It's Mommy...Not Mom!

"Mama"...the 1st words I ever heard my precious little girl say to me.  I remember hearing her say those words to me just a few days before my 1st Mother's Day & oh what a delight it was for me.  Finally my little baby was communicating to me my own name for her.  Mama.  So as she began to grow, my name would go between Mama & Mommy on a regular basis...and I LOVED it!  Until a horrible shift in the Mommy/Daughter world happened this week.  My amazing 3 year old little girl has started to call me....eek...MOM!  At first I thought it was just a little thing that she was doing, a phase of sorts.  One that I thought would just leave as quickly as it came.  I was wrong.  Could the time really have arrived that I will now be referred to as Mom and not Mommy or Mama?  Panic, dread, sadness, & disappoint start to creep into my heart.  This is a sign my little girl is getting older.  She's growing up, and as exciting as it is for me to get to know this amazing, unique, wonderful child, I still crave moments where I can just rock her to sleep in my arms.  She will always be my baby & I will always be her Mommy, that fact will never change.  I just have been given a big reminder that the time our children stay little is so short.  Sure, it seems like an eternity when they won't sleep through the night or they poop everywhere BUT the potty!  The reality is, it is short.  I want to be the very best Mommy that I can be to Alana & if that means I start taking on the role of Mom, I will gladly do it.  I just want her to know that she can always call on me whether its Mama, Mommy, or Mom & I will be there for her.  I'm still having a complex over this, but remembering my God given duty as her mother gives me great joy!  And for the time being, when she says Mom I will answer but responding, yes this is Mommy!  Haha!  

Random thoughts from The Polka Dot Desk.

Signing off,

Mom

I LOVE Being a Girlie Girl!

Being a girlie girl is such a, well...girl thing!  I get all giddy when I see pretty things in pretty bottles & today my daughter did the same.  Alana's attention & curiosity was peaked when she saw MOMMY (more on the emphasis on this later!) getting ready to paint her toenails.  She saw the shiny little bottle of sparkly pink nail polish & was instantly taken in.  "Ooooh, pretty" was her response as she held the bottle which fit perfectly in her little 3 year old hands.  I took this as an opportunity & a fun little thing between MOMMY & Alana to do...be girls.  She had such a calm excitement as she realized I was going to put the pretty pink polish on her "never painted on before" toenails.  She sat so still & was just thrilled at the results.  She didn't even move her toes as I told her they were wet.  Then it was my turn & after only 1 experience of painting nails in her 3 years of life, she felt she was quite qualified & entitled to instruct her mother on how to properly paint her toenails.  She definitely could make a great manager one day!  (Follow after Daddy's footsteps...hmmm....scratch that,  he would want so much more for her! LOL)  After my toenails were painted, & I was ready to put away the polish, she then realized that her fingernails were naked.  Almost a panic raced through her mind as she started frantically looking for the pink bottle.  This actually is quite humorous to me because I don't paint my fingernails, just the toenails.  It must be her girlie genes awakening as she discovered all this on her own.  I was a little apprehensive about painting her fingernails because, well...she's 3!  Doing the waving dance with hands & blowing on them really isn't a high priority at this age...or so I thought.  She most definitely wanted her "manicure" & so MOMMA went ahead & gave her one.  She was very still again, & as I started to blow on her little fingers, she caught on.  Only 1 little smudge which had to immediately be fixed before she was satisfied, & then she was set.  So, look out world, we have a beautiful girlie girl in the making.  However I must say that just 2 days ago she was quite content playing in the dirt with her buddy Caleb.  It's a balance & she is so darn cute!  I love having a daughter!

Polka Dots!

Welcome to my polka dot desk!  As I was sitting on my couch this afternoon trying to figure out a good title for my new blog, I started to think about the things I like & also what makes me a little different.  I love polka dots! Particularly small ones, but really any will do.  It's become sort of an obsession with me & I get such a girly thrill when I find something that has them.  Anything from office supplies to scrapbook paper & even my kitchen pot holders, I just love them!  It's something that I have always loved & one of the things I like to celebrate in my otherwise basic & functional kind of personality.  

Speaking of my basic & functional kind of personality, I have to share a little side story about my current handbag.  (Yes, bag not bags.)  I dread going shopping for a new handbag as I have a long list of exactly the kind of handbag that I am needing.  It has to be a certain size, hit my side at just the right spot...not being too long or too short.  I want the closures, zippers & snaps to be a certain way & by all means it must be a bag that I can match with any outfit.  When I had to replace my last handbag & the long process began of finding the perfect replacement, I stumbled upon a beautiful Franco Sarto handbag.  It was perfect!  Black, sleek, stylish, perfect handles & height.  What topped it off for me & almost made me squeal in delight were the adorable colored polka dots that lined the inside!  And an even better bonus was the mini polka dot umbrella that came with it!  If you could have only seen my grin as I discovered this!
So, now that you know how much I love polka dots, you are probably wondering why The Polka Dot Desk? Why include a fun but frivolous thing as polka dots in the title?  I wanted to remember that as I blog upon many different topics, some fun, some personal, some educational, some serious, that I am unique & to be celebrated for just that.  It can be quite tempting at times to change who we are to get the "approval" of others or to feel the need to fit in to their ideas & their way of life.  It's such a sad reality in our culture today but something that happens all the time.  We run straight into the arms of our culture, hoping for approval, only to realize that we just missed the mark.  So we turn around, modify ourselves, & run again.  The cycle is never ending & never satisfying & leaves us wondering who we really are.  The best thing to do is to look at the strengths you do possess & dive into those.  Nurture what makes you special & you will start to feel an acceptance come over you.  God created you beautiful & talented & unique just the way you are & He celebrates His creation.  Don't forget who you are & you will never be forgettable!

More to come from The Polka Dot Desk.