The Powells: 33 months

I can't believe that Elise will be 3 in just 3 short months! On a side note, she's SO excited to have a joint 3rd birthday party with John, her first boyfriend, who will be coming to visit in January! We can't wait to see the Schuchards and introduce Jack and Lila (John's younger sister).

It's been a lot of fun to switch seasons of clothes. I love buying clothes ahead when I see a great deal, so I had to buy very little for the fall/winter (mainly winter gear) because I bought a bunch of outfits when they were dirt cheap in the spring. If you are patient, Gap has awesome sales at the end of the season. I just picked up a $30 fall dress for $5! The sweatshirts and sweaters that she is wearing in some of the pictures below were purchased for $4-$8 each. I also try to buy a lot of clothes that can be worn beyond just one season. For example, the brown skirt she is wearing in the top picture has been in her wardrobe since she was 9 months old! (adjustable waist, size 3T). The blue and green shirt in the next picture used to be a dress that she's had since 13 months (size 2T). On a side note, I am really pleased with the two hats that I got her from Gap this year... they are adorable, soft, warm, and the sale price was right. We're pretty much wearing pants, jeans, or tights every day now with layers on top.

Stats: Elise hit a growth spurt sometime in the last month. She's grown and inch and gained over a pound since her doctor's visit in mid-September. She is about 38 inches tall and weighs about 33 lbs with clothes. She hasn't outgrown any 3T stuff yet but I usually buy 4T. I am currently looking for a new pair of sneakers but haven't found any that I like (style and price) so right now she wears her size 9 Keen sandals with socks to preschool and in the backyard. She wears size 25 pediped shoes to indoor outings and to church.

Eating: Elise is still a great eater. I can't think of anything to add to my previous posts about her eating. I'm so thankful for this. It definitely makes my life easier.

Sleeping: She is also still a great sleeper. She goes to bed at 8, wakes up between 7:30 and 8, and takes a two hour nap starting between 1:30 and 2. She falls right to sleep for her nap but I almost always have to wake her up. She normally talks to herself for about an hour before falling asleep at night. Sometimes she is challenging at bed time and sometimes not... usually if we get her in bed by 8, there isn't much of a problem. It has helped TREMENDOUSLY to stagger the kids' bed times. Jack goes to bed around 7:15 and then we can both give Elise our full attention for a little bit of play time before she gets ready for bed.

Playtime: She is really into pretending at this age. She now pretends to be her preschool teacher and the dialogue goes something like this... "Okay, I am going to sit in my chair. Everyone, sit down in your spot. Who would like to read a story? Here, let me read you this story. It is about ______." She then continues "reading" the book. It is hilarious. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to posting videos. She also loves playing with her duplos (pictures below), piano, computer, and any toy that she hasn't played with in a while. She loves to turn on music and dance. One of her songs has been dubbed "the clean up song" and every time it comes on, we have to clean up the playroom. Perfect! She also likes playing with Jack.

Activities: Preschool is still going well and the amount of time she is in school is perfect. I will probably do the exact same thing next year (T/Th from 9-11:30). She doesn't love the drop off but she has a blast and talks about it all the time. Her teachers say she is quiet but very well spoken and verbal when she wants to say something. She tells me a lot of things about preschool. One day, she came home all excited about her name on the word wall and said, "Did you know that Evelyn's name also starts with an E?" She's the same way in gymnastics and church. I don't think her gymnastics teacher has heard her say more than "yes" or "no", but today, while the teacher was helping to spot her, it went something like this...

Teacher: Elise, would you like to try the forward roll on the balance beam today?"

Elise: "No, I don't want to do it right now. I will just walk on the red part. I will wait and do the forward roll another time when I get taller."

Teacher: (shocked look on her face) "Okay, I think that is a great choice."

Potty: I can't believe that she's been potty trained for about 6 months! We're definitely still doing a pull up at night. Occasionally we have a nap time accident (maybe 1 this month?) but other than that, she hasn't had an accident since a few days after Jack was born. I require her to go before we leave the house, before her nap, and before bed, but other than that, she can go whenever she wants. She can be totally independent in the bathroom if she wants to, but normally, she asks for assistance.

Behavior: Elise is normally very well behaved in public. She plays well with other children. I wonder what she would be like if she was the only child, because I bet that 90% of her fits are related to Jack in some way. Usually, I am doing something for him and she wants me to do something for her, but she doesn't verbalize a need until my attention has been diverted to him. I even try to include her in everything and give her as many choices as I can. For example, she normally comes with me to get him up from his nap, so we did this the other day, came downstairs, sat on the couch for a while, and the INSTANT that I start feeding him, she runs back up the stairs and screams "I need help getting down the stairs! Come get me!" for the ENTIRE time that I fed him (and, for the record, she definitely doesn't need help getting down the stairs). She can be very clingy which is both sweet and frustrating at the same time. I understand being clingy in a new place, but at home? Whether J is awake or not? I guess one day I will miss the hugs and cuddles so I should enjoy them while I can.

Funny sayings: I didn't do a great job of recording this month, but I do have some written down for your entertainment.

(in the car on the way to gymnastics... she had dropped her water cup on the floor)

E: "Please can you get my cup, Mommy?"

Me: "No, sweetie, I can't reach it while I'm driving. We will get it when we get to gymnastics."

E: (repeated for several minutes) "I want my cup! Get it now, Mommy!"

Me: (after listening to this for several minutes) "Sweetie, I will try to reach it when we get to a red light."

E: (after a short pause) "There are red lights on the back of our car! Get it now, Mommy!"

E: "We're going to make pumpkin muffins. Daddy can watch us, because he is a boy."

E: "I don't want to get taller. I want to be a little girl forever." (didn't realize that she knew the word 'forever')

E: "I'm going to beat you up the stairs. You wait down there until I get up the stairs, and then you can come up. Okaaaaay?"

*You may notice a theme in the next few quotes... I guess Elise has picked up on the fact that Mommy and Daddy are about to turn 30.

Me: "I can't carry you, sweetie. Mommy is tired."

E: "Are you getting old, Mommy?"

(a few days later while Mike and I were throwing a football and I missed one)

E: "Maybe I can catch it. You're getting old, Mommy."

(today while reading the last few pages of The Giving Tree)

E: "Why does he look like that?"

Me: "He is an old man now."

E: "Mommy, you aren't going to get old. You are going to stay young."

E: "Where are you, God? God, I'm hiding! I'm hiding behind the door!"

(while driving on a bridge over a lake)

Me: "Look, sweetie, do you see the lake?"

E: "No, my car seat is too low. I will be able to see it when Mimi comes to visit and brings her car in October." (Mimi drives an SUV and I guess Elise realized that she sat up taller in it. Sadly for Elise, Mimi didn't drive her car from Texas. Elise forgave her though because she got to go to the airport twice!)

(while playing with her dolls)

E: "When I get taller I am going to name my baby Stephanie. But I might call her Baby Mama."