I am now the Mommy of a 3 1/2 year old and an 18 month old. While that may not seem all that different than a 3 year old and a 12 month old, believe me when I tell you: it’s a whole new world.

Let’s start with Luci-Lu. Her stats at her appointment this morning all checked out: 80th percentile for length and 50th percentile for weight. As anyone who’s seen her shake it recently can attest, she is burning off that baby fat. Her head? Oh my goodness her head. It’s still off the charts large. Just drawing it’s own little curve up there beyond all the other baby heads. It’s no wonder I can’t find a hat to fit her.

Her words are exploding. Some of them still need interpretation, but many do not. I recently went back to read what Mo was saying at this point, and I’m so glad I wrote it all down. There’s only so much space in my brain, and those beautiful little details are being pushed out by other new and fantastic kiddo developments. So, in no particular order, here are (some of) Lu’s words:

Pup- up
Mmmm- more (usually with the sign)
MoMo- Mo, or Mama
Dada- Daddy or baby
Puhpuhpuh- please
Sss Ssss- sorry
Panting noise/DOGDOG!!- dog
Papa/Nana
Tash- trash or trash man
Walk
Bop- book
Hophop- bunny or squirrel
Bubble- any cat (including our cat actually named Bubble)
Chip- chip or chocolate chip
Saushh- sauce
Pop- popsicle
Mmmooo- cow
Dat!- that, anything really
Sit
Mwah!- kiss
Snack
Poop- anything to do with the bathroom or her diaper

I’m sure there are more, and I relish not remembering them all! I struggled and worried so much about Mo’s language development. This long list is like a giant sigh of relief. Lu is learning so much. Every day. And verbally expressing it. Yay!

She dances, and sings (thanks to the new microphone from Uncle Tim and Lauren!). She pulls my finger and drags me to show me all sorts of things: Mo’s in time out, she needs a baby in a stroller, Daddy’s in the bathroom, the trash man is coming… pretty much everything is important and needs to be observed or fixed right now.

And that’s ok. I can live with that sense of urgency. That sense that every-day-little-things are incredibly important. I could probably do with an extra dose, actually.

Mo is, well…awesome. We have conversations about everything. All the time. She is more curious and inquisitive than ever. And I love it when she comes up with her own theories about things. Take this exchange for example:

“Mama, how does the baby get into your belly?”…awkward
“Hmm…That’s a good question Mo. It’s kind of complicated. So I’ll explain it to you when you’re older. But you can know that God put the baby in my tummy.” phew, dodged that one!
“Ok. But how did it get in there?”
“Well, what do you think?” starting to sweat…
“Maybe God put it in your mouth and it went down down into your tummy! Or maybe it went in through your belly button!”
“Those are all good theories, Love Bug.” And, time to change the subject. 

She also, inadvertently, says really comical things:

“Mama, you have a big butt.”
“What? Excuse me? Mo, that’s not very nice.”
“No, Mama, you have a big butt because you are a big person. I have a little big butt because I am a little big girl.”

She always comes home from preschool with a new song to sing, or a new letter to talk about, or a new question. I knew they were talking about food last week, so I asked Mo:

“My Love, are you learning about healthy foods in school?”
“Yep.”
“What’s an example of a healthy food?”
“Not cake.”

I recently told Andy, that this age combination has been my favorite so far. Sure there’s fighting, and not sharing, and hitting, and tears. But there’s also hugs, and dance parties, and a worried older sister, and an adoring little sister, and hand holding, and a big sister who dresses her little sister to match, and a little sister who wants to be just like the big sister, and so, so many heart melting moments I don’t know why I’m not just a puddle on the floor all the time (well, see the fighting etc. part above).

Mo Bug and Lulu Bell,
You girls amaze me every day with your already profound sense of empathy. You are caring and loving sisters. You see when the other is sad. You see when I’m sad. And you both firmly believe that anything can be fixed with a cuddle and a book. I agree. And I love you both. Desperately.
-Mommy