The Julia Files

Since her little brother was born, I haven't been good about keeping the blog up to date, so the following is a list of some of her latest habits, accomplishments, words and frustrations.

To get things started, here she is in her Cookie Monster hat and sweater (made by my grandmother, Mimi). Yo.

• She loves to sing and makes up her own songs. Often songs have just one word (because that's how Elmo ends each Elmo's World segment) and are to the tune of Jingle Bells. Today she sang "Noah, Noah" to to the tune of Merry Had a Little Lamb. Othertimes, she makes up quite a long song to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin." (I realize that song is actually the tune of a real song but I don't know how to spell it!) She sings along with songs she hears now - including Happy Birthday to You.
• She's getting more physically adventurous and accomplished. She can hop and jump and loves to dance. She tries to skip, hula hoop and jump rope.

(Celebrating the Royal Wedding with her own crazy hat)

• Some funny words/phrases she says are "pork it" (poke it with a fork), inside out and inside in, yester-morning (yesterday), yow (a derivation of yes and yeah) and malle-phone (for xylophone). She says "actually" and uses it in context - "that's blue actually." Similarly, she says, "it's in the den, I bet." And when asked if she wants an apple or orange (for example), she'll respond "mmm, I think.... apple!"
• Turning two and a half came with tantrums - throwing things, laying on the floor, running to her room. She also says "i'm not happy right now." In general, her first response to any question is "no." Fantastic : ) And the other day she told me she didn't like rest time anymore. Although she continues to take 3 hour naps!
• At 2 1/2 she was 32 pounds and 36 inches. She's got the alphabet down and can count to 20. She can match colors. She's inquisitive - wants to know "'why" and "where" and "what" all the time. She stuck her head under the guest bed the other day, just looking around. And she can open doors with turn knobs, although sometimes she doesn't try hard enough to actually get them open.
• Julia LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel. She does the "hot dog" dance, calls out "Oh Toodles" and will often find her own "mouseketools" around the house. Most all of her imaginative play is inspired by what she has seen on that show. She has fallen asleep for 100 years like Minnie Mouse and pull, pull, pulled on a rope like Mickey. She also hangs out with Princess Daisy on our front steps.
• Julia also pretends to nurse, burp and change her baby doll. And she has put two eggs on her chest and told me she's pumping. Hopefully she doesn't share that with anyone outside the house : )
• Julia has had quite a few firsts since Noah was born. She went to the dentist on 5/16 and also got her first haircut. She can wash her whole body in the bath now.

• And one embarrassing story for the books... We have started talking up using the potty and Julia has a little stool and seat that she uses to sit on the big potty. Well, one afternoon I was changing Noah's diaper and heard Julia calling out - help, I'm stuck. I found Julia in the bathroom on the potty: she had tried to sit on it all by herself, which is great, but she forgot to put her little seat on first and had fallen in, bottom first. I regret not running out to get my camera but my first instinct was to rescue her! And then to laugh it off so that she wasn't terrified of the potty going forward!

Julia is really funny and smart and caring. She is loving towards Noah and is a great helper around the house. Sometimes she has a hard time sharing and not getting her way. Overall she is a sweet girl - trying so hard to be big!