Two and a Half

Lauren is two and a half years old today, and growing up so quickly. Since I have a few spare moments, I wanted to write down what she is like at this age...

*Our "little" girl has had yet another growth spurt. She's now just about 39 inches, still topping the charts and showing no sign of slowing down. She is generally wearing size 3T now, although a lot of her 2T clothes still fit.

*She is doing so well at preschool. I had my first "parent-teacher conference" today, and it was fun to hear about all of the things they notice about her abilities that I sometimes miss. I was amazed when they showed me all of the letters she can now identify. I've heard her point out "Z" and "X" at home, but she got about a third of the alphabet right when "tested" by her teacher. She also knows her colors and counting, and loves to memorize songs--which we're already very familiar with. She has wonderful teachers, who said she is a "two-and-a-half-year-old who behaves like a 3 year old." I'm so proud, and yet I'm sentimental that the baby and toddler years are over. :(*Lauren has some close friends now, and it's exciting to see her expand her social circle. Her self-proclaimed best-friend at school is an older girl named Amanda. They play together on the playground, since they are in different classes. Amanda will be going off to kindergarten next year, and I'm hoping it's not too difficult for Lauren to adjust. She is surrounded by boys in her classroom (she's the only girl with 7 boys!) but she has made a few good friends there, too, including Gavin and Cooper. And, of course, she continues to be best buddies with her pals Rachel and Aidan from playgroup on Fridays. :)

*She is a very sweet and nurturing little person. She gets concerned when another child or baby cries, and wants to be able to help. She likes to play with her dolls and stuffed animals, and takes care of her things. She also likes to talk about baby brother and gives hugs and kisses to my tummy.

*Lauren loves music, and I've lost track of how many songs she can sing on her own. She picks up lyrics very quickly. I can sing a song just a couple of times, and she'll sing parts of it for the rest of the day. *I'm afraid she takes after her parents when it comes to athletic ability. ;) One of the few areas that she is not ahead of her age group (according to her teacher) is in her ability to catch a ball and ride a bike. Poor kid. Maybe baby brother will get more of that!

*She just made the switch to a "big girl bed" and she loves it. Mommy is not loving it quite as much, because she hasn't figured out that she needs to stay in bed, especially during nap time. I'm hoping the novelty of it will wear off, and we'll get back to regular naps soon. (Wishful thinking?) *She's been very healthy lately, and her asthma has definitely improved. We're trying a different medication, so I'm not sure if that's working better or we're just getting to a better time of year. Either way, she's not coughing every time she goes to sleep, which is a good improvement!

*She still loves books, Disney movies, princesses, Dora, puzzles, coloring, playdough, Sesame Street, and Little People. A typical preschooler, I suppose!

*She also still loves to help Mommy and Daddy. She likes working with us in the kitchen and helping to make things. But she also likes going places, especially shopping, the library, and the park. *She definitely has two-year-old energy and often has two-year-old attitude. She's already perfected rolling her eyes and doesn't always appreciate being told what to do. She knows she will get in trouble if she says, "NO" to us, so she has started saying, "I don't want to." It's difficult to explain to her that it doesn't matter if she wants to, she has to do it anyway.

*We're working on teaching her more about Jesus, although explaining "God" to a 2-year-old is tough. She still says the prayer for us before dinner ("Thank you, Jesus, for our food. Amen."), and we've started praying together at bedtime, too. She loves hearing the stories in her toddler bible and listening to her "Bible Songs" CD. Her favorite right now is Noah--she can sing a song about him and we read the story of the ark every day.

*I'm truly savoring (almost) every moment of being with my little girl. I think now that I know baby #2 is a boy, it makes me appreciate my time with her even more, and all of the special girl things we get to do together. She is a joy and a challenge, and I wouldn't have it any other way.