At 2 1/2 you are assertive, feisty, opinionated, independent, strong-willed, persistent, and demanding. You are a force to be reckoned with some days. The "trying" two's would be an accurate description of this age for you. You will get what you want out of life and let nothing stand in your way. Good traits to have in the future, but quite frustrating for me right now and it results in a lot of time-outs for you. There are a lot of "battle of the wills" and tantrums, some days worse than others. I'm not sure if it's the falling to the floor kicking and screaming when I say No or the direct disobedience that's worse. I'll tell you no to something, and sometimes you'll do it anyway. If you ask to watch a movie and I say No, you'll stomp right in to the TV and turn it on. If you ask for a snack and I say No, you'll stomp right over to the cabinet and grab the crackers. Such a stinker. I even asked you once why you were doing something that you knew you were not supposed to do, and you responded with "I'm just naughty." But hopefully as you get older and get a better handle on your emotions, life will get easier around here. But I do love my spirited children! You can your sister certainly keep me on my toes.
You are also so, so silly, sweet, and downright adorable. There is nothing cuter than a two-year old. Sometimes I am just overwhelmed with my love for you. Despite the battles, you can be such a caring and loving little girl. Your Dad and I have decided that you must be bi-polar. Because you can go from screaming and crying to giggling and giving hugs in 2 seconds flat. Like I said, once you learn a more acceptable way to handle those emotions of anger and disappointment, life will be fabulous, because you really are so sweet. I love the random hugs and "I love you mama" 's that I get throughout the day. And I also see the nurturing side of you when you are playing with your stuffed animals and dolls. You take such good care of them. And you are so funny. You are our little comedian. And it's not just because you're little and cute, you are genuinely funny. You do or say things with the purpose of making us laugh. You tend to be just a little reserved around strangers, so not everyone gets to see this silly side of you. But you really are a goofball!
You've turned into such a picky eater. New foods or anything with some type of "sauce" on it, immediately gets an "I don't like this" and you push your plate away. You'll eat pasta completely plain, no sauce, no butter, nothing. Your favorite foods are mac and cheese, ravioli (chicken and cheese filled, but no sauce on top of course) and yogurt. You also have an obsession with fruit, especially bananas and berries. Vegetables are another story, but I think if I keep offering them, eventually you'll start eating them. Claire went through the no veggie phase too, but I didn't give up and now she's a veggie lover. And you would still guzzle milk all day long if I let you. You're going to have some strong bones!
You are very tall for your age. I'm guessing that you're sticking in that 95% percentile that you've been in at your previous well-child checks. You're wearing clothes that Claire wore when she was well over 3. Once Claire outgrows something, I just move it into your room. Maybe someday you'll be wearing the same sizes! Because you're so tall, you get mistaken for being much older than you really are. Your hair is the same shade of dark blond as Claire's and your eyes are the same shade of blue as both Claire and Dad. You have all your teeth now that all of your two year molars are fully in.
You love movies and if I didn't set limits, you would probably be happy watching videos all day long. But you also enjoy books, dolls, cars, and playing dress up. Your imagination is awesome. Sometimes you'll start telling me a story and I can't always tell if it's something that really happened or something you made up. When you and your sister play together, you guys come up with the craziest things. I love it. Your favorite pretend game with Claire is playing mommy/baby. You are always the mommy.
When Claire isn't around, you are a total chatterbox. I love having conversations with you. You're getting into this phase of constant questioning. For example, in the car this morning, "Where does snow come from? Why is it white? Who made winter? Why do we live on Earth?" and on and on. You're much quieter when Claire is around, but really it's hard for anyone to talk when Claire gets going. You're also pretty quiet around strangers. There is no separation anxiety and you'll go to any new adult quite willingly, but it just takes you a little while to feel comfortable talking to them. You like Claire's friends, but you avoid kids your own age or younger unless you know them well.
You and Claire can be the best of friends. I love listening to you two playing together. You have so much fun. You're finally at a good age that you are both interested in similar things. You come up with pretend games, you play princesses or barbies, and you both love playing dress up. It definitely warms my heart when you are playing so nicely together and all I hear are giggles coming from both of you. But probably simply because you two are together so much, there is inevitable fighting. Fighting, screaming, whining, crying...man, it can get really bad. And you do purposely aggravate Claire quite often. As annoying as the fighting is, I guess it's just part of being siblings. It will be interesting to see how the sibling dynamic changes when there is one more.
At night you sleep from about 8-8:30pm to about 7:30am. Starting in November, you stopped napping on a regular basis. Why is it that both of my kids require so little sleep?? Right now, you only nap about 3 times a week. If we're home, then I do put you down for a nap everyday and you don't complain about it, but you just stay awake talking or singing to yourself. While I'd love to have that break everyday, it does make it easier to do things when I don't have to plan around nap time.
In addition to your weekly Music class and ECFE Two's class, you recently started dance class. And you're loving it. You're the youngest in your class and because of your age you're just physically unable to do everything, but it's so cute to watch you try! I also recently filled out your application for preschool in the fall. Because of your summer birthday, I debated about waiting another year, but after having a meeting with the 3-4 yr old preschool teacher, she convinced me that you would be more than ready by the fall. You'll be going to the same preschool Claire attended because we've had nothing but wonderful experiences there. And because I've had to drag you along to drop off and pick up for almost 2 years with Claire, the teachers already know you and I think the familiarity of the place will help with the transition too.
It's hard to believe you are already 2 1/2. Who gave you permission to grow up so fast?! I really want to thoroughly enjoy and take in every moment of the next 5 months, before it becomes all sorts of crazy around here with a newborn. As much as I complain about your temper, I do absolutely adore you and everything about you. It's amazing how much love one heart can hold.
Love, Mom
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