Moments with Bella...

So Bella and I had a moment this morning. We were snuggled up on the couch...

Me: You want me to tell you a story Bella?

Bella: Yes Mom.

Me: Ok, close your eyes. Once upon a time there was a little girl named Isabella Grace Haggabagga Iggaboo Ho-Ho Tilly. (I know, I know) And she had a Momma and a Daddy who love her very much. And she is my sweet, stinky little woman.

Bella: Ok, my ton.

Me: Ok, your turn.

Bella: Go to sleep. Cwose you eyes.

Me: Ok.

Bella: Wuns-pon-tie...Oh I buped.

Me: Is that your story Bella? That you burped?

Bella: No, I jus buped in you face. Now go to sleep. Cwose you eyes.

So I close my eyes, after having my face burped in rather than a sweet story from my little girl yet still expecting to have hear a precious pearl of imagination from her. She gets close to me and puts her little hands on my face. I am thinking, this is going to be great.

Bella: Wuns-pon-tie...

It is then that I get a slimy, hot little tongue slid across my forehead.

Bella: I licked you face Momma.

Me: I know Bella. I know.

Bella: I'm done wit you Momma.

Me: Alright, thanks Bella.

Bella: You wewcome.

Moments with Bella...

From the other end of the house:

Bella: Momma, Momma...my booty huts. My booty huts!
Me: What Bella, why does your booty hurt?
Bella: Momma, jus c'meew. My booty huts!

As I enter her room, Bella is naked standing in the middle of the floor. She is smiling and in no pain at all. It is obvious she just wanted me to see what she had accomplished.

Bella: See Momma, my booty huts. (Snicker, snicker...)
Me: Take the hanger out from between your butt cheeks Bella.
Bella: Oh, Thanks Momma.

Beautiful

I think that Bella is beautiful.

Of course her face is gorgeous, Andy and I do make a good lookin baby! But I think that everything about her is beautiful. Her passion. Her innocence. Her lack of understanding and her growing knowledge of the things around her. Her messy hair that never seems to grow accept for one extra long hair that when fully stretched is inches longer than the rest. Her extreme joy in the little things and her tragic disappointment both over something as simple as a bottle of bubbles. Her need for repetition but also her desire to try something new. Her fearless love. Her precise decisions and her curiosity of what was behind door #2. (She gets that from her Daddy.) Her drama that accompanies random everyday events such as peeing in her Pull-Up all over the picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid...that was a very, very sad day for Bella yet she has no problem with doing it everyday since then. Her endearing love for people and her cold-as-ice attitude that can make someone feel kinda stupid. Her future, who she will be and what she will accomplish. Her failures that will be painful but will shape her strength for the next time. Her touch. Her smell. Her tears. Her laugh. Her love. Her fear. Her hope.

I think everything, every single thing about Bella is beautiful. I want to make it my goal that she will never, ever have to wonder otherwise.

The Whisper Game

The following post is not meant to be offensive to people in wheelchairs in any way. If you think you are someone who might be offended easily at this matter, just pass this post on by.

Ok, so this morning once again I am in Albertson's on Loop 288 in Denton. Yes, this is the same place that humiliation has plagued me at the hand of the adorable, very well spoken and innocent little girl. This morning had all of the makings of the most embarrassing few seconds of my life, however in my effort to save myself or someone else the humiliation I seem to have stumbled across a way of stopping the problem dead in its tracks while still allowing my free-thinking 2 1/2 year old to express herself...
As we strolled through the produce section (which still makes me nervous after the whole "bear incident") when I saw a man in a wheelchair. We exchanged smiles and "Good Mornings" and I kept moving on. However as I glanced at Bella I noticed that this had definitely caught her attention. I watched her little eyes studying this man who was in what I am sure she thought was very interesting. Since I love to watch my sweet baby spin her little wheels in her head as she tries to figure something out, I sat for a few seconds and watched her think, and think, and think. But then it hit me...

Sweet Father in Heaven, please do not let Bella say anything that is going to hurt this guy's feelings. Like really, please.

Right about that moment, the man slightly changed the angle of his chair. I saw then that both of his legs had been amputated at the knee. Normally this would not have struck me in any way, however I realized then that Bella had zeroed in on the fact that something was very different here. Holy crap, what is she going to say. I immediately sprung into action in true mother fashion and whispered gently in her ear...
Me: We are going to play the whisper game now Bella. Can you do that?
Bella (In her best whisper voice): Ok Momma. I can do dat.
Me: So anything you want to ask Mommy, you need to whisper it ok?
Bella (with her eyes still locked on the man in the wheelchair): Ok Mom. But...but...
Me: But what Bella? You can talk to Momma. Just WHISPER.
Bella: Ok, but Momma...Wher'd heez legs go?
Me: Good whispering Bella. Keep it up.
Bella: But...but, is dey hiding?
Me: Bella, he may have gotten a bad boo-boo on his legs and they had to go away.
Bella: Can I hep him find dem?
Me: That's sweet Bella, but I think he is ok. Alright?
Bella: Ok Mom. But if I find dem, I can give dem to him?
Me: Yes Bella, if you find them you can give them back to him.

So I seemingly avoided what could have been an extremely awkward situation all with quick thinking. The Whisper Game is going to be a staple with Bella in social situations from now on. Let's just hope it works. I finally left that Albertson's with my head hanging high and knowing that my innocent little girl had not unknowingly insulted anyone or made me look like an idiot. It was a proud morning for me.

If You're Gonna Hide...

Having a tiny-sized child definitely has it's interesting little additions to everyday life. For instance the random person thinking my child is the smartest 1 1/2 year old they have ever met, only to find out that they are indeed a year off in the age estimate. But in addition to the random awkwardness of this type of conversation with a perfect stranger, there are a few size related issues that can be a little scary and quite hilarious at the same time. Example: The ability to hide in the most non-obvious of places. Granted sometimes Bella does consider it "hiding" when she simply throws a blanket over her head on the couch as Andy comes in the door from work and remains convinced that he cannot see her until she rips the blanket from her head screams at the top of her lungs.
But when she does decide to really, really hide it can get a little scary for me being that she can fit in places that you wouldn't normally think of. The hamper, Andy's suitcase, inside one of the kitchen cabinets to name a few. There is one spot that she has chosen to favor more than all of the other which is simple to point out now, however the first few times she tried it out it literally took me 20 minutes to find her. You see, Bella can not only fit into small places, she also has possesses a unique skill for a 2 1/2 year old in which she can remain perfectly silent as her tiny little body is tucked away waiting for me to stumble across her. She waits in anticipation for the second when I let out my fake scream of terror at which time she let's out her most fearsome ROOOOAAAAR that happens to be her impression of Sully on Monster's Inc.
Today Bella was in this new favorite spot which happens to be tucked behind the clothes on the lower rack of our rather large walk-in closet. Most kids you would spot right off of the bat, yet Bella can tuck so far back in there and she uses her skilled little hands to steady the movement of the clothes around her to be sure there is no hint of her to be found. Since I know this spot well now, even though she switches up which part of the closet she hides in I knew exactly where she ran ran off to after I stripped her of her Pull-Up this morning. However today it was quite humorous the series of events that followed her hiding session. I did my normal routine where I state a few times "Where did Bella go?? I hope she doesn't scare me!!" This time as she emerged from her hiding place once she knew she was caught I noticed that one of my tennis shoes was following her. As she took a few more steps she also realized that something had decided to join her to come and scare Mommy. She quickly reached the level of a slight freak out that then turned into an all out panic as she frantically turned in circles trying to get rid of this object that was following her at a fierce pace. She had no idea what was going on and kept screaming
"Da shoo is twying to get me Mommy!!! Is a SHOO MONSTER MOMMY!!!"
However I could easily see the problem...and it was truly hilarious. Now, Bella knows NOT to pee-pee on the floor. However it seems that the need to "go" had hit her right in the middle of her hiding time. Due to her stubborn nature she chose to not just make the 6 step run to the potty out of principle for the task at hand. Instead she chose to simply wiggle around on the closet floor to try and stop the natural "flow" of things. Yet apparently during her un-controlled wiggling in efforts to stay hidden and not pee on the floor at the same time she seemed to have great success in snuggling the shoelace of one of my tennis shoes to lay directly between her 2 tiny little butt cheeks just like a big piece of dental floss. Being that I wear a size 5 shoe, it was not hard to see how this tiny hiney could have such a great grip on a worn out Nike, especially in the midst of a panic episode.
Moral of the story: If you're gonna hide, you better put some pants on or at least head to the potty first.

The 3 Letter Word

So lately Bella has started calling me something that truly bothers me. I think it is disrespectful, spiteful and over-all tacky. Ok...a little dramatic, however it does really bother me. So...what is it?

Mom

That's right. My tiny, sassy, un-tamed daughter with the largest vocabulary I know of any other 2 year old has decided that the term Mommy no longer suits me. I mean I would even take Momma rather than just...Mom.
A few days ago I noticed that every now and then she would refer to me as that 3-letter word that in my mind is what big kids say with a slight tone of embarrassment at the one who brought them into the world right? I mean sweet tiny babies like mine...they don't say Mom. I mean...come on she is too little still for that...right?
So in my quest to re-shape the term chosen by my sweet baby I began correcting her each and every time that she would refer to me as anything besides Mommy. This morning as her and I were laying side by side on my bed, her head propped up on the pillow next to mine and her arm resting on my chest I finally asked her a question that she answered in a way that only she and her Daddy can do which is uniquely satisfying and irritating at the same time...

Bella: I need somfin to eat Mom.
Me (Mommy): Bella, why do you keep calling me Mom? My name is Mommy and I want you to call me Mommy. Got it?
Bella: Nope. Got it...Mom?
Me (Mommy): No Bella, stop calling me that. I don't like it.
There was a change in my tone of voice that she obviously picked up on. I was cranky. She rose off her spot on the bed and propped herself up on one arm while with the other she placed her hand lightly on my forehead.
Bella: Shhhh, sweet boy (ok...we are still working on that part) I love Mom and a Mommy too. Jus welax.

From the mouths of babes folks...
Am I afraid of Bella growing up, sure. Granted Andy and I do treat Bella as if each day she should be headed out the door to go and conquer the world around her. But at the same time what mother doesn't want to keep their little ones in the precious "I need you Mommy" phase just a little bit longer than it actually lasts? But I guess if she never grows up then she would never get to see or become all of the amazing things that I know God has in store for her. So I will take this small step in stride, I mean at least she isn't calling me Emily yet...and if she did, I admit I would probably be begging to be Just Mom again.

Moments with Bella

So as I was being so spiritual in posting the lyrics to the song below right? Well, just now I was sitting on the couch with Bella and started to sing to myself that very song...again feeling like I was being very spiritual. However Bella's response kind of ruined the moment for me...

Me...singing,or trying to. Bella...next to me on the couch.
Bella: Momma stop singing please.
Me: Why Bella? I like this song.
Bella: Your bweth is stinkin it up on da couch.
Me: Bella, don't say that to me. It's not nice to say that someone's breath is stinky.
Bella: You needa bwush you teef Momma.
...
...
...
Me: Well..you still pee in your pants Bella.

That's right folks, I am that mature.

Interpretations of Lyrics. Author: Bella Tilly

Well, Andy came through with the most amazing gift to our home. Hours of Craig's list and a little but of a scary trip to meet a strange man at a storage unit on Garland Road later...Andy has brought music into our home! If you know me, then you know that this new addition has excited me more than just about anything in our new home so far. I Love Music.
I used to think that my mother was crazy for wanting to always have worship music playing throughout the house I grew up in. Yet as an adult living the call that Andy and I have chosen to live, now I can see what just that simple act can do in the environment of our home.
It so happens that Bella loves music does as well. However, due to her limited understanding of what the actual words that make up the lyrics of a song are, she has developed her own interpretation of a few of her favorites that she asks me to play throughout the day. As she hops, jumps, sways and twirls in circles until she inevitably runs into the fireplace or the TV, her tiny hands clapping or lifted high in the air, of course as her loving mother I am in awe of the innocence taking place in my living room in its purest form. However having the sense of humor that I do, I can't help but laugh at the words that come out of her mouth as she tries to mimic the words of the song. Here is just a few of her originals:

"Hosanna in da high-chair" (Hosanna in the Highest)
"Hoeding is da door" (Holy is the Lord)
"Is awe because a Jesus I'm a die" (It's all because of Jesus I'm alive)...umm we might need get this one straightened out soon.
"Jesus, u da my bess fwend, you da is a bee" (Jesus, you are my best friend, you will always be)
"Ebwy day is you I dig fo" (Everyday it's You I live for)
And for her favorite non-worship song by Paul Simon...
"You can be my potty barn, I can be da losta towel" (You can be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal)

Yes, that's our Bella.

Bella's Boo-boo

Ok, so if you read my Mother's Day post then you know that Bella suffered a slight chin scrape at my parent's house while she and Channing were playing. Alright, maybe this screams that I need to leave the house more based on the fact that this is Bella's first actual injury. As slight as it was, it has become the entire focus and reason for any conversation to take place between Bella and I since yesterday. Bella is obsessed. Case-in-point:

Me: Bella, What do you want for lunch?
Bella: Just don't touch-a my boo-boo.
Me: Ok Bella, I am not going to touch your boo-boo. What do you want to eat?
Bella: Momma, I gotta da boo-boo and I just need sumfin to eat.
Me: Yes Bella, I know you are hungry. What do you want to eat?
Bella: I jus need no more boo-boo's Mommy.
Me: Ok, you are getting Mac 'n Cheese.
Bella: An nooooo boo-boo's on da side.
Me: Ok, I will not put any boo-boo on the side.

or maybe this one

Bella: Mommay!! Mommay come here please!
Me: What is it Bella. Do you need something?
Bella: Don't toucha my boo-boo ok?
Me: Bella I am not going to touch your boo-boo. Can I go back to work now?
Bella: Jus no boo-boo's on da couch fo me ok?
Me: Ok Bella. I will be sure that I don't have any boo-boo's waiting on the couch for you.

So just now as I am trying to get her to nap and after 2 days of every other sentence consisting of some sort of plea to get me not to touch her boo-boo what happened? I go into her room and there is no longer a giant scab on Bella's chin but yet an exposed, slimey scratch.

Me: Baby, where did your boo-boo go?
Bella: I ate it Mommy.

Nice.

Simple Things

Ok...I know Mom's across America are ALL writing blog posts about Mother's Day but oh well, this is my contribution.
Mother's Day for me this year was perfect. After about 2 weeks of house guests in and out we sent the last one off on yesterday morning. It had been a GREAT time getting to have friends in our home, old and new however we were just about worn out. Side Note: Can I just say how much I love our house?? Andy if you read this...Thank you once again for my beautiful home.
So we were exhausted, however the simplest events of the day made it the most perfect Mother's Day for me. Andy had already bought me some great kitchen stuff, including an awesome new knife...but not like a shank...it was for cooking. We sent Andy's dear friend David on his way back to Oklahoma and then loaded up to head to the Denton Campus. Great service. Ran a few errands...which Andy and I never do together...hit Best Buy for another step in Andy's quest for a cost-effective surround sound system for our home, had some Chipotle at my request where Bella infact sat quietly and ate her chips and guacamole and then headed home. The afternoon was spent with a new Elmo DVD about potty training mixed with intermitent dance breaks as Andy hooked up our new electronic addition to the living room. Bella took turns in and out of her bed refusing to nap but still being a little too sassy to be awake. Between her visits to bed she was successfull at doing her business in her potty which was a much needed victory for her and I both. Tried to put her down one last time before heading to my parents house for a quick dinner with the fam...discovered her totally naked in her bed an hour later...no nap. Headed to Mom and Dad's where we had a great time. Our visit there ended with a slight boo-boo to Bella's chin after having a meeting between her face and the brick floor, however it wasn't too bad since 3 minutes later a small special bowl Beba (my mom) had was placed in Bella's line of sight, full of ice cream the incident was long forgotten. Headed back home again.
Bella was in bed about an hour later sleeping soundly as Andy fed his latest fascination...Craig's List. I sat and watched Dateline compliments of our DVR about the Comic Book Murder of 1990. Didn't finish the show due to being "paged" from the front part of the house. Bella was covered in sweat, drenched and mumbling "no more night-night" but still not quite awake. I turned down the lights in the living room, just enough to keep her sleepy but still allow Andy to discover that he can indeed buy frequent flyer miles on Craig's List. Bella sank into our couch, tightly snuggled up to my side, but totally taking up my spot. We relaxed. Bella never falls asleep anywhere besides a bed, unless she is sick. But this time she slowly nodded off next to me. As I sat and soaked up the sweet precious touch of my tired, sweaty little girl I thought about the day. What made it so great? Nothing imparticular at all. Simply the little things.
Not sitting at church by myself.
Having lunch where I wanted to eat and not having my child embarrass me in the process.
Sat through a DVD where the words Pee and Poo-Poo were used at least once in every sentance, but paid off with an afternoon of potty success in the Tilly House.
Watched my darling husband pretend he did not enjoy the sillyness of Bella's random dance breaks as he toiled away to give me some music in my home once again. Somthing that I truly love.
Enjoyed a great meal and time with my amazing family.
Fixed a boo-boo.
Got some unexpected snuggle time with my precious little Bella.
Nodded off to sleep with my sweet Andy by my side after hanging on his every word while he ended our day together by thanking God for what a great wife I am...man I wish that were always true.
Not much to anyone else I am sure, but an unforgettable day to me.

Innocence...and a little more humiliation

So even though I vowed never to return to the Albertson's on the loop in Denton after Bella's last stunt there...it's just so darn close that 2 days ago I ended up there once again. However I was holding my breath that Jeff from register 7 would not be there, of course he was indeed...he is always there. Why couldn't Bella have picked the flaky, dirty girl who never seems to show up for work to humiliate me in front of rather than the employee with the best attendance of all time???!!

Anyway, so Bella and I are rushing through picking up just a few things. I figured what could she possibly do in 20 minutes at 8:00 in the morning...I now know that I grossly underestimate my daughter's ability to make every situation the most time efficient as possible to accomplish her goals. (Sounds like her Daddy to me...)

Headed to the produce section to pick up a few bags of salad (horribly over priced by the way and if I ever get ecoli...I am gonna be ticked) Bella does a double take at a large man standing at the tomato and avocado section. Nothing abnormal right? Sure, if you are not a 2 year old with a big mouth. There was nothing strange about the man to me as I see people with dark skin, light skin, yellow skin all the time. However not only was this the darkest (I mean DARK) black man that I had ever seen, he also had a huge bushy black beard and a head of bushy black hair to match. All I thought as we passed him was "Man, I bet he gets pretty hot in the summer time with all of that hair and beard." Bella on the other hand had eyes about to pop out of her head in silent awe until she suddenly blurted out
"Mommy, DERE SA BEAR IN DA GWOSHWY STORE!!"
I don't think that I can accurately describe the level of humiliation that I felt at that very moment. Yet it was about to get worse...
I said in a hushed voice directly in her tiny little face "Bella, Look at me right now. Do NOT say that again. That is a not a bear".
Bless her heart, just like when she spots a bug on the back porch and I can't see it...she was ready to try her hardest to get Mommy to see that there was indeed a bear in the grocery store.
"No, right dere Mommy! I see it! It's a bear in da gwoshwy store!!"
Her eyes were huge with excitement and fear. I on the other hand felt such an intense shade of red all over my entire body that I feared I was going to ignite right there on the spot. This was worse than the tooting incident. Worse that the Dr's office asking everyone as they came out of the bathroom if they had pooped or not. Worse than her pulling 1/2 of my boob out of my shirt in front of about 20 people after Andy had just finished speaking. Even worse than the day I started my...girly monthly visitor and our school secretary who was a little hard of hearing marched from classroom to classroom, each one full of my peers, announcing that "Emily Kuykendall is out here in the hallway and she needs a Kotex."

This was worse than all of that. I was so nervous that she had offended this guy and here I was with the racist 2 year old! However, the truth of the matter was that this was nothing but innocence at its finest. Bella sees people with different skin than hers all of time and it has never even crossed her mind to think of that as strange. But this guy...not to be rude, really did resemble slightly to me and for sure to the 2 year old mind a bushy, hairy, dark bear ready to make some guacamole.

To end the story, this guy (thank the Lord!!) actually got quite a kick out of Bella's analyzing him and in fact turned to her with a huge grin and gave her a little growl. All I can figure is this was not the first time that this had ever happened to him. Nonetheless I was still so embarrassed and high-tailed it to the check out for fear of what she might say next. I was just waiting for someone in a wheel chair to come around the corner and have Bella need to give her 2 cents about them as well...again in innocence, but geez kid!

As we get in the car, I am still reeling from the entire incident what does Bella have to say about the recent turn of events?

"Does bears eat tomatoes Mommy?"

"I don't know Bella...I bet they probably do."

"I tink dey do Mommy. I tink dey do."

The Joys of Parenting Part 1

So many things happen as parents that I think are probably hilarious to others. In fact, I think that it is quite humorous when I see some kid in the grocery store pull down his Mom's skirt with his feet as he is riding in the grocery cart. However to the parents of the misbehaving child...it can be difficult to find the humor. So here is my first entry about the many joys of parenting...when your kids just don't so what they should in the most inopportune times.

So if you have read my other stories about Bella then you know by now that she happens to have picked up the English language in a way that has honestly amazed me. My sweet little girl, so an assuming with those big brown eyes and her wispy hair (which yes, I am aware is slightly beginning to resemble a tiny mullet). I know that I am not just saying this as her mom, Bella can seriously put together complete thoughts and sentences better than any other kid her age I have ever met. My Mom (awesome woman by the way and if you don't know her, you are missing out) any way my Mom brought it to my attention the other day that when I was a kid my teachers would always comment on my use of big words. So I guess it's kind of similar to Bella's knack for speech. She also seems to have inherited her Momma's creative childhood imagination when it comes to thinking quick on her feet. When I was in pre-school I sat at the lunch table with a single chip in my lunchbox. To avoid getting in trouble for the fact that I had already snuck off and ate my lunch, when the teacher asked me where my lunch was I told her that my parents lock me up under the stairs and that they do not let me eat. We didn't even have any stairs. According to my Aunt I also felt the need to add that this abuse was the reason that I was such a small child. So I can see where she gets it.

There is a certain delicate beauty to the combination of these 2 things. Having a child who can speak extremely well who also has a pretty good imagination can be entertaining and humiliating at the same time. Case-in-point: We are in Albertson's picking up the stuff to cook lunch for Andy's youth and kids teams. As it becomes our turn the young man, Jeff, at the register smiles and gives Bella a little wave. She pretends to be shy of course (the act begins). Once he stopped paying attention to her she decided that she needed just a little more from him.

"Mommy tooted in the car" she spouts out.

I tried hard to pretend as if I did not know what she had just said hoping that he was not skilled at translating 2-year old. However the kid talks so freakin good...who was I kidding. The guy couldn't have been any older that 19 so of course this was funny to him. His reply "Oh yeah?" followed by stifled laughter by not only him but the 15 year old packing up my groceries.

Bella, to increase my humiliation just a little more "Uh, huh. We wowed the windows down." Are you kidding me child! What are you trying to do to me??!!

However it was too late at that point. The awkwardness of the situation was quickly over-ridden when my sense of humor kicked back in. It was funny and if it wasn't me it would have been hilarious. The best part folks: I never tooted in the car. The event that she so matter-of-factly told Jeff at Alberston's on loop 288 never even happened. I don't know who tooted in the car with Bella and rolled the windows down to alleviate the stink however it was not me. But will I pay the price every time that Jeff is the only register open. Thanks Bella.

My Little Watcher

Bella is a watcher. She can get pretty shy and has a habit of being quite cautious of who she chooses to interact with. She has absolutely no problem letting you know if you are a little too close to her boundary line. Ever since she was a baby, she has had a very specific process of selection when it comes to new people. She studies situations rather than rushing into any decisions. But once you are in with Bella, good luck getting rid of her.

She has started to pick up on things much quicker than I am probably prepared for. I had her with me last Wednesday when we went to the United Baptism Bash. Bella thinks its just about the coolest thing ever to see her Daddy up on the huge screens. She loves the lights and definitely the music. We were standing in the back to avoid her from trying to rush the stage to get to Andy. One of my favorite worship songs started to play and I was so thrilled to hear it. In the moment I had my eyes closed and one hand in the air. I figured she wouldn't wander too far from me while my eyes were closed being that she is a pretty cautious kid. Next thing I know I felt the gentle touch of a tiny hand wisp across my knee. I looked down and there was Bella, one hand in the air and the other covering her eyes...kind of. Once she saw me looking down to her, it was time for her to show me how good she was at singing just like Mommy was. She started to sway side to side, waiving her little hand in the air and for the final touch she began to move her mouth as if she knew the words to the song. It was such a classic moment. She was so serious.

There are so many things I am sure throughout her life that she will see me do wrong. There are so many things that I can't even fathom being able to teach her. I fear for the day when Bella wants help with her homework...I hardly even showed up for high school!! (Proud times for my parents I am sure...) I am the first to admit that I have absolutely no clue how to raise a child, especially such a strong-willed, little too smart for her own good, sassy child. But watching her mimic me with such intensity and hope that I would be proud of her made me realize that even if I don't know how to teach her all of the big things that life will being her way, maybe the small, simple things that I can show her are just as important. Maybe I can do this afterall...

Kid's Television

If your young one watches the Noggin network then you will get a kick out of this. Kids television...ridiculous at best however for us honest moms it is also quite essential to the everyday flow of things day in and day out. If you are like me, not only does one of the TV's in your house always have some sort of kids show on, you also have put your DVR to good use by recording episodes of Doodlebops, Johnny and the Sprites, The Wiggles, Charlie and Lola etc. to have on demand at any given time. We were a strictly Disney family until the last few weeks Bella has become interested in the Noggin Channel. A few funny things have recently happened in our house regarding this new found jewel of children's entertainment:

1. Dora and Boots are now a staple on the DVR. Swiper is now someone that Bella has started to blame when she makes a mess.
2. Yo Gabba Gabba...geez. If you have seen this one you understand when I say DJ Lance...I shutter to think about what you do on the weekends.
3. Oswald (the big blue octopus) and his hot-dog shaped pet dog. You know her name is Weenie right? After stumbling into this treasure Bella now about 5 times a day calls out "I want Weenie" or Andy's favorite "Mommy, do you like Weenie?" (If you think thats funny, then you think like my husband does...ok I think it's funny too.)
4. Little Bill. Ok, I need to rant a but on this one. Cute show, I get that it is supposed to "Enhance preschoolers' social and interpersonal skills, help build ethical values and encourage an appreciation and understanding of community" however the first episode Bella ever saw taught her something much more. This show can be a little slow at times, but being that it is the animation brain child of Bill Cosby, I will allow it. Anyway there is an episode called "The Meanest Thing" or something like that. Basically it is supposed to teach not to say mean things. Good lesson. However Bella only watched the first 3 minutes of the show before she became uninterested. So what right? Well it just so happens that the first 3 minutes of this episode is not a whole lot more than a kid at Bill's school calling Bill names. So did Bella walk away with stronger ethical values or an encouraged appreciation of community, no she did not. What did she learn? That Mommy is a "Stinky baby poo-poo diaper head" or as Bella says a "sinky baby poo-poo dipah hayed".

Thanks Noggin, you are indeed a two-edged sword.

Little Girls and Their Daddies

I have the most amazing Dad on the earth. Andy grew up the youngest of 3 boys so he really didn't understand when I have mentioned things about the special bond between Daddies and Daughters. I guess it's fair to say that the bond is only special if it is done right, so maybe special isn't the right word. Maybe influential to life is a better term. Think about it, done wrong (or not done at all) it can create a gaping whole in the middle of who we are but done well it can be the best foundation for who we are going to be in life.

I happen to be someone who was raised with the most amazing, strong and tender father in the world. In my common sense I know that he's not perfect since the fact remains that he is indeed human, but in my heart he absolutely is. As a little girl my Dad was gone a ton. When he would come back into town sometimes he would take me on a date. I can still remember getting dressed up in the fanciest Easter dress that I owned complete with pink pearls ready for a night out at Steak and Ale with my Daddy. I felt pretty...but looking back now I think the reason that memory has stuck with me for so long right next to the times that he would take me to the nicest restaurants in Manhattan and let me order whatever I wanted was not about feeling pretty but about feeling special. I saw my Dad as the single-most powerful person on the planet and for those moments he was interested in me and only me. He was interested in my stories (or at least pretended to be), he laughed at my jokes. He would beam with pride when some waiter would make a comment about how beautiful my big brown eyes were or how shocked they were that I could eat more than a grown man. I used to love it (and still do) when people would tell me that I looked just like him. It was just one more sign that he was my Daddy. In fact as silly as it sounds, I could not be more thrilled that Bella looks just like him too. Goes to show you that things girls feel when they are little don't always get erased with logic and responsibility. I think its safe to say that some of the saddest moments in my life have been when I knew that I let him down or hurt him. I feel the same way when I know that I have done or said something rotten to Andy.

I have begun to get so excited about the bond that Andy and Bella will have. Granted he does send her screaming and running out of the room when he walks in the door half of the time. But I think he is learning that it's not because she wants to get away from him but only to give her some attention. It's like her funny little way of saying come chase me, pick me up and launch me onto the bed way too hard, then tickle and kiss me under my chin until I am about to throw up from laughing too hard. When I watch the 2 of them sometimes my mind goes to the days when Bella will be backstage watching her Daddy speak to thousands of people, seeing God use him to change lives. I can't wait to see her learn to admire, respect, fear and adore her Daddy the way that I do mine. How awesome will it be to see her huge brown eyes beam with pride when she can say "That's my Daddy" just like I do. Geez how blessed am I to have that in a Father and a husband...pretty amazing.

Moments with Bella

A few hours ago I was putting Bella down for a nap. Sleep time with Bella is about 50/50. Sometimes she gets pissed about the situation and others she goes down without a peep. As her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds the times that she is angry about having to go to bed have become filled with very interesting phrases as she attempts to plead her way out of bed. (Speaking of her extensive vocabulary, we got several compliments on her speech at the Dr's office today, that of which I took total credit for).

Today's naptime was worth writing down. Screaming at the top of her lungs I went into try and calm her down and let her know that everything was going to be alright.
Me: "Sweet baby, calm down and stop screaming. Just take one quick night-night so you can stay up late to see Daddy later."
Her reply was tear filled and absolutely precious: "Momma, I justs lovin Daddy and he needs to spanka my booty. I justs needin my Daddy."
I gently said to her, trying not to snicker at her innocence: "Baby, you need Daddy spank your booty?"
Bella: "Uh, huh he callded me on da phone."
Me: "He called you on the phone? What did he say?"
Bella: "He says to get me some ice-squeem."
Me: "Ice cream? What else did Daddy say?"
Bella's final thought: "Daddy lovin me and my silly booty. Is a-little."
Me, in total love with my daughter: "Yes baby, Daddy loves you and your silly little booty."

Potty Brain

Well, the time has come for the Tilly Family to enter into the new season of Personal Toilet Useage with an Emphasis on Bowel Control also known as Potty Training. Last weekend Bella and I together picked out her very first potty. I say that we both decided which purchase to make, however I did veto her vote for the $45 Tigger and Pooh Training Stool as I do not think it is necessary to have Tigger laugh and giggle randomly as Bella is perched on the pot. It would seem to me that the idea of this would only prolong the process since my child being the dreamer she is would be convinced that Tigger and Pooh do live in a plastic toilet in our guest bathroom and need constant attention and possily even snacks (she has the gift of hospitality).

So "together" we decided on the Comfort Seat Training Potty (in Pretty Pink). We get it home and of course within the first 2 minutes of sitting on her comfy removable potty seat, she had officialy christened the new purchase. I was so proud! We are working at it slowly but surely now. I am not into the pee-pee nazi stage yet. I am just letting her figure it out for now.

It has been so funny watching Andy find his way through this. If you know him, you know that Andy is not a big bodily functions guy. Infact, I can tell you that to this day, unless one of us was sleeping there has never been a passing of gas situation. I think that we both feel that it doesn't matter if you are married or not, certain things just never become ok. Farting for amusement falls into that category. We always get a kick out of our close friend Evan and how unashamedly he can burp as if there is a volcano erupting in his gut. Whats even better is when he keeps his mouth shut during the process and Bella thinks that Evan is growling like a bear. (Love you Evan you silly burping fool!)

Anyway, Andy and I are not big into the sharing of functions between the 2 of us. So all of this poo-poo and pee-pee talk has really been an new experience for my darling husband. I love watching him try to act so excited for Bella when she annouces that she needs to relieve herself or cheer her on when she has been successful. It is way out of his comfort zone but he is doing a fantastic job.

In closing I will add a funny story. I realized yesterday that there is no possible way that Potty and everything that goes along with it cannot be a huge deal at home and not have that follow us into public. Bella and I were sitting the waiting room at my Dr's office around 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It seemed that no matter where we sat, Bella had a perfect view of the bathrooms as well as everyone coming in and out of them. As the sound of a toilet flush echoed through the waiting area, I saw Bella's eyes get about as wide as I had ever seen them. She had made the connection that there was a potty in close proximity to us and that the people coming from behind the door in the corner were indeed using it. Soon, as I feared, Bella began to give the play by play as each person entered the bathroom, closed the door behind them, had a slight pause of time (Musta be poo-pooin she called it), flushed the toilet, washed their hands and exited the "potty room" as Bella named it. I tried to get her to whisper her comments as I was getting slightly embarrased. That would work for about 2 minutes until her excitement would take over and she would blurt out something like "Did dey poop Momma?" or "You hearin da pee-pee Mommy?" I heard the people around us slowly start to snicker and giggle. Eventually Bella had almot the entire room waiting to hear what she had to say next. It became humerous after I got over the initial humilaiton of having to look someone in the eye who had just been on the toilet for 15 minutes only to be greeted upon exiting the bathroom by my daughter who had quite correctly identified the fact poo-poo had indeed taken place and had maybe "just gotta stuck".

1 1/2 hrs. of this only to end up in the exam room, waiting to get blood taken when Bella then decides not to use the skill we have just obsessed over for the last 90 minutes but to fill her diaper leaving me to sit in the stink in a 6x9 room for another hour. Geez...

Oh be Careful...

So I was getting Bella ready to put her in the shower this morning and I got a small glimpse of how aware I need to become of what I say in front of my Mockingbird of a Child. (Who by the way right now is sitting in her high-chair liking the last bits of nacho cheese off of the lid to her Mexi-Dips and Chips that I just got her from Bueno. She knows that Bueno is indeed Bueno.) Anyway, I am teaching her the concept of dressing herself. Being that she prefers the "natural" side of things, she is of course much better at the undressing rather than the actual dressing. Either way, we were in our master bathroom (or bafwoom) when I told Bella it was time to take her pants off. Sure enough, down they came. However being that they were slightly tighter at the bottom since they were her jammie pants, her feet were still stuck inside. The tile was a bit cold so of course she refused to sit down and try to get her feet out. As she grew more and more frustrated at the situation, being the awesome mother I am, I chose to be amused by all of this as her little attitude built to the point where she was about to explode. It was quite comical watching her frantic little march as her tiny legs attemped with each jerk up of the knee to break free from the grasp of the Baby Gap jammies. Finally I asked "Boo boo, do you want some help?" The reply "No mama, I can do it last night."
Side Note: Bella has started rsndomly adding the phrase "last night" to her sentances. Not sure why.
Anyway, about 30 seconds later I took another approach trying to help her to still maintain some independence in the situation. "Boo, what are you doing baby?" Her reply this time "I jus can't gettin da fweekin pants off."

Lesson Learned: If "Fweekin" were the worst thing she has ever heard me say I would not feel bad at all. However I think anyone who knows me can guess that not to be the case. Time to watch it.

Elmo, Animal Movie, Daddy's Suitcase and Boobies

Being that Bella and I are a little under the weather today with what I like to call The Devil Cough, our sweet little girl has been a bit loopy seemingly due to all the Tylenol/Motrin doses from the last 2 days. However, I just discovered that she has kept her wits about her quite well being that she just gave me a very accurate description of what she was doing when I yelled to her from the living room after she had been quiet for a little too long in our bedroom.

Me: Bella, what are you doing baby?

Bella: I-sa just in daddy's suitcase wit Elmo watchin Animal Movie in my boobies.

Isn't it great when you ask your kid a question and the day arrives when you actually get an accurate answer? Next time I won't bother getting up to make sure she is telling the truth I guess. But she does come by the "tell it like it is" mentality from her Daddy too. And she covered every last detail...just like her Daddy.

Bella Moments (Inspired by Cindy Beall's Conversations with Seth)

Me as I am standing at the sink: $*%# Bella Tilly did you just bite me?!?! Did you just bite Momma?!?!

Bella: No, my just my teeth did righta on-da booty.