Elyse Love ~ Happy 2 1/2!!

Today Elyse celebrates 2 1/2 years of being in our lives...it's been a LONG time (like since her 2nd birthday) that I've done an Elyse update and since this is the only scrapbook/baby book/record I have of her childhood I thought I should put some new things down in writing! 

Our little toot...

At 2 1/2 you have left every ounce of baby/toddler in your dust...you are now full-on little girl with a mind of her own.  You are so independent that it makes me worry about how clingy Baby #2 will be.  I honestly think you would play in the new play room with your farm animals, or sit and read books, or gather up random collections of small items for hours on end if I would allow you to do so by yourself.  You always seem to have your own little imagination for whatever game you are playing each day. 

You typically start your day with a cup of milk and a viewing of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, of course sometimes you must get tired of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because Sherriff Callie Wild Wild West wins out a few mornings a week.  However, this morning you must have grown up over night because you didn't ask for either. Your daddy & I were a little shocked that your routine of many, many months was thrown out the window!

You have a ridiculous amount of love for all things farm related, but hold a very special fondness for two small cows that have been affectionately named Bessy & Bossy.  You know almost any animal sound possible, and have even tried to figure out what sound a giraffe makes...unfortunately no one has been able to easily answer that question.  We have a local farm park that you absolutely adore, and I can see us making frequent visits there this summer & fall. 

You are able to put 6-9 piece puzzles together without any assistance whatsoever, but it does become a little more difficult when you decide to leave out the pieces that "you don't like anymore."  This usually results in puzzles that are incomplete when we look at them, but I think they probably look perfect in your eyes.  We frequently find you carrying around these puzzle pieces or a grouping of small colored circles that are meant to be used for a toddler BINGO game, and heaven forbid we can't find the right ones.  Which means that random stacks of items can be found all over our house...

You are reading all sorts of books and sometimes even make up your own words based on the pictures.  I can frequently find you pulling a book off the bookcase and reading it to yourself.  You can recite several  books to me or finish the page before I turn it.  You always ask questions about the smallest of details on each page, trying to soak up every bit of information you can. 

You are speaking practically in paragraphs at a time and honestly never cease to amaze us with the stuff that comes out of your mouth.  Many times you speak with an accent that sounds Southern or French or British...we're not really sure sometimes why you pronounce things the way you do. Many common single-syllable words become two-syllable words when they come from you:  Can't & Help are two of my favorites that apparently are more effective when pronounced with two syllables.

You are still an incredible sleeper, but you definitely still follow the old adage of "sleep begets sleep."  If you get to bed too late, you end up waking around 5:30-5:45 which is about an hour early.  So...your dad & I have made a consistent effort of getting you to bed before 8:30 at night which means you wake anywhere between 6:45-7:00.  You love your bed and are quick to ask us to sleep in it when it's time.  You are taking a 2-3 hour nap during the afternoon, and regardless of where you are, you nap in a big bed (momma's bed, Gigi's bed, or Mamaw's bed).  You do very well with this and I'm hoping it will help make the toddler bed transition easier...which we don't actually plan on doing anytime soon as you seem to really like your crib and I LOVE that you are still fully contained. 

You definitely have your good days & bad days when it comes to eating.  Your favorites for breakfast are fried eggs (with a runny yolk) & toast, Greek vanilla yogurt with red raspberries, and we ALWAYS have some kind of berry--red raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or a combination of all!  I'd love to say that you're a great veggie eater, but the only veggies we can get you to consistantly eat are green beans & carrots (raw only).  Truth be told, your daddy & I are not very good veggie eaters either...so we can't really blame you for that.  You love cheese quesidillas, Spaghettios (don't judge), noodles or most any kind, tacos, sour cream, guacamole, chips, cookies, ice cream, deli turkey & roast beef, chicken nuggets (Wendy's mainly), pizza, cottage cheese, applesauce, mashed potatoes, peanuts, raisins, POPCORN, and many other things.  We honestly don't fret a lot over your eating, you still LOVE milk and we only recently moved you to 2% from whole--but we know that you're getting plenty of calories (even if they aren't the best calories all the time)! 

You are loving being outside and have recently become much more independent at the various play places we like to visit.  You are finally checking out the twisty slides all by yourself, which honestly makes our job a little more difficult as we work to keep up with you.  You love to go out in the backyard and play with Bogey, and are quick to notice when he's out of food or water.  You are also becoming quite the little fish as you are learning so much at swim lessons and becoming much more comfortable in the pool.  With Gigi & Papa having a pool, this wasn't really an option and we're so thrilled to see you learning how to be self-sufficient in the water. 

You also love to go to the store--Walmart (to run around like crazy with no one caring), Lowe's (to drive the race car carts), Target (to get popcorn for the cart ride), and any other store where we let you run free!  You are pretty good at sticking by our sides for the first 2 seconds until you get comfortable wherever you are...and then you're off and making new friends and telling new stories to whoever is around. 

 

 

 

You are normally extremely mild-mannered and while I hate to even type this, you don't seem all that prone to even throw a huge fit.  Just the threat of time-out typically works if you are disobeying...but you have had the CRAZY thought to blow raspberries at your momma when she asks you to quit doing something.  Needless to say, your momma doesn't handle this very calmly!  You certainly have your own opinions on things, but usually it's not a battle worth fighting (which shoes to wear, which clothes to wear) or we can still get our way with quickly distracting you with whatever is getting ready to happen next. 

You are going to be a wonderful helper when Baby Brother/Sister arrives...or I know you will be once you adjust to not being the absolute center of everyones attention.  While I know you don't fully understand why momma's belly is growing, you affectionately refer to it as the "baby manger" and while we certainly don't plan on naming our baby after Jesus, I'm still astounded that you would relate my belly to the place where our Savior was born. 

Oh and just FYI, Operation Potty Training commences in a couple of weeks...get ready girl, you are MORE THAN READY to be potty trained but are just resisting and this momma gives in too easily to your sweet, innocent precious face when you say "no way!"  But when your hands are finding their way into your diaper, and momma asks "are you going potty?" and you respond with "uh huh"...IT'S TIME! 

We'll celebrate your half-birthday out tonight with a big fancy dinner...I LOVE that you are able to join us on such outings, and I hope there will be many of them in the next 6 months as we await the arrival of your new baby brother or baby sister. 

You, my darling precious  baby girl, are my life...and that will absolutely never change.  I'm not sure how, but I'm assured that my heart will simply grow to make room for your new sibling...and I'm trying not to question that.  To love another child as much as I love you, seems inconceivable...but it's done time and time again.  You are my world and we love you so much it hurts. 

Hugs, kisses, pats, and noggins...you're the bestest!

Momma