JEB: 2 Years Old!

Not sure how it's possible, but June turned 2 years old on March 15. TWO YEARS!?! I love that she's growing and developing, but it makes me sad that she's creeping further away from babyhood and inching her way toward big-kid status ... Regardless, June is such a peach and we find so much joy from just being around her. It's nearly impossible not to smile when she's around; she's the perfect antidote if you're having a less than stellar day. Here's was our big 2-year-old is up to these days:

• (Still) asserting her independence: "I do it myself!" is one of June's favorite phrases. And, we're learning that you're often better off letting June do things the way she thinks they must be done even if it seems completely illogical. (For example, if you mistakenly take June's banana peel from her while she's eating at the table and throw it into the trash,  instead of uselessly arguing with June and trying to explain that she can throw it away next time, it's best to retrieve the banana peel from the basket, return it to June and then bring the waste basket over to the table so June can throw away the peel herself.) We jump through ridiculous hoops sometimes, but if it can prevent a 30-minute tantrum, I'm all for a minute of pure silliness. 
• Trying to wean from her paci. We've been talking a lot about giving her paci to babies, throwing it away, etc., and June seems to get that big girls don't use pacifiers, but we're still a ways away from completely pulling the plug (literally). We've worked our way down to keeping the paci in June's crib only, but have yet to have a nap or nighttime slumber without it. I know 2-years-old is our pediatrician's  threshold and, believe me, I'd like the paci gone more than anyone, but I don't know if we'll be able to go cold turkey anytime soon. Stay tuned ... and wish us luck!
• Stacking. Right now June loves to stack blocks, build towers and sort things from biggest to smallest.
• Counting. June is improving upon her counting skills by actually starting to take the time to count each individual item instead of just rattling off numbers 1-20.
• Working on letters. Now that June has mastered colors, she's moved on to letters and is beginning to recognize more uppercase letters. "R" is still the only one she always gets right. Go figure.
• Singing. June loves to sing, especially little songs from her favorite show, "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood." My favorite is her rendition of a song called "Grownups Come Back" about missing Mom & Dad when they leave, but knowing that they always come back. It goes, "Grownups come back to you ... Grownups come back they do ... Gro-ooowwn-ups come back." June recently sang this song to herself through tears when she was sad about being left at childcare at the Y. It was the cutest, saddest thing ever!
• Still eating pretty well and sleeping about 11-12 hours at night with one 2-3 hour nap each day after lunch.
• Wearing size 18-24 month clothes with a few 2T sizes starting to make their way into the mix. June is wearing size 6 shoes, but was recently sized at a 7. Although size 7 shoes still seem huge on her, I'm sure that's what we'll buy as we plan for the warmer weather.
• Wearing size 4 diapers even though they're a little roomy on her tiny buns/waist.
• We'll get the rest of June official stats next week at her 2-year-old well visit.

This was the best we could do for a monthly chair picture ...

June has zero interested in sitting still and wanted only to see pictures of herself on the camera.

EVB: 4 Years + 4 Months Old!

Ellen had another fun-filled month of being 4! She's continuing to grow like a weed and is having a blast exploring the world around her. Here's what Miss EVB has been up to:

• Writing. Ellen is getting better and better at printing her first name and now prints June's name, too!
• Agreeing to watch (certain) movies again. Ellen has been on a movie strike for several months, insisting that every movie under the sun is "too scary" to watch. Well, a few weeks ago, I somehow convinced Ellen to go on a date with me to see "Frozen" in the theater. SHE LOVED IT! (So did I!) Ellen was brave through the few scary parts and couldn't get enough of the main characters, Princesses Elsa & Anna. She now talks non-stop about "Frozen" and even attempts to belt out a few of the songs from the movie. 
• Hosting Prayer Bear. Ellen recently was chosen to take "Prayer Bear" home from preschool. Each child gets a chance to spend time with the stuffed bear and then journal about their adventures with him. Ellen was beyond excited and Prayer Bear went everywhere with her for the few days we had him. It was a great lesson in responsibility for our little lady since we had to be certain Prayer Bear didn't get dirty or lost. :)
• Hiding things. Ugh ... Ellen has a new habit of placing random objects in random locations. Our lives right now are filled with missing shoes, puzzle pieces and small toys. Countless items go unseen for days until we find them underneath rugs, behind couch pillows, buried deep in the stuffed animal bin, etc. It's cute, I suppose, but it sure makes it difficult for us to stay organized. :)
• Loving her role of "oven checker." I recently showed Ellen how the oven light works, so she has declared herself the resident checker of food cooking in the oven. It's her job to check on the melting/browning status of our meals to ensure everything is cooked to perfection.

JEB: 23 Months Old!

We still have one month to go before the big day, but June is already acting like a full-fledged 2-year-old. Independence is the name of June's game ... She is all about doing everything on her own, whether it's something she can do (e.g., put on her hat and mittens) or something she is not yet physically capable of doing (e.g., climbing into the child seat of the Target shopping cart by herself). Needless to say, we hear a lot of "No, I do it myself!" from Miss June and while she's usually pretty mad and/or frustrated when she says it, it mostly just makes us laugh. Here's what else Miss Independent has been up to lately:

• Staking her claim on everything. However, instead of saying "mine" like most toddlers, June says, "That's special to me!" to deter you from taking or even touching whatever it is she has deemed important to her. We're learning that lots of things are "special" to June, including toys, forks, articles of clothing, the wet diaper she's wearing ...
• Exhibiting generosity. June likes to offer things like toys, napkins, etc., to others by saying, "A [item name] for yooooooooooooou."
• Going to "school." June and I recently started an ECFE class, which has been great. June has fun washing her hands, eating snack like a big kid and playing with her teachers and friends. June especially likes circle time where we sing songs and dance. She loves to tell everyone she encounters (most recently the sales associate at Hirshfield's), "I go to schooooool!" while throwing her arms up in the air in excitement.
• Galloping. It's June's new preferred way of getting from point A to point B.
• Giving compliments. In addition to her frequent "I love yous," June showers me with compliments like "Pretty hair, Mommy," "Pretty eyes" and "Pretty pink slippers" all day long. She sure knows how to warm my heart!
• Requesting to use the toilet. June's success rate isn't the greatest, but June likes to give the whole potty toilet thing a lot of practice.
• Gearing up to ditch her paci. We've been talking to June a lot about not needing her pacifier anymore since she's a big girl. The first thing June says when we get her out of the crib in the morning is, "I don't need a paci; I'm a big girl," but we're still working on putting this sentiment into action. Hopefully we can kick the paci habit before June's birthday!

EVB: 4 Years + 3 Months Old!

Miss Ellen added another stellar month to the books ... Here's what she's been up to:

• Making believe. Ellen has always been great at independent play and can easily entertain herself, but she's recently added more imagination to the mix. She no longer takes things (mostly Mom's suggestions/ideas) so literally, e.g., "No, Mom, that is not a magic wand; it is just a pencil" and instead thinks outside of the box. One of my favorites is how she pretends our front closet is an elevator. :)
• Working on the little "e" and "n" in her name. Ellen has been a master of "E-l-l" for quite some time and now we're seeing big improvements in the "e-n" portion of "Ellen."
• Spending more time in her kitchen. Ellen and June's play kitchen has evolved into a restaurant managed by a very bossy cook/server. Ellen dictates what food is available (even if you know with certainty the specific items she has stowed away in her fridge) and she allows you to order only one item from her menu.
• Dressing up. Ellen likes to model various princess dresses and shoes. She's not the most graceful thing, but she has fun feeling fancy. :)
• Continuing to blossom at preschool. I had an opportunity to volunteer in Ellen's classroom recently and I noticed that she is much more outgoing than she was when I volunteered earlier in the school year. I observed her initiating conversation with a number of friends and responding more to questions posed to the group by her teachers. She also proved to be a good listener and rule follower. (Yea!)

JEB: 22 Months Old!

Holy cow, just two more months until Junie Bug is 2! I have a hard time believing that she's as old as she is since, to me, she still looks like such a little peanut. (I think a big part of that is due to the fact she still does not have a whole lot of hair. While she did finally have her first haircut, June still has less hair than a lot of kids who are much younger. And, when Ellen was June's age, she was able to wear her hair in full-fledged pigtails ... ) Despite her appearance, June is turning into a big girl right before our eyes. As of late, she talks more like a big girl, plays like a big girl and is even staring to sass a little bit like a big girl. Here's what she's been up to this past month:

• Working on her 2-year-old vocabulary. June has given us a few previews of the challenges I'm sure are to come in the next year or so by using phrases such as, "No, that's mine," "No, I don't want to," "No, I don't like it" and  "I'm mad!" We have big sister Ellen to thank for a few of these ... Luckily, for now, they're mostly just a good source of entertainment for us.
• Mimicking Ellen. In addition to some new phrases, June copies just about everything Ellen does: the way she walks, makes silly faces, how she plays with certain toys ... Needless to say, we've been stressing with Ellen the importance of setting a good example.
• Wanting, desperately, to be included in everything. No matter what anyone says, June wants to make sure she's a part of it ... even when we recount something we did when she wasn't present. For example, if I say, "I want some more coffee," June is quick to say, "I want coffee, too!" Or, if Adam says, "I had a busy day at work," June will scream, "I had a busy day at work, too!" 
• Getting in more practice on the potty toilet. June has shown interest in sitting on the toilet here and there. Mostly, I think she just likes to page through magazines/books while she's sitting there.
• Doing things all by herself. June likes to put on her own hat and mittens and try to do most things all by herself these days. We hear a lot of "Look at me!" and "I did it!" throughout the day.
• Still loving books. June's current favorites are "Caps for Sale," "Llama, Llama Nighy-Night" and "Lady with the Alligator Purse."
• Saying "Guess how much I wuv you?" followed quickly by "Moon and back!" It's the sweetest thing ever.

In other news, June is still a great sleeper at night and has been taking extra long naps lately. (I think she must be going through a growth spurt.) I just added all of the 2T clothes to her dresser and closet (some items are still rather big on her, though) and our next diaper purchase will be size 4. (I realized the other day that June has been wearing size 3 diapers since she was 7 months old! This girl has nothing in the way of hips/buns!) True to form, June is STILL working on her four incisors. I'm hoping they pop through soon since I've been planning on using the arrival of these four teeth to phase out June's beloved paci. :)

June's First Haircut

It took almost 22 months, but June finally had her first haircut. It happened sort of on a whim ... We had an appointment for Ellen to get a little trim and while we were there, I casually asked the salon owner/stylist when she thought June would be ready for her first snip. Well, next thing I know, June's up in the chair wearing a cape like a big girl. It happened so fast I don't think she had time to realize what was going on or get upset. She didn't shed a single tear or squirm even the slightest bit. She did great! And, she looked pretty darn adorable sitting alongside her big sister at the beauty shop. JEB now has a sweet little bob to solidify her transition into a "big girl."

EVB: 4 Years + 2 Months Old!

Ellen looks like a giant lately. OK, maybe not an actual giant, but giant compared to the little person I think of her as in my mind's eye. She looks like a school-aged kid ... so tall and grown-up looking. You almost have to strain to see any remnants of the squishy little baby/toddler that once inhabited our house. I feel simultaneously sad and proud to see her growing before our eyes. At times I wish I could keep her little forever, while at other times I all I want to do is encourage her to learn and grow more because she'd turning into a pretty great big kid (of course, she still has her moments ...).  Here are a few highlights of the past month with EVB:

• Ellen is developing into the best big sister. She is (for the most part) so kind to and patient with June.
• EVB is showing more responsibility in terms of listening, helping around the house, etc. Heck, she even attempted to clean up her own barf (or "bark" as she calls it) in the middle of the night during a recent bout with a stomach bug. (We advised her that, in the future, it's best to let Mom or Dad manage the cleanup!)
• Ellen has shown a lot of maturity lately in terms of maintaining an even temperament in spite of odd/new schedules. We were blown away by how well Ellen handled all of our social engagements during the holidays ... She was always in a good mood and did a great job cooperating with all the coming and going, socializing with new/different people, being in unfamiliar places, etc.

Hooray for another great month with our Elle-Belle!

Heading out to play in the snow on what of the few warmer days

Ellen & Dad's snowman