well, it's the new year....

a little recap/update on the girls:

Sydney:
Sydney will be 2 and 1/2 on the 14th of this month. She has blossomed into quite the little girl. She sometimes has to be reminded to say "please" when asking for something, but she almost always says Thank You for everything. There isn't a word Bug doesn't seem to know.. or can't learn on the spot. I taught her Mele Kalikimaka this past holidays, although she says it more like "Mele Kakiki Maka".

She'll chat up a storm and she's so so smart! Even auntie Christine says so... and I believe her opinion since she has a background in education - she knows what smart is. :). And our realtor, Rebecca, was amazed at how much she talks and the full on conversations she'll have with you, for only being 2. She knows her full name and Annabelle's full name and only got the 2 middle names confused for about a day. She can tell you that she is 2 and Annabelle is "almost 1".

She knows the words to more nursery-type songs than I do. Some on her list: Full ABC song, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row your Boat, Jingle Bells, Silver Bells, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old MacDonald, Please and Thank you - there are more that I am blanking on right now.

She's still a small peanut. Our scale at home registers her at about 26 pounds... but that darn thing weighs me about 3 pounds lighter than at the doctors office - so I'm guessing she's somewhere between 27 and 30. She loves to stand on the scale at home. She is wearing size 4 diapers and size 2T/3T Pull-ups. She has been wearing size 6 shoe since July, but I'm starting to put a couple of her 7's on her even though they are a tiny bit roomy. She wears pretty much 2T or 24mo. size shirts/dresses. She can wear 2T or 24mo in pants, but they are usually too long still - so her 18mo size jeans still fit best.

Sydney can dress herself, even shoes! She sometimes still needs help getting socks on. She know which foot is her "right" foot, and which foot is her "left" foot. But sometimes gets shoes on the wrong feet. All you have to say is "switch feet" and she will then get them on correctly. She knows that when putting on pants, the "tag goes in the back" and never has an issue putting pants on wrong.

She still hates to wear bows or barretts to keep her hair out of her face, so we continue to get her bangs trimmed. Still no "real" haircut yet since her ringlet-type curls are still so precious. After bath, when her hair is brushed out straight, it comes down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Her favorite color is PINK! Followed closely by purple. However, blue seems to be her favorite color crayon. She loves taking care of her "babies", and would totally try to take care of her sister if I would let her (which I won't)... swaddle them, change them, carry them around, rock them to sleep. She also loves to clean the kitchen floor - especially if I hand her a wet papertowel and let her go to town looking for any new spots to wipe. Awesome!

Sydney loves all things "Tinkerbell". We have 4 sets of Tinkerbell Jammies, plus all the various Tink stuff she got at Christmas.

Potty training has been an issue all it's own the past 6 months or so. Sydney seemed super ready around 19-20months. Right around the time Annabelle arrived. She'd tell me she needed to pee, or tell me after poop (always after). However, she was still in the "under2" room at daycare and they can't do potty in that room. After 2 they have the staff and facilities to help with potty training at school... so at the time she seemed ready, she still had to be in diapers full time at daycare. Plus, the arrival of Annabelle also eventually threw a wrench in things. After a couple months, Bug seemed to regress a bit... wanting bottles (nope!) and "want to go like a baby" - which means she wants me to hold her cradle-style and rock her. At this point, we've been getting her to try AM and PM on school days. At "school", they occassionally can get her to try there too. The most recent past weekend, she maybe tried 2 or 3x's a day. At least she's no longer screaming and fighting about it like a month or so ago. I just keep hoping that one day she'll just wake up and have it "click" that she's done with diapers.

As for diapers... she likes to put them on herself most of the time. Pull ups are easy for her. Diapers, not so much. It's funny to watch her struggle to hold the back in place and try to pull the front up. Yes.. we're still doing diapers. Pull-ups are expensive, and since she's really not been all that ready to use them as intended... then its back to diapers for now. (actually I usually alternate). I just refuse to put her in Pull-ups full time like a couple months ago, if she's just going to continue to use them exactly like her diapers. So, as she tries the potty more... we'll slowly work back to only Pull-ups.

And now on to Annabelle:

Annabelle is pushing a year already. 10+ months. She has just started standing unassisted. I'd like to say she's on the verge of walking... but Bug was at this point too and it ended up taking her until after her 1st birthday. I am hoping Belle walks before Bug did. So far, Belle has done everything slower/later than Bug. Pulled to standing 2 days later than Sydney did. Started eating solids 2+ months later than Sydney. Got her first teeth a month after Sydney did.... I'd just like Belle to be "first" this time. (and yes, I know it's not a competition - whatever).

Annabelle is pretty mellow overall. However, day to day you never know what "mood" she'll be in. Some days she likes to be held and have a lot of attention, and other days she's perfectly content to play by herself. She does like to shriek when Sydney comes along and steals away what she was playing with. I'm sure she'll get Sydney back someday for all these wrongs done to her.

At our doc appt 4 days ago, Annabelle was 20 pounds, 5 ounces. (chunker!). She can comfortably wear size 9mo clothes and size 12mo. She is in size 3 diapers - but I think I'll be moving her to size 4 soon. She doesn't really wear shoes, but size 3 is what currently fits her.

She has no words yet... but is well versed in "babbling". We heard "dada" in the babbles yesterday.

She's had no choice but to be content with daddy. Sydney is my momma's girl. Sydney needs my attention. Me to help her dress or put on shoes - if she'll let me. Me to sit next to her while on the potty. Me to put her to bed. Me to hold her when she's upset. Me to sit with her at the table, etc.... And while I'm still the one who can calm and soothe Annabelle the best, there are lots of times that she has to go with Daddy since mommy is being occupied by the older sister. I'm betting it's that way for a lot of 2nd babies with siblings that were younger (I mean, not like a 5 year age gap or anything - but like us with 2 under 2 early on)

She currently has 4 teeth. The 2 middles ones on both the top and the bottom. We call her our "beaver" with these teeth. She chews on EVERYTHING. She most likes to chew on her crib. I have to fuss at her sternly and say "Annabelle!" And she'll stop and look at me all bewildered. Then I tell her we do not chew on our crib while shaking my head from side to side. She'll smile then go right back to chewing on her crib. (sigh) She's been so fussy the past week or so, that I am certain that more teeth will be popping through soon.

Annabelle sleeps through the night like a rock-star. Her nighttime routine is to hang out with the family in the bedroom while we get Sydney ready for bed and settled - usually around 7:30pm. THen Daddy takes Annabelle downstairs for a bottle - she drinks and usually falls asleep while he's holding her. Then she gets a new small bottle (4oz) around 9:45pm, and gets put down for the night in her crib.

Have a wonderful 2012 everyone!