32 months old

Taylor turned 32 months old this week, and I’m sure you might think I’m overly ambitious in continually recording her monthly milestones on here, but this blog is basically her baby book. Oh, and I AM being super ambitious. I’ve got four more months of being the mother of an only-child, and you better believe I’m taking full advantage of it. We’re sleeping in, taking our time while eating our meals, reading books and keeping up-to-date with my blogging. Come the end of April, I’m gonna have a three year old AND a newborn. I’ll be lucky if I get a chance to brush my teeth before dinnertime.

We had a lot of fun this past month – We went to a parade, we celebrated Thanksgiving, we hosted company, we got to see princesses ice skate. Combine all of those things with our daily adventures and other new activities and you can say we’ve had a pretty successful month. And watching how well Taylor has handled all of our escapades only strengthens my feelings that she is going to be an awesome big sister. FINGERS CROSSED. I mean, I am totally aware that we are due for some days where I will be stuck at home with a tantrum-throwing three year old and a screaming infant, but I am still holding out hope that those will be the exception. And while I have absolutely no idea what kind of temperament the baby in my belly is going to have, I am fairly confident that Taylor is going to step it up and become an fabulous helper and all-around great big sister. FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED.

One interesting new habit to note this month is Miss Taylor insisting on picking out her daily outfits. And while I realize that I would not be able to coordinate my daughter’s clothing forever, I was hoping to get a little further than 31 months. And even though my Baby Gaga isn’t trying to wear metal-spiked platforms or onesies made out of meat, her daily outfits have included tutus, cowboy hats and almost all of her way-too-small summer dresses that I squeeze onto her over a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. Oh, and the other day she took Ruby’s leash and turned it into a belt.

We have also developed a newfound love for arts and crafts at our house this past month, and I always have a steady supply of construction paper, watercolors, markers and glue sticks in the house. She absolutely LOVES to do projects. And with the weather turning cold and our trips less and less to the park, any fun activity for her to do inside is alright with me. We just need to invest in a bigger fridge to display all of her artwork.

And here’s a confession from Mom, and it KILLS me to post it, but even though my little peanut is just months away from being three, she is still sleeping in her crib. With her binky.

Oh just strike me down with your disapproval and judgment now! I’m a horrible, lazy mother. But to defend myself, we are moving Taylor into her big girl room after Christmas, and when we take the crib out of her room we are also taking the pacifiers with it. She has never once tried to escape her crib, and Chris and I have very much enjoyed having her be confined in her own space as we unwind at the end of the day. And we just really, really hope that once we get her into that new bed she continues to stay in it for two hours during the afternoon and around 10-11 hours at night. And here I am, crossing all my digits again.

And while we’re on the subject of lagging behind, let’s just throw all the cards on the table and talk about potty training. I HATE POTTY TRAINING. We’re actually taking a bit of a break from it right now. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. Prizes and incentives, keeping her buck-naked, asking her every ten seconds if she has to use the bathroom... Nothing seems to be working. And it’s super frustrating. And I know that when she’s ready, she’ll be ready. But I’M ready to stop buying pull-ups and cleaning poo off the floor NOW. But I guess I should probably just face the fact that we might not get a break in changing diapers between now and when the baby comes. Ugh.

But it’s not all frustration and freak outs. In fact, overall we’ve had such an awesome month. I had mentioned in a previous post how her vocabulary is evolving daily, sometimes with words that make my skin crawl – SOMETHING! – but mostly with ordinary words that get jumbled around her tongue and come out sounding way more adorable than they really are. Like Slippery. Whenever we get home from an adventure and she takes her shoes off, she has to take her socks off too because, My socks are SWIPPERY on the floor. And I always laugh and say, What are your socks? And she matter-of-factly says back, They SWIPPERY. They make me fall down.

Another word I’m loving her saying is Cocoa. This past month Chris and I took her to Parent’s Night Out at the YMCA, where she stayed and played from 6-9 at night while we went to dinner. When we came back to get her she was sitting there watching a movie and sipping hot chocolate out of a to-go coffee cup, and when we asked her what she was drinking she chirped, CO-CO! with such distinction and enthusiasm we just had to include hot chocolate mix on our grocery list for the following week. And, since I’m sober Sally this holiday season, her and I have been indulging in a hot cocoa with marshmallows a few times a week after naps. Her CO-CO! being served luke-warm with a straw.

And while she is growing up right before my eyes and constantly testing me with new demands and a sassy attitude, I still feel very blessed to be able to spend all-day everyday with such a kissable, cuddly little girl. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, sometimes her behavior may force me to take deep, relaxing breathes while counting to ten in another room, but her sweetness and hilarious personality make my heart flinch with happiness everyday too. And every single day I am proud to be her Mom.