EVB: 3 Years + 6 Months Old!

Ellen is officially 3 and a half! (That's halfway to 7!) Our little blonde-haired girl is getting so big. I know I've been saying for awhile now how she seems to be transforming into a big kid, but it is so true. I swear sometimes she actually grows overnight and she continues to be able to do more and more for herself each day. For instance, we recently stopped to play at one of the playgrounds at the Minnesota Zoo (our first visit to an outdoor play area this season) and I was blown away by Ellen's climbing and balancing skills. She has come so far since last summer/fall. Watching her, I was equal parts proud and sad about the fact that my baby is growing up. Here's what else EVB has been up to lately:

• Showing more independence dressing/undressing ... She still needs help with sleeves from time to time, but can do pretty much everything else and recently mastered putting on her shoes by herself.
• Wearing underwear overnight, every night. A little while back we finally ditched the Pull-up for bedtime. I know we could have (and probably should have) done this a lot sooner, but I think it became  a habit and an unnecessary insurance policy for mom and dad.
• Socializing: Ellen has come out of her shell lately in terms of her interactions with other kids. For instance, now at ECFE class I overhear her say such things as, "Hi Paige. I saved a spot for you." It's fun to observe these little conversations with her friends.
• Doing a great job at her YMCA tumbling class. Ellen loves going to the Y for classes. The teachers are great and she's enjoying learning skills like walking on a balance beam. (One not so fun thing from class: Last week, Ellen told me that a little boy called her a pig and a puppy and that it hurt her feelings. Ellen informed me that her teacher helped her deal with this kid, but I was heartbroken to know that someone was unkind to my child ... )
• Talking with her hands on her hips. Constantly. Thankfully, it's not done in a sassy kind of a way (at least, not yet) ... it's done more so in an I-think-I'm-an-adult type manner.
• Working on saying words that start with "s" + "c" or "k" ... For as long as we can remember, Ellen has pronounced words like "school," "skate" and "ski" as "sool," "sate," and "si." She has always been able to say her "s" and "c"/"k" sounds separately, but struggles with putting the two sounds together. Now Ellen PROUDLY says "ssss" [PAUSE] "cool" for school, which is super sweet. :)
• Favoring showers over baths. Something about this really makes Ellen seem like a big kid!
• Being a LITTLE bit more patient/gentle/sweet with June. This is still a work in progress. Thankfully, "Please help me to give June space" seems to always make it into Ellen's bedtime prayers.
• Anxiously waiting for spring/summer weather to show up (like everyone else in Minnesota)! Ellen loves being outdoors so the unseasonably cold/snowy weather has been a big stinker for her!

JEB: 13 Months Old!

Even though it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating her first birthday, June hit the 13-montn milestone on the 15th. It's been a busy few weeks for our little lady in terms of new skills and development. June can now:

• WALK! She took her first couple of steps on April 5 and has been taking more and more every day since. In fact, walking is now her preferred mode of transportation.
• Brush her hair
• Assist in brushing her teeth (June's job is to hold the tube of baby toothpaste while I brush.)
• Hold up her finger to tell you that she's "1"
• Make a pig and duck noise on command (though they sound pretty similar ... and they are pretty much the noises she makes when she points to any picture of any animal).
• Say "Ellen" or at least something that sounds pretty close to "Ellen"
• Say "Dada" ALL the time (when referring/pointing to Adam), but also when she's not sure of or can't say a word. (For instance, no matter how many times we tell her that her name is June, she points to herself and says "Dada" ... At this point, I'm pretty sure she does this because she thinks it's hilarious when we react by saying, "No, you're name is June!")
• Deliver books to your lap and grunt loudly until you read them. Again. And again. And again.
• Grunt and point to tell you all about the apparently VERY important things that are on her mind
• Feed her babies bottles and food, complete with sucking/munching sound effects
• Take her babies/buddies for rides in doll strollers or anything with wheels that she can push
• Tuck her babies into bed
• Pick mom's nose while being nursed
• Show her teeth on command by way of a super-cheesy smile
• Fold her arms over her tummy in satisfaction after handing someone something or completing a task
• Sing some "la la" sounds along to the "Elmo's World" theme song
• Wear a purse ... June is particularly obsessed with a little red purse we have. She is often found looking extremely proud as she wears it on her little arm.

June continues to be a good eater. Her current favorite foods are Mexican rice, turkey and mandarin oranges. Recently, June had her first free chocolate chip cookie at Target and, of course, she LOVED it. She's slowly but surely drinking more cow's milk with meals, but still nurses about four times a day.

June has four teeth (two on top and two on the bottom) with a fifth tooth (on top) working it's way through her little gum.

June is still doing pretty well sleeping at night (going to bed around 7 p.m.), but will occasionally wake up and let us know that she is awake. :) She's still taking a morning nap around 9 (if we're not out and about) and an afternoon nap after lunch.

JEB can still fit into many of her 6-12-month clothes, but now wears mostly 12-18 months. Still in size 4 shoes and size 3 diapers. :)

Junie's hair is staring to fill in and get longer in the back, so we're seeing some good "bed head" lately. Even with crazy hair, we still think she's one cute little peanut who gets sweeter by the day!

 

Some crawling for old time's sake

"I'm 1!"

 

Feeding Elmo a carrot

Taking Bunny for a ride

Taking Mouse for a ride

Walking with a purse: Fancy!

June's wobbly, looks-like-she's-been-drinking walk

This red purse really does hold all a girl's necessities ...

"I'm so cute, there's no way you can refuse to read 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?' for the 87th time today."

EVB: 3 Years + 5 Months Old!

Ellen is now 3 years and 5 months old! It's crazy to think about how much she's grown (physically, intellectually and emotionally) since a year ago, around the time June was born. She's such a "kid" now ... EVB continues to be Miss Independent and (still) does a great job entertaining herself (and everyone else) with her imagination and gift of gab.

Ellen's latest funnies:

• When showing her a hand-cut silhouette we had made in her likeness, "Oh, that's me when I used to be black!"
• Starting sentences with, "Mom, there's something I need to ask you ..." or, "Mom, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

We sure love our sweet, funny girl and can't believe that she's almost 3 and a half!