Lydah Quips and Baby #2 Update

Looks like as long as Courtney is updating the blog, entries will only come every 2 months or so... sorry!

Here are some Lydah stories from the last few months that we thought were cute...

I suppose it's obvious we're living in a high-tech world when you find yourself looking for nature's plug-ins. Upon finding a smashed cricket on the sidewalk, Lydah squatted down, pointed, and asked, "Bug, Mommy?" "Oh Lydah, that's a dead cricket. Let's not touch it," I told her. She contemplated all of this, then asked, "Needs batteries?"

For as young as she is, Lydah has already gotten the essentials of the faith down pat. Last night I was surprised when she completed all the phrases of the Lord's prayer with me before bed (Ex. "He leads me not into..." "Temptation!"). Once I found her sitting in the rocking chair with a baby doll in her lap and a Bible storybook in her hands. She opened the book to a drawing of Jesus with animals and children dancing around him and read, "Jesus died, and the puppy ruffed."

Sometimes, for a change, Lydah prays before our meal. She usually remembers to say "thank you for this food," but the rest of the prayer is a mixture of gibberish, sometimes about people she knows, or something else completely random. A few days ago she was obviously a bit ruffled about a mealtime conflict, and prayed, "Jesus, thank you for food. Thank you for saying 'no!' Thank you for saying 'MINE!' Amen."

The terrible twos have begun in full force. Tantrums and timeouts are quite common, and Greg and I often wonder if our point is getting across. A break-through came yesterday when Lydah and Daddy were coloring together, and she asked Greg for markers. "We're just going to use crayons right now Lydah," Greg told her, which led to an all-out tantrum. Greg placed her in the timeout spot (on the rug in the bathroom), and when he came back, Lydah had tears in her eyes and looked very pitiful. "Do you know why you're in timeout, Lydah?" Greg asked. She obviously did, because she put on a little performance of what her tantrum looked like and even yelled out, "MARKERS!"

Baby #2

On Friday, October 24, I went to the doctor for a regular exam, and they told me to head to the hospital very soon to be induced for birth. Apparently my amniotic fluid was very low again, and she was worried about the baby's health. So I went home, packed a bag and made some phone calls (and stopped at the grocery store for some last minute shopping), and went to the hospital. They tried three times to put an IV in my arms (ouch!), and failed each time. The good news was, all the baby's movements and her heartbeat were normal, and not worrisome at all. So when the doctor arrived around 5:30 pm, she apologized and said she was changing her mind. She wanted me to stay the night in the hospital to be monitored, but if the baby was still OK, I would just go home. So here I am! I will go back to see her each day for monitoring until the baby is born, but that is all the news I have!

Lydah's a Hoosier now!

We apologize for the lack of blogging lately.
In late June, the Coates family packed up a truck and headed for Indianapolis, IN, where Daddy got a job as senior pastor of First Free Methodist Church. Life has been very, very busy. Daddy works, and Mommy and Lydah fill our days with walks to the library just two blocks away, visits to the church preschool (Lydah will enroll next month), and trips to other destinations which require driving, and usually end up with Mom getting lost. (Indy is a big city!)
Lydah's adjusting well, though she obviously misses her friends back in Wilmore. She has an outgoing personality, so making new friends isn't a problem. But the memory of an almost two-year-old is amazing!
Here's an example: yesterday I (the Mom) pulled out a book we've read no more than twice together. I turned to the first page, a picture of a boy holding bread and fish, and Lydah announced, "the loaves and the fishes!" That was the name of the book, which I'd failed to say aloud. So I pointed to a picture of a man in blue and said, "And who is this?" "Jesus!" she shouted. So before the age of two, our daughter has already mastered the answer to nearly all Sunday school questions.
In other news, Lydah's younger sibling refuses to let us in on his/her gender. The long awaited ultrasound revealed a very healthy, well-formed baby with legs crossed tightly at the ankles. The due date is November 18; we're all looking forward to the Mystery Baby.

A Week with the Grandparents

Lydah spent the final week of May with her Grandpa and Grandma Coates while Mommy and Daddy took a much needed vacation. She did really well and when we woke her up on Sunday morning after being gone for a long time, it was as if nothing had happened.

On another note, Lydah is starting to say lots of cute things. Her favorite song is "ACB" which means "ABC." And she calls fingernails, "fingertoes."

The following pictures are compliments of Grandpa and Grandma Coates.

A, B, Cs and 1, 2, 3s

Lydah's verbal skills increase everyday. Today we heard her say, "1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10." It was pretty impressive even if she did skip half of the numbers. She's also doing much better at saying her ABC's. Next week Lydah will be spending her time with Grandpa and Grandma Coates while Mom and Dad go on a vacation in celebration of their 6th anniversary and Greg's graduation (we're calling it the "greguation") from seminary. It will be interesting to see how she handles being away from her mommy and daddy for 5 days, but we figure she'll survive. Enjoy these pictures from springtime in Kentucky. Soon we'll be sending them from Indiana!

Daddy, Noah Strauser and Lydah

Sliding with Phoebe Boileau

Reading with great-great Grandma Lida Miller

Kite-flying with Thomas, Elise, and Noel.

She's never happier than when she's with her babies!

Lydah has discovered the effectiveness of calling attention to her "owie" for sympathy.
It always works.

Lydah's Big Surprise!

She's going to be a big sister this November!

Show me the "Munny"

Sometimes Lydah-speak is a little difficult to interpret.
Today we found out "munny" means bunny, only after much confusion. Greg and I were lying in bed, and Lydah was peering out our window saying something about a "munny." "Greg," I said, "she's been saying 'munny' for weeks, and I still can't figure out what that means." I finally asked my exasperated little girl, "honey, what does a munny look like?" She said, "hop, hop." Both Greg and I said, "Oh! A bunny!" Then we actually looked out the window with her and there it was, a bunny munching grass in the backyard.
P.S. In an effort to clear up any future confusion, I told her today, "Lydah, say bu-bu-bunny." Her response? "Bu-bu-munny!" Of course.

Easter with Friends

Most of these were taken on or around Easter with friends at church and the egg hunts that followed. We are thankful that Lydah is finally overcoming a chronic cough which has lasted over 6 months. We have found that the source of the problem was a medication that had been prescribed to her for long term use, but thankfully we now know the cause of her health problems. Thanks to all for your prayers and support!