Family Vacations

Words cannot describe the amount of joy that a family vacation brings to my soul. This week we returned from 5 days in the Great Smoky Mountains where we hiked, shopped and overall grew as a family.

Elliana's growth in those few days is absolutely remarkable. New words flew out of her mouth as each new experience was absorbed into her ever growing brain. Mini sentences began to develop and I can hardly believe that my baby girl is almost 19 months old, yet at times acts and behaves so much older.

We are trying to instill a sense of adventure in Elliana that books alone can't teach her. A love for life and travel, new experiences and challenges. I think this trip has brought us all one step closer toward those goals.


Although vacations may cost a little bit of money, the experience and memories are priceless. Perhaps that is why I am already wrapped up in planning our next family getaway.

Raising a Little Girl

About two years ago, I learned that I was pregnant with a little girl. Our family of two was growing to include a daughter, a precious beautiful little girl we met a few months later.

I was incredibly excited to be having a daughter, though the more I thought about it, anxiety began to creep in a little bit. If we were having a boy, the masculine responsibilities would fall on my husband to teach him to be all that was expected of a little boy. But, we were blessed with a little girl, and that responsibility was on me.

As the woman of the family, it would be my responsibility to show Elliana how to be a little girl. To be gentle and sweet, empathetic but not a crybaby. Loving and kind, yet not a pushover or too soft-spoken. The pressure was on, even if just imagined or concocted by my own mind.

During pregnancy, I heard that the first year of life...all babies were about the same regardless of anatomy. They ate, slept and played. No defining boy/girl characteristics or pressures to succumb to. This was music to this momma's ears and took the pressure off for a while.

Looking back, I really wonder why I was ever nervous about having a daughter. Elliana seems to have "girliness" stamped in her DNA. At just a few months old, Elliana would dance with happiness when I asked her if she wanted to go shopping. By 10 months of age, Elliana would "steal" my purse, throw it over her shoulder and head for the door.



At almost 19 months, the girliness has only been enhanced. Elliana loves to pull shoes out of my closet and prance around the house in my high heels. On more than one occassion, Elliana takes my lipstick out of the diaper bag and generously applies it to her baby lips. If another child is crying, Elliana says "uh-oh, oh no" until the child is calm again. When wearing dresses, Elliana instinctually twirls around the room to show off her dress like a princess at a royal ball.



I can't imagine my life without Elliana as my daughter, and rather than full of anxiety that the responsiblity to raise a girl is mine...I am filled with joy and gratitude.

18 wonderful months

Elliana is officially 18 months old (well, as of July 3 since I am a little late posting). I can hardly believe how quickly time is passing. Before my eyes, a tiny little baby is transforming to an amazing toddler full of life and personality. Allow me to share a few of Elliana's latest moments:

Although it started a few months ago, I still love that Elliana blames Daddy each time she passes gas. Almost instinctually, a little air comes from Elliana, and she quickly announces it was Daddy. Her confidence in pronouncing the accusation is perhaps what is most funny, given many times Daddy will be at work when she makes the announcement, therefore eliminating Daddy as the culprit.

Sunglasses are all the rage right now. As I type this, Elliana is dancing to Super Why! in the darkened family room wearing sunglasses, pajamas and carrying a sippy cup full of milk. It has to be dark behind those shades, but Elliana insisted on wearing them. Let's face it, if Elliana is happy...Mommy is happy.

"Why" and "Sid" are new words within the past month. Given these words represent PBS's morning line-up, I'm not sure if this makes me a good mom or a bad mom. I'm rooting for good mom since at 18 months, Elliana can clearly identify her desires and always says please while repeating the words and pointing toward the television. When I feel like I might be leaning toward the bad mom category, I try to remind myself that a good friend once encouraged me that the familiarity of a few shows is good for a toddler and encourages learning in a different way than I currently offer. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Twirling. Ahh, the beautiful sight of my daughter twirling around in our family room. She spins and spins for minutes at a time and goofily walks away in a crooked line of dizziness. The smile on Elliana's face is priceless and brings joy to my soul in a way I never expected.

Miss Bossy. For months, Elliana has slowly and surely been exerting her independence in new ways. Telling people where to sit and what to do seems to come naturally to her. Perhaps she is a CEO in the making (or a mom). Apparently typing this at the kitchen table was no longer acceptable, and I was directed to the couch to resume typing. This attitude extends at playgroup or storytime when Elliana will point at another kid and clearly say No. Whether she is merely telling the kid to stay away from her toy or to get out of her way is not yet clear. The good news is that Dr. Brokaw mentioned this is a sign of a two or two and a half year old and is nothing to be concerned about. She is merely aware of her surroundings and her role in them.

Imaginative Play. The past month or so has really enhanced Elliana's creative side. Almost daily, Elliana will set out all of her "Little People" in a row or a semi-circle (all facing Elliana perfectly) and then one by one she puts them away and sets them back up again. Elegant meals have been prepared in her kitchen as well, and frequently the end table in the family room is requested to be cleared in preparation for the table she is setting.

I suppose I could just keep writing and writing about all of the achievements of my daughter. Everyday I am surprised by a new development and everyday I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I am home daily to witness new achievements as they come. I am perhaps the luckiest woman in the world.

Independence Day Fun

Fireworks, family and fun. Pretty much sums up our holiday weekend. Oh, and these two cuties in the photo above.