I Love You!

Just when I think there is no possible way I could love my little girl anymore than I already do, she fills my heart yet again.  When I got home from work yesterday, Staley gave me a huge smile, a big hug, and said 'Love you!'  This was her very first unprompted 'I love you.'  And I took that feeling of pure joy that she gave me and stored it away in my heart.

Oh, sweet baby girl.  I love you too!!!!

Sickness: The Sequel

Staley's first true illness in February provided us a few lessons in parenting a sick child.  And, unfortunately, we've had to make good use of those lessons this week as Staley has been under the weather since Sunday.  A fever, a raspy cough, and a hoarse voice have been accompanied by lethargy, sensitivity, and tears.  She seems to be on the mend and a visit to Dr. Cross this morning revealed that her ears are infection-free, her lungs are clear, and there is nothing more that we can be doing for her.  So we just have to keep employing are sick-child guidelines and praying for a speedy recovery. 

The Sancken-Family Sick-Child Guidelines:
1.  You do not have to eat your vegetables or any other non-preferred food.  We just want you to eat.  And if you subsist on fruit, crackers, and yogurt for a few days, we're fine with that.
2.  Spending all day in your pajamas is totally acceptable.
3.  Because baths are fun (and because we tell ourselves that Johnson's Vapor Bath is helpful), EVERY night is bath night.
4.  The sick child chooses.  So if you want to read 'Pinkalicious' 8 times in a row or wrap up in a blanket on the deck to watch the tractors working in our yard, there will be no argument.
5.  We will dance you to sleep.  You do not have to put yourself to sleep when you are sick.
6.  We have no qualms about keeping you on a steady 3-hour rotation of Tylenol and Ibuprofin.  If it keeps your fever down and makes you feel better, we're all for it.
7.  The steam from the humidifier is fun to look at and touch, so we can pretend that the reason we keep it running non-stop is for your amusement.
8.  You can watch the 'cow movie' (almost) as much as you want.

Being sick is no fun.  Hopefully our guidelines make it a little better.  And as much as Staley LOVES the special treat of watching her cow movie, she may think the price of not feeling well is worth it.

Colors and Shapes

Staley is starting to understand more and more concepts.  Colors and shapes are two of these concepts that Staley is working on.  She knows the names of colors and shapes, but consistently attaching the name to the correct color/shape...well, that's a different story.  Staley pretty consistently identifies pink, black, and brown (at least with her crayons), and she can identify ovals, stars, hearts, and diamonds (at least in her shape books).  However, she knows the names of other colors (blue, green, yellow, purple) and other shapes (circle, square, rectangle).  She will proudly label colors and shapes.  She will reach out, grab her red crayon, hold it up, and say "purple" with a big smile.  She will hand me the triangle from her shape sorter and exclaim "circle" as she's handing it to me.  I love that she understands what colors and shapes are.  But as she's walking around with her yellow Easter egg (which is her favorite) announcing 'yellow egg, yellow egg' and I get smug that my 15 month old is so good with her colors, she will turn to hand it to me.  I'll ask, "What color is your egg?"  And with all the confidence in the world, she proudly announces "Blue!"

When Staley Grows Up

It's sometimes fun to think about what Staley might choose to be when she grows up.  Based on her current interests and skills, Staley may be...

1.  A sports announcer.  She loves to watch and talk about basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and track meets.
2. An artist.  She always asks to 'dot, dot, color, color' in her playroom, with the pens she finds in my purse, and on the driveway.
3.  A book critic.  She LOVES books, but is very specific about which book she wants to read.  Although based on some of her current favorite books that we read over and over and over, I'm not sure I would trust her judgment. 
4.  A housekeeper or a housewife.  Staley loves to help out with domestic chores.
5.  A back-up dancer in music videos.  Anytime Staley hears music, she has to dance.
6.  A saleswoman.  Staley has no qualms about walking up to a complete stranger, saying 'hi', and winning them over with her smiles and her charm.
7.  A treasure hunter/bounty hunter.  Staley truly enjoys playing hide-and-seek (as the all-time seeker) and looking for her Easter eggs.  She's getting pretty good at both.
8.  A veterinarian (or a zookeeper or a pet shop owner or a farmer or a safari guide).  Staley LOVES animals.
9.  Talk show host.  Staley is always talking, and she tells a pretty good story.  A few of her current favorites:  "Races.  Running.  Tay-tay.  Boom"  (Staley got to watch part of a track meet where her baby-sitters daughter, Taylor, was competing.  They shot a gun to start the races.)  "Family walk.  Vicki.  Lilac."  (When going on a family walk after dinner one night, our neighbor Vicki gave Staley a clipping of lilac.)  "Daniel.  Riding bike.  Wheee."  (Staley's little neighbor friend just learned to ride his 2-wheeled bike.  Apparently it looks like lots of fun.)
10.  A shoe designer.  Staley loves to try on all her pairs of shoes.  She will bring them out of her closet one at a time, and spend 15 minutes having me put on and take off various pairs of her shoes.
11.  The next Vanna White.  Staley and her obsession with letters continues.  Wheel of Fortune seems like the perfect fit.
12.  Accountant.  Staley loves a-counting.
13.  A dolphin trainer.  Swimming + dolphins + balls = awesome.
14.  All-time, official carousel rider.  I'm not sure how well this pays, but what could be better???
15.  Stay-at-home daughter...because although it's fun to look at Staley's future and know that her possibilites are endless, it's not fun to think about Staley ever leaving home without us.

And we can be fairly certain that Staley will not be a groundskeeper, a bathroom hand dryer repair woman, or a starving-herself-to-stay-thin model.

Hazardous to OUR Health

Staley looks so cute when she walks.  Toddling around, unsteady on her feet, hands up for balance.  So cute until...WHAM!  Face planting on the driveway.  BOOM!  Hitting her head against the fireplace hearth.  BAM!  Tripping over her toy lawn mower.  Slipping on her books on the floor.  Getting blown over by the invisible breeze.  She's pretty tough.  Most times when she falls, she matter-of-factly says 'boom' and then gets back up and continues on her way.  But she ends up with scrapes.  Bruises.  Occasional tears.

I worry about her.  I try to keep her away from stairs, sharp corners, unforgiving surfaces, falling hazards.  And not just because I am worried about strangers judgementally eyeing my bruised and scraped little girl.  It's because it hurts me to see her cry.  To wipe away her big tears. To know that she is hurting.  And today, Staley fell down the stairs at her baby-sitters.  Head first down five deck stairs.  And I just get sick thinking about it.  She apparently recovered quickly.  My thorough inspection revealed a few new scrapes and bruises, but nothing major.  I thank God that she is okay.  I'm sitting here with tears welling up in my eyes, because the thought of something bad happening to my baby is more than I can handle.  She's okay.  Thank you, God, she's okay.  But me?  Staley falls and gets back up.  I'm the one still crying.

Happy Birthday, Zach!

In a perfect world, a man would have:

A job he enjoys and excels at.
Friends and family who surround him with love.
Enough money to travel and enjoy life.
Good health.
Affectionate, nice, low-maintenance pets.
A legitimate Super Bowl contending team to root for.
A warm, comfortable place to call home. 
(Ideally with a nice, new basement.)
A happy, healthy, beautiful daughter who adores him.
A wife who cooks, cleans, is always patient, never disagrees with him, and looks like a super-model.

I guess 9 out of 10 isn't bad.
Happy birthday to the man who (almost) has it all.  I love you!!!

And She Will Be Called...

Happy Easter.

Staley has recently been playing more with her dolls and stuffed animals.  Giving them hugs, carrying them around, sitting with them in her chair.  She has one in particular that she was attached to today.  This morning as Staley was carrying around her baby doll, Zach asked her, "What's your baby's name?"  Staley seemed confused.  Zach asked, "What do you call your baby?"  And Staley answered, "Happy Easter."  We moved on, figuring that Staley didn't quite understand the naming-your-doll thing yet.  But this afternoon, Staley was again playing with the same doll.  Zach asked again, "What's your baby's name?"  And Staley's immediate answer?  "Happy Easter."  Now when we ask about her baby's name, she always answers with "Happy Easter."  So there you have it.  It's unique.  It's cheerful.  It's named for something significant in her life.  And so we would like to officially introduce...

Happy Easter Sancken