She's so independent and also so quick tempered if we try to help her with something she "can do herself". Her mood swings are something else, and can be a lot to handle, especially as she has begun to phase out nap time. It's crazy how kids get so hyper when they're exhausted!
I'm trying to really have patience and just hug (or tickle) it out when she's being difficult, but most nights I end up reflecting on how I could have responded to her behavior better, at the end of the day. I'm finding myself referring to some teaching strategies and constantly trying to improve my reactions, but it's hard sometimes!
Overall I think we are raising a great kid, so far. She's kind, sensitive, helpful, polite, and so nurturing to her little brother. She's quite literally the best big sister ever! Seeing their bond is the most heartwarming thing. I love when she calls him "precious boy" or "sweetie" but she most often refers to him as "bub" or "bubby". One of my favorite things she does is every time we go on an overpass she says "We're on the big bridge, Bub! What you think, Bub?" She encourages him to practice new things and praises him when he masters it. She loves all babies and wants another one already! "But this time maybe a sister!"
She is working on sharing nicely with her Bubby now. That's been the toughest part of being a big sister! Now that he's actively into everything, she is having a hard time allowing him to play with things that she's never had to share before, like her favorite, the play kitchen!
At 3.5 Avery knows all of her letters and almost all of the sounds. She is starting to learn sight words and can probably recognize 10 of them, maybe more. She can spell her name, Jonah, mommy, daddy, Jesus, bingo and Mickey Mouse. If you can't tell, learning by song is the secret here! She knows her birthday, address and how to unlock my phone.
She has pretty much outgrown her timid and cautious ways of the past. She loves climbing things she shouldn't and jumping off them then arguing that "it wasn't that sketchy!" She still doesn't love to be messy, but now finds joy in playing in a sandbox or finger painting every now and then.
Her fine motor skills are developing and I think she's finally picked a dominate hand. I encourage her to use her right the most, but she still may end up being ambidextrous. She loves using scissors and paintbrushes. She likes to draw, but kind of just scribbles, then decides what it is. "Looks like I made a dancing potato! Yeah that's it, let me add the face."
She's a perfectionist and doesn't like to practice her handwriting very much, because she gets so frustrated that it's not perfect. "Ugh! My little case m turned out a big case M. Mommy you do it." We will keep practicing on her terms, because I don't want her to dislike writing and because we have plenty of time to worry about that.
Right now she's very into telling jokes, but most of hers are just asking silly scenarios. "Do you put a donut on your shoe?" "Do you put tortillas on your head?" And if all else fails, shaking her tushy will put us all into hysterics. She also loves telling secrets in your ear and still loves making up silly songs. She pretty much understands rhymes so she's actually pretty good at it!
Her memory is insane and she knows so many jingles an taglines from commercials. Our favorite is "Ardees (Arby's)--we have the meats!" In her best James Earl Jones voice. She even convinced us to eat there since "We never had Ardees before Mama!" The same worked for Chuck E. Cheese. "...but it's where a kid can be a kid!" She also quotes Sonic, Nationwide, Clorox, and lots more. While I was cooking breakfast one morning, she said "Oh those eggs are the best value, Mama." When I asked what she meant she replied, "those are Egglands Best" (they were) and I died laughing.
Take my picture! I'm getting married!
She still loves dance class and has her 2nd recital coming up. I let her stay up late on Mondays to watch Dancing With the Stars with me and she practices some of her sweet moves. Don't tell her to dance her heart out though, because "I haven't learned that step yet." She is starting to be curious about other activities now, so I think we'll be trying a season of soccer soon!
Avery absolutely LOVES "school", and school days have become a sort of saving grace for me. She learns so much and I love hearing all about it when I pick her up. She's going to be so sad when it's summer, especially since we are putting her in a new program a little closer to home next year.
At the end of each night we discuss our favorite thing and least favorite thing from that day. Her favorite thing is almost always when Daddy gets home and they play hide-and-seek or catch (tag... "Catch me!") and play toys together.
I can't believe she's been a big sister for almost a year! Jonah turns one on Thursday and obviously he's grown and changed so quickly. It's not until I see a photo or video from a year ago that I realize how much Avery has also changed. She's always been such a big kid to us, and the big milestones have already been met. It's hard to realize how her squeaky baby voice and chubby cheeks are suddenly replaced by features of a little girl instead. I'm sure we'll feel the same way a year from now, too.
Look at how much they've both changed!
This girl is seriously the best and we love being her parents. Every day is an adventure with her and she reminds us to stop and appreciate the beauty and joy in the ordinary parts of life. Her innocence is so precious and I hope she never loses her curious spirit.
