A Spelling Lesson

Today, I caught a glimpse of this word, "catsup" spelled somewhere.
All I could think was EWWWWW.

Catsup?? Makes me think of a cat. Having supper. Which kind of makes me feel all itchy and like my throat is closing up. Cause, first of all, I'm allergic to cats and, secondly, they give me the creeps with their tiny little pointy sharp teeth and their bad attitudes. Yuck.

(I google image searched "cat" so that I could post a picture here for you, to further make my point, you know... But, honestly, I'm so grossed out by cats that I couldn't even bring myself to put a picture of one on my blog. So, here's a random picture of Laila Grace instead.)



Ahem. Anyway.

Could we all please agree that the yummy tomato-y stuff we put on french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs and scrambled eggs (hey, some people do!) is spelled "ketchup"???

Good.
Thank you.
I feel better now.

:)

A Pinching Problem

Stop the presses, people! This is NEWS!

The unimaginable has happened... You will not believe this. Are you ready? Cause I'm still trying to digest it myself...


It turns out... that... Laila Grace is not perfect.



I think I just felt all the oxygen being sucked out of North America as we gasp in utter amazement. I know. The horror.

I am sorry to tell you this but Laila is A Pincher. Now, whether you pronounce it p-ih-nch or p-ee-nch doesn't really make a difference. Cause, either way, it's unacceptable. It hurts. AND it's just plain RUDE! Did I just call my daughter rude? Why, yes, I did. The truth hurts, people. The truth hurts.

It all started yesterday at her family birthday party when her cousin Madeline did something that irritated her. I'm not sure whether M stole the toy from L or if it was that M had the audacity to not allow L steal a toy from her or what. All I know is that I heard a commotion, looked over and my mom mouthed to me "She punched her".

"Madeline PUNCHED Laila??!?!" I said, missing the "discreet" memo entirely and, clearly, assuming that Laila Grace was 100% innocent.

"No, Laila PINCHED Madeline!" my mom clarified.

WHAT??!! I felt as though I'd been punched in the throat. (I don't actually know what that feels like but it can't feel good.) MY BABY?! Pinched someone?! NO WAY!

But THEN, today, she pinched her little friend Ellie. Twice!

And THEN she pinched ME when I wouldn't put her down this afternoon!! Well, after all this pinching, you can bet that she and I sat down and had a serious conversation. I told Laila Grace that it is okay to get angry when something doesn't go how we want it to and that it is okay to be frustrated but that it is NOT okay to be unkind to our friends when we're angry.

"In your anger, do not sin" I said.
To my one year old.
While she zerberted my leg.
I'm sure it really sank in.

Here's the thing: When I was in Kindergarten, there were these kids, Hannah and Luke. Twins. And they were pinchers. Big Time. Like, these pinches drew blood. I can still remember Hannah's scrunched up little face as she sank her fingernails into my flesh and gritted her teeth to make it as excruciating as possible. I used to wonder what made them so angry, so unkind, so RUDE.

And, now, light years later, I have a pincher on my hands.

But mark my words, my friends. By the grace of God, we will overcome this pinching problem. It will not identify us. We will not give in to it. We will have victory.

LOVE will overcome.

I'll report back on how it goes.

:)

Oh, and Hannah and Luke, if you're out there, I forgive you... I think.

A Cyclone of Grace

I think I just want to say "hello" to you, my dear reader.

So, Hello.

Oh, and also, share this thought:
I have the amazing privilege of witnessing True Life bursting forth all around me. I have a few (yes, an actual "few") precious friends who are pregnant, several who are planning to get married this spring or summer, one particular dear who is basking in the joyful glow of her newborn's sweet expressions, one who is looking forward to making a major change and revelling in preparing for this fulfillment of her dream and one who is blissfully content enjoying the new adventure she and her family have embarked on. Also, every day, my precious Laila Grace changes in some tiny way; she repeats a new syllable, makes a new face, discovers a new little nook or suddenly finds something to be completely fascinating that she never seemed to notice before (like, my nostrils) :) ... and I feel like all of this joy and excitement and love are swirling around me in a cyclone of grace.

I stand, in the center of all of this goodness and beauty, breathe deeply through my nose, hold it for a moment... and exhale.
Because life is but a vapor.
And beauty is meant to be cherished.
And I mean not to miss a moment of it.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
~James 1:17

Hallelujah!

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

So, this is me:



And this... is Elizabeth Montgomery AKA "Samantha Stevens":




My dad says we look alike. I'm starting to agree!
What do you think?

Laila's Playlist

Yesterday, while I was trying to finish a glorious nap in bed and Laila was trying to wake up from her nap in my bed, I gave her my iphone thinking she might entertain herself for a little while. Just so you know, Laila Grace is only allowed to play with my phone under very specific circumstances and only when she is on something soft, like a bed or a cloud or a giant marshmallow.

After only a few seconds, I realized she had made her way into the iPod part of my phone and begun DJing her own little playlist.

It went as follows:

1. "Zion" by Lauryn Hill
2. "My Life of Crime" by Pierce Pettis
3. "Depending on Gravity" by Pierce Pettis
4. "Starlight" by Patrick McBride
5. "Reasons Why" by Nickel Creek
6. "Now is the Time To Worship" -Praise Baby CD

And here is why I think she chose these songs:

1. Because, at those very moments, her Auntie Crystal was in labor, bringing forth baby Gideon who we went to see today and who we already LOVE. Lauryn wrote that song for her son, Zion, and one of my favorite lines is "How beautiful and nothing more, than to wait at Zion's door... I've never been in love like this before."

2. Laila Grace had stayed up the night before from 2:30am - 5:30am.
NO LIE. A truly criminal act indeed.

3. It's that darn gravity that keeps making her fall when she tries to stand up and walk! I think she thought she might learn something from Pierce on how to overcome it... gravity, that is.

4. She wants to go see her Uncle Pat and Auntie Jessica in Pensacola!!!

5. "What could possibly be the reason why my mom is so sleepy right now??" Hmm... Perhaps it has something to do with #2...

6. Because she just loves to worship... and, seriously, y'all, she does! She loves to sing and dance and wave her hands in the air! And, I mean, come on, now IS the time. :)

So, there it is. Laila's playlist.
And today just happens to be Laila's 9 month birthday!!



Happy Birthday, precious girl!
Love,
Doo Doo

Mistaken Identity AKA "You Can't Afford Me"

So, on Monday, Laila and I ventured out to a new park. Remember what a park is, Dallasites? Remember what sunshine looks like? What warm golden rays shining down on you feels like? Ahh, that was the life! Someday, I do believe the sun will shine again! In the meantime, though, let's remember the good old days with fondness and storytelling. I've got one for you:

Monday, we decided to visit a new park rather than Teitze Park where we usually go. The last time we had been to Tietze, there was a tiny incident with an, oh let's say, seven year old boy riding recklessly down the sidewalks. I mean, I truly think he was trying to see how close he could ride his bike to the babies sitting on the edge of the playground. I seriously yelled, "Watch it, mister! She's going to need those fingers!"

So, with the well being of Laila's fingers in mind, I thought a less frequented park might be a good change of pace. We walked from Starbucks on Knox, down the Katy Trail, to a little tucked away park off Hillcrest. It was lovely. Quiet, shady (in a good way) and the only children playing there were toddlers. Laila and I instantly headed for the baby swings, her favorite part about a trip to the park.

We were swinging, talking, singing, dancing and generally having a grand old time when a mom walked up with her little girl. She put her baby in the swing next to Laila's and we exchanged a hello and a smile. We chatted a bit about the nice weather and the babies and, just as she was lifting her little girl out of the swing, she said, "Well, it was nice to meet you. Do you think you might have room in your schedule to babysit for ME sometime?" I was taken aback...

"Huh?" I said, eloquently.

"I mean, you're just so adorable with her... and good babysitters are so hard to find!" I was shocked. I was flabbergasted. Y'all, I was flattered! "Oh, well. Actually, um... I don't really babysit anymore. This is my daughter!"

Well, she was definitely embarrassed, friends, and I wasn't quite sure how to make that better for her. You know when you really want to help someone get out of the awkward situation they've gotten themselves into but you're not really sure how? She gave a little chuckle as she walked away and I assured her that I wasn't offended at all... :)

I have a few theories as to why she might have thought I was the babysitter. I'll save the best for last.

First, I was wearing an SMU sweatshirt. This makes perfect sense. Maybe she thought I was an SMU student, wonderful! I'm happy to be mistaken for a 20 year old!

Second, perhaps it was my yoga pants... Now, I know what you're thinking. LOTS of Highland Park moms go around in yoga pants. Whether they've been to yoga or not or are headed to yoga or not, is not really the point! The ladies just like to wear yoga pants; to Whole Foods, North Park mall, the salon, yoga pants are everywhere. Do they wear yoga pants that are faded, have holes in them and were purchased at the Gap outlet 6 years ago? I don't think so. Maybe it was my tattered yoga pants that led her astray. No HP mom would be caught dead in these babies!

Third, perhaps my anti-wrinkle treatments are working! That Wal-Mart brand Oil of Olay knockoff was a $3.98 well spent! I'm just so fresh faced and wrinkle free, of course I couldn't be a new mom. Hmm. Doubtful.

Here's the main reason why I think she thought I was the babysitter: Instead of "Mama", Laila Grace Chapman refers to me as "Doo doo".

We'll have to work on that one.

:)

The Moment We've All (okay, maybe just me) Been Waiting For!

Check out the top left corner of the page on the right.



And here she is up close!



:)

If we weren't snowed in up to our ankles, you can betchyour bottom dollar I'd be out collecting 137 copies of this ad. For now, we'll just enjoy her online...

Happy Snow Day, everyone!