Barb sent me this picture from the birthday party they celebrated for Aliyah at daycare - such a fun tradition with the decor, Rice Krispie number cake, and even a fun birthday gift! Lia looks so.grown.up in this picture!
Today, Aliyah went to her 2-year doctor's appointment. She weighed in at 26 pounds (58th percentile) and measured 34 inches (74th percentile).
As far as favorite foods, Aliyah loves her sweet treats - especially donuts! Her favorite meals usually consist of various ground beef recipes like maid-rites or taco meat. She loves ice cream! She also enjoys her morning bowl of oatmeal and was able to feed herself from the spoon at an early age. Graham crackers are among her favorite snacks. She also loves milk. Aliyah currently has 14 teeth.
Lia is still a really good sleeper. She takes one afternoon nap and is ready for bed at night around 7:00. She likes to take books to bed to browse through before she falls asleep along with her favorite blanket and doll. She readily adjusts to both the summer schedule and then the school routine since both kids are woken up at the same time during the school year, even though only Eli has to be up a bit earlier. During the summer she wakes up at 7:00 and during the school year she will usually wake up on her own around 6:30.
I am still waiting to introduce her to potty training. Once in a while Lia will go to her diaper stash to indicate she needs to be changed but not on any kind of regular or consistent basis. I remember the lessons I learned during the stages of toilet training with Eli starting with the doctor's advice - they have to feel the urge, resist the urge, and communicate the need to go. It also seems like potty training must be done according to when the child is not only developmentally ready but willing to participate in the process, so we will keep waiting until there are more definite signs of readiness and when Aliyah is able to verbalize more.
As for interests, Lia loves shoes and sandals! She loves to say "shoes," put them on, take them off, and would wear them all the time if she could I think. This was one of her first words. I think she associates wearing shoes with being able to go outside, which she also loves. She LOVES her daddy! She has been a daddy's girl from the beginning and loves to ride in the Gator with him and be outside with both him and grandpa next door. She adores her brother Eli and loves to mimic his every action. She also still loves to put items in a container, take things out of something and put them back again, and take off/put on lids on things. She has started to take more of an interesting in coloring and doodling and "reading" books by babbling now while flipping through the pages. Lia loves balls and balloons. She still really has no interest in TV yet, while at this age Eli definitely had his favorite shows he enjoyed watching.
Aliyah truly loves daycare now that she is fully adjusted. She especially loves the two baby boys there and seems to be a little mother hen, wanting to give them the pacifier if it is dropped or place the burp cloth next to them, help feed them the bottle, and give them toys. One of the baby boys is named Jory and whenever she sees a baby - anywhere - she points and exclaims, "Jory!" She also has another little friend from daycare, a little girl just 6 months younger than her named Vivi. They are always so excited to see each other when I drop Lia off and embrace in a hug every morning. Earlier this fall, Aliyah transitioned from napping at daycare in the Pack 'n Play to a mat and pillow/blanket on the floor like the older kids.
Speaking of daycare, there will be another transition for Aliyah coming with the beginning of the new year. Barb let us know she will be retiring at the end of December:( We are so grateful both Eli and Lia were able to enjoy their first daycare experience at Barb's house. Beginning in January, Aliyah will start attending a local daycare center, and we are anticipating that it will be quite a challenge for her in adjusting to her new environment. Hopefully with time she will be able to enjoy her time there. Next fall/early winter she will begin attending daycare at Sacred Heart next door to where Eli attends school. They require kids to be age 3 and potty trained, so hopefully we can accomplish that task by then:)
Among the list of words Lia will most commonly say include Eli, shoes, Jory, ball, more, no, thank you, and uh-oh. She also loves to climb and while she is still quite reserved when it comes to being around unfamiliar people, she is very adventurous in wanting to be independent while exploring new places. She has been able to feed herself from early on and has shown interest in daily tasks, like getting herself dressed but still needs some assistance.
Aliyah is a little observer, adventurer, and adorer of her big brother and dad. She is even becoming more assertive as she nears the toddler realm. My favorite part of parenting at this stage is watching the brother/sister bond develop as they both grow up together.
As a special bonus on the same day as Aliyah's birthday this year, the YMCA once again sponsored their annual "Trunk or Treat" where local businesses passed out treats to the kids.
We ended the night with a birthday supper at Happy Joe's. Aliyah was not to sure of the noise of the siren before they sang Happy Birthday to her and was still a bit leery about it coming back on before enjoying her sundae.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Lady!
