Four-CHEN-ate!: Lainey is Two!

We celebrated Lainey's birthday this year at the zoo! It's quite a drive but the kids love it and the weather was perfect so it was a fun day! So far, Victor has always been able to take a day off of work for the kids birthdays and we try to do something fun as a family. I'm not sure what we will do once the kids are in school but for now it's a fun tradition!

What is Lainey like at two?!

1)Sleeping:
          Sleeps pretty well. She sleeps from approximately 8 PM to 6AM and then takes a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. We transitioned her out of the crib at 19 months of age.

2) Eating:
Lainey was an extremely picky eater from around 6 months to 18 months. She seems to have figured things out now and rarely complains about what I serve her. She still is drinking rice or almond milk as cows milk gives her diarrhea. She has a sweet tooth and begs for cake/cookies if she knows they are in the house! She also loves diet coke. We of course don't give it to her but she will try to find way to sneak mine (I drink 1 can a day)! She still loves fruit a lot (except cantaloupe).

3) Likes:
   -Lainey has strong opinions and therefore is more vocal about her likes and dislikes. I find this pretty cute!
         -She LOVES her flower blanket and won't sleep without it.
         -Gymnastics
          -Climbing
         -Playing chase
         -Her baby dolls
   -Swimming (jumping in!)
         -Buckling carseat straps
         -The book HOP ON POP (she has this almost completely memorized)

          -Her daddy

Look at those amazing arm muscles!

Lainey loves the swing!

4) Dislikes:
   - Missing out on anything
         -Having someone take something from her
         - There are others I just can't think at the moment

5) Development:
I am amazed at how much Lainey has changed over the year. She is definitely not a baby anymore. She talks in complete sentences and has a funny sense of humor. She runs and jumps well. She is starting to recognize shapes and colors correctly. She counts to 3 correctly and can fill in other numbers on the way up to 10 but I don't think she knows what it means. She loves playing with Erik and seems to be more interactive then he was at this age (with him, not other kids yet). She loves puzzles, Dr. Suess books, climbing/being active, and baby dolls. She likes to feed, nurse, rock, burp, and put her dolls in time out. She sometimes brings her dolls to me and asks me to nurse them for her. She is fearless and independent. At the same time she can be quite reserved and often observes for quite a while in a new situation. She doesn't cling to me but doesn't engage fully until comfortable. She has been potty trained for about 4 months now. She still has occasional accidents (1x/week or so) but never wears diapers/pull-ups except for sleeping. Quite impressive!

Lainey is around 25 pounds and 34.5 inches but she hasn't had her official 2 year check up yet!

Dolls in timeout

6) Personality:

Lainey is a delightful little girl! She has a wonderful sense of humor and is really playful. She loves being the center of attention (in comfortable situations) and often tells me, "Look at me Mommy!" when doing something she wants me to notice.

Lainey really wasn't the happiest baby or toddler but this has improved significantly during the past few months. (Yay!) I am not sure if it is because she is so verbal now that she is less frustrated or if it is because she feels better after getting the ear tubes?! Either I am happy my little girl isn't such a grump anymore. :)

Lainey has a sweet little voice that I hope I never forget. It is so sweet and cute. Here are some phrases we hear frequently from Lainey that makes me smile....

       - While in the car, "Where are we Mommy? Are we lost?!"

       - "Look at ME mommy!"

       - "My turn!" "I do it!"

       -"Iwuvu"

Today, Lainey was playing with a cup and washcloth. She got the hand held food chopper out and starting chopping. When Victor asked her what she was doing she said, "I pack Daddy's lunch!"

Lainey has a funny sense of humor. One thing she has found particularly funny at the moment is the word poop. She (and Erik) will shout this out and the giggle like it is the funniest thing ever.

Best of Friends aka Double Trouble!

Lainey LOVES Erik and they will play together for a long time. I love watching this relationship develop.

Lainey is feisty and willing to break rules more than Erik has has been. Erik seems to understand this so he has started using her to do "naughty" things. If he knows they shouldn't be doing something but thinks it would be fun he will whisper the plan to Lainey. She is almost always happy to participate. Luckily for Lainey, Erik isn't very sly yet so I always know when her has sent her on a mission!

Lainey loves baby Carson and often wants to share her beloved blanket with him. She frequently requests to hold him and kiss him.