Tuesday, August 27, 2013

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Snack Time!


Our 33-month-old is (by and large) an awesome eater. Here's a snack plate I served up the other day including peaches, cucumber, pecans, kale chips and a few honey nut cheerios as a treat, and she devoured the whole thing in minutes! People are constantly amazed at how much she can eat, and how quickly. :)

What types of snacks do your kids enjoy? Are they willing to eat many types of foods or are they on the picky side?

Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Kraft Celebration Tour Helps Bring a Splash Pad to Wilmot Township!


If you live in Canada, you are likely familiar with the Kraft Celebration Tour, a joint effort between Kraft and TSN which awards money to community projects focused on a healthy and active lifestyle across the nation. The tour is in its 4th year of operation and has awarded $1,000,000 so far, with $25,000 going to each winning project. Each year's tour has four phases - nomination of projects, announcement of 20 finalists (as decided by the tour's judging panel), a day of intensive head-to-head voting to bring the list down to 10 winners, and the celebration tour itself, during which the winning communities host representatives from Kraft and a live TSN SportsCentre broadcast and receive their $25,000 cheques.

Our own township of Wilmot was fortunate enough to be among the winners this year, with our bid to help build a local splash pad. With 14 tight-knit communities and a population of about 20,000 (including 4,000 children 14 and under), Wilmot could really use a splash pad to enable warm-weather fun and fitness for all of our local youngsters, regardless of income bracket. The township's goal is to raise $280,000 for this project, and we've come a long way with various fundraisers already under our belt,  strong social media coverage via Facebook and Twitter and other initiatives. Our KCT win is one more awesome step in the right direction!

The celebration party (including a barbecue, fun for the kiddos and numerous tributes to local celebrities and heritage), and live TSN SportsCentre broadcast with Kate Beirness and Rod Smith took place yesterday at the New Hamburg fairgrounds. It was an awesome event  and we had the perfect weather to enjoy it! Here are some moments my family captured to commemorate the occasion. (A whole bunch more official event photos can be found here.)




Video highlights!



 John Deere & a Jello bouncer



Our daughter swingin' away!



Mounted police



 The live broadcast




Kate in her personalized Wilmot Wild jersey




Presentation of the cheque



Kiddos 'n I infront of all the action



Kate (looking, IMO, distinctly Uma Thurman-esque) & Rod



KCT reps (and an awesome dancing kid photobomb!)


What exciting events or festivals have you enjoyed in your own hometown this summer? Anyone else out there make it to KCT Wilmot?


Disclosure:  I was not sponsored in any way for this post. I wrote it simply out of appreciation for the KCT, the win for our township and the fun event our family had the pleasure to enjoy. Thanks Kraft, TSN and the Bring a Splash Pad to Wilmot crew!

Friday, August 23, 2013

CJ at 8 months: Lemme At'er!

This month, CJ really started appreciating that the world is full of interesting stuff and that he has the ability to manipulate said stuff. Wheeeeeeeee! He's not so thrilled when the dresser drawer decides to give his pinky a li'l nip, though, like a dog back on the trail of a skunk after a good spritzin', he's back at those knobs banging away before the swelling's had a chance to subside. That's our determined, hardy li'l man!

Official 8 Month Photo:


Physical Development:  

Weight: 15 1/2 ish lbs (relying on our not-so-accurate bathroom scale here)
Height: Bad mama - didn't get one this month! We'll remedy that at 9 mths.

So, Google informs me that not all babies feel compelled to ever learn a "proper" crawl. Our guy might be one of them, as at 8(+) months (and over a month in), he's still doing the army variant. Though he's certainly mastered this approach, as he can tear around like nobody's business. And, lemme tell ya, it's an effective litmus test for determining when it's time to clean the floor. *nods*

He's getting a preliminary handle on stairs. He can now climb onto the upstairs landing by himself, and can climb multiple stairs with assistance (and an incentive - like one of S' small, chokable toys which he never does end up getting, of course. Curses!!).

Although he can now (finally) sit unassisted, he definitely prefers being on his tummy, hands & knees or on his feet. He's not quite pulling up on things himself, but when placed on his feet with an interesting activity (e.g. his beepy flashy activity table) he'll stay there supporting himself for a good several minutes.


He's currently fond of doing this amusing full-body wiggle thing when picked up that I call his "dolphin kick". And then there's its grumpy cousin, the back arch, which likes to surface during changes or when we try to restrain him somewhere when he wants to be getting into sh!t....

....which is pretty much all the time. Everything's interesting to him now - doorstops, grates, step stools, carpet specks and, yes, dresser door knobs. Aaaand, of course, he's fully entrenched in the dropping-toys-off-highchair-for-funsies phase. Why doesn't more kids' stuff come with suction cups, darn it?

He's doing some serious bouncing in the jumperoo these days. We're talking whiplash potential. But - so far he seems to be weathering things OK!

He's also loving our trips to the playground! He's utterly fascinated by the pebbles (though, strangely, hasn't shown an interest in putting them in his mouth) and giggles profusely on the bucket swing. Though he was a little less sure of this variant!


And while he can't quite climb all the cool contraptions, he certainly digs chilling out on them.


In terms of fine motor stuffs, we've been encouraging his pincer grip with little bits of food on his tray, but he's not quite there yet and usually ends up sucking on his whole hand and/or swiping the morsels onto the floor. Practice makes perfect!

Oh almost forgot! First tooth popped at just over 7 1/2 months - his bottom right central incisor. No sign of the left one yet.


Cognitive, Social & Emotional Development:

Hard to tell what exactly's going through that little head, but CJ's definitely focusing on items more intently and for longer periods of time these days! (Usually coupled with various ways of physically manipulating said items, as alluded to above.)

His babbling's beginning to have some meaning. For example, nananana or mamama tends to come out when he's peeved and/or hungry. Dada is a favourite when he's happy, and I have to admit, there does seem to be a correlation between its use and the proximity of his own Dada. Finally, he has started doing this awesome battle cry thing when he gets excited - usually when big sis is around to spur him on!

Overall, still a happy li'l camper - but when he's less than thrilled with a situation, he'll let you know. :)


Sleep:

Night sleep continues to be 8-9 PM to 7-8 AM with one feed in the 4-6 AM range. Naps *were* going well, but we've been having some recent troubles with his afternoon nap. I'm going to try the "2-3-4" advice (keep him up a little longer after his first nap) and see how that goes.


Food:

By month's end, we started introducing chunkier purees, finger food samples, new items like lentils and egg, and, in some cases, small amounts of what the rest of us were eating (e.g. he had a few bites of sausage quinoa veggie soup the other day). I must say, little d00d's a champion eater - just like his sister! (Well like she *was* at least. She's been much picker as of late, which is hopefully just a phase - but I digress!) He eagerly slurps up just about anything we serve, and lots of it! Correspondly, he's nursing a bit less now - down to about 5-6 times per day. His heartiest and longest session is definitely the early morning one, with others tending to be "snackier" (and often more distracted too. He's prone to popping off and grinning milkily at me, which is adorable, but gets a bit old when he's done it for the 14th time during a single session!)

He's had a wide variety of foods by now so we're not as concerned with potential allergies, though we are going to hold off on the "biggies" (namely strawberries and peanuts) until 1 year.


Aaaand saving the best for last - the 8 Month Highlights Reel!



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Piggyback!


My Favourite. Pic. Ever. taken of our two littles!!!

Oliver's Labels: Review & Giveaway!


Oliver's Labels is an online business based in Toronto, Ontario which sells a wide variety of labelling products (e.g. waterproof, clothing and household) and wall decals.



The inspiration for the business was owner Debbie's young nephew (Oliver, of course!), who had a penchant for wiggling out of his shoes and tossing them off the side of his stroller. Debbie got the idea to create some simple, home-made labels with Ollie's name and phone number on them, and stick them to his shoes and other "on-the-go" items. This little trick worked like a charm when a brand new Nike runner kicked off on one of the family's excursions was found and returned, saving the family $60. Shortly thereafter, the business was officially born! (Read the full story here.)

Oliver's Labels stands out to me from other labelling businesses I've come across for the following reasons:
  • Its labels and wall decals (both of which I had the oppotunity to review) are totally gorgeous - colourful, vivid and detailed. Its not a surprise that Debbie spent 6 years in the printing industry prior to starting up Oliver's Labels!
  • It offers an exclusive Found-it™ Tracking System, a FREE lost and found service. Basically, a label can be printed with an (optional) tracking code linked to the customer's email address. If an item is found with a label containing this code, the finder is instructed to visit this page which offers various options (online form, direct email, phone) for reporting the item and reuniting it with its owner.


  • The website and the ordering process are both extremely user-friendly. I like that you can shop by Product, Design or Package, and I was particularly impressed by the seamless preview feature as I customized the products in my review kit. When you make a change, the preview updates automatically and is a true-to-life representation of the (would be) end product itself.

  • There are a huge variety of product customization options - different themes, fonts, colours, etc. And new themes regularly get added to the mix to keep things fresh!
  • The company gives back via a fundraising program and regular contests, and it has a strong community focus overall.

For review purposes, I received a custom package of labels and a Room-eez™ Growth Chart.



My Review: Custom Package of Labels

Ordering a custom package allows you to sample from eight popular labelling products based on your own needs. Products available for the custom package come with half the number of labels as the same products when purchased separately (for example, the custom package allows you to purchase original labels in sets of 20, whereas original labels purchased alone come in sets of 40). So this is a nice option if you want to try a few different types, but don't need a huge number of each one. A custom package must include at least three products, and each product must have the same personalization information, however different themes can be chosen per product. I opted to personalize the set for our 8-month-old son CJ as we already have labels in our daughter's name, however a family who would like to use labels for multiple children could do so by personalizing with just their last name.

I chose the following products for our custom package:

  • 20 Original Labels in the Transporation theme



  • Product Info: Original Labels are big and bold to personalize everything that leaves the house. They're not only beautiful but incredibly durable. Use them on items that go in the dishwasher, microwave, fridge or outdoors. Original Labels stick on almost anything and stay there!

  • 50 Mini Labels in the Sports theme


    Product Info: Mini Labels are ideal for skinny things that don't have room for our big Original Labels. You'll find 100 places for these cute labels! Use them on items that go in the dishwasher, microwave, fridge or outdoors. Mini Labels stick on almost anything and stay there!

  • 14 Shoe Labels in the Sports theme


    Produ
    ct Info:
    Shoe Labels are specially designed to stick inside the heel of a shoe. They come in right and left foot shapes and unlike other shoe labels, they’re built so durable that you don't need to stick a protective label on top.

  • 35 Stick-eez Clothing Labels in the Camo theme


    Product Info: Introducing Stick-eez™ Clothing Labels - the NO iron, NO sew solution to labeling clothes. Simply peel and stick to the "care tag" of your garment. Removable when you’re ready to pass the clothes on to a new owner.

    Other features:
    Thin, flexible, high-performance material with super-strong adhesive and high quality, full-color printing - guaranteed never to rub off, even when in contact with sunscreen. Made to go in the washing machine and dryer.

All of these products have the following additional product info: Waterproof, weather-proof, scuff-proof, tear-resistant, high-performance vinyl with super-strong adhesive and high quality, full-color printing.

I opted to include a Found-it number on all items except the mini labels, which are too thin to include this information.

As I mentioned earlier, all the products certainly look terrific - they're bright, colourful and the designs have impeccable clarity. Functionality-wise, they're trim yet highly rip-resistant, they apply easily and smoothly, and they stay put and maintain their vividness through all sorts of abuse. :) Ease of removal and reapplication effectiveness, however, appear to depend on how long a label's been applied and what it has been exposed to. I reapplied the same new mini label to my water bottle about 15 times and it stuck just as firmly the final time as it did at the beginning, however many of the labels I'd applied a week or more back have become difficult to remove and then aren't as sticky when they do come off. And one more thing - although the labels are easy to apply, a little TLC is a good idea as they can stretch and distort if pulled firmly from both sides.

Alright, a bit more on the individual label types.

The clothing labels have performed to spec. On the example garments we've tested, the labels have stayed put and haven't shown any sign of deterioration through several washes (cold and warm), and dry cycles (on low - didn't want to risk shrinkage!)


The original and mini labels are both holding up fine through hand washing and a couple runs of the dishwasher.

 

The shoe labels have endured several trips to the playground, a splashpad and several (cumulative) hours of walking - most of this in foot sweat-inducing weather - and they keep on marching as well! (Pun intended.) That said, I did find these ones particularly difficult to pry off after all this action, presumably because they've had the most exposure to various elements.

 

(Note: if you're wondering about the pink, our son doesn't own any footwear yet so we got our daughter to do this part of the testing, after some initial skepticism about the "funny green things" inside her favourite shoes!)

Out of curiosity, I also tried out the Found-it tracking system. I filled out the online form the other night, and the next morning had received an email at the address tied to my account, including the details that had been supplied on the form. Unfortunately, it ended up in my Spam folder, so I've been discussing with the company if there's a way to ensure these important emails get flagged appropriately.

In summary, these are some awesome labels. They're bright, vivid, super-sticky and thin yet hardy. They do become increasingly difficult to remove/reapply over time, however I'd take this over an adhesive that loses its stick when you don't want it to! Overall, Oliver's Labels has hit one out of the ballpark with these puppies! Highly recommended. :)


My Review: Room-eez™ Growth Chart

Product Info:  A Room-eez™ Growth Chart is a bold and fun way to keep track of your growing child.. It includes your child’s name (in any color or font you choose) so you can apply it to the top of the chart or anywhere else in the room. You also get 20 decals to write down the age and height of your little one and then stick to the chart to mark their growth. Many of our adorable designs also come with lots of extra decals to make a beautiful scene on the wall.


Room-eez™ Growth Chart is made from a specialized material that is strong enough to stick on the wall forever yet gentle enough to be repositioned or removed without causing any damage. Unlike the majority of wall graphics on the market, this advanced, high quality material is not vinyl and therefore doesn’t shrink, curl or stretch the way vinyl does. That means your Room-eez™ Growth Chart won’t peel at the edges and fall off the wall over time.

I was excited to get my hands on one of these growth charts as I've seen them reviewed favourably on other blogs, they look oh-so-adorable and it was high time we replaced the flimsy paper chart which came with our daughter's baby book. Not only did that one need to be pinned to the wall (obviously not ideal, with littles around) but our 32-month-old daughter had almost reached its top height marker. Our OL chart gives us an extra 9 inches to work with!

I decided on the monkey theme and chose our family name for the letter decals as I wanted to use it for both of our children.

Here's a before and after comparison of our old paper chart and brand spankin' new Oliver's Labels chart. A substantial improvement, if I do say so myself!


The chart package comes with detailed instructions for putting up the chart and letter decals, as well as a warning sticker imploring the owner to actually read said instructions before starting. Nice approach - it certainly got me to review things thoroughly before I began!


The chart is obviously quite long so some planning is required to ensure it lines up straight. The instructions suggest using a level to mark the bottom and several other spots up the wall, however we actually found it most helpful helpful to level horizontally at the chart base, as once this part is accurate the rest of the chart follows suit. Once the base was applied properly, I held the top of the chart away from the wall while my hubby rolled the remainder upward until the whole thing was applied. Two pairs of hands was pretty clutch; I'd imagine it would be quite difficult for a single person to put up one of these charts accurately without it getting all stuck to itself. (That said, we did have a single incident of self-stickage and the offending areas did detach fairly readily. But I wouldn't want to test the waters too much here!)

Applying the letter decals is a 6-step process, however it's quite straightforward and I was able to do it myself. Each letter is an individual decal, but they get applied together so they all line up properly. The letters come sandwiched between a backing paper and transfer tape, so you need to remove the backing paper first and then apply the letters from the transfer tape to the wall. I did this part after the chart was up, simply eyeballing the vertical alignment and then using a level to ensure the letters went on straight.


Included with the chart are 20 height marker stickers. For the monkey theme, markers are ever-so-appropriately coconuts. Since we're using the chart for both children, each will get 10 stickers and we'll mark heights at the following ages: birth, 6 mths, twice/year until 3 years, and then once/year until 6 years. That said, the chart itself can be written on as well if we decide we want to track any in-between ages. So far CJ's beating S in the "height race"!


One thing that would be helpful on the height stickers is little tick marks to help line them up. As they come now, you need to eyeball things to apply them at the right height. I added tick marks myself to help with this.

Finally, I need to own up to something. :) We totally gaffed when we initially put up the chart! Somehow, we'd managed to measure the chart base 12 inches from the floor rather than the 6 inches instructed. Gaaah! But, there's always a silver lining. :) This booboo allowed me to test removal and reapplication of the chart, which went just fine! Hubby thought there may have been slightly less stickiness the second time around, but certainly nothing which prevented the chart from reattaching properly. My guess is it could be reapplied at least 3-4 times before there'd be too little stick. (And probably more if each wall was washed and dried thoroughly prior to application.) The letter decals, however, were a different story. I tried reattaching them all at once to the transfer paper, but this didn't work as they were firmly stuck to the wall, and the last thing I wanted to do was move them individually. So in order to not have a huge amount of space between the letters and chart, I got creative with the extra decals included with the kit. Check it out - not bad, huh?


I do think it would be nice if the company offered a single sticker option for the growth chart letters, as this would make reapplication a lot easier.

All in all, this is a pretty cool growth chart! It's bright and whimsical like the OL labels, tall enough to track way past the preschool age and can be removed and reapplied pretty readily. Now for our daughter's next mission - hitting that 36" mark so she can ride Taxi Jam at Canada's Wonderland! Getting close now!!



Buy It:

You can order Oliver's Labels products directly from the company website. Regular shipping is free in Canada, and on orders of $30 or more in the US. (View full shipping info here.) Note that you need to create an account before placing an order.


Win It:

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win a $40 store credit to spent at Oliver's Labels! Open to CAN/US (excluding Quebec.)

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Oliver's Labels.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample items free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.

Friday, August 16, 2013

S at 32 months: She's Got Mighty Math Powers!

Ahhh S, where to begin? We thought the first half of two was a wild ride, but the home stretch is taking things to a whole new level! Kinda like going from Wild Beast to Leviathan for those Toronto-ish area coaster junkies out there. As usual (thanks to my Type A blogging personality) I've been mulling over the perfect intro paragraph for this update, but continue to find myself stymied - presumably because there's no neat & tidy way to summarize a 32-month-old. *nods*

So let's just jump right in. And here's what we're gonna do: a list of 32 semi-random points capturing the essence of S at this fine age. Nice & simple - to counteract the pervasive lack of simplicity we're dealing with these days! ;)

But first, vital stats and monthly update photos. Yup, still doing those!

Weight: 26 lbs (15th percentile)
Height: 35" (25th percentile) - just shy of the requirement for Taxi Jam and Swing Time. (Yup, 2nd reference now - can you tell we've been to Wonderland recently??)

28 months:


29 months:

(Yup, she is indeed wearing the same shirt here as 28 months. No, this wasn't intentional. Oops.)


30 months:


31 months:

(Love her sass in this one!)


32 months:

(Someone needs a haircut!!)


The List!
  1. She's totally obsessed with Team Umizoomi. If I got a dollar for every time she's belted out the theme song, I could surely buy licensing rights to the show. And her TU shirt has gotten more wear than her dad's holey boxers.

  2. Her memory is incredible. She can recall precise details about events that happened weeks or even months earlier, names of children she met on the playground, comprehensive sets of instructions, where missing objects are, etc. One time after a lengthy hiatus, I asked her where the Little Miss Scary library book had ended up and she told me it was "in the crack beside my bed". Sure enough, there it was wedged in beside her mattress.
  3. She continues to be a redonkulously messy eater and shun her utensils. Apparently eating's no fun unless you end up wearing half your meal!

  4. Her appetite has gotten a little pickier. About a month ago, we finally ran into her first staunch refusal to eat a meal we'd prepared. Since it was a first (and the meal was curried spinach lentils which, admittedly, may not appeal to the average person), I offered her something else. But we're definitely not planning to make a habit of that! (And luckily it hasn't happened since - knock on wood!)
  5. Current fave foods - oatmeal with fruit and a maple syrup drizzle, green smoothies, most kinds of fruit and, most recently, caribbean jerk chicken and mango salsa. (Sooo good - recipe pending!) Oh, and condiments evidently comprise a food group of their own. *nods*
  6. Her conversational abilities are pretty amazing for her age. Yeah yeah, you say - all parents think their kids are ahead of the game. But take a peek at this video (from over 3 months ago - at just under 2 1/2 years) and tell me if you don't agree! 


  7. She's not so in love with the camera these days. She'll sometimes ham it up but more often we'll opt for the candid route.
  8. She loves being in the garden. Her favourite aspect is, of course, the ol' pick 'n' eat (raspberries, tomato and dill in particular).  
  9. That hair still has a mind of its own!

  10. She definitely gets her visual attention to detail from her dad, which means she and I make a great team - I lose something and she finds it for me! For example, one time while I was filling my water bottle at the tap, she said "There's your lid, Mommy!", pointing it out from among the clutter on the kitchen table. She also rocks out at I Spy books and their substantially more challenging relatives - the Can You See What I See? series.
  11. We thought she'd put her sibling hatred rivalry behind her, however it resurfaced in spades when CJ began crawling. All of a sudden hitting, pushing and biting were back on the menu. Yes, I resorted to a single, frustration-fueled incident of "Do you want to see how that feels?" No, it didn't feel very good (to either of us) and I resolved we'd never use that technique again. Thankfully, at the time of this writing, these behaviours seem to have abated and she loves her brother once again. Knock. On. Wood!

  12. She loves to bear hug other kids, with amusingly mixed results (depending on mood, kid, etc.) Most common body language: ummm, help??!
  13. "Aminal". :)
  14. Calling her strong-willed is the understatement of the year! She wants to call the shots, darn it, so we often need to get creative to make her feel she's still making choices in order to get stuff done. For example, if we ask her to use the toilet before heading out, she'll inevitably say "I don't have to!". But if we say "Where do you want to pee - downstairs or upstairs?" she'll usually bite. Usually. If that doesn't work, a little competition always spurs her into action! "Do you want to pee first or should Mommy pee first? Oh you don't want to pee? OK Mommy will pee first." "No, I want to pee first!"
  15. Speaking of competition, we continue to work on That Sharing Thing. Her aforementioned sibling rivalry has, of course, upped the difficulty factor on this one (as she wants everything Ceej has - a baby toy, a mum-mum, some pureed peas, whatever) but we persevere with reading her lots of books on sharing and discussing why it's a really nice thing to do, and we're starting to see her come around. We even hear her go "Here you go Ceej!" and let her brother momentarily hold an object she loves, like her Pink Little Blanket. Heart!
  16. I've acquired quite the little sous chef! She helps fill muffin cups, mix ingredients together and crack eggs, and she certainly understands the importance of taste testing. :) All this wearing her special apron from Nana and Papa, of course!

  17. Speaking of Nana and Papa, she's now enjoyed several sleepovers at grandparents' houses. I've got three words for that: win win win!
  18. She understands rhyming, and will often point out examples of it. The other day I said something about "random cars" (can't remember the context) and she said "Hey! Random sounds like Brandon!"
  19. She's very honest. For example, when she attempts one of her patended "pretend pee ploys" to get out of her room at nap time, I'll ask her if she's tricking mommy and she'll own right up. She'll also venture forth potentially incriminating info like "I just bit CJ!" 
  20. At the park, she looooves swinging and playing with the gravel, but she's averse to slides. I think she had a bad experience one time involving a super-slick surface and an awkward landing.

  21. We're at that transitional nap stage. She naps about 50-60% of days (more at daycare) but when she does it's lengthy and she's up later at night. We're trying to find a balance here as it's clear she still needs to nap but 9-9.5 hours overnight is a little thin!
  22. In typical 2 1/2-year-old fashion, she wants to do things herself - but lately she's prone to taking this to an almost comical (or exasperating, depending on the situation) level. She'll get mad if I even turn the light on to start her bathroom routine, as she has her stool which enables her to do it herself. Or if I start bringing an object she wants from one place to another, she'll protest, take the object back to the starting point, put it down, pick it up and bring it to the new place herself.
  23. She doesn't like to be wrong, or "fail" at a task. If, say, her feet get stuck while putting on a pair of tight pants, she'll likely whine and/or lie on the floor and ask me to do it. Or if I correct her with something (even a clear fact), she'll often stick to her guns. (S - "That's a squirrel!" Me - "Actually, that's a chipmunk!" S - "No! That's a squirrel!") Similarly, she's not keen on guessing games ("Can you guess what colour mommy's thinking of?" "NO!!") presumably because having to try again means she was "wrong" in the first place. Some of this surely came from her Type A-ish parents, though we're also wondering if the mouse on the computer incident from almost a year developed some deep roots. Or, maybe we're overthinking things and this is just another toddler/preschooler phase she'll grow out of!
  24. She perpetually gets her left and right shoes mixed up. I'm pretty sure she's playing us.
  25. She's still really into sensory activities. Making mudpies in her backyard playground, painting, playing with water, etc.

  26. After several read-throughs of a book she really enjoys, she can recite the whole thing back almost word for word! A recent favourite - Berenstain Bears' "The Spooky Old Tree". Here she is performing it for her Nana and Great Aunt in her best duck voice!

  27. Some shyness has come out recently at times in group settings, and/or around new people. For example, when we dropped in on her great grandmother and great aunt up at the cottage, she kept her hands over her eyes during the whole visit, and just wanted to stay in my lap. I also noticed she tended to be less gregarious than the other kids during our recent weekly library drop-ins. But then she'll do a 180 and be the bullish one - chatting up a storm, assertively assigning tasks to others during play, etc. 
  28. She can walk up and down the stairs now without holding the hand rail.
  29. By 30 months, she was fully potty learned during the day. At the time of this writing, she's now wearing undies at night too. A few accidents here and there, but overall she's been awesome!
  30. She's a little too obsessed with tablets. If given a choice, she'd generally pick time on Daddy's "Kobo" or Granda's iPad over, well, pretty much anything. 
  31. She has a vivid imagination. I often listen to her when she's playing by herself, and she'll assign creative roles to her toys and objects and narrate some pretty interesting stories! I've also recently noticed that she says "OK" a lot during her play. Gah - she must have gotten that from me! Funny because I tease my own mother about her overuse of the word but obviously I'm "afflicted" too! But I digress...
  32. Overall, we have a sweet, determined, bright, hilarious, beautiful, precocious little gal and we wouldn't change a thing about her. Except maybe how quickly she's growing up *sniff sniff*. We love you, S!!

Let's end things with a few classic quotes. Enjoy!
  • (29 months; watching a show with Dad)
    • Dad: What kind of animal is that?
    • S: You KNOW what kind of animal that is, Daddy!
  • (30 months, early morning; we hear CJ crying from his crib)
    • S: Mommy you need to feed CJ milk from your boob!
  • (32 months, talking about how we played some Super Mario 3 the previous evening)
    • Me: Who's better at Super Mario - Daddy or Mommy?
    • S: Daddy. When you do it, he falls off!
  • (Regularly - thanks to my lovely hubby!)
    • S: I dropped a deuce!