up to 2 1/2 years old
this quarter
- fewer tantrums
- lots of talking
- quip-meister
- being a sleep pain
- half potty-trained
size
- 36 inches
- 31 pounds
activities
- trip to florida
interests
- thomas
- vw beetles
Far fewer fits. I don't know whether it's because she's challenging us less or accepting the limitations.
Massively Verbal
She's tying to pick up a lot of info. She has started the will-soon-be-annoying habit of asking everything 8 times. "Where Ron & Brian's car?" In the street. Repeat 5 times. "Where Ron & Brian's dog?" Repeat 3 times. Cat. Two times.
Family Circus Cute Quip of the Month
She wanted to watch a video. I turned on the TV and VCR. Which one does she want to watch? "I want to see a tape that is good for us to watch." Oh.
Eating (10/12)
She eats relatively well, staying at the table until excused, but we still have to hold out the spectre of Augie getting her food to focus her. The key: eat some x and you'll get some more y.
The Bug bug
Since our trip to Delaware in July, Maddie has a fixation on VW Beetles, which she calls funny-looking cars. She wrote a song about it: "Madeleine Claire Megargee has a funny-looking green car..."
Sleep Problems
Louise has been snoring, so I move downstairs to the guest bedroom most nights around 3. Maddie then wakes up at 4-5, and Louise is too tired to put her back and calm her down. So Maddie sleeps in our bed. Fortunately, she comes equipped, toddling down the dark hall with her bears and pillow.
Unfortunately, breaking her of the habit is difficult. The first night of trying was horrible, culminating in a standoff starting at 4 and ending when the sun came up. In a few days she was OK in her bed, but she'd still get up and make us sit with her a bit. Annoying. It's harder now that we have no physical means of keeping her in bed.
Swimming
We went down to Fla. to visit Aunts Annie and Marty, and Maddie learned to paddle around using water wings. Loved it. She was a delight on the flights down and back-- a good little traveler.
Art
Her art is getting better. Eyes in the upper half of the face, mouth in the lower and arching into a smile. Hair long, always spiked. Decent ears.
Potty
Number 1: piece of cake. She can go all day without wetting a diaper. Number 2 is a different beast. Louise's folks claim some success, but she never holds off for us.
Writing
She's trying to write script. She can make a good M, but continues on for about 4 or 5 humps. She likes making letters. Pictured at right is her masterpiece. She wrote the first four letters of "Thomas".
Jumping
Her favorite exercise. Loves to climb on things and jump off. She can jump off two-foot objects.
Halloween
Her first one. Dressed as a flower, went to six houses, had to work up to saying "Trick or Treat".
The new obsession (11/2)
Thomas the Tank Engine. She eats, sleeps, and breathes Thomas. Watches the videos when we allow her (we're currently holding them out to try to get her to stay in bed at night). When she plays with her trains, she pretends they're Thomas and Gordon. The schoolbus is Stepney, and her red VW is James. The stationwagon is Peter Sam. She could talk about them, and does, all day.
She is currently lobbying for us to buy her a Thomas set (and we have, for Christmas). Her lobbying approach: "Daddy, my train set (an inexpensive plastic one] is old. It is for babies. We should bought Thomas."
Quips
Jeesh-- where to begin? She's churning out a good quote per day.
A few weeks back, when she was waking us up around 4 or 5 each morning, I tried to preview the night for her. I said, very calmly, "We'll take a bath, then we'll put on your pajamas and have some milk, and when the timer goes off, we'll go upstairs, brush your teeth, and put you in bed. Then I'll kiss you goodnight, tell you I love you, and go down the hall and listen for you on the monitor." She, also very calmly, said, "... and when you leave the room, I will scream." Just to prepare me.
