valentine mommy and me party

elena got to celebrate valentine's day with all her friends...

and in true elena fashion, she cried for the group picture. :(


"When love is not madness, it is not love." ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

bubba's room

we have a lot to do still, hopefully this weekend! and then bubba's room will be completed with either pink or blue after his/her arrival!

"If pregnancy were a book they would cut the last two chapters." ~Nora Ephron

ewok spotted!!!

whew, it's just an imposter.


"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" ~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

18 month pics

"I've fallen in love many times... always with you." ~Author Unknown

what's it going to be

bubba's 2nd mommy....



or bubba's rival for the next 18 years???


i'm thinking a little of both. what else are siblings for, right?!

"Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way." ~Pamela Dugdale

18 months

well holy crap. a year and half. the best year and a half. the fastest year and a half. i barely remember life before this past year and a half. and it's so hard to believe that in just a month it's all going to change and only get better than this last year and a half.

but before all that, i really want to take a minute, write down and freeze my happy, thriving eighteen month old. instead of her developmental skills, the little things that make my heart skip a beat...basically, HER!

- her hugs. elena hugs as though she has the limbs of a chimpanzee. she really wraps her arms as far around you as they will go, lays her head on your shoulder and it's simply the best feeling ever!
- her smile. elena now smiles with a full set of teeth. it, as it always has, melts our hearts.
- her first freckle. elena recently got her first freckle. it's on the underside of her right forearm. i have one in the same exact spot, although i'll probably be able to say that with all that she gets.
- her personality. elena calls everyone by name and uses your name everytime she talks to you (us, family, friends, dolls, cartoons, etc). she has no clue how endearing it is that she is so personal, which makes it even more adorable.
- her dimple. elena has a dimple in her left earlobe that i love to rub my finger over.
- her laugh. elena has us laughing so hard almost every night that we can barely catch our breath. her laugh is so deep, it's the best sound ever.
- her grip. the way she holds my hand and trusts me to keep her safe.
- her eyes. sometimes i feel she looks at me as though she knows exactly how much she means to me.
- her wake up call. elena wakes up happy every morning. i truly can't think of anything better than that and getting my lanie-morning-breath kiss. let's me know we're doing something right and there's nothing more i can ask for.

"For you see, each day I love you more
Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."
~Rosemonde Gerard

my valentine

"so what exactly does cupid do???"

"oooh, that could be fun (insert evil laugh here)..."

"couldn't cupid wear something else though?"

our cute cupid!!


"ok, i'm done being cupid..."



"happy valentine's day!!"


"I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon." ~Author Unknown

:(

our little babe hasn't been feeling well this past week, so we've had a lot of r & r over here....

including falling asleep during lunch again....

and right on the floor.

i'm happy to report she's feeling better!

"Your children need your presence more than your presents." ~Jesse Jackson

BIG news....

1. bubba's room is painted and furniture is put together! pictures will soon follow.

2. also, lanie moved up a diaper size today!

alright, back to our otherwise boring lives...

"My mom used to say it doesn't matter how many kids you have... because one kid'll take up 100% of your time so more kids can't possibly take up more than 100% of your time." ~Karen Brown

our little addict

elena of course immitates about everything we say and do. we mistakenly started calling her teething tablets baby crack because she would literally start jonesing for them. and now, sure enough, she calls them "baby crack!" nice.


baby crack from Molly Leone on Vimeo.

sorry for all the videos. it's just so hard to put a one year old into words!

"Most of us become parents long before we have stopped being children." ~Mignon McLaughlin

first born

research again and again will suggest that first borns are often over achievers, have higher IQ's, are more confident, determined and eager to please, etc etc etc. most presidents, astronauts, etc are first borns. i could go on and on, but won't as i'm a third born. =P

i'm not sure if this short clip of elena participating in story time is typical of a first born or a striving autonomous toddler. either way, she does this all the time and it cracks me up! please note her bow at the end as well....we're still working on the curtsey.


moo ba lalala from Molly Leone on Vimeo.

"I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly." ~Buckminster Fuller

little helper

i've been a little tired lately and am hiring help! she's eager to work, does a great job, AND, she's all i can afford! who else will work for kisses, cuddles and elmo's world?!





she is still a little young to understand we can't feed or pet the dust bunnies though!

"Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy." ~Author Unknown