A Thing or Two About Gianna Being Two and a Half!

Most days, Gianna is a JOY to be with, and her little phrases and comments are well worth a smile or a laugh. Other days, well, other days let's just say she definitely tests our wills-- many times we have to ask her, "how can you say that a lot better?" And a two year old tantrum, BOY, can that send a moment into a tailspin really fast!!  I wouldn't call it the "terrible" twos; it's more like the "terrific but also trying" twos.

With the many ups and the few downs, Gianna's personality is shinning forth in ways we have never seen before:)  Here are just a few things I would like to remember about her at this age:

At 2 1/2 Gianna has developed a keen interest in what she wears.  Most mornings it is practically impossible to rush out the door.  If she could, she would probably spend every day in her pajamas, but since she can't she puts in her two cents about what she does or does not want to wear. 

For the most part, I've learned to adapt to this new development.  If it is a day I want her to look somewhat put together I give her two outfit choices, and she seems satisfied with that.  Other days, when what she wears really doesn't matter I let her have at it and pick something out herself.  This has lead to some "interesting" outfits; let's just say the bright yellow Curious George shirt and bright purple pants have found their way to the laundry basket without being dirty every now and then;) 

I have come to know what some of her favorite things to wear are, but then again, that can change in a matter of weeks.  On any given week, I could pick out a shirt and couldn't get her to wear it for the life of me, and then a few weeks later she picks the same shirt out and acts like it is her favorite!

And then there was the day she decided she wanted to wear her Christmas dress to Mom's group (a jean dress simply would not do).  She showed up fully decked-out in her dress, black tights, and shinny tappy shoes-- I was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. 

My mom just tells me this is all payback from when I was little...

Some of the best rummage sale purchases I made were two Kids Sing-Along-Songs videos.  She LOVES them.  One of her favorite songs on one of the videos is "Lazy Mary."  The song starts out with the lyrics:
                                     Lazy Mary, will you get up?
                                     Will you get up? Will you get up?
                                     Lazy Mary will you get up?
                                     Will you get up today?
To which "Mary" replies:
                                    No, no mother, I won't get up!
                                    I won't get up; I won't get up!
                                    No, no mother, I won't get up!
                                    I won't get up today!
The song then continues with a second round in which the mother says:
                                    Yes, dear Mary, you must get up.
                                     You must get up; you must get up...
Finally Mary says:
                                    Yes, dear Mother, I will get up!
                                     I will get up; I will get up!...
                                
I knew this song left an impact on her when, one night at supper, I asked her to eat something on her plate.  She then started to sing to me:
                                   "No, mother I won't eat it.
                                   I won't eat it; I won't eat it."
Although she failed to sing the other verse of the song, "Yes, dear mother, I will eat it!,"  I was pretty impressed with her adaptation of the song to fit the situation:)  In the end, she did eat what I asked, and it was all really quite cute.

If you've spent any time playing with Gianna, you will quickly learn what some of her favorite games are.  One of her favorites is Hide and Seek, or rather more appropriately called, hide but don't take too long or I'll come out and find you and you can hide where I just was and I'll find you!

She also loves to play "Chugas."  An older girl at mom's group had all the little kids line up in chairs like a train and then had them all say "Chuga, chuga, choo, choo."  This was several months ago, but since then, Gianna has never forgotten that game and loves to have everyone who is willing line up in chairs to play "Chugas."  Often times, she likes to be the leader of the train too.

To fill these long winter days inside, I've also found a few new activities she seems to enjoy.  Just a few days ago I let her climb up on a chair and "wash" some of her toys and dishes.  I filled the sink with soap and let her have at it-- every day since, she's had to wash dishes.

I also invested in a little indoor sandbox, "like Weston has."  We found a pink one like she wanted, filled it with oatmeal and a few sand toys, and she's been in love with it ever since:)

Overall, you can hardly escape a day without playing in the toy room.  She loves playing with her dolls and dressing them up, playing "basketplayers" with her balls and a laundry basket, having tea parties with cake, and putting on her dress up clothes. 

She is very much a girly girl which leads me to my final Gianna update:

She is officially in a big girl bed!  Andy and I decided now would be a good time to make the transition with baby Ella on the way in the very near future.  We purchased a little toddler bed and got some princess bedding to go with it-- she was SO EXCITED!  I've never been one to love the whole princess theme, but Gianna definitely does.  As my sister said, "despite your efforts, the girl is a princess through and through." So hence, her very girly princess bed, her "beautiful bed!"  So far she doesn't seem to miss her crib at all-- she even understands baby Ella is going to have the crib.  Just like we built her bed for her, she told us she is going to build the crib for baby Ella to sleep in, and she is going to do it, "all by myself," I might add. 

Overall, we love this little 2 1/2 year old very much and can't imagine life without her:)