Lily is 33 Months Old!

 

As Lily approaches her 3rd birthday, I find myself trying so hard to soak up every minute of her cuteness. She is getting bigger and more mature by the day, it seems, and I know that my darling toddler won't be toddling for too much longer. So far I've loved every stage of Lily's life even more than the last so I fully anticipate the I'll enjoy the kid stage as well, but I'll admit that sometimes I just want to cry thinking that someday all too soon she won't have her little mousy voice or need me to kiss every boo boo. And then ... well ... there are other days I really look forward to her being a little older and the independence that comes with that! :) But really, most days I just can't imagine any other place I'd rather be than with spending all day with Lily and hearing every thought that comes from her cute brain. Lily is a truly joyful girl and it is such a blessing to be her mom!

At 33 months old, Lily:

 *Is so emotionally aware. The other day I lost something important and after searching for it for a very long time I let out a big sigh. Lily heard me and asked, "Mama. Why are you breathing so sad?" When I told her I had lost something important, she told me, "I'll help you find it! Let's look together! We're better as a team!" Such a sweetheart!

*Is always listening. Even when we think she's not, she is. That's how she learned the word crap. Ooops! She is also starting to figure things out even when we spell them. The other day my mom was talking about looking for T-O-Y-S at garage sales and Lily said "Mom, that means toys." Seriously, Lily? Are you aware that you are two years old? 

*Got sick this past month with some sort of stomach bug. She threw up in the car at the mall parking lot out of nowhere. She was just talking, acting totally normal, and then she barfed like crazy all over herself and the car. We took her out and got her as cleaned up as possible, then she threw up a few more times on the way home. It was awful. Then she was fine the rest of the day, fine all the next day, then woke up throwing up again on the 3rd day! So strange! She's been fine for almost two weeks now so I am pretty confident that she is over whatever she had, but it was really a strange few days. Also, she now says "Remember when I barfed my peanut butter sandwich all over my car seat?" every time we are in the car. Apparently, it was quite traumatic for her too. :(

*Loves playing on the Ipad. She knows exactly how to turn it on, unlock it, get to the PBS Kids ap, and play her favorite shows. We know this isn't exactly parents of the year material, but sometimes when we are really tired and she wakes up at the crack of dawn, we give her the Ipad to play with in bed and that buys us at least an extra hour of sleep. Sometimes you just do what you've got to do. :)

*Is so sweet to Quinn. She often goes and gets Quinn's "baby toys" and brings them to her and is always hugging, kissing, and pretending to hold Quinn. When Quinn cries, Lily is always there saying "It's okay, Baby Girl, it's okay!" She tells people that she has a baby named Quinny Quinn and is so proud of her.

*Is very musical. She knows a million songs, loves making up her own songs (sometimes to a tune she knows and sometimes to a made up tune) and she loves "playing" instruments like the drums and guitar (katar, as she calls it.)

*Loves to play catch with her stuffed soccer ball and her hand eye coordination is really improving.

*Is on a fruit kick where she loves eating all kinds of fruit, especially oranges. She likes "the really drippy ones" and can eat an entire orange by herself without any problem.

*Simply doesn't stop talking. All day, every day, talk talk talk talk. It is amazing, adorable, and exhausting all at the same time.

*Is sleeping pretty good most nights! It takes her awhile to go to sleep most of the time, but once she is asleep she only wakes up about once a week. Awesome sauce.

*Knows that calling Chris and I by our first names will really get our attention.

*Loves her Jesus Storybook Bible and enjoys reading it daily. Her favorite story is "the story of Pharaoh, when he's not a good listener" and she will sometimes talk about God in ways that let us know that some of the things we are telling her are sinking in. She loves to pray and thanks God for things like toys, french fries, and specific people who are on her mind.

*Loves to race whenever we are walking and after she wins she is always encouraging. She says things like "Okay, now it's your turn to win, Mama!" I hope that is the beginning of a competitive person with excellent sportsmanship.

*Often laughs at her own jokes. In her words "That's hilarious!"

*Thinks its funny to call people the wrong names. She'll often call me "Grandma" when she's being silly and she thinks it's really funny when we call her the wrong name.

Lily at 33 months old is so so so cute. She is kind, thoughtful, smarter than smart, and even the things that are difficult about her (the incessant chatter, mainly) are really not that bad. She is such a sweetheart and we just love her to pieces!