I don't like your tone.

Lila is back from her visit in Baltimore and there hasn't been a dull moment since she got back! As of late, Lila has taken up a bit of a tone with me when she doesn't get things her way. Her fits sometimes come often, depending on the type of day she is having and in efforts to break her of this ugly habit, I sternly tell her that I don't like her tone. She seldom continues once I tell her that because she knows she's in trouble at that point!

A couple of days ago, we had some free time and took a stroll around the mall. Lila wanted to be a big girl and decided to ditch the stroller and walk with her momma. We went into Macy's and looked at their variety of spring and summer clothes. We're excited to leave the freezing weather in Chicago and go back to sunny Texas soon and wear all our warm weather clothes! I spotted a sweet dress in the toddler section and they had every size under the sun except for 3T, which Lila is currently wearing.

A little something you should know about my sweet girl is that she is extremely protective of me. She better not catch you being ugly to me or she will let you have it! She doesn't even like it when people touch things that are mine. She will snatch it from you and inform you, "This is mommy's!" That's right. My kid loves me.

I desperately wanted this dress so I approached the woman at the register. I asked her if she could check and see if they had the dress in Lila's size. The unnecessarily rude woman practically barked at me in saying that everything that they had was out on the floor already. I ignored her tone and asked if she could maybe check the system and see if any other stores had the dress in stock and I could just go pick it up. She surprised me, because I didn't think she could have gotten more rude than she had originally been, and she near shouted at me, with an impossibly arrogant and entitled attitude and replied that if it was her job to make my phone calls and find my clothes she would. I was speechless! Luckily, my witty child did not miss a beat. Hand on her hip, pointer finger directed at the sales clerk, Lila scolded, "I don't like your tone."



Thank you for always having my back, Lila!

Life Lately!

I got to Chicago almost two weeks ago and life has been a little hectic! Lila has been in Baltimore for the last week and a half with her father who is home on R&R from Afghanistan and will be returning on Tuesday. I can't wait to see my sweet girl! Although, I would be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed my little break full of random napping and weekend sleeping in.

Work has been great and the weather is finally improving! I saw the sun today which has been a rarity since I arrived in 'The Windy City' (Which by the way, has nothing on El Paso. El Paso winds is where it's at...) I haven't been sight seeing yet, but I'm planning to this weekend, weather permitting.

The flight was almost smooth sailing. I nearly missed my flight (although I arrived at the airport with an hour and a half to spare) because the woman at the American Airlines counter said I had too many bags. Let's note that I had four checked bags and two purchased seats. Also, I once flew with six checked bags and one purchased seat. It's not my first time at the rodeo, lady... Check my bags. She then began to interrogate me as to how many bags were mine and how many bags were Lila's. This was after she encouraged me to leave one of my bags behind. I feel almost certain now, recounting this story, that this lady was on some good crack. Eventually, and as always, I began shouting and without fail her supervisor arrived and my bags were then checked for free. All is well that ends well. My flight ended up being delayed twenty minutes, otherwise I would have missed my flight. My traveler's luck has taken a turn for the better!

The following day, I went to Hertz to pick up my rental car for my stay and I was informed that I had made it to their 'Do Not Rent' List. I don't want to brag, but the man handling my rental told me he had been working there for six years and I was the second person he had seen make the list. It's a pretty exclusive club! Only the most elite of bad drivers make it on from what I hear. After over four hours, my boss pulled some strings and talked to a million people but managed to get me off the list and into my rental car.

Other than that, everything has been great. My hotel is next to a Target so I make daily trips for totally necessary things like bacon and cheddar filled Ritz crackers. I will be back home April 1st and can't wait to live in my sweet house again! Lila and I can't wait to have Chico's again and Sunday night dinners with friends. My sister will be doing an eleven week internship in El Paso this summer and will be staying with me and I couldn't be more thrilled! It's been YEARS since we've spent the summer together and I am giddy with excitement at just the thought of doing sister things all summer long.

In the meantime, I'll be enjoying the rest of my little break, sleeping in, napping, shopping without a stroller and having sushi with a nice margarita....

Bad Traveler's Luck.

It's a real thing. Some people have bad luck, but I have the WORST traveler's luck. Something always goes wrong. I finished my laundry yesterday and was feeling very optimistic about the whole finishing packing ordeal. I took out my suit cases, pulled some stuff out of the closet, started thinking about what I would be wearing in not-so-sunny Chicago. I started feeling really lethargic and ended up going to bed. I was then up all night with a high fever and body aches. I showered like four times because I was burning up! Just what I needed, to be sick two days before my flight.

I started to feel better when I realized things could become tragically worse. I thought I would recap my top worst traveling moment in honor of my achy feverish body.

Late December 2009:

I was working in Atlanta and just days before Christmas I was released from work to go home for the holidays. I booked a flight to Baltimore, where Lila was staying with her Nana and then one for the following day to El Paso, Tx. I was flying Delta. For those who aren't yet aware, Delta is by far the worst airline I have ever flown with, and I fly quite a bit. They are always delayed, canceled, losing luggage, something. Well, this time, they did all of the above at once.

My flight from Atlanta to Baltimore was delayed because they couldn't find one of their stewardesses. Seriously. Also, some luggage had fallen off of the cart that transports it to the bottom of the plane, so there were a lucky 7 of us who's luggage was lost. Thanks Delta! I finally arrived in Baltimore after about a two hour delay and had to wait for a different plane to bring in my luggage. I finally got my bags and I began getting ready for my 6 a.m. flight to El Paso the following morning. Nana Kathy drove us to the airport and when I approached the counter the Delta representative informed me that my flight had been canceled because the 'snow detectors' on the plane were broken. Side note: What the heck are snow detectors? Can't the pilots just see the snow!? Anyway, at days before Christmas, everything was booked solid. True to form, I began to cause a scene at the counter informing the Delta representative that I would not be leaving the counter until I had a clear flight to El Paso. She was able to find a fight in an airport in Virginia that was leaving that afternoon. It would be a bit of a drive but Kathy was gracious enough to take us.

We left Baltimore with hours to spare. Feeling confident the the worst was behind us, we made our way to Virginia. My world came crashing down when we realized we were stuck in 10 mph traffic due to a massive car wreck. Kathy's car then overheated and wouldn't turn on. Nervous wreck can't begin to describe how I was feeling. I arrived at the airport minutes after final check-in had closed. Before completely losing my composure I asked the woman what the next stand by flight would be.

Now, before I tell you this next part, you have to know that I now feel really terrible about it. The woman in Virginia did not know what circumstances I was coming from and did not deserve the reaction that then came from me.

The lady looked at the monitor and informed me that I was not eligible for another stand-by flight since I had missed my 6 am flight. I interrupted her to tell her that no, in fact, my flight that morning had been canceled. She assured me that the flight had only been delayed two hours and had arrived safely in El Paso. I'm not proud of what followed. I released every bit of anger and frustration from the previous 36 hours on this poor woman. There was shouting, there were hand gestures, there were tears; on both of our parts. I caused such a commotion that the actual airport manager came out to try to pacify the situation. Ultimately, and to this day I don't know how, I was transferred to United Airlines and they were able to book me on a flight to Chicago that night. I stayed the night at a hotel and boarded my flight to Texas the following morning. Ultimately, everything worked itself out.

On that note, I now know nothing could be worse than that experience and I survived it so a little fever doesn't seem as serious now.

If I can finish packing today I will be back on schedule. There is just so much to pack!

This is my laundry from yesterday:



And this is my 'his and hers' closet, which is 12 feet of nothing but my clothes:



I'm only going to take two large suitcases and fill them half way to allow for shopping space. Come on, it's Chicago!

Wish me luck!

Chicago Bound

Lila and I will be in Chicago for a little while and we're leaving this Thursday. For all of you who know me, I miss more flights than I catch. This time, however, I am taking all of the proper precautions to ensure that I make my flight. I made my first 6 a.m. flight in years early this month and let me tell you, the feeling was exhilarating. The rush of not having to take a stand by flight was unreal. In honor of my first caught flight of 2011 I have formulated a plan to make it happen again. I have a list of things I need to have done by Thursday. As far as I'm concerned, I'm on a flight catching streak!

1. Complete all laundry by this weekend.

This is easier said than done. I HATE laundry. I'd rather wash a million dishes and mop a thousand floors than do laundry. It's not really even the 'doing' of the laundry, it's the folding of the laundry. I don't say this proudly, but at one point, I paid my nanny to do my laundry.

2. Eat everything perishable in my fridge.

Done. I love to eat.

3. Make sure my trash cans are on the curb on Wednesday morning.

I've missed trash day two weeks in a row. I've began sneaking out of my house at 2 a.m. to throw trash in my neighbor's neighbor's trashcans. Again, I'm not proud.

4. PACK!

I would like to have this done by Tuesday at the latest. If I put it off till Wednesday I know I'll be pulling an all-nighter Wednesday night into Thursday morning. I have come to the conclusion that this is my main problem when missing a flight; late packing.

I am fortunately not booked on the 6 a.m. flight this time, I depart El Paso at around 2 p.m. and at five days away, I am feeling very confident that I will be catching my flight. I'm sure by now you're thinking, "Well, Laura, your plan sounds dandy, but how, HOW will you accomplish this with little Lila Lewis running around your house?" The answer is simple:



Lila is currently infatuated with her new doll house from her Aunt Kasey!

Now, time for a nap laundry...

Three.

Happy Third Birthday, Lila!

Three years ago today I was finally holding you after fifty-six hours of labor. You didn't make it easy on me from the start! It has always been an adventure with you, you always keep me guessing. You are without contest the single most amazing thing in my life.

This last year was a big one for us. You didn't go easy on me during the "terrible two's" that's for sure. Long gone are the days where I could sit you down, hand you a toy and you would be quietly entertained for hours. You traveled with me around the country; Maryland, DC, Houston, California, and Virginia. And early this year we made our way back to our home, El Paso. You were the smile I woke up to every morning and my strength throughout the day.

You also helped me through one of my biggest tests this year. Just a few weeks ago I was completely cleared of cancer. You were my biggest supporter all along. I knew I couldn't bare the thought of not seeing you through your first day of school, your first crush, prom, graduation, college and your wedding. When the days grew long and my body was weak you were my strength to continue the fight. Thank you, sweet girl. We made it!

Among our travels and our battles you kept life interesting every single day. There's never a dull moment with you. Your effortless sarcasm and diva attitude bring laughter to my every day and show me just how much you are your mother's daughter. When I ask you if you know why I love you, quick as a pistol, you never miss a beat, "Because I'm funny!" is always your response. You are everything that is good in me.

Your love for food continues to be alive and well. You've never been a picky eater and you are willing to try anything. It thrills me when you casually suggest we have sushi for supper. You have some very grown up taste for such a little girl. You continue to be my little petite princess, barely breaking thirty pounds on your third birthday.

My favorite part of our day is when I lay you down to sleep. You're reluctant to go to bed, but you love our night time rituals. You change into your jammies and when you put your shirt on you joke with me that your hands are missing. You keep your hands in the sleeves and cry, "Where's my hands! Where's my hands!?" I play into your game and you giggle and say "I'm just kidding, mommy." I tuck you into your favorite blanket and you request a song. We sing "You are my sunshine" together and you tell me that you love me. You melt my heart every time you say that, you know. I read you a book, and we say a prayer. The last part of our prayer consists of the people we love. I'll say, "Please bless Mommy and Daddy and Nana..." and you continue on to pray for everyone and everything you love. Among our friends and family you include Caillou, Dora the Explorer, Chuck E Cheese, hot dogs, cheese and balloons. Sometimes I'll add bacon to the list because it just seems to fit.

You've taught me so much in this last year. You never stop amazing me with your simple wisdom. Your fearless stance on life, persistent attitude and constant curiosity are some qualities that I hope will remain with you for the rest of your life. You run into closets in hopes of finding monsters to scare because at only three years old you know there is nothing to be afraid of. If ever I cry, you wipe my tears and say, "Stop crying. Let's go play." You negotiate like no other and keep me on my toes every second of the day. This next year, I hope to live as bravely and confidently as you do.

So today, on your Third Birthday, I hold back the tears that involuntarily come when I think about how much I love you and how much you've grown. I marvel at that thought of how much I've grown with you. You are an amazing little person and you're growing into a magnificent child. Thank you for the random hugs and sweet kisses. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for being every thing I've ever wanted and for being all that you are. What did I ever do without you?

Happy Third Birthday, my sweet, sweet little girl.

I love you, darling.

I call her Love.

Lila,

Happy 1st Birthday sweet girl! A year ago, I was meeting for the first time what is now so familiar to me. You are exactly what I've always hoped for. How did I get so lucky? How did I ever live without your love, your hugs, and your smiles? I can't picture my life now, without you.

I love everything about you, right down to your little stinky feet. I love the way you chant my name in the morning "La-ra, La-ra, La-ra" awaiting your bottle. I love your smile. I love your beautiful green eyes on some days and your big blue eyes on others. You lucked out in the eye department. I love your two tiny teeth. I love that you will eat anything I put in front of you, and yet you remain my petite princess. I hope that follows you throughout life. I love how much you love pancakes. You can eat 2-3 in one sitting. I love that you will eat Cheerio's and not spill a single one, but when you eat cookies they get everywhere. I love that you always eat the green goldfish first, but then eat the rest in no order at all. Your daddy says it's because you're half Irish. I think it's because you're just that smart.

You love to dance. You get completely serious and wave your hands to the beat. Both your dad and I hope you'll have more rhythm than we do. I love when you reach up for me. I love that when I pick you up and we're finally hugging, you pat my back and rest your head on my chest. It's my favorite thing about you. I can feel all of your love in just one hug. I love the way you study my face, and everything I do. I can just look at your eyes and know you're learning something. You love to watch me cook. You sit in your chair and call out for me so you can have a taste. Your auntie Adri will be glad to know you have a passion for food. I love the kisses you blow to me when you're in daddy's arms. I love how much we love you.

This has been the first of so many amazing years ahead. I can't picture myself loving you more than I already do, but somehow, each day I do. Although I will forever miss the days when we first brought you home, the nights you would fall asleep on my chest so comfortably, and the way I could just swaddle you in my arms and feel complete, I look forward to the rest of our days together. I love you Lila. Happy birthday.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need.
She's all I need.

(Turn on your speakers!)

We've got a lot of this going on.

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