32 months

Happy 32 months to our sweet big girl! This has definitely been the smoothest month in a long time. I feel like I might be jinxing myself by saying it, but I think we've put the bulk of the terrible twos/new sibling/moving issues behind us. We've settled into a good routine and we're all happy. I've finally reached a point where caring for two children by myself is not (very) overwhelming. I'll revisit that thought when Jack starts crawling.

Stats: We went to the doctor this month for a shot and blood draw for her school health form. She weighs 31 lbs, 7 oz and measures 37 inches tall, both of which are in the 75th percentile. She wears 3T/4T tops and 2T/3T pants and size 8.5-9 shoes. She also had to get blood drawn for a lead test and go to the dentist, and she was a champ at all of it! We got out her fall clothes recently and I'm proud to say that I have to buy very little for her because I got super deals on a lot of stuff at the end of last year (I love buying ahead when it's a great deal!). I'm still looking for a new pair of outdoor shoes, a pair of snow boots, and a heavy coat, but that's it.

Eating: She's still a really good eater. I've had to be careful about not letting her have too much for a snack so that she doesn't ruin her meals. If it is too close to lunch or dinner but she is hungry, she'll automatically ask if she can eat frozen peas. Well, folks, she can have as many frozen peas as she wants whenever she wants, which is sometimes twice a day :) She drinks a lot of water and milk. Occasionally (maybe a few times a month), she has a small cup of diluted juice or Powerade. She has started liking a few new foods this month.

Here are some foods she really likes, in order of time of day: dry cereal, bagel, waffle, yogurt, any kind of fruit, bell pepper, cucumber, turkey, cheese, grilled chicken, steak, roast, hamburger meat, black beans, pinto beans, corn, sweet potato, broccoli, peas, green beans, guacamole but not avocado, quesadilla, grilled cheese, tortelloni, any kind of nut (but not peanut butter). Her favorite "treats" are pickles, raisins, and dried fruit/nuts. She still prefers her food to be "a la carte", but thankfully she is very predictable. If you are looking for plates, I really like these.

Sleeping: Since this post, I started putting her down for a nap a little bit later and she has been napping very well. We only had one day in the last 3 weeks where she talked in her crib for 2 hours and never fell asleep. Normally she falls asleep very quickly for her naps but talks in her crib for awhile when she goes to sleep at night. Bedtime is 7:45-8 pm and she wakes up around 8 am and takes a nap from about 1:45-3:45 pm. Most of the time, I have to wake her after napping for 2 hours. We are so thankful that she's such a great sleeper.

Playtime: Her favorite toys right now are her dolls (thanks, Emily!), computer (thanks, Laura!), books, and whatever toy is randomly pulled from the cabinets. She's also pretty attached to carrying her purse around. She's got a good balance of playing independently, playing with Jack, and playing with Mike and me. She's gotten more interested in Jack and loves to talk to him, cuddle him, and help him roll over. We often catch her saying things like, "I love you SO much, Jack!" or "You're so cuuuuute, Jack!" or "Did you spit up again, Jack? Oh, you DID!".

She's started going to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30 and gymnastics on Wednesday from 10-10:45. She loves both of these activities, and I'm excited to have a routine and some good indoor things to do this winter. We play in the backyard a few times a day, usually while Jack is napping. I try to get to a park at least once a week, but it is hard when they aren't walkable! We were spoiled in Alabama.

Personality: This month, Elise has started asking "why?" about EVERYTHING, and one "why?" usually leads to several more as answers are given. She still has a tantrum every now and then, but is normally a very fun kid to have around. She loves to talk, play, pretend, be silly, run, jump, dance, sing, and help me with whatever I am doing. She likes to cuddle and read books or swing in the backyard. She also enjoys running errands with me and tries to give me directions on where to go. The other day, she said, "If you turn right and drive for a few minutes and then go up the hill, we'll be at preschool!". She's right about half the time on her directions :) She does know the names of the streets and turns that we take most often, and she'll say that "we need to turn left on Squires and then right on Scarlett to get home from here". She has shown a lot of interest in dressing herself and being independent in the bathroom... when she wants to :)

New Gear: She still loves riding in a stroller and we use the Bumbleride Indie Twin a lot! She got a new car seat this month, the Britax Frontier 85 in Cowmooflage in preparation for Jack taking over the Boulevard pretty soon. How many of you remember the big debate? (Here is part 1, part 2, and part 3). I love the new seat and will probably do a post about it in the future.

Funny sayings:

Me: (trying to motivate Elise to get moving faster): "Hurry, Elise, let's go get ready for your nap!"

E: "Before what? Before I don't cooperate?"

Me: "Elise, do you like your cow car seat?"

E: "Mom, the car seat doesn't have cows on it. It has cow SPOTS on it."

E: (after using the potty right before bed) "I pee peed and pooped! I have some more in me for tomorrow. I will poop again tomorrow, but I will pee pee tonight. In my pull up. I pretend there is a potty in my pull up when I go pee pee in there. When I pee pee when I'm sleeping I pretend there is a potty in my pull up."

E: (wanting attention while J was eating) "I need to go to the potty! I need to go NOW."

Me: "Okay, you can go by yourself or I can help you in a few minutes."

E: "I need some help. I can't get on the potty by myself!" (not true!)

Me: "Look, your stool is right by the potty, you can climb on by yourself."

E: (picks up the stool and moves it away from the potty)

E: "I can't get on the potty! The stool is too far away. I need HELLLLLLP. I need help NOWWWW."

(I got lost in downtown Baltimore during the road closures for the Baltimore Grand Prix a few weeks ago. I was supposed to go pick up E at Johns Hopkins where she was hanging out with Daddy, but never made it there and had to meet them at home.)

E: "Where's mommy?"

Mike: "Mommy got lost."

E: "Does this mean I'm not going to have a mommy anymore?"

(talking while we were driving)

E: "Mommy, when you were a little girl I used to buckle you into this car seat and give you this water when you were thirsty."

E: (while "reading" her bible) "And one day God went to His place and He liked it and He said it was good."

(staring at the lamp in her room and then thinking about the lamp that used to be in her room in TX and AL and was since moved to Jack's room and then the living room)

E: "The tall lamp was in this room in Alabama. Now it is in the living room. It is not in Jack's room anymore. Because why?"

E: "Hey Mom and Dad, I love y'all sooooo much." (spoken like a true Texan!)

E: "I would like some sugar and some cinnamon. And a little bit of sweet potatoes."

E: "I gotta clean this table off."

(throws everything on the floor and then walks in the other room)

E: "I got these new turquoise placemats for my little round table. Mama spent $7 on them."

These last two really blew us away because she wasn't looking at any words and hadn't in quite a while. If she wants to, she can definitely tell you all about the letters in a word when she sees it, and she knows the beginning letter of Mommy, Daddy, Elise, Jack, and Boss without looking, but these really surprised us!

(we had just been working on saying 'crib' instead of 'keeyub')

E: "What does that say?" (pointing to Mike's shirt)

Me: "Callaway. Did you know that Callaway and crib start with a 'c'?"

E: "And chicken and cat! They start with ALL the c's!"

The next day...

Me: "Did you know that 'dog' and 'daddy' both start with a 'd'?"

E: "Did you know that "Daddy" starts with a D AND a Y?" (I can't remember the last time she had seen the word written before she said this... crazy. I guess it does start with both letters!)