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| Her must-haves at bedtime lately |
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| Gets the PB out and opens it up "for me" and sneaks a taste! |
Since I missed blogging about Brenna at two, I wanted to do it now before more time passes! So many things happen that I think "I gotta write that down." I'm sure you all know what I mean!
When Brenna turned two, she no doubt lost all signs of the baby stage (including those adorably pudgy arms & legs) and her vocabulary soared. For a couple weeks she could string two-word sentences together and before I knew it she was a full-fledged conversationalist! My family has been so impressed with her ability to share her emotions and ask important questions. Some of my favorites:
- Mommy, I'm disappointed!
- My feelings are hurt!
- I sure appreciate you!
- This is a delicious dinner!
- I'm frustrated, please help me!
Some adjectives I use to describe her are: silly, independent, stubborn, helper, spongy, compassionate, feminine & determined.
Potty training started at 27 months, a day before Thanksgiving! I was shocked she was finally ready to do this. It took three weeks for her to make it to the potty on time and go on her own. There were some frustrating days where I wondered if she was truly showing enough signs to really "get it down". But now its been a week of no accidents and she is so proud of herself for accomplishing this big milestone! And Lord knows I'm so relieved and can say that the whole process was just as hard as I always imagined it would be.
Next huge mountain to climb: Toddler bed training! Toddlerwise (book series) encourages parents to train their children to wait in their bed for mom or dad to get them up. I can still imagine a lot of back-and-forth's so I'm not fooling myself at all into thinking this will be simple!
As for obedience, it's an ongoing training as everyone would agree. There are days where she doesn't get into any trouble and is very obedient. Then there is an entire day where she is pushing her boundaries and is disrespectful. I remember reading in Toddlerwise that 2-year-olds should comply 60% of the time, 3-year-olds 70%, and so on. It's not that you let the other times slide, but you can't expect 100% obedience at two. You'll drive yourself mad with those kinds of expectations, however it is a goal to aim for at each age.
Her likes:
- Fantasy play; her dolls are now talking to each other
- Dressing and undressing dolls, animals, and especially herself! ("I can do it!)
- To have her privacy in the bathroom and does everything by herself. ("I need my privacy, please!" Door slam.)
- Washing her hands
- Jumping into her crib off the side rail
- Zipping up everything
- Compares mommy, daddy and baby to every inanimate object-- rocks, fruit, snowmen, etc. ("This is the baby, this is the mommy and this is the daddy!")
- Spending time with her cousins
- Snakes... Or maybe it's the idea of them, not quite sure yet. ("Watch out! There's a snake on the floor! Mommy, I like snakes!")
- Lip gloss, lip gloss and more lip gloss
- Asks daddy to go hunting with him to "see elks and deers"
Dislikes:
- Baths... She tolerates them for five minutes or so
- Potatoes! Seriously!?
- Shadows
- Noises... What is that and why!
- Fire Trucks... Not sure on this one either!
- Big dogs
Developmentally, she's been a quick learner so far. For the past few months she could point out all her colors, say her ABC's, count to 15, knows about four shapes, uses good manners and forms most sentences correctly. My friends and I talk about what our second child will be like! Makes you wonder!
On a funny note, she has started to compliment people. Not always at the correct time either. For me, it's when I'm in my jammies and haven't gotten ready, but she'll sometimes say, "Mommy! You look so pretty!" LOVE! One time my dad walked into the room and she said, "Grandpa, you look so handsome!" He said, "What do you want?" And she replied, "Popcorn!" We all got a kick out of that! And last, Joe asked her the other day what she was going to get him for Christmas. She thought for a moment and then blurted, "Underwear!" So now that's another running joke in our house. =)
To say she's amazing is an understatement. Isn't it wonderful when parents think that about their kids?! Really though! If we don't, who will? They are to be cherished and delighted in.
Praise be to God for such a huge gift that we all get to enjoy, love, grow and learn from!!!
