Leah on Gender

Leah: Boys have different butts from us.

Me: Umm…yeah.

Leah: And they have different voices. They go like “hey” (in the deepest voice she could muster).

Me: (Cracking up) That’s right.

Leah: And boys stand up to pee, too!

Me: Okay, goodnight Leah!

So Proud

Yesterday was Leah’s first dance recital. For the 3-year-old classes, they hold the recital right at the studio and it’s only about an hour-long. Leah has been kind of unenthusiastic when I ask her about dance class, but on the other hand, she seems to have a blast once she is there. I had no idea what to expect for both how the recital was run and how my daughter would be.

I have to say, after seeing it I am so incredibly proud of Leah! For a class that young, the main goal is getting them used to a class setting where they are expected to follow directions. She did extremely well at that, but she also did fabulous at the dancing and she showed off her beautiful personality as well. They started out doing some ‘creative movement’ where the kids got scarves and they were told to dance to the music. Leah completely went off in her own direction and was literally dancing laps around the room. Every time she passed us she would either wave, wink, or blow a kiss.

When they moved onto to the choreographed dances I was so impressed with how my girl followed along. It was not perfect, but I could still see that she has learned so much. And her facial expressions are priceless. Some of the songs they were told to sing along with and Leah’s voice could be heard above everyone else’s, including the teacher.

Although it is hard to let your child grow up, it is something that we all must do. I am so full of pride in my daughter’s huge and wonderful personality. I never expected her to get out there and rock it like that, and it’s something that I never would have been able to do. I hope that as she grows she continues to have so much confidence in herself.

Toddler Legs

Have you ever noticed that from the time a child takes his or her first steps up until they are nearly teenagers their legs are covered in scrapes and bruises? Leah has matching Barbie Band-Aids on each knee right now…

Another Leahism

I shared this story on Facebook when it happened, but I have been meaning to share it here as well. Have you ever seen one of those huge shopping carts that look like cars for kids to ride in? Well, Leah HAS to ride in one every time we are grocery shopping, but I, being ever not-so-graceful, am not the best at steering it. I nearly collided with the manager of the store a few weeks ago, but managed to stop just in time. The manager laughed and said “Great reflexes, she is a great driver!”

After that, we kept seeing the manager and every time he would comment on Leah’s driving skills or say that they might be able to get her a license up at the customer service desk. After about the 4th time we saw him, Leah waited until he walked away and then leaned in and whispered,

“Uh, mommy? He knows this is really just a shopping cart…right?”

Leah on Cliche Sayings

Leah: Well mommy, you know what they say…

Me: (laughing) What do they say?

Leah: I don’t know! I thought you knew.

Leah’s Take on Childbirth

Leah: Mommy, my pony just pooped out an egg!

Me: It pooped…out an egg?

Leah: Yeah! And then the egg cracked open, and do you know what was in it?

Me: No. What was in it?

Leah: A baby pony, of course!

Oh, kid…if only it were that easy.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my Mommy-readers out there! I feel so incredibly lucky today- both to be a mother to an amazing kid, and to have not one, but two, amazing mothers myself!

My mom has always known when to be my mom, when to be my friend, and when to be both. She is an incredibly strong woman and I strive to be like her every day. She is an inspiration and just an all around great person. She is also an immensely wonderful grandmother to Leah, who absolutely adores her “Mana”!

You always hear about the “evil step-mothers”, but I am so grateful that I have such a wonderful step-mom. She has always been there for me and is someone I can talk to about anything. She also loves and spoils Leah, and makes no distinction between my child and the children of my step-sister. I am so incredibly lucky that my daughter has another grandma that she is close to.

I hope that you all get some love and appreciation from your children today, and that you take the time to love and appreciate your mother as well!