G at {nearly} 23 months

At 23 months of age, G is still a super sweet little girl--just with some firey 'terrible two' outbursts that are CRAZY, complete with screaming, flailing, stomping, and non-logical reasoning. Aside from those bursts, she is the best little girl you'll ever met. She's a great big help with J, as I knew she would be, and she has picked up on some vital things... Like he gets fed milk from me (but she doesn't remember nursing, since she weaned 6 months before he was born, so she doesn't even think she should nurse too, whew), and he needs consoled when he is crying. She knows he takes naps and has a bed time, and she knows he has his own toys, clothes, blankets, etc. I love that she calls him by his name and by 'bebe.' I'm glad she can realize two things can be called by different names. She'll bring me burp rags, pillows, blankets, and stand guard if he's crying. She'll tickle his feet when he needs cheering up, and she hands me diapers or wipes and declares which ever type of diaper it is (peeee-peeeee or poooooe-pooooe!). She does get frustrated if he is not where she thinks he "should" be--like in his bed, or in the swing (that he has yet to like), or on his play mat. G has a very serious sense of right and wrong, black and white, and there's really not much room for grey at this point...so you can imagine patience is lacking for her (and her mother). It's generally cute, though, because she knows how things need to be (baby is tired, baby should lay down, baby should sleep...though we all know that doesn't always happen when and how it should!)

First time holding baby brother, Jan 2013

• She is talking fairly well, compared to a few months ago. She has tons of words, including colors! She doesn't really do phrases, and most of her words are hard for a stranger to understand. I can usually tell exactly what she is talking about, but I do spend 24/7 (quite literally) with her. 
• She loves to pretend, and I'm pretty sure her imagination is very advanced for her age. I catch her making pretend sounds when she is cooking, playing with cars or other machines, and she covers up babies, cooks in her kitchen, and the like. 
• She's got incredible fine and gross motor skills. She's jumping and running, and pushing and pulling. She's a regular preschool-wanna-be. My favorite thing is that she likes to push J's rock and play (his bucket seat, as we call it around here) from the kitchen to the living room when we are going from eating to playing, and vise versa. She has to maneuver it around a corner or two and she barely nicks the walls. I'm fairly impressed. 
• She's been coloring like a champ for months now, but she's improving movements and strokes. 
• We play school on a routine basis--our main task now is counting 1-2-3 items/dots/marks/etc. I wish I could tell you I have a genius mathematician on my hands, but I'd say she's barely above average on mastery of this skill. I don't push it, we just have fun with it. Just today she asked to play 'count the {play food} eggs.' (more so motioned it than said it...seeing as how that's a phrase, and if you missed it above, she's not so much into phrases). 
• G's chores: setting the table, helping dust, helping with the dishwasher and laundry, picking up her things, putting her clothes in the hamper, and she'd love if I let her sweep or swiffer more...but all she does is push things around and make more work for me, so I rarely let her help with that. She helps collect the trash (moreso replacing the bags) with my husband.

looking so big!

Here are a few little anecdotes that give you a glimpse into her personality;

• The other night at dinner I handed her the salad dressings and told her to put them on the table. We go to sit down and my Italian dressing is next to my place, and my husband's honey mustard is next to his place. Intuitive, eh?
• Now that we are settling into our new stay at home every day / there's a new baby routine, Daniel Tiger at 10 am is pretty much an every day occurrence. Sometimes even half of Sid the Science Kid. G has always picked up on routines fairly easy, and grows super accustomed to them (so much so that she throws a fit if something is 'off'). The second morning we started this Daniel Tiger gig, she asked about him at breakfast and I pointed to the clock. I said, "first we'll eat breakfast, then play with toys, and then at 10 o'clock we'll watch Daniel Tiger." Ever since then, she points to the clock and says Rawrrrrr! I think it's quite amusing that she's come to associate the clock with the time when we will watch Daniel Tiger. I've tried to expand on this, and will continue to do so. Associating the clock with the time that we do certain things...first step in telling time.
• G loves to help at J's bath time, and sits guard next to his tub. She gives her baby a bath, including attempting to squirt out the bubbles from the bottle. It's darling, really.
• She knows many letters, but really only by who they belong to. M for momma, D for daddy, G, J, etc etc... She loves finding someone's letter and presenting it, very proud of herself.
• G likes to put on chapstick, but rubs it in with her hands... I'm sure she's not the first little girl to do this, but it's hilarious to watch.

If there's one thing she hasn't got going for her, it's that dang potty. I think I started too early, and it's lost it's appeal. She definitely knows when she is wet or dirty, and I swear she can hold it on command....and she'll sit on the potty, but won't ever go. I have stopped even asking or trying. I'll wait til the summer to push the issue, but I'm dreadfully hopeful that she'll do it on her own sooner. Like now, since we are 'homebound' anyways.

G's schedule is fairly loose, but it is basically bed time around 9 pm, awake around 8:15 am, 2ish hour nap around 2 pm. Generally, she goes down well. Sometimes she whines until one of us goes back in there, but I think that's mostly an attention / new baby thing that will hopefully wear off soon. It's way better than screaming like a banshee. She eats three meals a day and two snacks usually.

Her favorites as a 23 month old;

• Food--berries, chocolate, teddy grahams, ketchup (on ANYTHING), pears, juice boxes, cheese, and her main meat is ham or chicken nuggets. (new foods tried this month include eggplant Parmesan and quinoa; I've gotten much better about offering and making her try our meal)
• Toys--Caillou anything, magnets, play kitchen, colors
• Activity--anything outside the house, watching Daniel Tiger, doing projects, moving J's seat to where it 'needs' to be, talking on the phone (though she rarely says anything)
• Clothes--she's very fond of the yellow jacket my sister got her (seen in the top photo) & always accessorizing with a clippy (thankfully, because I still refuse to cut her hair. Those bangs will grow out one day)

G;s first snow man, Jan 2013

Next month?? My sweet girl turns two!! I've got a awesome Caillou party planned, but it's a very small and low key affair since she can't be around other kids during flu season due to J's extreme need to avoid any illness.