As Lily ran into my office dressed in her Halloween costume of a bumble bee, sans clothes, just a tutu, wings, and antennae, I looked at my mom and said, "I NEED to start blogging about all of these little moments before I forget them".

Here she is, 3 going on 10 at times, and I am striving to just soak it all in. I know, I say that often, but at this age she is just so full of fun, and innocent, and happy, and joy. Please, time, stand still.

A story and some random thoughts.
So, this first one is not so full of fun, joy or happy, but it's pretty funny.

One day last week, she decided to skip a nap. It was a work day for me and I had sent my childcare home before her nap time, assuming she would do her usual 1.5-2 hour nap and I could finish my work then. Well, the best laid plans...So, I told her to pick out a movie and lay on the couch for some "quiet time". She obliged, picked out "Rio", sat quietly and watched her movie while I worked on my lap top next to her.
About an hour into he movie, she got a little restless, as she does with movies, and played quietly in the living room with random toys she brought over. At one point, she went into my bathroom, brought out a bag of cotton balls out and said, "Can I play wit these, mama?". Sure.
So, she continues playing. I was marveling at her, thinking, "wow, she's such a good girl. She's entertaining herself right now. Man, I'm lucky".
Immediately following that thought, I look up to see her squeezing some cotton balls, saying, "Mama, look. I making dough like Bop Bop".  "Awww, good job, pumpkin" I reply.
She then stands up, takes a step and slips and falls on the tile. I notice the floor is wet. I look around and notice her portable Elmo potty is a few feet away...full if cotton balls...and pee. Sigh. She was soaking the cotton balls in pee and squeezing them everywhere. You know, making "dough".

I was SO angry because OMG the mess. I immediately raised my voice, yelling, "LILY, OH MY GOD! THAT'S PEE!!! YOU DON'T PLAY IN PEE. WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION ALREADY!", yes we had a similar episode the week prior, "OH MY GOD, LILY!". Pee was everywhere.
It was actually one of those motherhood moments that I was not proud of because, truth be told, I was mad at myself. What mother leaves pee in a toddler potty for over an hour? Me. What mother doesn't watch her child close enough to realize that there is URINE being squeezed all over the flipping living room? Me. Yet, I took it out on her, to the point of her jumping on the couch, throwing her blanket over her head with her "baby" in her arms, telling her "baby", "it's ok, baby. It's ok. It's gunna be ok, baby"...Oh.my.God. That's when I died.
She was afraid of me. She's so sensitive and I was yelling. She was scared. Of course, I ran over and comforted her, apologizing for yelling.
Then, I looked around the room, filled with 85 yellow-tinted cotton balls thrown everywhere, and I laughed. This was not a big deal. This was funny. This is easily cleanable. This was her learning.
That will be a good story for the teenage years.
~~~

She's suddenly into dressing up. As in, within the last 3 days. Today, aside from the bumblebee Halloween costume, she also put on the flower girl dress she wore in a wedding a few months ago, complete with pirate accessories.
This is coinciding with a lot of pretend play...but should I be concerned that she couldn't care less about baby dolls or nurturing anything? The apple does not fall far, my friends.

~~~

She loves googles and "beyockuners" (binoculars).
She loves playing in the dirt.
She loves swimming.
She loves her gymnastics class.
She loves this random little teenage girl named Courtney.
She loves her Auntie Cole and Ty.
She loves the "playground wit the fire truck".
She's in the "I want" phase when we go to the store.
She wants a toddler bed but daddy and I are afraid to make the transition because, for the love of God, we just started sleeping through the night less than a year ago.
She is considerate.
She talks to herself sometimes.
She loves to fart in the bathtub and thinks it's hilarious.
For her third birthday, she wants a Mickey Party, an Up party, a Rio party, a Curious George party, amongst others.


Ah, I know there are so many more little moments I'm forgetting to mention but at least there is a snapshot of my almost-three-year-old.