2.5 years old!

With every passing day I get a little farther behind.  That's why this post is 4 months late.  LOL.  I may be behind in some areas of life, but I'm happy to say I've found a new rhythm with the kiddos.  We go to the YMCA together 3-4 days a week, mommy and daddy watch Netflix together and we do lots of traveling to see our family (which includes swimming, fishing, and lots of playing).  Sweet Anna Grace has continued to fill our life with so much laughter and happiness.  She is a spunky ball of fire that keeps us on our toes!

Weight:  33lbs 12 oz (89th percentile) Up 4lbs in 6 months

Height: 36.5 inches (67th percentile) Up 1.5 inch in 6 months

Eating:  This category still hasn't changed much.  Anna Grace loves to eat!  Veggies are probably her favorite.  I joke that she's becoming vegetarian because lately meat isn't her first pick.  With that being said, she does like to eat chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A, but passes on their fries.  She stopped eating mushrooms but now loves cherry tomatoes.  Her favorite vegetable is probably squash (closely followed by broccoli and carrots).  For breakfast she loves vanilla greek yogurt, special K cereal or a plain waffle with no syrup.  She also loves pretzels....which her brother doesn't like at all.  She doesn't love grapes or banana, but will gobble up watermelon, apples and strawberries.                

Development:  Anna Grace is still doing speech therapy.  We are finally seeing her learn/say new things on a daily basis!  She still tends to be a few months behind her peers, but she's doing great!    

Clothes:  Size 6 diaper and 3T clothes.  She wears some 4T as well (especially PJs).  Her feet have continue to grow so fast.  She wears a 7.5-9.       

Sleeping:  She has continued to be our "good sleeper".  Around 7:15 we go upstairs, brush her teeth, read a book and I rock her until she starts pointing at her crib.  This means she's ready for me to lay her down.  She rarely wakes up during the night, and is up for the day around 7:00.  She still naps for 2 hours (usually 12:30-2:30).  Unfortunately, she doesn't nap as well at school as she does at home.           

Things She Loves:  The things she loves is pretty much the same.  She adores her big brother and stays interested in whatever he is doing.  Baby dolls are still THE #1 FAV!  She is such a good mom to her babies.  She changes their diapers, gives them bottles, rocks them, pats them and tells them, "Don't cry baby, mama here."  Anna Grace started going to Little Gym in May, and she is loving every minute.  Front rolls, animals, babies and running make her happy (I swear the girl doesn't know how to walk).           

Things She Hates:  Nap time at school.  Anything that's not her idea.   We hear her say, "I said, NO!" too often.  She is hard headed, but she has a personality that will get her far in life!                      

Health:   Overall, Anna Grace has been healthy.  She had a couple of ear infections from September 2017-March 2018 and an upper respiratory infection around Christmas time.  Can't complain!  She had a few appointments with audiology to make sure there was nothing causing her speech delay.  She didn't do well on her first round of tests (because she had an ear infection brewing), but her 2nd test was better and the audiologist we saw had no worries.  In April she started seeing a new Neuro-Ophthalmology.  Long story short, her nystagmus is here to stay.  She's a tough girl, and I know in my heart she will do big things....no matter what!  In March she had allergy testing done.  We confirmed that she is allergic to eggs and peanuts.  She is also allergic to tree nuts.  Having her get poked so many times was sad, but I'm so happy to have an "action plan" from the doctor to give to her caregivers AND an epi pen!           

Other:  AG has 20 teeth (4 more new teeth since her 2nd birthday).  She still loves her daddy but wants her mama when she's tired.  When Gordon gets home she yells, "My daddy's home!"  Anna Grace fell in love with Mickey Mouse around the time we went to Disneyland.  Before that it was a tie between Mickey and Elmo.  When she met Mickey she yelled, "I love you, Mickey!!!" about a thousand times.  Her "I love you" sounds more like "I uv chew".  She loves to slide and jump.  Santa and the Easter Bunny scare her to death!  The beach makes her nervous at first, but after a day or so she is obsessed.  William and Anna Grace would play in the sand and ocean ALL day long if you'd let them.          

I always knew our kids would be different.....AND BOY ARE THEY OPPOSITE.  I couldn't have asked for a better combination.  Anna Grace makes every day better and brighter.  We love watching her grow, learn and change with every passing day.  There is nothing better than being a mama to William and Anna Grace.  Watching a brother and sister grow together and love each other is the best!       

Our baby is TWO!

I'm still in shock that our baby is two years old!  The progress this little lady has made over the last year makes us so happy.  The patience and understanding of beautiful imperfection that she has taught me is a gift I'll never be able to repay her.  I'm so happy that God gave her to us.  She's just what I needed!  

Sweet baby girl's 2nd birthday at the beach!

Weight:  29 lbs 4 oz (80th percentile) Up 4lbs in 6 months

Height: 35 inches (85th percentile) Up 2.5 inch in 6 months
Head: 45.3 cm 

Eating:  This category never changes.  Anna Grace loves to eat!  I finally broke down a month or two before her birthday and stopped giving her a bottle at night (insert crying emoji).  She didn't mind one bit....it was just hard for mama.  She drinks about 18 ounces of milk a day and will never turn down food.  She wants zero help with eating.  Therefore, she comes home from school with new clothes on nearly everyday (messy, messy).   She's finally started to like bananas (this actually started after her 2nd bday).  Strawberries, blueberries and watermelon are still favorites.  Neither she or William care for pineapple.  She's not really into sweet potatoes any more but loves sauteed mushrooms and carrots.  Vegetables are usually the first thing she eats on her plate.  She's even started to like cherry tomatoes like her big brother.  Pancakes have changed from a no to a yes!  I'm sad to say she's discovered ranch and ketchup.  She literally would eat them both with a spoon.            

Development:  Every day Anna Grace learns something new!  She has really come a long way recently.  Since her second birthday she has started talking a lot more.  She started speech therapy at the end of November and has shown a lot of progress.  Baby girl does get really frustrated when trying to communicate with us.  She knows so much but just can't get the words out.  But, like I said, everyday is better and better.           

Clothes:  Size 6 diaper and some 2T but mostly 3T clothes.  3T fits best because she's so tall.  She wears a size 6 or 7 in shoes.  I'm still shocked at how fast her feet have grow.     

Sleeping:  This area hasn't changed much.  She is still a really good sleeper.  She no longer drinks milk before bed.  We just go upstairs, brush her teeth, read a book while rocking and then put her to bed wide awake.  Sometimes I rock her until she falls asleep because I know she won't let me do this for much longer.  She usually goes to bed around 7:30pm and wakes up between 6am-7am.  We of course still have rough nights.  She still naps for 2 hours (usually 12:30-2:30)         

Things She Loves:  The things she loves hasn't changed too much.  She still loves her babydolls, anything William is playing with, and BOOKS!  Anna Grace still loves giving hugs and kisses and is always getting us to do group hugs.  Her shoe obsession has continued.  She has mastered putting her shoes on by herself.  If you can't find her she's probably in the laundry room taking off and putting on new shoes.  She loves dancing, purple is her favorite color, and she loves playing hide 'n seek with her brother.  I think her favorite part is yelling "BOO!".  Her favorite song to sing to is The Wheels On The Bus.  She has a new obsession with flash cards.  She loves lining them up, stacking them, and going through them one at a time and showing them to you.  Honestly,  we never see her without a flashcard in her hand.      

Things She Hates:  The independent, hard headed attitude has continued.  She is one super independent girl!   The biting is getting a little bit better (but not much).  Luckily, she hasn't bit any friends at school and she's only left a mark on William once.  The word "gentle" is still used 100 times a day in our house.  I'm pretty sure this little girl of ours could be a UFC fighter one day.  She is a tough little thing.  There really isn't much AG doesn't like.  She's pretty easy going and happy to be with her people.                    

Health:  Poor baby girl had fever the morning of her 2nd birthday (while we were at the beach).  We took her to an urgent care and found that she had pneumonia.  She handled it like a champ, and still had a fun day on the beach.    

Anna Grace finished Physical Therapy on June 28th after 15 months of treatment.  We were sad to say goodbye to Ms. Laura but happy to have our Wednesday mornings back.  She is still doing great with her glasses (besides taking them off in the car and popping the lenses out!).  She got a new prescription in September and new frames.  We were released from Neurology and still see Neuro-Ophthalmology every 6 months.        

Other:  AG has 16 teeth (as I type this she is 27 months and has even more!).  She still loves her daddy but wants her mama when she's tired.  She still thinks William is the coolest person around.  Anna Grace loved cheering on her brother at his t-ball games.  She'd yell, "Yeah Bubba!"  You could find her at every t-ball game with a giant pickle in one hand and flash cards in the other.  Her love for dogs and now cats is super cute.  She loves Mimi's cat, Smokey Joe.  She yells, "JOE!!!" the entire time we are in Texarkana.  She wants to pet every dog we see at t-ball games and follows my parents dogs around everywhere.  It's just a matter of time before we have to get our own dog.  She still isn't too into TV.  This little lady doesn't ever sit still!!  She also LOVES babies.  She is surprisingly gentle with her baby cousin, Mary Catherine.  As soon as she sees a baby she starts blowing them kisses and saying SHHHHHHH.  She loves telling people, "I'm 2!"  Every big truck on the highway is a "choochoo".  When she walks into daycare sometimes she says, "I'm back!"  LOL.  When her food is hot instead of blowing on it she does it her own way and basically spits all over everything.  :)     

Her love for animals inspired the farm theme 2nd birthday party!

This girl is seriously hilarious and so fun to be around.  Her one of a kind personality makes my heart so happy.