Laila's Talking

My mom once said I was not an early talker, but once I started talking, I talked in sentences. That seems to be Laila's path.  It is hard to believe that we ever worried about her lack of speech.  When Grandpa Jo and Grandma Anne arrived after Christmas, they said she talked nonstop for hours.  That is the norm around here.  Some days I long for those speechless days again, because the girl does not stop talking. She has to comment on everything around her.  That said, she is such a joy and opens my eyes to so much around me that I do not notice.  Car rides are filled with, "look a horse - neighhh", "oh a puppy", "sun go away, you are so annoying", "mommy I have lots of friends".  She continues to be our little lover and she has mastered "I Love you" and "I need snuggles".  She says it no less than every hour.  Yesterday she was not feeling well and running a low fever.  So she walked around announcing to her siblings, "I'm sick, do not touch me."  That is a common request around here when someone is sick, as illness can spread quickly in a house of 6 people.

Perhaps my favorite part of her speech is her high pitched inflection on syllables. She partly does it because she knows it is cute, but she also does it out of excitement.  Like, "Can I watch Caiiil-ou?" or "Myyyy money, or myyyy candy canes."  We all try to imitate her, but none of our voices can match the high pitch of hers. 

And her love for mom and dad is possibly outmatched by her love for Anders.  Each sibling has been her favorite at different times, but clearly Anders is the frontrunner tight now. At Kindermusik yesterday, it was rocking time.  She declared she was going to snuggle Anders, who was sitting to the side playing on his ipod. She curls her body up next to his and says, "I love you Anders".  My mommy heart swelled 10 times. Even Anders couldn't resist, as he set his ipod down to wrap his arm around her and enjoy the snuggles. Mind you, 1 hour later they were screaming at each other and fighting, but I will gladly take 5 minutes of sibling love per day.