Terrible Two's... Already?

The song has been sung, the candles blown out, the red icing devoured and the gifts unwrapped. So marks the beginning of the dreaded "terrible two's."




It's hard to believe that our sweet little angel - who says "please" and "thank-you" and blesses herself after she sneezes - is about to transform into a beast so foul and hideous that even the strongest and bravest parents get chills at the thought of it. Our precious little Hannah - who used to willingly share her toys with anyone who would play with her - will soon scream "MINE" at the top of her lungs when anyone so much as stares at her Little People Bus too long.

For her it will be a long and terrible stage that will reveal the worst in her. For us it is a rite of passage that will push us the rest of the way off of the cliff of youth and sanity into the abyss of mean, old parenthood. For now, we're still just sitting at the edge, staring into the deep pit of inevitability, and trying to enjoy our last glimpse of the green pastures; for we know that all hope will be lost once Hannah's "baby brudder" is born and she has to share the spotlight.

Redecorating

I suppose you can't get a big girl bed without getting big girl sheets. The princess sheets are an early birthday gift from Gram and Pap.

You may have also noticed that we did a little redecorating. Our little Hannah is a true Steelers fan; and she still rooted for the team that let her down last year. So, you can imagine how excited she was when the Steelers brought home that one for the thumb this year.

I left the Steelers flag up for a week after the Superbowl - longer than that would have been rubbing it in to all the non-Steeler fans that drove by. I took the flag down and left it on the chair in the living room as I unfolded and rehung the American flag and yellow ribbon. When I came back inside Hannah had wrapped herself up in the Steelers flag and laid down in the middle of the living room.

I couldn't bear to fold it up and put it away after seeing how much it meant to her; so, I said we could put it up above her bed. To many people, the contrast between the pretty pink Disney princess bedding and the feirce black and gold Steelers gear is just terrible; but, to a Steelers fan, it makes perfect sense.

Baby Brother

For those of you who didn't know we were pregnant again... Surprise!!! We're pregnant again!

We had the 20 week ultrasound. This is a standard part of prenatal care now, as opposed to only doing one if there is a problem like they used to. Actually, if you find out soon enough, they like to do one at 8 weeks, too, which we did.

Everything looked good. The baby was about 10 oz. and has the right number of fingers and toes. There is only one baby in there and it is a goy... i mean a birl. The technician said they like to get 2 or 3 looks between their legs to be sure and she only got 1; but it was a good one. She has 95% confidence that it is a boy. She told us to save our receipts, though, if we buy anything blue.

Hannah kind of understands. She knows there is a baby in mommy's belly and it will be a 'brudder.' I'm not sure she really knows what that means, though. She'll find out soon enough (July 4).

Like Father, Like Daughter

This is the window at Hannah's Grandma (which she pronounces "Mamaw" with a deep voice) and Pap's house; well, her Grandma and Pap - my parents. I've been told that when I was about her age, I used to stand at that very same window and talk to all the people who passed by... and talk... and talk until they were completely out of sight.

Luckily it is winter and she can't open the window to talk to anyone. It is interesting to see how much like me she is, though.

The reason we were visiting was to mourn the loss of my Pap - Hannah's great grandfather who she also called "Pap." If there's one thing that Pap (and Gram) passed down to us kids and grandkids (and great grandkid), it is to love and appreciate your family. I grew up being as close to my aunts, uncles and cousins as I was to my brother and sister.

Being hours away from family, now, it will be difficult to give Hannah that same kind of experience, but I think we'll all find a way to show her how much she is loved. That is something worth passing down many more generations.

Maybe some day Hannah's great grandkids will stand at the front window talking to everyone who passes by.