Hippity hop.

So, a lesser-known fact about me, is that I really don't like rabbits. I'm not a big fan of the Easter bunny, I don't like stuffed rabbits, I don't even like a rabbit picture on a T-shirt for the girls.  They are cute animals, however I'm pretty distrustful of them.

When I looked in our backyard this evening while I was getting the girls ready for bed, I saw that we had two rabbit visitors just a few feet outside the window. I called the girls over to see them and you would have thought we had celebrities performing a live concert in our backyard with how excited they were about it.  

Girls, later in life when you read this, you will have a real understanding of how much I love you that I called you over to see them.  

Wet cheeks.

After a particularly large fit, she was laying in my lap, crying.  

Turns out, she was crying because her cheeks were wet from her own tears.  

Princess hair.

Gabrielle hates to have her hair put up. She would much rather leave it down and have preparation time in the bathroom cut in half. So, when I want to put her hair up, we have to name the hairstyles after different characters on the show she's watching. Today this is how she rocked a Princess Sofia.

I am already dreading the day she catches on this trick.

Hit the ground running.

So when I woke up this morning, I walked past Delilah's room and I could hear her musical elephant was playing. I got ready for work then I went in to get her out of her crib. As soon as she saw me, she stood up, handed me her blanket, asked for milk and wanted to know where her sister was.  When she asks for Gabbie she does that with this valleygirl whine in her voice.  ("Gabbie-yah.")

As soon as I take her out of the crib, she literally hits the ground running, looking for something to do or something to eat. Most days it's all I can do to keep up.

Jokes on me.

So, as if to prove me wrong in a blog post that she didn't know existed, Lilah was all snuggles and "momma, lap!" This evening.  

:). 

They just HAVE to keep me on my toes. 

Touch.

Gabbie always has to be touching someone to fall asleep at night.  If her leg is on mine, or we are holding hands, or even just her foot is touching my knee, she literally cannot fall asleep without it, it seems.  As a baby, I always rocked Gabbie to sleep, then placed her in her crib.  We did this every night until she was 20 months, when her sister was born.  Then she slept fine on her own for about a year, and has been in her current phase for about 9 months.  She's a very cuddly kid - she loves hugs and kisses.  Even when she is having a rough day and we are in the van, if I can hold her hand or rub her foot, it soothes her.  

Lilah is Miss Independent.  She will snuggle for about 3 seconds, then she's off and running again.  She likes to be read to, but prefers to fall asleep on her own.  We had to constantly hold her for several months, it seemed.  She was colicky and that meant lots of holding.  Then it was just over and she moved on. It's a precious moment if she sits down in my lap for a few minutes without me begging her to, and she only falls asleep on me if she's not feeling well.  She's a completely solitary sleeper.  

How interesting it is to see how they already differ, and to see how something so small could show us their true personalities.  

Remember?

Many years from now when Gabrielle has children of her own on Mother's Day, I will say to her "Gabbie, do you remember the time that we were shopping at Target on Mother's Day and you laid down on the floor and threw a fit?"

Caterpillar.

"Hey Gabbie, do you know what a Caterpillar turns into when it becomes a grown-up?

"A momma?"  

Well... Kind of.  

:)

Ms. Delilah

As you may have noticed, most posts right now are about Gabbie.  Honestly, she's at an age where she says and does hilarious things... She's borderline slapstick.  

Lilah is a more subtle funny.  And by that, I mean sassy and kinda naughty.  She says things with a valley girl whine (Momma, Daddy, Gabbie, Bagel, No, Yes are among her top hits), and speaking of hits, does she ever.  She antagonizes her big sister, and she's got a bit of a temper.  She pretends to be deaf when I call for her, but can hear me say cracker, fruit, or milk from 2 room away.  She does a fantastic duck face for pictures, and when she's done wrong, she is quite a runner!

She only stops moving to eat, she's a carb junkie, she barely lets us snuggle her, and she can leave a path of destruction much greater in size than you would expect.  

She loves Frozen, loves to dress up and accessorize and crayons are a favorite snack, these days.

Next month, I will start thinking about her 2nd birthday, which is in August.  My baby baby is almost 2.  I feel like she was just born, and like she's been here forever.  

Hey momma

"Hey momma!"

"Yes, Gabbie?"

"I'm a princess.  This is my tail."

So then I had to explain that princesses usually have a train, not a tail.  That led to a discussion about how there is more than 1 kind of train.  

A couple of minutes later....

"I'm a ghost!  Rawr!"  

An entire play room full of toys and she has the most fun with bedding.