Two-And-A-Half Years Old

And now, ladies and gentlemen, a long awaited blog post about Chloë.  She is two-and-a-half now, after all, and it has been months since I've updated the world on how she is growing and changing.

Sometimes I begin posts days or even weeks before they appear public on this blog.  Because I want to scribble down (or frantically type?) some little thing that happened, lest I forget.  This also explains why posts like this one feel a bit choppy.  Oh well.

I was just browsing through a few notes that are months old, and am realizing how much Chloë has changed.  She is my regular little helper and conversationalist.  Her vocabulary has exploded into talking in full and complete sentences about anything and everything; telling me about her imaginary world, or asking for help with some grown up thing she wants to do, or bemoaning the fact that her curious little sister wants to join her in whatever she's doing.

The first note I have was about introducing the idea of potty training, and Chloë insisting that she only wears diapers.  Well, I am extremely happy to report that she hasn't worn diapers (or pull-ups) for a few months now.  We tackled potty training with the "in a day" method, and it proved extremely successful for us. She stays dry at night and only has an accident once a week or so when she gets so absorbed in whatever it is she's doing that she blocks her body signaling her to use the restroom.  But it's big girl pants for this kid these days.

A couple of months ago, Chloë and I did some regular "Speech Therapy."  Ironically, she refers to it as "doing recipe." She had a lot of trouble with her Fs and Vs (which end up sounding like Z or S), and her TH sounds more like a Z.  So we stand in front of the mirror so she can compare what our mouths and tongues are doing, and we make some silly sounds ("ba ba ba, ma ma ma,"), and practice the hard ones ("fa fa fa.  Fi fi fi.  Fiiiish.").  We did this for maybe 10 minutes a day, a few time a week for a month or so, and she made huge progress.  She now uses Fs and Vs with ease!  Her THs still sound a lots like Zs, so we should probably work on those.  I don't want to make a big deal out of it, since no child speaks their first word perfectly; I know it is a years-long learning process.  But I'm happy that my silly attempts paid off.

Chloë loves to draw, and we have no shortage of drawing supplies in this house. 

Her first self portrait a couple of months ago:

She thought this huge pink pen was pretty spectacular.

We've gotten into the habit of letting Chloë make birthday cards by drawing them, and she really surprised us last month with the portrait she did of Bryan's dad.


She understands past, present, and future, but doesn't always get the time frames quite right. Yesterday could mean last week, and "in two weeks," means it must be a loooong time from now.

Chloë likes brushing hair. 

A few months ago, we sat down for dinner, and I told Chloë it was her turn to pray.  "Remember," I said, "Just tell Jesus the things you're thankful for."  We all held hands, and Chloë said "Dur Jesus.  Thank you for this food." She looked around the table. "And the potatoes.  And peppers.  And spicy.  And Laina.  And Daddy.  And Chloë.  And Mama.  In Jesus' name.  AMEN!"  These days, with her eloquent complete sentences, she rambles on about all sorts of things when she prays.

She likes going places.  Any time I put shoes on, she excitedly asks, "Where we goin', Mama?!"  She can almost entirely dress herself, and she will eagerly put her shoes on (usually on the wrong feet), and get her coat, and she's ready to join me on a grand adventure to the grocery store.  Occasionally we'll even do something special like go on a little date.  She feels pretty important drinking hot cocoa out of a little cup.

Sometimes she likes walking around the house in her snow gloves and snow boots.  And she loves playing dress up with jewelry or dress up clothes.

She loves talking on the phone, and she love pretending to have entire conversations on the phone.  She'll fake laugh, and say "oh my goodness," and "yeahyeahyeah," and all manner of hilarious things that I know she must hear me say.  Sometimes she will have rapid succession phone conversations, during which she will repeatedly say, "Hello? What's? Okay, bye!"

Her favorite foods are olives, pickles, chips, and chocolate or anything that would qualify as dessert. 

Sometimes she really doesn't like going to bed, she doesn't like very many vegetables, and she doesn't like really loud noises.

A few weeks ago, Chloë was in a sad mood at bedtime.  I leaned in to give her a goodnight kiss, but she stopped me and perked up.  Raising her eyebrows, she said, "I hear something."  I paused and listened.  "I don't hear anything," I told her.  "I hear something," she insisted.  I listened.  "I don't hear it.  What is it?" I asked her.  "My head," she said.  Curious, I asked, "what does it sound like?" "A truck," she answered.


For as much as Elaina is capable of messing up whatever her big sister is doing, Chloë really does love her little sister.  A couple of months ago, they were playing and laughing together on my bed, sort of cuddling. Chloë smiled her sweetest smile while nodding and quietly said, "I like my sister." Then she leaned over to Elaina and whispered, "I love you so much."

She loves animals, and loves seeing the alpacas at Grams and Pops' house. This little baby 'paca was just a couple of days old.

She likes "reading" books by reciting stories as accurately as she can, building towers out of blocks so Elaina will have something to knock over, playing with her sister, playing with her friends, playing outside or going to the park, "helping" me cook or clean, watching Sesame Street, running around the house and playing chasing games, and using melody or rhythm almost constantly at times.


Chloë usually goes to sleep for the night around 10:30.  She often wakes up once or twice, but goes back to sleep easily.  She sleeps until 8 or 8:30, and then has about a two hour nap mid-afternoon.  I'm not sure what she weighs or how tall she is, but I'm guessing below average for weight, and right on track for height.  She can count into the teens, knows all the major colors, knows the alphabet and most letters' sound, and thinks that every word that begins with the letter "C" must be her name.

This is the beautiful face I get when I ask her to smile for the camera.

She's a pretty great kid to have around.  She's is goofy and silly, sweet and affectionate.  She'll rub my leg and ask, "How ya doin', Mama?" or stroke Elaina's hair if she's upset and tell her, "It's okay, little baby." She's such a joy.