Annalise at 2 1/2

Annie is 2 1/2!  She's growing bigger, more articulate, and more opinionated all the time.  I love it when she says things like, "Don't be scared, Sissy.  There's no such thing as monsters."  She sounds like such a big kid when she's being so calm and rational.  Then the little monster comes out in her and I'm reminded that she's 2, whenever she snarls at one of us when we don't want to give her her way.  She tells me, "Bad Mama!  Go away!" for things like making her sit in her carseat and get buckled in.

We have had no more wheezing incidents since we checked out of the hospital.  Annie isn't taking any more prescriptions and I -- perhaps foolishly -- didn't even pack the inhaler before we left for Massachusetts two days ago.  I'm going to hope that her breathing troubles were a fluke.

For awhile, Annie was at least doing Number 2 on the potty on a regular basis.  But as of the last month or two, she wants almost nothing to do with the potty.  She'll sit on it every now and again when it suits her, but is perfectly content in diapers.  I'd just as soon she stayed in diapers at least another couple months anyway, with all of our traveling.  She knows how to go in the potty, and I think when she's ready, she'll just do it.  I did pack all her undies just in case seeing her almost-3-year-old cousin/doppelganger Natalie going potty, would inspire her.  But I'd rather she waited until after we've made the 15-hour drive back to North Carolina in January.  I don't know if we need one more variable for that trip on top of weather, traffic, and an infant.

During story times, Annie interrupts often to ask questions with very obvious answers.  Me:  "I clapped my baby brother's feet together to make him laugh."  Annie (loudly):  "Who's clapping his feet together?"  It's in the illustration.  She already knows, but she wants to hear me say it.  It doesn't matter that we've read the book together at least 20 times.  She asks the same questions on the same pages.  She also likes to point to every character on the page, and talk about what that person is doing.  I try to bear with her because I know that it's good for her developing mind, but sometimes I get a little annoyed at being interrupted.  I like the way the books flow without all the questions.

She is the worst little backseat driver ever.  "This is the way, Mama?"  "Why our not going, Mama?"  "Why our going slow?"  "Our going fast!"  It's funny, but sometimes it's a little unnerving to have a little voice right behind me wanting to know why I'm doing everything I'm doing.

She doesn't eat much besides Goldfish crackers, bread, and other starchy, processed foods.  She avoids anything that has nutritional value.  As a result, she might work on one bowel movement for two days.  I keep telling her, "If you'd eat something besides crackers, you'd have an easier time!

Eating the crackers and bread and avoiding Grandma's meaty lasagna.  I know, I should just not give them to her, but it's hard not to when I like to eat them too!

She still soothes herself when she's tired by moving her mouth as if she's nursing.  During our brief stay at the hospital, I was asked a few times, "What is that thing she does with her mouth?"  She did it the whole ambulance ride, I was told.  She's always done it, even before she weaned, whenever it was naptime or bedtime.  It's just her way of relaxing.  She does it while holding her Lovey, so the two things go hand-in-hand.  I think when one of them goes, the other will too.  She seems to be doing it more often the last few months, and I'm not sure why -- maybe because she sees her brother nursing, and a part of her remembers.