was ugly. Sooo...i have found that limiting naps to 30 minutes or so seems to be the ticket. The "Powernap" (that got me by in college) gives her the pep she needs to make it thru the day without being a real PITA, yet, she is actually tired at bedtime. The last 2 nights she was asleep BEFORE 10, without me lying on the floor with her.

On the days we don't have school, I want to make sure to take her to do fun things....the aquarium, Busch Gardens, and the new Children's Musuem that opens up Sept 25th. Since I had to work when Sean was little, I want to be sure to take advantage of this time before she starts pre-k. Sean and I did a lot of special Disney trips after he turned 3, and I felt like we did spend a lot of valueable weekend time together.

Here are some cute pics of her playing at the outdoor part of the aquarium, and playing at the splash park with Ryan. She does need to be "excercised", she reminds me of a pony, or a puppy. :)

Back to Preschool...repeat of the 2's, but a whole new girl!

Leeza went back to preschool today! She is going to go 3x a week this year, (up from twice last year) on Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday from 9-12. I think I will let her stay for "lunch bunch" some too, she got so excited last year when I had a "parent teacher conference" and let her stay. I got her (and Sean) a Scooby Doo lunch box (also to double for snacks and such for our outings to Busch Gardens, the aquariums, and the new Chilren's musuem opening up here end of September). Althoogh she was confused on why her friends from last year were accross the hall in the 3 year old class, she walked right up to a lil girl in her new class and said "Hi, what's your name, wanna play with me?", and there were no tears, no clinging to my leg, just an excited lil girl ready to play!

Leeza misses the "cut off" to start school by 4 days, as he birthday is September 5th, and you have to be 5 by Sept 1st to start kindergarten. I knew I wanted her to start preschool last year, but could only find ONE preschool to take her once she turned 2, knowing that we'd have to repeat the "2's" again this year. I LOVE this preschool and it's amazing how much she grew in a year. It was so weird for me to imagine THIS LEEZA going into the SAME CLASS as the Leeza of "yesteryear".





As a mom, I think you worry about everything. I worry that she won't be stimulated enough, I worry she will model after younger behavior, I worry she may be bored, I worry, worry, worry. However, after watching her interact yesterday, and on Monday at preschool orientation, I threw my worries out with the wash. :)










She is one of the older kids (but Austin is back, and his birthday is Sept 17th) but several of the girls are "Older 2's" turning 3 in the next few months. The Leeza of last year wasn't really socializing with other kids yet. She wouldn't sit for circle, and she mostly "played by herself". I know most of that is age appropriate, but it seemed to me, that Leeza was a little "behind the curve" compared to some of the other little girls in her class. Thankfully, after watching Sean struggle thru different phases of toddlerhood and seeing him now as a very intelligent, hilarious, and extremely independent 12 year old, I worry much less. By the end of the year, Leeza had grown expotentially, and not just physically. Her teacher told me she not only caught up, but surpassed a lot of the kids in her class. GO LEEZA! The child that I couldn't take to story time cuz she ran around like a wild banshee, can now calmy sit in circle, and was disappointed that circle time was short on the first day of school. Yeah, she's still a wild child (especially when she knows bed time is nearing, she gets a crazy "second wind" and it's been HELL trying to get her down to bed lately, but she has matured a GREAT deal and cognitively, she has changed a ton, even the last couple of weeks.

Here is the CUTEST picture of her and Sean "snuggly buggly" watching Scooby. I LOVE this of them. They really do have a wonderful relationship, even though he's teaching her all kinds of habits I am not thrilled about....





So, CHEERS Leeza, here's to a great year in preschool!

Last year..




this year...

She PUT the headband on herself....and left it on 5 hours. THIS IS HUGE! Next stop...bows bigger than her head. And, she did say "Mommy, do i get a special treat for this?". :) yeah, i got her a sprinkle cookie. :)

Headband bootcamp and ch ch changes in my lil girl!

Poor Leeza, her mother is obsessed with all the amazing and adorable options you have when it comes to dressing little girls. It's a whole new world, one that I had NO IDEA about. She has 2 bow holders full of bows, which are now actually NECESSARY to hold her hair out of her eyes, rather than just decorations stuck in to identify her as a GIRL! I worked long and hard at keeping her bows in, and we have only EVER lost ONE BOW...and that was at the church nursery. I am pretty proud of that fact. :)

Since we are growing her bangs out, I wanted to try headbands. There are so many fun headbands out there, but she hates them. In her defense, she has a very small head (even on the charts it's like 10% while her height and weight are 60th and 50th) and they fall off her head. I think I am just going to have to wait until she's older, but I wanted to try. I bribed her with M&M's to please leave it on and let me take pictures. I was so proud of her, she left it on for an hour and a half. She came over to me and said "Mommy, please (tease) can I just wear a bow? It keeps fallin off and it's BUGGIN ME". How could I say no to that? At least she tried...which is more than she used to do.

Even better, when I was taking pictures, she said "Mommy, do you want me to turn around so you can see the back of my outfit?" YES YES YES LEEZA, young grasshopper, you are getting it. Mommy is turning you into a diva!! :) I just think she is soooo beautiful, sometimes she just takes my breath away.







It seems to me that Leeza has changed SO much this summer....specifically the last few weeks. She just seems so much older and "more mature", and her vocabulary grows daily. I am a lil concerned about her starting preschool and being back in the 2 year old class. I know she'll be fine, but I don't particulary want her modeling after 2 year old behavior, particularly when I see how VASTLY she has changed from the lil newly turned 2 year old that started last year. I'm just going to wait and see and talk to her teachers. I am not sure if they'll let me move her up to the 3's or not because of the way her birthday falls (Sept 5th on a Sept 1st cut off). If she goes to Wellington, the private school Sean attends, they would let her start early, and although that is where I want to send her, who knows what will happen between now and then. I just want to assure she is stimulated enough because of course, as her momma, I think she's a bright lil girl.

She loves her books. I love this picture. I can't believe it's the same lil girl who came home almost 2 years ago in October that wouldn't sit still to read and I was so afraid she'd never like to read and snuggle like I did with Seanie. I'm soooo glad I was wrong. :) She just had to learn how...no idea that sitting still and reading was also a "learned behavior", but it makes sense.




Her swimming has REALLY taken off too. She can swim the length of the pool (several times) and dive for rings ALL BY HERSELF NOW. Emily taught her to "part the water" and she is doing amazing. Something defintely has "clicked" in her lil brain and I feel like a have a whole new level of a little girl. I hope she does well in dance this year and gymnastics too. It will be nice to have mommy OUT OF THE CLASS cuz it's amazing how much better she does without the "mama drama"











I love how she asks Sean before we leave the house if he remembered to put his "Ownyunt" on (deordant) and the other day, she was in the bathroom when Daddy was getting dressed and told him "Yay Daddy, you remembered to put your ownyunt on just like Seanie". :) She was playing with playdough last night and was making boys I think and was telling them...you need to take a shower and put on your ownyunt. I was cracking up. I love her active imagination. I really love this age (most of the time). :)

Oh Leeza Grace, we love you so much. You are a beautiful lil piece of work. Thank you God so much for our precious gift from Kazakhstan.