Addison Mae - 34 months

 

Two months till she's three. She had her official last day of Starbright ... and I might have cried. In my defense, both of her teachers did, too. She'll be on the preschool side of the children's area this summer and will start Warm World this fall. I'm so excited for all that means, but I'm pretty pitiful about it, too. She is so smart and constantly surprises me with the words she says or questions she asks. She is absolutely in love with her brother and tells me often that he's her best friend. While my mom and I had them at the doctor together recently, she about knocked my mom out to try to climb up to "save" her crying brother while he was getting his ears checked. She may look tiny but she is STRONG. And determined. Speaking of doctors, we're going on round two of ear infections since she lost one tube. I tried to interest the doctors in a two-fer tube placement session, but H's was serious enough we had to move really quickly. Otherwise, I'm SURE they would have taken me up on it. 

She LOVES to meet new people ... on an airplane, at the airport, on the beach, at the library, walking in to church. Wherever. And she has the sweetest little social skills. And the very best manners (when she wants to, mind you). Jordan and I are both fairly outgoing, but we've got nothing on this girl. She's forever telling me, "Mommy, I made a new friend!"

She was a superstar at her gymnastics recital, aka M&M party. She has learned so much and loves to show off. She also loved to boss all her friends in her class (imagine). She LOVED going to the beach with her family for a whole week. She was ecstatic to spend that much time with her daddy and pawpaw, especially, and kept reminding them that they didn't have to go to work. She squealed with delight when she saw the ocean and much preferred swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand to the pool. My brave girl loved riding the waves on a raft, too.

She may be a big girl, but she still says "Mommy, hold me" a lot, cries for me in the night when she's scared (or needs a drink, needs a blanket, needs a blanket removed, needs the fan on, needs the fan off, needs her humidifier ... etc) and needs my help for a lot of things. Thank goodness. Being a mom is hard, and my patience is often worn completely thin, or disappeared altogether ... but in my few moments of sanity, I realize how very precious it is to have two little people who depend on me so completely and love me so fully. I am so grateful to be their momma.

Weight: 29 pounds
Length: 36 inches

 New things:

• When helping give her brother a bath, asking why his parts are different than hers. I am honestly surprised it took five months for this to happen.  
• Going to the bathroom "by herself." Which means she removes her pants and underwear and leaves them approximately 12 miles from the bathroom, climbs up on the potty and then yells, "Moooommmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy."
• Practicing "school work" with her new preschool books. Homegirl is pretty awesome at number and letter recognition. She can draw both As and Hs, but in general holding and manipulating a pencil is a different story ... we're working on it. And I'm reminding myself that she's not quite 3. (Someone remind me I should never homeschool ... I do NOT have the patience for it.)
• Saying lots of funny things.
• When she says "I want to go with you" it sounds like "wish you." Makes my heart melt a little every time.
• On our beach vacation, we all started a 30 day ab challenge (perhaps to offset all the good food we were eating). She participated, of course, and calls it the "Firty Day Allange." So funny.
• Still says "I mam" instead of "I am." I hope she never gets it right.
• "That's cool"

Likes:

• Picnics. Which she doesn't realize usually happen outdoors. Ours are just on a blanket on the living room floor.
• Her (now two) inhalers. Weirdo. Just glad she's happy about them instead of fighting them.
• Coming to the finish line of two races I was running in to cheer for me. She does NOT care for the part where I won't stop and hold her ... you know, because I'm trying to finish. She has commandeered the medals from all my recent races.
• Martin Nature Park. To her, the tiny building with three specimens in it is pretty much the same as the Zoo (which she also loves). She loves feeding the giant turtles and catfish, too.
• Cooking with me. Especially if we're making chocolate chip banana bread or any type of cookie. When she helps me with onions, she always asks, "Will they make me blink, mommy?"
• Gymnastics. She loved her class, teacher, classmates. And was entirely obsessed about her "recital" at which they received M&Ms and a giant trophy. She proudly and seriously stepped right up on the podium, very first of the whole day, to receive hers. 
• Getting her face painted.
• Sidewalk chalking.
• Helping plant flowers. And watering abundantly, always including her own body.
• Giving Izzy her medicine.
• Swimming. And the beach. She keeps asking when we get to go back. 
• Balloons. 

Dislikes:

• Getting her ears checked. Or bubby getting his ears checked.
• Being away from her momma.
• Being told to do something she doesn't want to do. Or not to do something she does want to do
• Being told she needs help/can't do something on her own.