My angel

This little girl brings so much joy to our family. She is so sweet and so stubborn all at the same time. She lacks patience with herself but not others. She is very inquisitive and always eager to learn. She decides when she wants to be affectionate. She has to come up with all her own ideas and cannot be told to do anything. If I want something done, I have to use reverse psychology. She tests the waters with listening lately. Some days are perfect and others are not. She loves picking up on the things daddy and I say and do and making it her own. It could be a saying, a dance, a joke...she is always listening. She likes to dance in the rain, which daddy let her down from the dinner table to go do the other night. Her favorite places are the splash park, regular park, bowling alley, beach, library and home. It's hard to motivate her to leave the house unless we're going to one of her favorite places. It's great we have more family time now that we live in the condo since we're on the go all the time. She is motivated by coins to put in her piggy bank (sometimes) and treasure box (always). She is always moving but gets tired instantly on the soccer field. She likes to play soccer when the game is over, not during her actual game. She wants to do things on her on terms, anything she is supposed to do, forget it. She is emotional and loves to watch her emotions in the mirror, very dramatic. Fifty percent of the time she'll ask for help and the other fifty percent of the time she gets ticked and loses her cool with what she's trying to do (build a tall tower that falls, lay a blanket perfectly flat for a picnic, a hair in her face she is trying to brush away but can't fix, ya know, simple things that drive her crazy) and yells "NO" when asked if she needs help. If you want to play with her she is uninterested, if you're busy she's begging to play. If you ask her what she wants to play it will always be "doll house" and she loves having the "characters" talk to each other. She gives them magical powers and is quite creative. If I want her to play on her iPad for a bit while I tend to Everett I have to pretend to want to play and then she's all about it. She wants whatever Everett has but always asks him and also answers for him, "Of course sissy" and will trade him something. She puts thought into what she trades him and makes it something she knows he likes. If he cries she pets his head and sings him ABC's, she doesn't like when he is sad. She likes her space from him when she wakes up or when she is on a mission and he "disturbs" it/her. She cheers him on when he is learning anything new or working on anything. She calls my attention when she sees him do something new on his own and tells him "good job". She is his advocate for sure. She always includes him when we're on the "couch boat" rushing out of the water and in all her stories before bedtime. She is a sweet sissy, that sometimes needs her own space. She likes to help me cook, especially eggs. She is still a decent eater I'd say for a 2 year old. She eats very healthy but loves a treat. She still loves her pouches and will always try something one time to decide if she likes it or not. She'd rather play than do anything, ANYTHING. Peeing, eating, sleeping, brushing teeth, taking a bath...transitions can be rough, the girl just wants to play. She'll say, "Excuse me" when she needs something, but she says it until she gets my attention and it gets louder and louder. She'll be playing so nicely by herself and then I'll have to make a phone call or want to say something to Andre, or Barbara when I get home from work, if my attention isn't on her when she wants it to be, she has trouble. As much as I want her to learn to wait and not interrupt I know the excessive need is a phase, I hope. She does have to be independent a lot since my eyes are on Everett a TON and during all the therapy sessions (which is many hours a week) it's all about him and she is expected to fend for herself. I think she does quite well for a two year old, but she has her moments, and when she does, it's rough. I try and find balance, I want to ensure she gets the attention she needs and deserves. She is exhausting, but the moment she is in bed, I miss her with every ounce of my being. She is trying to write letters when daddy convinces her to, she love she educational games on her iPad, itsy bitsy spider videos, playing with toys and collecting random toys into random containers that take me/us a long time to put things back where they go. She is always up for an adventure and make believe is her favorite. She likes to dress up and pretend to be all sorts of animals. She doesn't ever want to read books but once we start she will request more books for hours on end. She can swim across the pool by herself. She loves all animals and wants to hold them all, as you'll see below on her adventure to the pet store with daddy. She loves her typical shows, recent top requests are Dora and Team Umizumi (SP?). She wants to play sports but you cannot tell her to do a single thing, the more we push anything the more resistance we get. She struggles falling asleep, especially at night. Thankfully she still stays in bed, but she's having a hard time with us leaving the room although our routine is always the same. Nunu is still her BFF, others come and go. She is 31 lbs of fun and can wear a variety of sizes. 3T/4T but can still easily fit into some clothes much smaller if it's not pants. She is a size 8-9 shoe, big foot like her mama. She loves her family so much and makes life so perfect. Thanks for being such a fun, silly girl Clara Maria. We love you so so much! I cannot believe you'll be three this month! I would freeze you here if I could, even when you're cranky. Sorry there's no organization to my "vomit like" update. I have avoided this post for so long, wanting it to be organized thoughts, but I'm not guaranteeing that will happen in my lifetime again.