She's an interesting mix of independent and a touch headstrong with goofy and funny. She is very sweet and loving. She's also a little particular about things, too.
"Follow Me"
Whenever we are walking down the stairs, picking her up from school, or taking a walk in the neighborhood, Julia wants to lead. If I catch up to her and start to walk in front of her, she runs back in front and says, "NO! Follow ME!" She gets especially frustrated with Jake when we're walking down the stairs, because he likes to go in front. I explain that the dog does not understand what she is saying.
A Bit Particular
Julia has a near obsession about holes in socks. She finds it unacceptable to wear socks with even tiny holes and will always check her socks when she gets dressed. She also checks my socks for holes and tells me that I need to change my socks if they have holes. I have recently stocked up on new socks, as I was not aware how many pairs had small holes until Julia's sock checks. She is also particular about strings hanging from her clothes, "Go get scissors and cut this string, Mommy!!" She also likes Mr. Potato Head's nose to go horizontally and not vertically. Just a few examples of how Miss Julia likes things to be just so.
Music & Dancing
Julia is into music, singing, and dancing these days. I put a CD player in her play area when she was a baby so we could listen to music. These days, she selects a CD, opens the case, puts it in the CD player, and hits the play button. Unfortuantely, she is not as adept at putting the CD's away. She also doesn't quite get the rewind feature on the CD player yet. To hear a song again, she will take the CD out of the player, put it back in, and hit the play button again.
She's all about dance parties these days, either with me or one of her friends. There is a great deal of jumping involved, and I find them to be a good form of exercise for both of us. She's also into singing- often at the top of her lungs. She performs "mash-ups" of her favorite songs (a term I learned from Glee). "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" will transition into a Laurie Berkner song, and she'll finsh with "Down in the Jungle." She will even make up her own songs. For instance, after her bath the other night, before we put her pajamas on, Julia started singing, "I've got no clothes on, no clothes on, no clothes on. No pajamas on, no pajamas on, no pajamas on."
Lately, her favorite CD is Rocknoceros, a local kids music band. We listen to the CD in the car, and I like it better than many of the other kid music selections. I find myself singing along. Julia will hear me and pipe up from the backseat, "Mommy, let Rocknoceros sing it by itself." In other words, stop singing!
6 Month Review
At the end of six months at Julia's school (the development center at my workplace), a child's primary teacher sits down with the parent to talk through how the child is doing: areas of development, areas for improvement. Miss Barbara and I had our meeting a bit early, since I was expecting the new baby. When we scheduled the meeting, I joked with R that Julia was having her "6 month review."
It was fun to hear in detail about Julia's day-to-day life at school. Miss Barbara says she keeps all the teachers laughing, even when she doesn't mean to be funny. She often mimics the teachers and pretends to be one of them. She loves the art projects and is often the first at the table when they start a project. (I saw this firsthand when I went to pick her up early one day, but they were starting an art project. Julia did not run to me as she usually does. Instead, she shot me a look of, "What are you doing here?! We're about to do a project!!)
One of the things that warmed my heart the most was hearing that Julia is very welcoming when a new child joins the classroom. She also comforts kids when they are crying or upset. Very sweet.
On the other hand, Barbara said there are a couple of areas for improvement. Julia will get into a "stubborn mood" where she won't want to do what is asked of her. For instance, cleaning up toys once she has played with them. (Luckily for us, Miss Barbara is up for the task of dealing with Julia in her stubborn moods.) Also, Julia knows to say Please, but doesn't always use it. To take it a step further, she even seems put out at times when she is asked to say it!!
I've seen that side of Julia, too. When she wants to do something I find unacceptable, I will tell her No. Many times, she persists to get what she wants. My response is often, "I said 'No,' Julia." She has looked me square in the eye and said, "I said 'YES'!"
Big Sister
Julia loves her baby sister and will often announce, "I love her! I love her!" "I love Annabelle!" She likes to help take care of Annabelle and will unsnap her onesie and untape the diaper when we are changing Annabelle. She sometimes gets too closer for comfort; for example, she will often sing songs loudly into Annabelle's face, often while the baby is try to sleep.
Books
Julia continues to love books, and she has a number of favorites that she can recite by heart. Because she has memorized them, it almost seems that she is reading them herself. She is also quite the negotiator, talking her way to 4 or 5 books instead of the original 2 or 3 we discussed. She likes to make sure we "read the books all gone."
Little Helper
It's remarkable the shift from baby to toddler to a little buddy who is really good company. She likes to help out around the house, and her "help" will often double or triple the time a task takes. She'll help me put clothes in the washer or dryer, and she's a big fan of helping R out with the yardwork. A new ritual around our house is Pancake Sundays, and Julia likes to help R make the pancakes. Then, she really loves eating them!
There's much more to say - for instance, how Julia has become the inquisitive toddler who incessantly asks "Why?" or that she has decided she has a "Mama" foot and a "Papa" foot. She has also named her fingers after loved ones. The other day, she hurt her "Grandma" finger and needed a Band-Aid. Speaking of Band-Aids, they have become a fashion accessory for Julia; no actual wound is needed for a Band-Aid.
I could go on and on (obviously!) about that girl!
1 comment:
We do pancake Sundays too. :)
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