I’m about a week late, but my Lily girl is now officially two-and-a-half! Watching her grow during this, her third year, is no less mesmerizing than seeing the changes that her first year, and second, brought. When I look back at pictures from a year ago, I see how much more grown up she is physically from the baby she was then. And re-reading blog entries from that time, I am amazed at how far she has come. She challenges us daily, but in ways we know will serve her well later in life. I was reading recently about the “strong-willed” toddler, and I liked that term for Lily. A strong will means she will stick up for herself, know her mind, and persevere. We just need to keep finding ways to channel that toddler will into these admirable qualities later.
Lillian’s current interests include lots of pretend play with her dolls, playing dress-up (in anything girly: tiara, feather boa, tutu, fancy dresses, necklaces), and dancing (though, Lord help her, she received no genetic assitance with rhythm or coordination). Her “favorite” colors, she will tell us, are purple and pink. These past couple of months, she has shown much more initiative with playing solo — a huge blessing considering the changes coming in the family. She has gone horseback riding a couple of times, and we are so proud of her. She has terrific posture and looks quite at ease on the buckskin horse, Sprite. She has started asking me to go riding on “Spite” again. We aren’t doing formal lessons at this point, just riding now and then to get her acclimated and comfortable. We are considering what other interests she may want to pursue, since it seems most classes and activities start around age three. How to decide? Of course dance is an option, but I would really like to get her involved in martial arts to help with her coordination — a little of which would serve her well with dance classes later. Bill holds me responsible for the fact that she is still not really able to jump or run smoothly, considering my profession, but I do try to work on these things with her!
Perhaps the theater is in her future, as drama is her forte. There are times when I’m really not up for it, but often I just roll my eyes and try not to laugh at her ridiculous overreactions to mundane events. We are astounded that getting the child dressed still, after 30 months, results in huge fits. I mean wailing, kicking, throwing herself on the floor fits. PUTTING ON CLOTHES. I feel ready to enter battle pretty much anytime a transition from one activity to another is due, which I know is pretty age-appropriate, but still I dread it. Time for lunch? Meltdown. Let’s go get in the car! Meltdown. Shoes on, please. Meltdown. Bathtime and the end of bathtime both result in equal fits. It’s like walking on eggshells, hoping, for my own sanity, that she won’t resist me this time. And then randomly it will happen — that out-of-the-blue, unanticipated time that she says, “Alwight, Mommy,” and my jaw drops. It’s just enough to keep me going.
Verbally, I imagine she’s right on par, but she throws a few zingers in there from time to time that leave Bill and me shaking our heads. It’s not just big words (like “ankylosaurus,” from a while back), but the context, too. Recently, she said, “Mommy, come join me in the playroom.” At first it didn’t register, but then I was like, “Join?” When did she have time to assimilate the term “join” into her vocab, amongst all of those tantrums? My parents just kept her for the weekend, and they keep telling me little things that she said while with them. Like my dad told her she was a neat kid, and she said, “Thanks, Papa. That makes me so happy!” Last night at dinner, she consented to try her beef stroganoff, but then pronounced it “kind of weird,” which had Bill and me both laughing. She has us laughing quite a bit.
Two big-girl developments from the last couple of months: Big girl bed and big girl underwear. We needed to transition her out of the crib to prepare for the baby, and she was asking to sleep in the big bed almost every night. By the time we had purchased and assembled the twin bed, there was no stopping her. We forwent the bed rail, because when we put one on, she was immediately distracted by it and wanted to climb on it. She did fall out of bed that first night (and what a sad sight when I got there: confused, half-asleep little bundle wimpering on the floor), but has not in the weeks since. Unfortunately, it took her only two nights to figure out that nothing was restraining her in the bed. So, since then, we have had varying degrees of difficulty getting her to stay in the bed until she is asleep. I counted one night a dozen times that I wordlessly put her back in her bed (a la “Supernanny” technique) before Bill took over with a more forceful approach (holding her in the bed until she stopped struggling and fell asleep). It’s a work in progress. At least she does stay in the bed until morning, as I have a fear of waking in the night to the warmth of toddler breath on my cheek, startling me into early labor. The other development is really a work in progress: big girl underwear. After a couple of casual attempts to interest her in the potty, met with much resistance, we laid off and waited. As the experts predict, she did begin to indicate an interest all on her own. Turns out, though, that she found the little potty chair off-putting, and really wanted to sit on the big potty (why was I surprised?). So I bought a seat to put on the toilet, and we got her a step stool, because heaven knows she wants to do the whole process unassisted. And she does! We’re just still at the point where she wants to go occasionally, and not at our suggestion. So she is still wearing diapers most of the time, and certainly any time we leave the house. But when we are going to be home for a stretch of time, she may wear underwear while we hope for the best. I’m trying not to feel rushed, but if this is going to happen, it would be FABULOUS if it could be well-established before the baby comes, since I know a big transition like that could stall things for awhile.
Stats for the record books: At two-and-a-half, Lily weighs about 22 lbs and is 35 inches tall. She wears mostly 24 month or 2T clothes (I’m still trying to figure out the difference), but has a few skirts and things in 18 months, due to the waist size. She is wearing a size 6 shoe, which still has a little growing room. She is starting to eat like a typical toddler, which is to say that we no longer fret because she has seemingly consumed nothing more than air and water for a full day or two. She will eat a little something at most meals, and occasionally surprises us by clearing her plate. She is not picky — she will try pretty much anything you ask her to — she just doesn’t eat MUCH of anything. She would be just as likely to turn down ice cream or candy as she would mashed potatoes or peas, but sometimes she’s in the mood for any of those. One consistent preference: cheese. She asks for cheese with almost every meal. And we’re happy to oblige, since that includes protein, calcium, and some calorie-dense fat all in one serving. She still takes two 8-oz servings (which may or may not STILL be delivered via bottle before nap and bedtime – I refuse to incriminate myself) of whole milk mixed with Carnation Instant Breakfast, to bulk up her calorie intake and some nutrients she is surely missing in her cheese and water diet.
That’s my best attempt at summarizing Lillian Pearl at this milestone age. All the words in the dictionary (and all the naptimes it would take for me to write them) would not be enough to truly encompass our daughter. She fills us with wonder daily, and I feel lucky to be her mother.