Charli Adele: 2.5 Year Update:

Happy Half Birthday to the sweetest, silliest, spunkiest, smartest, most creative, independent, little girl I know! 

How are we this close to having a 3 year old on our hands? Charli has grown up so much since she turned TWO. I mean seriously, Steven and I say all the time that we don't even feel like we have a toddler anymore but rather a full blown kid. She can hold a conversation with us, which you can find some things she says Here. She is the best big sister to Crew, she loves to help cook and clean, she loves singing and dancing, and she has been on a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse kick for about 4 months and loves Minnie Mouse. Though Charli can frustrate me like no other (she is way too much like her mommy) I couldn't imagine our life without her and I love her something fierce! She has the biggest heart and is the biggest love (when she wants to be ;)). My favorite part of our day is after Daddy reads to her and tucks her in to bed while I am putting Crew down, I go in and climb into bed with her to give her a goodnight kiss and we just talk... "Mama, you can just stay here and sleep next to me" she exclaims! Oh baby girl my heart explodes for you! 

Not only is Charli super intelligent but she is the size of most 3 or 4 year olds and Steven and I find ourselves reminding each other all the time that "she is only two" when she is acting up or not listening. I feel that ever since Crew was born we expect a lot more from Charli. I honestly think it is a good thing and a bad thing. Charli definitely has her moments but she really is such a good little girl and has become a really good listener lately. We have started counting to three as a "warning" sign to her that if she doesn't listen and we get to three she will get a timeout or discipline. We have found this to work extremely well with her. If she does get a timeout she has to say her ABC's and count to 10 before leaving the corner. This has helped with a lot of her tantrums and she understands consequences for her actions. 

We love you baby girl and still can't believe you are 2 1/2!! 

Charli's Stats:

*Height: 40inches

*Weight: 38lbs

*Clothes: Between 2T and 4T

*Potty: Charli was fully Potty Trained 3 months after turning two. The only accidents she has had since were actually right after moving here (which I 100% expected). She woke up one morning with a wet pull up but nothing since! She sleeps in her panties during nap and literally asks me if she can wear her panties to bed. I think I will finally let her soon. She is also SO independent that she now takes herself to the bathroom when she has to go (sometimes without me even knowing, if I am nursing or busy with Crew) because she wants to do it all by herself. I have literally walked by her bathroom and have seen her sitting on the potty and she in fact peed and pooped! Seriously we lucked out in that department! 

*Sleep: Bedtime is still 7pm but she usually doesn't actually fall asleep until 7:30pm and wakes up around 7am. Charli also sleep talks like crazy... Like will have a full blown tantrum in her sleep... Then low and behold Steven said she got it from me. I didn't realize it but I guess I talk in my sleep almost every night (my mom also confirmed this while she was here over Christmas, that I did the same thing when I was little). Charli still takes one nap, around 1pm. Some days she takes really great 2 hour naps, other days she doesn't nap at all, but she has to stay in her room until I come and get her. So no matter what she has her own quiet/alone time! 

*Food: Charli isn't that big of a pickier eater. She loves cereal (Chex) or granola and yogurt for breakfast; oranges, goldfish, or applesauce for a snack; turkey, cheese, grapes, apples, pickle, and pretzels for lunch; and then she eats what we eat for dinner. We don't cater to her, she gets what I make! She loves Taco Tuesday! And girlfriend loves her sweets/desserts (just like her Mama!). Some random things she loves is lobster, crab, edamame, and she loved seaweed salad at dinner the other night. 

*Social: Charli started Preschool exactly one month after turning two but her first "year" of school Ended a short 3 months later due to our move. Unfortunately RI state law is that they have to be 3 years old to start Preschool here so she won't be attending school here. She loved her Little School so much and we still talk about her teachers and friends to this day! Since we don't have School here, we rely on spending time with friends, having playdates, and going to the library's story time as much as we can! When we go over to a friends house for a "playdate" she will exclaim "Mama, we on a playdate" haha! She is great with her friends and their baby brothers and sisters. We have never had an issue with her pushing others or biting others, but Charli is very head strong and can seem a little aggressive at times (she definitely has an alpha/leader personality). She will still act a little shy in new and unfamiliar settings but warms up quite quickly.

*Other: She still loves bath time and knows her daily routine very well, her other favorite part of the day is "nack time" (snack time)... Girlfriend would snack all day if I let her (although I have ALWAYS been a snacker) so I can't blame her! She is very curious of sports... She loves watching football and actually asks us quite often if she can play soccer and basketball (music to my ears, as I started playing soccer at the age of 3 and played competitively until I was 19 and played basketball competitively from the age of like 7 to 14). Steven and I both can't wait to introduce her to sports! I can't even keep track of things she knows these days because she is seriously so smart. She knows all of her ABC's, can count to 20, is learning her days of the week (and knows them pretty well too), knows her birthday, my birthday (probably because it is also in July) ;), knows all of our full names, and has an incredible memory. She can remember things, including small details from months ago! 

Happy Half Birthday Charli Adele! 

Mommy, Daddy & Crew love you!