One sweet word gone.

I mentioned on facebook last Thursday that Olivia has always called herself "Lalivia." I've listened to that sweet word for almost two years now and I've loved it every single time.

I will even admit that I have been guilty on several occasions of asking her what her name was over and over again, just so I could hear her say it.

The other night while on a date, Dave asked me if I noticed she was no longer calling herself "Lalivia" but instead was finally pronouncing it correctly. I looked at him stunned and almost broke into tears right then and there over my Chili's chips and salsa. I had not yet noticed it yet and told him I didn't believe him.

If momma doesn't witness it (or in my case, hear it) with her own eyes, then it hasn't happened yet, right?

By the way, that only applies to the baby/toddler/pre-school/early childhood years....not so much in the pre-teen/teen years. During those years, just assume that it has already happened.

Anyways....

I ignored him and went on about my business when last Thursday night he and Olivia walked into the kitchen where I was cleaning up dinner and he proceeded to say to her "tell mommy what your name is."

As clear as day she said "Olivia." I asked her if she was sure it wasn't "Lalivia" and she quickly corrected me that "No, it was OLIVIA!"

I broke into tears right then and there. It hit me that I would never again hear her call herself that sweet "Lalivia." I'm sure I can blame it on the hormones, but still.

It was just another punch in the gut that she's growing up.

I feel like I've heard so much lately about how much she's grown it seems. Which, even I will admit, she has seemed to almost "mature" a lot over the past couple of months. We are definitely moving far from that toddler stage and moving into that little kid stage.

It was another reminder of how easily we take for granted these little stages or "quirks." A friend asked me if I had it recorded and sadly, I did not. The moment she asked me, I immediately thought "No, I just took for granted that I'd hear it all my life." Sounds silly, yes, but its the truth.

In my momma heart, she will always be my sweet three year old girl calling herself "Lalivia."

So, I say this all as little reminder to myself and to you maybe....record their funny words and crazy talk, take pictures of the crazy stuff they always do. I so often get wrapped up just trying to get through the day, I forget that she will eventually be able to say her name correctly.

Or that she may decide she actually likes to set up the doll house furniture up in the doll house, instead of in a huge circle next to it.

Or that she decides she doesn't need 54 stuffed animals and six pillows on her twin size bed in order to sleep.

These little "quirks" will be gone before I know it. So, I'm going to soak them in and hopefully next time record them!

(That says "Aunt Nic loves Olivia" she tells me)

Oh, and I'm already placing blame on the fact that on our trip to Virginia over the holidays, that she insisted on  watching an Olivia the pig dvd over and over.  She has since been banned from that particular movie.