Two and a half

On Tuesday Ellis will be two and half years old. We’ve more or less been telling people she’s this age for what seems like months, but now it will be official. She has changed so much since her second birthday. She’s talking all the time and enjoys repeating almost every word you say, which is fun and potentially dangerous! I’m good about not cursing (or cussing as I grew up calling it) but we hear some pretty awful things on the street. Our only defense is distraction and pushing her stroller a little faster! She loves to sing and does decent renditions of Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Slaap Kindje Slaap and the alphabet. She has most of the letters right, but her W “Duh-ma-moo-moo” always puts a smile on my face. She counts to ten and I think just figured out that “high-five” is related to having five fingers.

She’s a more adventurous eater at daycare than at home, probably from watching what the other kids eat. We try to keep her diet balanced and ignore requests for pasta and peanut butter sandwiches all day long. She loves being read to and I have a hard time capping her books at night, since we do miss out seeing her while at work. We’ll usually read six short books on weekly repeat. I loved reading Night Night Pookie to her as a baby but whenever I start up “Ohhhhhh Poooooookieeeee, it’s time for bed” she screams “No Pookie, no pookie” and throws the book on the floor. Thankfully she still enjoys a certain ravenous caterpillar and a sweet bear in need of a home and a button. For play, she likes blocks, puzzles, her baby dolls and helping us cook and wash dishes.

Physically she’s still very tall. It’s usually the first thing people say when they find out her age. I should look up my medical record to compare since I remember being taller than most of my friends as a kid.

She’s generally a delight to be around unless she gets too hungry or tired and let’s us know with a pretty intense tantrum, mostly over clothing or trying to get her out of the house before she feels ready. She has the strongest opinions about her wardrobe. Once she’s able to dress herself, I might just stay out altogether! The battle is exhausting and I enjoy the kooky outfits she puts together anyway.

This seems to be the most accurate picture of Ellis now. It’s a longer post than usual, but I know if I don’t write down these observations her early years will just completely blur together. Looking forward to seeing what the next six months will bring. Fingers crossed that potty training will be on that list.