-Jillian is a creature of habit, much like her parents (and especially her mom). She likes a routine and she reminds me if we don't follow it. To help with transitions, I started setting a timer (usually on my cell phone) and reminding her that we are going to stop whatever we are doing and do something else when it goes off. For example, "When the timer goes off it will be time to go upstairs to read books for nap" or "When the timer goes off we are going to get our shoes on and go bye bye". This works remarkably well with her. Dare I say almost too well? She has become rather fixated on the timer and will remind us to set it. At the park, she can be heard reminding her father, "Daddy set timer" as she shakes her finger at him. She also uses the idea to request something she wants to do, generally in lieu of something more undesirable. This often occurs near bathtime, which she knows signals the beginning of the bedtime routine. She will say "play balls ten mimuts, timer's off". This can be translated to mean "I want to go in the living room and play in the balls for 10 minutes, please set the timer". She is ultimately using my own strategy against me in an attempt to manipulate the situation and prolong bedtime. Little stinker! Similarly, she often requests "one more tibe" (one more time) as she holds up her finger (shaking it again...do I do that?!?), to request another kiss before bed. This is generally followed by several more requests for "yast tibe" (last time). It's so cute to see her grin and plead in a very convincing manner. Who can turn down one last kiss (or about 10)? Not me, and certainly not her dad.
-Jillian repeats everything we say. She picks up on phrases and words so quickly it astonishes me. One day last week I was picking her up from the RAC and one of the workers told me a story that I thought was funny. I said, "That's hilarious". Not five seconds later, I heard an echo: "Dat's hiwarious". I also heard an echo from the backseat as I accidentally backed into our trashcan and expressed my dissatisfaction, but I won't tell you about that one.
-Jillian is determined to do most everything "by self". She can now climb into the car and her car seat independently, and she will throw a royal tantrum if you try to simply put her in the car seat for sake of time. She wants to take her own shoes off, brush her own teeth, and open any door in her path (whether she can reach the knob or not). This means it usually takes us a long time to do anything, but it is a good reminder to this hurried personality to enjoy the small victories of independence. It is sweet to see the pride in her face as she accomplishes something new, such as drinking out of an open cup without spilling.
-Jillian recently discovered how to tune the world (or particularly her parents) out. We noticed her doing this as we were on a walk one evening and someone nearby was mowing their lawn.
It was quite amusing to watch her face as she kept taking her fingers out of her ears and putting them back in again.
-I recently stocked up on a bunch of craft supplies, as I noticed Jillian would come home from the RAC with pictures or other crafts she had made. This indicated to me that she was more willing/interested in participating in such activities now, where she hasn't really before (outside of some occasional coloring). I loosely decided that after her nap we would have a craft time, and Jillian thinks this is great fun. Now she is always asking me to "do a cwaft" (do a craft).
-Jillian continues to experiment with potty training. Last week she was apparently just interested in experimenting with toilet paper as I was in my room getting dressed.
She is always one step ahead of me....
1 comment:
LOVE the potty picture Jilly! You are so "hiwarious" !
Miss you!
Aunt Mal
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