A BIG Thank You!

Talulah and I wanted to share our appreciation for the time we spent with some special peeps yesterday! Her great aunt Carol & great uncle Rick (actually… I suppose it's great great aunt & uncle, but that's just a mouth full) organized a horse drawn wagon ride and invited us along! (It was supposed to be a sleigh ride, but there wasn't enough snow so it was a wagon ride, lol!)

It was so much fun! Talulah was hilarious, totally not shy and she had to be rescued by Ryan on numerous occasions. My no-fear kid was all over the place and leaning WAY over the side of the wagon to see the dogs, horses, snow, purple wolves, bears, unicorns, foxes…. etc. etc. etc. Well, she didn't see purple wolves, bears, unicorns or foxes - but it wasn't for lack of trying! (Thank you Ryan for keeping her safe!) Talulah rewarded Ryan with a nice snuggle while she drank her hot chocolate.

She was so in love with her cousins Jayden, Riley, Shayna and Saskia. Like seriously, she LOOOOOOOOVED them! 

We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows, made s'mores, ate LOTS of treats (Talulah's got her Daddy's sweet tooth, that's for sure), sang some Christmas carols, played in the snow…. Such a Christmas-y event, filled with family! (Or ex-family-in law?? Whatever…. FAMILY.)

Anyway, just thought I'd share the message of thanks that we sent to all of them. Because, they're all awesome and the kids are fantastic and it was a really really special time. 

So, all y'all reading this… Be sure to send some extra love to your families this holiday season!

With that, here's a big public THANK YOU to Rick, Carol, Tracy, Rob, Ryan, Chrissy, Shayna, Saskia, Jayden & Riley - We love you!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to thank you so much for an awesome day yesterday. Talulah and I had a BLAST! It was so unbelievably nice to spend some quality time with all of you. You have no idea. :)

After we got in the car Talulah cried for a good ten minutes because she wanted her "friends". She kept interrupting her cries with, "What's da big one's name again? Oh Shayna…. I waaaaaaant my Shaaaaayyna 'cause I looooooove her!" and repeat with all names. I had to tell her we'd go to Jayden and Riley's house all the time (couldn't include Shayna & Saskia's house because China's a little too far to promise) and then play some Raffi on the stereo to calm her down. Also, the promise of a REALLY big snuggle when we got home seemed to help a bit. And then she passed out HARD for the rest of the drive. 

Shayna & Saskia are so grown up! Not to mention so sweet, polite, friendly and thoughtful. They both helped Talulah without hesitation many times and it seriously warmed my heart like you wouldn't believe. Saskia helped Talulah navigate the snow and climb through the rope fence. Shayna made sure she was safe in the deep snow and when Talulah went over to her (nice and warm by the fire) and said, "Do you wanna go play wiss me?" Shayna, without hesitation, said, "Sure!" and popped her gloves on to head out to the snow. Both girls were excited to see her and were more than happy to read her the book she got from everyone for Christmas! (Which we forgot at your place, of course. Because I forget everything since becoming a mom.) Saskia was having trouble getting her gloves back on after the wagon ride so I stopped and asked if she wanted help with her gloves. She replied with a polite, "Yes please." and a "Thank you." after each glove. SO POLITE! If I was struggling with my gloves when it was that cold I would have replied with a "GAH, YEEEESSSSS PLEASE! HURRY!" So seriously Tracy & Rob - what's your secret??

Jayden & Riley are just as I remember them from a couple of weeks ago. ;) So sweet. I love how happy Jayden was to hear about how much Talulah missed (and loved) her from their last play date. Jayden's always so outgoing and FRIENDLY - I love it! It was so nice to see how close she is with her cousins - it's exactly like you told me Chrissy - they want to be together all the time! Oh, and Riley with his "donkey-horse" comments? They don't get much cuter than that! I laughed so hard. I loved watching him sometimes play with the other kids and sometimes off to explore by himself (rearranging the HUGE wood pile was priceless.) And, I think he even started talking to me at the end of the visit! Usually he just plays with Talulah & Jayden and ignores me the whole time. I like to think we're just communicating telepathically… But sure, I guess he's "shy". Hee…

Rick & Carol - being the lead in the entourage, organizing the whole wagon ride and hotdog/marshmallow roast, goodies for the kids, and inviting us along was so awesome! The kids may not have been into the Christmas carols, but I sure was! It was SUCH A GREAT TIME! And we really really do need to get together more often. :) Thank you so much!

I'm so thankful that Donovan and I remained close and have an amazing co-parenting relationship. It means I still get to have a friendship with him and I still get to be involved with  all of you! It really is so wonderful to have all of this. And, Talulah's lucky to have so many people who adore her. Amazing parents who love her, a stepmom who ROCKS (sometimes when I tell Talulah she's going to Daddy's house she says she doesn't want to see Daddy, just "Dodi" (aka: Jodi). It warms my heart that she loves Jodi so much, that's how I can tell she's a wonderful stepmom.), grandparents who are crazy about her and a plethora of aunts, uncles and cousins who are nothing but happy to see her!

Anyway, I know it's just a big mass of email mush… But I really really had a great time yesterday and loved seeing the kids all together. You brought the love this Christmas season, that's for sure!

The only thing that was missing? TRACY!!! I was really sad that I didn't get to see you (and that you didn't get to join in on the fun). It would have been so wonderful! Talulah and I are heading to Winnipeg on boxing day and won't be back until January 5th - I don't suppose you'll still be in town? Next time you're here, I'd really love to see you too. It's been way too long. Someone - please give Tracy a BIG HUG from Talulah and I! 

So, thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over!

Love,

Sarah & Talulah xoxo

Talking With Talulah

Talulah talks all the time. All. The. Time. There is never a moment of quiet when Talulah's around.

It's pretty adorable. I love listening to her, especially now that she's doing more make believe play. I love it. 

There are certain things she says, some sweet and some sassy, that make me laugh. Even when I'm trying to be stern... I'm howling inside. Here are a few:

- When Talulah hears something she doesn't like (usually "no") she'll sometimes reply with a, "I not your friend anymore!" in a huff. Yesterday? She didn't like what I had to say so then pulled out the big guns with, "Auntie Lissa not your sisser anymore!"

- Most of you know that Talulah has a birthmark on her bum. It's so cute. You know where the Care Bears have their hearts?? That's where Talulah's birthmark is. She always asks what it is and I tell her it's her birthmark. The other day she was naked and posing in front of the mirror. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Looking at my market." Yes........... market = birth mark. SO. CUTE.

- I was laying in Talulah's bed with her at bedtime. We had finished reading a couple of books and she was coming up with excuse after excuse to keep herself awake. (I thirsty. I s'got someping... etc.) She rolled over and looked at me and we had the following conversation:

     Talulah: Mommy? We're better friends.

     Mommy: Better friends?

     Talulah: Yeah.

     Mommy: Do you mean best friends?

     Talulah: Yes................. And cookies.

     Mommy: (blank stare)

     Talulah: (loving smile)

     Mommy: Yeah, we're best friends and cookies. 

     Talulah & Mommy: (hug)

- Remember Penn? Talulah's elf on the shelf that we introduced you to last year? Well, Penn's been back since the beginning of the month keeping an eye on Talulah so he can report back to Santa each night and tell him if she's been naughty or nice. When she's being particularly naughty I remind her that Penn's watching and he might not be giving a good report if her behavior continues. One night in particular we were at the dinner table and Talulah was being particularly uncooperative (read: having a fit because she wanted cookies for supper not actual SUPPER for supper!). I reminded her that Penn was watching and she sat quietly for a few seconds.... Then looked at me and with a little attitude said, "Penn's not eating his supper."        : |         That's right Talulah.... if you get Penn in trouble then maybe you won't get in trouble, right??

- We were watching one of the Land Before Time movies and as you may or may not know... There are some scary dinosaurs in it (T-Rex... otherwise known as "Sharp Tooth"). In one scene a sharp tooth came out and let out a huge ROOOOOOOOAR!! Talulah said, "Dat's my daddy." then on the screen all the little kid dinosaurs screamed and ran away. To which Talulah followed up with, "He scares my friends." all the while having her sweet little grin on her face.

- Last night laying in bed with Talulah and she was again practicing her staying-awake skills. She sat up and said in her squeakiest little voice, "You're so cute! Look at you my little Mommy... So cute!" while pinching my cheeks. 

Sigh. My sweet girl has literally no "baby" left in her. (I remember this frequently when hauling all 29 lbs of her around when she wants to "nuggle" while running errands.) She's such a kid now. It makes me happy - because she amazes me every day with her awesomeness... But it also makes me kinda sad. We often look at baby pictures of Talulah together and it makes me weepy every time. How did my baby get so big?!

A good friend of mine wrote this today. Melt. I'm pretty sure she's been reading my mind again. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Sweet Talulah had a visit with Santa over the weekend. She was excited to see him, but when they actually met face to face she was SUPER shy and just a little scared of the big guy. He was very patient and friendly, as usual - It's the exact same Santa she's had her picture taken with every year since she was born.

She ended up sitting on my knee next to Santa and I just leaned waaaaaaayyy out of the picture. If you look closely you can see my fingers in the bottom left corner by the Christmas tree. Hee... Didn't think about moving my hand out of the way.

Anyway, Talulah answered his questions very quietly and then gave a teensy smile once the big guy handed over a candy cane. That kid's, always got candy on the brain. :)

We watched Santa visit with some other kids (who SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER the minute they got close to him) and then Talulah told me that she's very worried about Santa. I guess she can see that it's taxing to have a good portion of kidlets scream and cry when they get close to you. She doesn't want Santa to have a broken heart.

Sweetest girl ever.

And... she looks like a grown up here! I swear she doesn't look this old in real life. It pulled at my heart strings a little. My baby girl is actually going to be a grown up someday!! (Time - feel free to slow down whenever you're ready.)

Happy holiday season everyone! I'm not normally ready to say that until at least December 1st, but with a little one around - I can't help but get into the spirit a little earlier!

Talulah ♥'s Gus 4ever

I found this post as a Draft in my list. I'm not sure why it didn't get posted, must have been a mistake. Anyway... here's an old post from June (and, by the way, I'm pretty sure they're even cuter now):



Last month marked Gus's first birthday. I know, right? He's ONE already? What the heck?!

It seems like just yesterday he was born. Hell, it seems like just yesterday Talulah was born... People always said that it's amazing how fast time passes when you have kids. It's not just amazing, it's down right unbelievable!

Anyway, little miss and I went to Winnipeg for ten days to ring in the first year with Baby Gus! He's so adorable... And Talulah's so adorable... Together?? It's a little hard to take. They melt my heart pretty much with every breath. They're so in love.

When Talulah walks into the room, Gus flaps his arms so hard I swear he's caught air a few times. Talulah talks in her sleep saying, "I want to see Baby Gus" and kisses and (tries to) carry him all the time.

We were in the car together (Talulah and Gus alone in the back seat) and Gus was exhausted. He was not happy to be awake so he thought he'd let us know about it. Just a few tears in and we could hear Talulah saying, "I yuv you Baby Gus. Don't cry. I yuv you." and holding his hand. Just when I thought I couldn't take the sweetness anymore, she busted out with, "It's okay Baby Gus, I here. I here Baby Gus."

Seriously.

SERIOUSLY. I almost died.

That same car ride, when Gus woke up from his snooze, he opened his eyes, saw Talulah and smiled the biggest smile ever.

No but really, I'm not making it up... They ARE this cute together.

Sigh. Can't wait to go back in July. It's hard being apart when you know you're missing out on this much cute.

Talulah is THREE!

Whaaaat?? How did that happen?

I remember holding my teeny tiny 5lb 14oz baby so close and marveling at her perfection like it was just a few months ago. I remember her first roll over and her learning to crawl and walk. I remember her first words, her first hugs, her first slobbery kisses....

And now I've got this little three year old who's got sass like nobody's business. Who corrects me when I call her "Baby" or "Sweetie" or "Love" with, "I not a baby, I Talulah". Who tells me she loves me and that she'll keep me safe. Who has her very own friends at daycare, not just my friends kids. Who tells me what she's going to wear and not the other way around.

Wow.

I can only imagine how this is all going to feel when she's 10, 16, 20... My little baby is such a little GIRL now.

Talulah's birthday party was awesome. She had tonnes of fun with her friends and family! I haven't had a chance to load any pictures to my computer yet, so those will follow shortly.

Happy Birthday to my little love and the best daughter a Mommy could ask for! I love you Talulah!

Super-Lula!

So, Talulah is pretty much a superstar. No, really.

She did absolutely amazing when going in for her surgery. We all went in (Talulah, Mommy & Daddy) at 9:30 am because they called and said there was a cancellation so we could get in early. I was really happy about that, thinking that little miss wouldn't have to be hungry and thirsty for as long, but it didn't actually pan out that way.

We went in and Talulah was assigned to bed 12. While we were waiting to be assigned our bed, I leaned over and mumbled to Donovan, "Is it weird that I feel like an extra on Grey's Anatomy?". That's how little hospital experience I have. I looked at their white board with all of the scheduled surgeries on it and people hollering this and that and everyone just doing their jobs. Apparently to this mama, Hospital = Grey's Anatomy.

Anyway, we went to bed 12 and Talulah gets her hospital pajamas - a blue open back gown with yellow and white striped pants. OMG, she was adorable. Happily put them on and chilled out on her bed.

Remember when I said she loved doctors? Yeah, that pretty much goes for any medical staff. Talulah was so happy any time they monitored anything and she just sat there patiently cooperating. Her Daddy and I were so proud.

We watched part of Up and part of Tangled on the iPod. We read some books (I brought WAAAAAAAAY too many to the hospital. Better to be prepared though, right?), pretended to sleep on a lump (lump = giggling Talulah) coloured some pictures, played "let's jump like a maniac off the bed and hope somebody catches me" and when Talulah started to notice her thirst we took more desperate measures.

It was fort building time. We built a fort with the hospital bed and a sheet. Talulah's really into hiding lately. So she hid in the fort and we had to search the entire area before we found her. Plenty 'o giggles to be heard every time we said, "Where's Talulah?".

When we "found" her, we wrapped her up in the sheet and held her like a baby. The spin-off from that was that we decided to see if we still remembered how to swaddle. It's much harder to swaddle an almost three year old with a full sized sheet than it is to swaddle a newborn with a receiving blanket, but we managed just fine.

(All of this was happening while what looked like students were toured around the unit. We got a few smiles for our antics... But hey, our kid was happy!)

Then, it was off to the train tracks. Well, the train tracks in the day surgery unit of the Children's Hospital anyway. One of my favourite things ever is when Talulah says her version of "chugga chugga choo-choo" which is "kaka kaka tschoo tschoo" over and over and over again. I caught it on video (which I'll post below) but you have to listen really well to hear her quiet little voice.

Around 12:30 it was clear that she was bored, hungry and thirsty. She tried to escape us and run away but we were too fast for her. She said a few times, "I want to go to my home" and I felt so sad for her.

When it came time for the porter to wheel Talulah to the actual surgery area, Talulah layed on her bed while she was wheeled around. She thought it was pretty cool. She also thought it was pretty cool to see all the fish, dolphins and many sea creatures that long term patients had made, which were on display.

The anesthesiologist came to talk to us and tell us what we can expect while Talulah's getting put under. He said it's sometimes hard for parents because kids can make a gurgling sound, thrash a little bit, and their eyes roll back when the anesthetic kicks in. We were told that only one parent can go in with her... Poor Daddy didn't even have a chance. I shot my hand up right away to indicate I'd be the one going in with Talulah. We agreed in the end that it was for the best anyway so I don't feel THAT bad. ;)

I got dressed in a cap and gown (just like you see on Grey's Anatomy, although at this point I wasn't thinking even a little bit about Grey's) and I carried Talulah into the operating room. She sad on the operating bed (table?) with her back leaning on the anesthesiologist. He showed her the mask and put it over my mouth so Talulah could see what it looked like. Then, he put some bubblegum scented drops in the mask and let her sniff them. When he was sure she was going to stay calm he gave a nod to the nurse to turn on the gas. Talulah just continued to breathe. Calm and SO AMAZING. The doctor warned me that she may start to thrash around at "this" point, but she didn't. She closed her eyes and her little head nodded to the side. I helped pull her bum down the bed so she was lying down, gave Talulah a kiss and then a nurse escorted me out.

I remember the nurse telling me how much she loved Talulah's name and if she wasn't too old to have kids she'd totally use it for a girl, yadda, yadda, yadda... But I was too out of it to respond appropriately. As soon as I wasn't with Talulah, my calm demeanor disappeared and I was a basket case. But hey, I'm sure they expect that.

The surgery was quick. Donovan and I headed to the waiting room and sat for about half an hour. Our pager went off which meant we could go back to the day surgery unit to be with Talulah when she came out of recovery. We rushed in just as Talulah was getting wheeled back into her space on her bed. She was awake and happily sucking on a very red popsicle.

She was quiet, and the popsicle didn't leave much room for talking... But man-oh-man did she LOVE that popsicle. She's such a sweetheart she even shared with her Daddy when he asked for a lick.

Donovan and I crowded our faces in with hers and just watched her enjoy her popsicle until it was all gone. She drank a bunch of apple juice while the nurse took her blood pressure and monitored her breathing.

The surgeon came to talk to us and told us she did great. That there was LOTS of fluid in her ear so we could expect to see more drainage. He gave us some ear drops to avoid an infection for the first few days and answered all of our questions.

The nurse came around to check Talulah over one more time and then she was discharged!

We got Talulah dressed, and as we were leaving she asked for a cookie. She knows that we always stop to get her a treat on the way out of the hospital, and surgery wasn't going to make her forget this time either!

Remember when I was nervous that she'd have a bad experience and stop loving doctors/hospitals/etc.? Well, just this morning when we were leaving for daycare she said, "I don't want to go to daycare, I want to go to the hosplittle." So, I guess I don't have to worry about that. :)

Here are some pictures of our little superstar in action:

 Getting all set up in her hospital pajamas.

 Loving getting handled by the nurse.

 Getting Daddy all set with a princess sticker.

iPod movie. :) 

Mommy getting in on the picture action. 

Fancy bracelets.

 Time for some colouring!

 Little artist.

 Fort building time.

 Where's Talulah?

 There she is!

 Got my swaddle on.

Kaka kaka tscho tscho 

Post surgery, post Popsicle.  

Are there any more Popsicles down there? 

At home, ready to relax... Or build some more forts, whatev.

(She's in there... if you look really hard.)

And hey... If you have some time for a video, check out Talulah playing with trains. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4MAZNboijk 

Surgery

Talulah goes for her very first ever surgery tomorrow. In the medical world it's a very common, very simple surgery to drain the fluid out of her right ear and insert an ear tube so more fluid won't build up.

It's pretty easy to say that from a medical point of view... But from a Mommy's point of view? Well, from a Mommy's point of view it's pretty freakin' scary no matter how common/simple it's supposed to be.

I've known about the surgery for about a month and, although it was stressful to make the decision to have it done, I felt like I had educated myself and was comfortable with the decision. Donovan and I didn't take it lightly, we did our research and talked to people who had experiences with ear tubes and talked with each other. We made a good decision based on the knowledge we had, I have no doubt about that.

I was pretty calm and thought I had it all together. But this whole week has been a gong show. I'm nervous. REALLY nervous. And also really stressed. I know it'll be fine, but that's my baby girl! Well, OUR baby girl... I know Donovan feels the same way.

Talulah loves the Children's Hospital. LOVES it. Whenever we go for appointments, as soon as the hospital is in view she squeals and kicks her feet and gets so excited! She'll either cry out, "Can we go there Mommy? Pease? Pease?" or, like the last time, "My city! Mommy, can we go to my city?" when I reply with a yes, she thanks me profusely, "Yank you Mommy! Yank you!"

She loves the wavy benches, she loves to look out the windows and touch the stained glass wall. She loves the play area at each waiting point. She loves the stickers and all of the friendly people. She loves stopping in the coffee shop for a treat on the way out and she loves making echos in the parkade.

It's pretty adorable how excited she gets when we go. I really hope things go SUPER smoothly and Talulah is safe, happy and comfortable. And......... I really hope nothing happens that ruins the hospital for her. I love that she loves going to the doctor, hospital, family doctor, whatever. I love that she's not scared of it and I don't want that to change.

Above everything else... I want everything to be as simple as the doctors and nurses say it's going to be. I want Talulah to wake up as happy as my cousin Sam did when she got ear tubes.

Gah... Anyway, I'm rambling. So, send all your good thoughts Talulah's way tomorrow!

Parrots & Such

The other day Talulah kept asking for a parrot. She even busted out the "peas" like nobody's business. Here's how the conversation went:

Talulah: Mommy, can I have a parrot? Peas? Peas?
Mommy: A parrot?
Talulah: Yes.
Mommy: What do you want to do with a parrot?
Talulah: I want to eat it.
Mommy: Oh no! Poor parrot!
Talulah: (giggle) Peas?

She followed me around asking for a parrot while I was wondering why she wants to eat a colourful bird. I mean, I did think it was cute that she wanted a parrot... But there was no way we were getting a bird.

Then, she followed me into the kitchen and pointed to our over-flowing fruit bowl and said, "Peas Mommy?"

I said, "Talulah, do you mean a pear?" to which she replied, "A pear. Yes."

I giggleD to myself while I washed her a pear to nibble on. Seriously? How is it possible that she keeps getting cuter? The confusion may have come from the fact that we watched the movie Rio, which is a cartoon about exotic birds.

Then, yesterday she asked for a "pear-d". Seriously......... CUTEST. KID. EVER.

Quick Update

I got some adorable videos of Talulah bustin' a move at Calaway Park this weekend. Click on the Talulah on YouTube link (on the menu to the left) to check them out... Seriously, it'll be worth it!

Here are some pictures from August so far (these will be repeats for my facebook pals):

Talulah & Papa at the outdoor pool by our place.

One, two, three... JUMP!

Under water smiles. :)

Talulah LOVES being tossed in the air!

Painting on her new easel.

Picking Smelling flowers at Calaway Park with Alexis.

Waiting for their turn.

Watching the merry-go-round and anxiously awaiting her turn.

Making her cute face, hoping that it gets her on the ride sooner.

Giddy up!

Mommy & Lula on the merry-go-round.

Talulah flying an airplane.

Way up in the sky!

Showing me how she's going to fly it (on round two). 

Just about ready for take off!

Celebrity Followers!

Hee.... Scroll down and take a look at the list of followers on Talulah's blog. See "Lydia and Kate"? Yeah... that's right. Talulah's so fabulous that the brilliant creators of Rants From MommyLand are following her blog!

I'm pretty excited.

Also, Talulah wore her fairy dress to daycare today. It has wings attached. One of the older kids said, "Why is she wearing a costume?" to which I replied, "That's the dress she put on today." with a shrug.

This morning Talulah actually left the room, removed her other dress (because she won't wear anything but dresses lately, remember?), got the fairy dress out of her closet and put it on all by herself (backwards, but still...). As if I wasn't going to let her wear it!

Oh yeah, totally off topic but sort of related, last week when I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween I totally assumed she'd say she wanted to be a princess. Because she loves princesses, princess dresses (if they don't twirl enough for her then she declares them "too small"), etc. etc. etc. So, of course she got excited, jumped up and said, "A DIE-SAUR!"

Oh yes, she loves dinosaurs too, very very much (Talulah & Auntie Melissa will be making a dinosaur cake for her birthday like the one they made for Gus' birthday - see below), but I was genuinely surprised that she didn't choose a princess. :) The Children's Place had an AWESOME dinosaur costume last year that was too big for her, hopefully they have it again this year.

Seriously... Cutest. Kid. Ever.

 Auntie Melissa & Talulah showing off their handy work.

Roar!

Talulah vs Sharpie

On Wednesday evening, after a long and exciting day of bring-your-kid-to-work day (that only applied to me) and an appointment to see a doctor, Talulah and I snuggled up and had a picnic dinner while we watched a movie. 

It was super fun.

After our dinner and a movie date was finished, Talulah asked if she could colour. Her favorite tool to colour with happens to be a Sharpie - you know, those fun little PERMANENT markers? We've had issues with the Sharpie before, apparently the feeling of drawing with Sharpie on her table is glorious.

We talked and Talulah promised that she'd keep her colouring on the paper and not on the table. I even taped some construction paper to the table underneath the paper she wanted to colour on in the hopes that any mishaps would still happen on paper and not on table.

I went to the kitchen (which is barely even in another room to where Talulah was colouring) to load our dinner dishes into the dishwasher. I was gone for about 16 seconds, which equates to about 4.5 hours in toddler time. 

When I came back, this is what I found:

When I said, "Talulah, what did you do?" she got a tiny little smile indicating that she was shy but proud of her handy work. OMG... I have the cutest kid in the history of the world. 

Lucky for me, one of my favorite blogs had a recent post from one of it's readers sharing the secret to removing permanent Sharpie from children! (Apparently Sharpie tattoos are all the rage for kids these days.) And, that's not all... If you scroll down and read the comments there are a plethora of helpful tips for parents of budding artists!

So, taking a page from Elizabeth in California's book we slathered on the sunscreen and wiped it off. Talulah had a blast helping with the wiping, which I can only interpret as many many many Sharpie tattoo adventures in the future.

Once we finished up with our sunscreen removal, it was well past bedtime but Talulah (although exhausted) was clean. :)

Thank you Rants From MommyLand and Elizabeth in California!

In other news, Donovan sent me this text last night:

So tonight while laying in bed Lula needed to blow her nose. So I grabbed some Kleenex and got her to blow her nose. Her nose was clear and nothing came out. Then she looked up at me with her eyebrows all scrunched and with the funniest most serious face and said "my blower don't work", then yawned and laid down on her pillow.
 She is way too cute!!!!

Seriously, right? They don't come any cuter than Talulah. :)

Little Miss MELT

Wednesday night with Talulah:

(Talulah woke up at night and peed through her diaper so I changed her and brought her to bed with me. When we were almost asleep, Talulah pops up and says...)

Talulah: Mama, we fends!

Mommy: Yeah, we're friends.

Talulah: You my best fend.

Mommy: Oh Talulah, you're my best friend too.

~MELT~


Thursday morning conversation with Talulah:

Talulah: Mommy, you nuggle me? (She was still tired and not ready to get out of bed.)

Mommy: Okay, I'll carry you to the living room to get dressed.

(Mommy picks up Talulah and starts walking out of the bedroom. Talulah snuggles in.)

Talulah: When I big, I carry you.

Mommy: When you get big you're going to carry me?

Talulah: Yes.

~MELT~

Mom 'n Lula's Excellent Vacation

Wow. We've been busy! Luckily, it's mostly been the fun kind of busy. :)

Talulah and I headed off to Winnipeg for our summer vacation. We went to Nan & Grandpa Jim's cabin, to an awesome outdoor wading pool, for lots of walks/wagon rides/stroller rides, to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, camping at White Lake… Geesh, I'm tired again just thinking about it!

Papa Bruce came out to Winnipeg just after we did, so we had everyone in the same city. It was awesome!

Talulah and Baby Gus were in love, as always. Except that a two year old's idea of love is a tad different than everyone else's. Talulah was really really in love with Gus. She talked in her sleep about Gus. She'd wake up in the morning and ask for Gus. She wanted to touch him and hug him and hold him, etc.

But… If Gus touched Talulah and he was the initiator, then she'd cringe away and holler, "He's touching me!" (Sounds very much like stories I've heard from Grandma Gwen about Talulah's Daddy.) Then, as soon as Gus stopped, she'd be all over him again. Strange little thing.

Anyway, we've been having a great summer so far.

I'll let the pictures do the talking. :)

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

Just a quick pic until I have more time!

Not so patiently waiting for Velociraptor (a friend's cat that we're babysitting) to arrive. 

Figuring Out Family

Talulah's at an age where she's figuring out who's who in the family. Months ago she was absolutely amazed to find out that her Papa is my dad.

Every now and then, out of nowhere, she'd bust out with a, "Papa yo dad?" (translation: "Papa's your dad?"). I'd say yes and then we'd talk about it and all the other family members.

We've gone through the following extensively:

Papa is Mommy's dad.
Nan is Mommy's mom.
Grandpa Jim is Mommy's step-dad.
Grandma Gwen is Daddy's mom.
Grandpa Wes is Daddy's dad.

She's also finding the "titles" related to Mommy and Daddy interesting. On Mother's Day she asked, "Are you my mudder?" I said yes and we had a few hours of her calling me "mudder" instead of mommy or mama.

As you know, we've recently celebrated Father's Day. I picked Talulah up from daycare on the Friday before, we went to the store to get the rest of the crafts we needed to make our gifts and when we got home, the followng conversation took place while parking our car.

Mommy: Great, now we've got all of the supplies to make our Father's Day presents!
Talulah: Fodder?
Mommy: Yeah, Daddy's your father.
Talulah: And you my mommy-fodder?
Mommy: No, I'm your mother. Remember when we celebrated Mother's Day? That was for Mommy, and Father's Day is for Daddy.
Talulah: Oh... Wha's Dodi?
Mommy: Well, Jodi's your step-mother.
Talulah: Step-mudder?
Mommy: Yeah, your step-mother or step-mom.
Talulah: Step-mom?
Mommy: Yeah!

We hadn't broached the topic of "who" Jodi was yet. Talulah's always said, "My Daddy" and "My Dodi" so the actual who-factor hadn't come up.

The next day, Talulah was still figuring things out.

Talulah: I have two mommies?
Mommy: Well, kind of. I'm your Mommy, and Jodi's your Step-Mom.
Talulah: Mommy's my mommy. Dodi's my step-mom.
Mommy: Right!

I think she's got it. It's pretty cool to see her figuring all of this stuff out. Sometimes I think I can actually SEE the wheels turning in her head.

Months and months ago we were drawing together and Talulah asked me to draw a picture of "Mommy and Talulah"... so I did. Then she said, "And Daddy!"... so I added Daddy. Then she said, "And Dodi!"... so I added Jodi.

Talulah was so excited so we immediately went over and stuck it on the fridge and it's been there ever since. Now, Talulah's using it as another learning tool and walks by pointing to each person and saying who they are. "Mommy is my mommy. Talulah is Talulah. Daddy is my daddy. Dodi is my step-mom."

C-U-T-E

I don't even want to get into siblings. One of her friends at daycare has an older sister so Talulah's announced that she has a sister too. When I've asked her who her sister is she usually says "Papa is my sisser" and occasionally says "Gappa Dim is my sisser".

Sigh... Oh to be two and figuring the world out. :)

Potty Talk

Talulah likes to have talks while she's on the potty. Some people like to "read a paper", some people like to just get it done and over with, some like to play games, most like to make those trips by themselves.


My girl likes to have a serious conversation. Well, she also likes to hug while she's doing her bid-ness, but lately the potty talk events have seriously outweighed the potty hug events.

Last night we were sitting in the washroom together, Talulah on her potty and me on the floor leaning on the bathtub.

Talulah looks down at a little red dot on her leg and says, "Hey yook! A skeeto bite!"

Mommy: Oh no, a mosquito bit you?
Talulah: Yes.
Mommy: Did you say, "Shoo mosquito!"?
Talulah: No, skeetos play wiff me.
Mommy: They play with you?
Talulah: Yes. Dey play wiff me and dey bite me. (Chomp, chomp with her teeth.)
Mommy: (Suppressing a giggle) But I don't like when they bite me. I say, "Shoo pesky mosquito!".
Talulah: You no say shoo. Dey friendsy. Dey play.
Mommy: (Not able to suppress the giggle at "friendsy") They're friendly?

At this point I'm full on laughing while I try to talk. Keep in mind, Talulah's pooping while we have this conversation.... I held it together until I heard "friendsy" but then there was no way I could.

So, I'm trying to teach Talulah to just shoo Mosquitos away. She was TERRIFIED of them before, and now she's apparently embracing them and letting them bite her.

I was trying to tell her that I don't like when they bite me. When I said that, she reached out, cupped my cheeks in her hands and said, "Yissen me dear. Dey friendsy." with her face about 2mm away from mine, big wide, serious eyes staring at me.

I started to howl. I couldn't help it. She was being so serious, but it was SOOOOOO funny! I laughed and laughed.

She kept grabbing my hand in both of hers in a comforting way and saying, "Yissen me dear." and, "Dear, dey friendsy." over and over again while I laughed and laughed.

I've seen her daycare teachers talk to her like that, calling her "dear" and all.

She's so adorable.

Our potty convo ended when Talulah was finished doing her business.

Some may think it's gross that I cherish our time in the washroom together while she's pooping.... But those potty talks are pretty darn special to me.

Random Talulah Facts

- One of Talulah's most favorite things to say lately is, "You no say no me!" (She says this when she's told she isn't allowed to do or have something.) She'll also frequently tell on people if they say no, "Papa say no me."

- This girl knows how to melt her mommy... She comes up to me, gives me a big hug and says, "I yuv u sooooo much Mommy."

- If a word begins with a "sn" sound, Talulah has started pronouncing the "s" sound through her nose. (Close your mouth and blow air out of your nose... That's it, you've got it.) Now, say "snow" and "snuggle" with the "s" sound only coming from your nose........ Finally, picture a sweet-as-pie two year old coming into your room at 2:00 am saying (in her sweetest voice), "Mama, snuggle me" and tell me you don't melt.

- Talulah loves the number two. She has named plenty of animals, people, toys, etc. "Two". If she asks for something, like sayyyy... a cookie. She'll say, "Two cookies peas."

- She has a stuffed dog named Two. One day while we were driving on the highway she saw a horse and said, "Talulah's harse!" I asked what her horse's name was and she said, "Two." I replied with, "Isn't your dog's name Two? What is your horse's name?" She thought for a bit and then in a loud, deep voice said, "BIG TWO!"

- Making lists is another new hobbie of hers. She'll walk around with a pen and paper saying, "2, 8, 9?" and then nodding her head with an, "Okay" and then scribbles something down on her list. If you hollar out random numbers she gets extra excited and adds them to her list.

- Talulah's favourite colour is "geen". If I ask her what song she'd like me to sing her response is almost always, "A geen one!". If I ask what kind of story she'd like me to tell, you guessed it, "A geen one!". One night we were having pizza for dinner and she insisted we make a "geen" pizza.

- Talulah has three dolls that are her babies. Sebastian is the doll with the purple outfit. Baby is the doll in the pink outfit. Tinkabot is the Tinkerbell doll. She feeds them, nurses them, snuggles them, swaddles them, changes their diapers and puts them to sleep.

- According to Talulah, ALL babies are "baby Gus". Occasionally she'll trow in a "baby Suh-yee" (Sully)... But it's rare.

It's a Tie!

Here's a breakdown of the results:

Lola = 3 votes
Southern Girl = 3 votes
Fashionista = 2 votes
Lollipop Trees = 2 votes
Brooke = 1 vote

So, Lola & Southern Girl were tied for first place!

I figured I'll just test them both and see which one I prefer. Comments welcome!

blog make-over... need your help!

I'm sure you've all noticed the fabulous background to Talulah's blog, thanks to Shabby Blogs. Unfortunately, it will no longer be available after the end of the month so I need to select a new one.

While this current one, named "Little Miss Sunshine", is my absolute favourite... There are a few others that I quite like as well. I decided, since I'm (hopefully) not the only one who looks at her blog, that I'd get some input from you!

I will post pictures of the backgrounds I'm considering and, if you'd like to vote, you can leave a comment telling me your favourite background. By the end of the month, if there's an overwhelming fave, I'll use it! If not, then I'll just choose one that I feel is "right" at the time.

Thanks in advance for your input, happy voting!

ALL OF THE IMAGES BELOW ARE FROM SHABBY BLOGS:

Southern Girl

Lola

Brooke

Lollipop Trees

Fashionista

Ashlyn