Sparkly and Special at 2.5

Adrienne, you are now officially 2 1/2! Jillian got you pretty fired up about this milestone, because all you could talk about today was how it was your "birfday" and that you are a big girl now. Incidentally, you decided you wanted to wear underwear again today and you did keep them dry. I hope that this new "big girl status" sticks for you and that we can be done with the potty games.  I think now is a fitting time to record a snapshot of your developmental highlights. You are really something else, little one!

I didn't think it was possible, but you are even more "girly" than Jillian. You love your jewels, amulets, tutu, sparkly shoes, bracelets, anything that you can add as an accessory, and you generally add them all at once. You describe everything as "spah-kuly" and say "It's special to me". I can count on one hand the number of times a day that we have a conversation that does NOT include an inquiry about where your tutu is, or the declaration of wearing a tutu.  You are all tutu, all the time.  You also NEED a princess dress on most every second, and your favorite is your "Princess Elowa" (aka Sleeping Beauty or Princess Aurora) dress. You proclaim that you are beautiful (and of course you are right) and prance about your royal kingdom like you own the place (I'd say it's 50/50 with your sister, but you've got a good handle on this 'kingdom'). I find the constant dress-up to be darling, but it does create a slight barrier with potty training because of all the extra undressing, and we have had several princess-dress-meets-toilet-water incidents in recent weeks. Your Minnie Mouse headband ("my Minnie ears") is also another favorite accessory, and it is generally one I let slide and leave the house with us (along with the Sofia amulet). The rest have to stay home because it's just too hard to handle all the extra fabric of these costumes on top of the necessary winter gear. I am up to my ears in fine laundry over here.

You remain intent on doing whatever it is your sister is doing, and I don't suspect that will change for awhile. This means you now like to walk on your toes, insist on sitting up at the bar for snacks (instead of your booster), put on your own shoes, brush your own teeth, take off your own clothes, and climb in the bathtub without help. The two of you are best friends, but also can be like oil and water: you are certainly sisters in that regard. Your particular means of fighting with Jillian include screaming, gritting your teeth and getting in her face while saying "No Jee-yan" and sometimes I hear the word "stupid" (this gets you a stern reprimand), and  there is the occasional slap. This is all normal banter, I know, but it's hard to watch you two behave in this way. I remember my mom lecturing my sisters and I about how special sisters are, and I find myself doing the same thing. You looked at me with wide eyes last night in the bathtub and listened as I gave my best serious talk about how you will always have each other and should treat each other well.  And then you clocked your sister in the head. Classic.

You are goofy. Oh boy, you are goofy. You are a natural comedian and love to make everyone laugh with your little jokes and silly expressions. You also can't stop talking about how things were "when I was a little girl" and "Mom, when I was a grown-up, I...." You also like to say that you made everything. The story is that you made your "wuby swippers" (ruby slippers) with glitter and glue.

You are a great little night time sleeper (to sleep between 7-7:30) and you generally rise after Jillian in the morning (between 7:30-8). We are done with naps/rest time, but I still manage to trick you a few days a week with a 30 minute car nap on the way to pick Jillian up from school. You are an appropriately picky eater for your age, which basically means you eat nothing. Your current favorite food is mini whole wheat bagels with whipped cream cheese. You lick the cheese off, and then ask for more "bagel and cweam cheese". You think the bagel is bread and that the cream cheese encompasses the 'bagel and cream' cheese.  You continue to adore milk, yogurt, and any smoothie I make. You hate Cheerios, love Alpha Bits and Kix, think scrambled eggs are awesome, and have a love/hate relationship with peanut butter (peanut butter sandwich crackers you love, but a PBJ sandwich is out of the question). You'd eat 3 bananas at a time if I let you.

You are my baby, a true snuggler, cuddly little thing. I love that about you, except when we are out in public somewhere and you suddenly decide you want to be carried. In that case (it's almost always at preschool drop off when it's already pure madness), you will stand and scream "Mom, carry me!" over and over and over in a frantic, tearful tone. It's puzzling to me. You are happy in the morning, and joyful anytime we reunite after being apart--"Mom, you came back! I missed you so much!" You are sparkly and so, so special to me. Love you, A.

A couple cute clips of our diva. I tried to elicit her cute little speech and use of "spah-kuly"

Ah, the "potty treat blue dryer". A stocking stuffer that is a tube of M&Ms with an M&M figure and fan on top. She has no clue there are actual candies inside, and instantly decided this was a "blue dryer" to style her hair. 

This is the real Adrienne--a true princess, diva, and girly girl.