Update on the girls

Dan and I were just talking about how much the girls are growing, and it made me think I ought to post a quick note about how each of them are doing.


Abigail
Three-and-a-half is a tough age. There's a lot of whining. A lot of complaining. (Her new favorite phrase--"Why is this taking so long?") A lot of stubbornness. But with it comes a mind-boggling capacity for imaginative play, ever-growing independence, and glimpses of a grown girl living life with the quirks and habits she inherited from her parents.

I try not to use the phrase "big girl" with her, because, though she is getting big, an compared to PJ she *is* big, the truth is that she's still only three! I don't want to put any pressure on her, make her hate being a "big girl" because apparently that means she can't do certain things anymore because "big girls don't do that." So tonight I told her she was my big girl who is still my baby. She laughed and said, "Mommy, I'm not a baby. I'm a kid!" And I had to laugh because yes, she really *is* a kid now. She can buckle herself into her carseat and dress herself almost entirely. She rides her bike and her scooter like it's her job. And her face...there are times I'll catch her looking like a child model--slight pout, intense stare. She's got the most amazing eyes.

She's starting to come out of her shell, too! She's talking to kids when she meets them at the park, telling them her name, asking theirs, and actually having conversations with them. She'll even talk to adults now and then, though she usually ducks behind me and murmurs, "I'm shy" after blurting something out to them.

I'm trying to get her into the Irish step dancing classes in town, but they still haven't returned my email. :P Looks like I may have to actually *gasp* use the phone.

Still no closer to losing the paci or the diapers, though. I'm trying not to get frustrated about that. We're trying to limit the paci, but she sure puts up a fight for it when she insists it's necessary and we don't agree!



Penelope Jane

The changes are coming fast and furious with PJ...

New Words:
wa-wa = water

hiiieee = "give me your hand so you can help me with this"

bow-bow = Blue's Clues

ohhhh-pikuh! = hokey pokey :)

New Skills:
kissing = she'll just come up to you with her little head thrust forward and her lips pressed together and lay one on you. It's so cute.

climbing = okay, not an entirely new skill, but she does it so much--like, ALL THE TIME--that it's worth mentioning. And she's getting scary-good at it. *And* has no fear. Not a good combination.

dancing = oh so cute. Little fists waving, bobbing up and down, big ol' grin on her face. She usually does it during Blue's Clues, when Steve sings one of the songs.

New Signs:
finger pointing in the air = "pick me up"

She's still not swallowing food or taking bottles/sippy cups of anything but water, which sucks. I'm making an appointment this week to have her evaluated to see what's going on and what we can do about it. I'm starting to get just a teensy bit panicked because I'll be gone for four days (home at night, though) in mid-September, and seeing as she nurses every 3 minutes these days, that could end up being hugely disastrous. If you think of it, please say a prayer that whatever the evaluation uncovers is quickly remedied. She's more and more interested in trying to eat these days, so I'm thinking once she has the swallowing thing down she'll really take off.