Daniel is 2!

At Gibbs gardens with Mama while the girls
 are away over spring break '17

Nov '16 - Aug '17


Daniel started preschool August 2017.  He is in the wee 2's (late toddlers) class with Ms. Trish.  He goes 2 mornings a week from 9-12.  Then in January he stays until 1.  Ellie's schedule is T/W/Th so they are both there on Wednesdays.


He enjoys going to school.  He is very quiet there but plays well.  His teacher tells us how smart he is because he understands directions and follows their routines very well.  And during coloring if she offers to switch his crayon to a different color, he knows if she really gives him a different color or the same one.  While some other kids don't notice if it's the same or not.


He's not as shy as Ellie but it still pretty quiet and cautious in an any new situation.  At home, he confidently goes about his life.  He is much more likely to try to get something for himself than the girls.  He'll climb on the counter to retrieve a bowl or cereal bar for breakfast.  He's content to play by himself and will do so happily while the girls are at school.  Jeff and I joke that he would have been an excellent only child.  He has a great love for vehicles of any kind.  Trains and construction vehicles are a particular favorite.  He always notices any 'ecka-baders' (excavators) on our way to school. When he went through that 'cranky and inconsolable after nap' phase, we discovered that YouTube videos of real trains would soothe him.  Eventually he started requesting "watch trains" at all times of day so we had to phase it out again. His big sisters certainly have an influence on him too.  He has been known to put on a princess dress or want clips and bows in his hair.  He also loves books and music.  He is often singing to himself.  His favorites evolved over the year: - abcs, 'spider', 'eieiei-yo'.  Wheels on the Bus was BIG for a long time before You Are Sunshine replaced it as the favorite.

He still loves to eat and can put a lot away.  Breakfast is usually a multi course meal with cereal, cereal bar or oatmeal, with some combo of yogurt, eggs, cheese and fruit.  He loves PBJ and isn't too crazy about deli sandwiches.  He's no longer a big meat eater but loves beans.


He's a good sleeper.  He dropped down to one nap around 14-15 months.  He goes to bed with Ellie around 7:30 but may be awake for a while in his crib.  He is content to play and sing to himself most of the time.  Sometimes he's awake before 6:30 and other times he will sleep until 7:30.  I try to keep him in bed until 7:15-7:30 so I can get Claire off to the bus without interruptions.


He had his first dentist appointment just before he turned 2.  He wasn't thrilled with it but the dentist was a least able to look in his mouth during the crying.


When the girls aren't around he is a pretty content guy to hang out with.  Jeff and I took him on a hike up to the dam and he did great.  Jeff's parents to the girls on a trip over spring break and Daniel and I hung out here.  We had a great trip to Gibb's gardens and he was happy to have the playroom all to himself.


By 2.5 he knows his colors and can rote count to 10.


Language:

Dere dey are

Can't!

Right hee-uh

Happy borthday 

Cotton candy (Thomas look and find book) = candy pop

My blue, my pink

Funny anecdotes from Facebook:

You know your 2 year old is really a pain when he even tells Mickey Mouse "no want that!" Poor TV Mickey Mouse innocently choosing a mousekatool.

Daniel's crying in his crib well after I put him down so I go in to check in him. "What's the matter buddy? Do you need covers?"
As he scrambles to get up, blanket in hand, he says "need snuggle." So I pick him up and snuggle him beside the crib. He points his finger at the glider and says "in chair!"
Yes sir, tiny dictator! Let's go sit in the chair and snuggle. That's one demand I don't mind giving in to.

We are all in the car and the topic of the movie Cars 3 comes up.
Jeff says: Daniel do you like Lightning McQueen?
D: Yeah!
J: can you say ka-chow?
D: Chow!...
J: KA-chow
D: A chow! A chow, chow, chow!
J: How about 'I am speed!'
D: I am 'PEED!  A chow, a chow!

Cue hilarious laughter

Driving by a construction site this morning....
Daniel: Look at him go!! Go eckabader! (Excavator)

Last night at dinner he had ‘mames in his doodles. (Edamame in his noodles). I LOVE that he calls them doodles.

Daniel has been singing a medley of songs as he plays this evening.
These include:
The Lord’s Prayer/Our Father...
Bad Company (by Five Finger Death Punch)
Twinkle, Twinkle little star
Itsy Bitsy Spider


Pictures:

Birthday at school

Forward facing for his birthday!

Breakfast smorgasbord
(scrambled eggs, cereal, blueberries, shredded cheese)

 

Botanic garden lights with Daddy

First dentist visit

Stone Mountain train with Paaps

Dressed for diner

Nap time!

Daddy and son fix it company

Hiking

Getting a ride up to the dam

Being silly

Forget the college football museum displays!
There are excavators out the window!

Cool dude at his sister's soccer game

Helping himself to Mama's breakfast

Train on a turntable at the museum in Savannah

Beach time at Tybee Island

Okefenokee swamp tour



Snow!

At Acworth beach

Getting his favorite "piggy" cereal bars (fig)

Dressed up for the dance party

Channeling his construction worker side

Silly Valentines

Rainy touch a truck event



Big tractor at touch a truck

Pat a cake, Baker's Man

Puzzles and excavators!

Ellie is 3!

The strong-willed, tantruming 2 year old is mellowing slightly.  Hooray!  We are getting a little more cute, excitable, bubbly Ellie.  When she gets excited she hops up and down.  She now talks a mile a minute on the way home from preschool just like her big sister.  And her mop of blonde curls and cute little face can make me stare at her in fascination.

She's still have trouble with her s + consonant words.  But we are making progress.  Instead of substituting in an f sound she's mostly dropping the s.  So Smarties was farties but is now marties. And her hands are no longer "fall" but 'mall.  Her shoes are 'parkly instead of farkly.


She is still super shy in new situations but it is improving.  She can ask cashiers for stickers now.  She doesn't clam up as much in big family gatherings.  Meet n great day at preschool was still tough for her.  She wouldn't even look at her teachers from last year, whom she loved!  She turned her head away!  And she didn't talk to anyone except me the whole time we were there.  But she easily went and played with toys during Daniel's session and the beginning of her own.  At least she doesn't cling to me the whole time or scream and cry.  And she definitely enjoys school and was looking forward to her first day.  She was frustrated when Daniel started a day before her.

Big happenings:
-First movie on 7/7/16 - Finding Dory


-Potty training:
In the evening on July 13th, Ellie decided she was ready for underwear and earned her first potty training sticker!  The next day she went through countless pairs of underwear and 2-3 pairs of shorts. But she eventually had success with #1 and #2!  She continued to make improvements over the next few days.  We were gone in Maine for a few days at the end of July.  But on August 3rd, she completely filled up her sticker chart and earned the prize of her choice, a green rubber ducky.  (Thanks Amazon for fulfilling that unusual request).


- Birthday
We had her party on July 23rd with all of our family members.  She requested an Ariel party (Little Mermaid).  We pulled out the slip n slide from last year's party and filled up a pool too.  The kids managed to squeeze in some water fun between rain drops.


-Started in the 3's at preschool 8/17/16
She has Ms. Jan, who was also Claire's 3 year old teacher, and Ms. Courtney.  She was ready to go her first day and had to be prompted to tell me good-bye.  She gets in school mode and we become invisible!  Her teachers report that she did well her first week.  Although she may have been reserved at first, she was actually talking to them and her peers!  I made the schedule so she would be home alone with me on Mondays thinking we'd have nice mommy and Ellie time.  She would have preferred to go to school!  But she did enjoy going to the playground (her usual request) or art time or the mall.  She tolerated errands with me better as the year went on.


-First season of soccer - 9/2016
Ellie did well on her first day!  I was worried about her shyness.  She was hesitant to get started but once she got out on the field she did well. She did get sad when someone took from the ball from or she didn't get to score.  Subsequent Saturdays went worse.  She wanted me on the field with her, would refuse to go out, or would play but with tears streaming down her face.  She did better when Jeff was there so I had him take her for the last weekend.  I stayed home but his parents came to watch.  And she did perfect!  No hesitancy!  Stinker.


Cute conversations and language stuff:


Ellie: (I'm helping her with a kids crossword at a restaurant)
Me: Ok this one is something that chickens lay. What comes from chickens?...
Ellie: Celery!

Asks: Why this ____? / Do you know why ____ is my favorite?

Answers: 'Cuz

I wish I want

After peeing in the morning comes back to breakfast table:

I had big pee pees!  I don't have big pee pees all the day. I have little pee pees and big pee pees. 

You're joking us
Is Daddy sleeping or at work? Or a medium?
Me: Yes, a meeting. Daddy is at a meeting.

Big 3 year old!

Climber from Grammi and Paaps

Birthday spread with crab croissants

Little Mermaid themed cake

Playing at the pool

Earned her ducky for potty training!

Posing at the Smith-Gilbert garden

Sharing with her brother.  She can be quite sweet with him!

Cruisin' during tiny tot time at the skating rink

Meet n greet day at preschool

Playing during Daniel's meet n greet

Trying out kids yoga

Ellie time at the bagel place during Daniel's
first day of school

Ellie's turn.  First day of 3's!

Hanging up her bag

Settled in with Play-Doh. 

 Lazy Friday morning while these 2 feel like getting along. Ellie is multi-tasking by building an "astronaut" with the magnet blocks while wearing her princess dress and listening to veggie tales

Cuddled up with Claire

Brave enough to pet the goat at the zoo

Playground time while siblings are at school

Claire got her first weekly homework packet yesterday. Both Ellie and Daniel tried to climb in the chair with her to watch her work! And Ellie wanted to help color. 😂 Soooo, we started family homework time. Cutting practice for Ellie and coloring for Daniel.

My blonde babies playing at the playground

Apple picking

Someone got tired!

Little soccer player

Cousin princesses at Stone Mountain in Sept.