People give parents a hard time about saying their kid is 30 months rather than just saying 2 1/2. By people, I mean me. I never understood it and I thought it was silly.
Well, once again, being a parent has made me swallow lots of things I said before kids. I totally get why months are used because Caroline as a 25 month old and Caroline as a 35 month old are two completely different things. At the beginning of her two-year old year, she was a walking, talking baby. She was capable of doing a lot of things, but she still had baby cheeks and talked baby talk. Fast forward to the end of her two-year old year and she is in no way shape or form a baby. I love how independent and grown up she is, but lately I have been going back and watching videos and looking at pictures of her, just to help me remember her baby-ness! I know I will be doing that for a long time, because she will only get bigger from here!
Some things that I want to remember about my big girl:
*She is completely potty trained. The second attempt stuck and we have not turned back. She wore a diaper for nap and at night time until one day she asked me if she could nap in her underwear. We had accidentally put her down for a nap with no diaper and she had done fine, so diapers at naps were over. Then a few weeks later, she asked me if she could sleep at night with her underwear on. So we rolled with it. She has had a couple of accidents over the past few months, but she has done fabulously. Our girl is completely potty trained and 90% of it was her idea!
*She is completely without Daci (her pacifier). A week or so ago, I went to go get her in the morning. She told me that she was ready to give her Daci to the babies. (When she got her big girl bed in November, we told her that she didn't need her Daci in her new bed because she was a big girl and that babies sleep in cribs and need a Daci. She would talk about the idea of giving it up, but when it was time, she would not be quite so sure. We could have pushed the issue, but decided that we would give her until her 3rd birthday and then we'd force the issue.) We hadn't talked about it in a while, so I just went along with it. I figured that we would talk about it and then when nap time rolled around, she would need it back. Nap time came and went, no Daci. I figured for sure, bed time wouldn't happen. Bed time came and went, no Daci. She asked me about it once, I told her she didn't need it, and she has not asked for it again. It is still sitting at the top of her closet where it will stay until I'm ready to throw it away. (It is so funny to me that some times parents have a harder time letting go of things than kids do!) We had also told her that when she gave up her Daci, she would get Sofia and Minimus figures that she had been asking for. Well, she saw Sofia, Vivian (Bibian), Crackle, and Clover at Target the week before she gave up Daci, so when she told she was ready to give it up, she gladly told me that since she gave up Daci, she could get Sofia and Vivian. I wanted to make sure that this was going to stick before we rewarded her, but about four or five days in with no mention, homegirl got her Sofia and Vivian. (Sidenote: I completely understand that giving up a pacifier is not always this easy. I was expecting this to be a huge struggle because she would sneak in to her room to get her fix like it was a drug or something. I am baffled that she made this decision, but I am very proud of her and just rolling with it!)
*She can talk anyone's head off and we often get asked if she is 4 years old. Her vocabulary is rather large and there isn't much that she can't tell you. I do love that her 'th' sounds are still 'f' sounds right now. Like, free years old, I fink I'm going to... It is one of the few baby things we are holding on to!
*We have completely entered the stage of very few items she will eat. It is tough to get her to try anything new, she thinks (finks) she knows what she likes and what she doesn't, even when she hasn't tried anything new. Her loves are still mac and cheese, bisketti (spaghetti), chicken nuggets, green beans, carrots, ranch, most fruits, and her treats (she really likes candy and ice cream, like most kids, but she is pretty good about stopping when she is done).
*She has entered complete sass mode. She has always had a bit of a tude, but she is reaching the age where she understands what she is doing and saying. This where karma is really going to start being a bitch. I ask her to do something, she does the opposite. Not like a two year old, where she is testing boundaries or may not know what I mean. Like a three year old that knows exactly what she is doing and what button she is pushing. This three year old stage is going to be a tough one - just a guess.
*She is in huge need of control - as are most three year olds. She likes to pick what to eat, what to wear, what she is going to do, when she is going to do it, for how long she is going to do it, and on and on and on. We give her choices where we can, but there are just some times, my friend, that you do what you are told because I am your momma and I said so. (Dear Lord, I am my mom.)
*She is in complete princess mode. To date she has seen Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Tangled, and loves Sofia the First. We have a lot of princess movies left, so that will be fun. I was never a huge fan of the princess stuff, just because I am the opposite of girly, but it is fun. I don't mind watching the movies and singing the songs.
*Lately she has been telling us what to say. As in, 'Mommy, say how is your dinner, Princess?' Then she will answer like we randomly asked her that question.
*She has done great with her big girl bed. Not gonna lie, I'm a little bit jealous. That bed is awesome. It is lofted a bit, so that gives her some room underneath for her 'Secret Spot'. Mom sewed some curtains to hang so she can totally go under there and be by herself. She loves it. I told Jason that putting her in a bed and out of the crib could completely ruin our lives if she was going to start creeping around the house, but like everything else, she has done fantastically. Even after being in her bed for a few months, we are still trying to tell her that when she wakes up she can come out of her room and doesn't have to stay in there yelling for us. Guess I scared the daylights out of her when I first gave her instructions about getting out of her bed!
*She loves saying that stuff is 'so whack'. Hearing it used in the correct context in her little voice is about the funniest thing I've ever heard.
*She is doing great at school, but we still have a crying thing in a the morning most mornings. Not sure what it is, but she is fine seconds later and has a great day at school. It certainly is not fun, but it does not concern me like it once did. Some days we can talk school up and talk about other things to distract her and I get a smile and a wave. Those days are my favorite.
*She can tell you how old she is, how old she will be on her birthday, that her birthday is on March the second, and her birthday will come in the spring when it is warm and the flowers are growing. (I am aware March is not spring yet, but just roll with it.)
*She is my absolutely beautiful mess. She is absolutely hilarious, so unique, so independent, and just awesome on so many levels. She is my 'best girl in the whole wide world'.
