She loves her family, and is always so excited to see us. She gives the best hugs and kisses, and she knows she’s powerful when she withholds them. She likes to tell us “I’m so proud of you.” Wonder where she’s heard that.
Clara is still very sweet with Luke (when she wants to be). We had a rough month or two when he became mobile and heard a lot of “No..Lukie...No”, as his favorite activity is to follow her around and get into what she is doing. But, she’s starting to learn to distract him with other toys and has developed some patience with him playing along. We’ve had a FEW brief moments where they have actually playing together. Amazing! She’s also Luke’s biggest cheerleader, and is great about playing along when we sing to him or encourage him.
She has so many original ideas, and loves it when an adult can play along. She is starting to have a really creative imagination. We do lots of talking on her phone, going to school, cooking in her kitchen, visiting the doctor and taking care of her babies. Her favorite toys right now include playdough, legos, doing “art” and her mini house with the mailbox.
She is quite the chatterbox. If she’s awake, she is usually talking! Riding in the car with her is the best, because she narrates everything she sees and thinks. Watching your kids learn language is so fascinating and nearly every day we look at each other wondering where she has picked something up. She’s starting to understand humor and tells us all the time that things are SO funny.
She definitely has her share of toddler spunk. She wants to do everything herself and loves to try and help. She NEVER forgets, so we have to mean what we say all of the time. Someday I know we will appreciate her strong spirit, but it makes for some tough negotiations in our house. She has gradually stretched her bedtime routine out longer and longer and no matter what we do we can’t seem to get it back :) It’s amazing how early they master how to get control! While it’s definitely not easy, she’s overall such a cheerful kid that we know we don’t have anything to complain about.
She enjoys her preschool and is excited to go every Tuesday and Thursday. Her teachers tell us that she likes to try new things and always participates enthusiastically. We’re starting to get a little more out of her about what they did during the day. It’s always some variation of “played, crafts and snacks”. Sounds about right for preschool! She also got to try Kindergym this spring, and loved getting out of the house on Saturday mornings and having the one-on-one time.
She loves Umizoomi, so everyone is always “in trouble” or “needs to be saved” like in the show. We often let her watch an episode during Luke’s morning nap on the weekends and I swear it is her favorite time of the week. She’s pretty sweet snuggled up in our bed with the Ipad happily watching her show.
It’s really funny because she loves CFU. She spots the smokestack across town and the logo many places. She talks about it being mommy’s work and likes to cheer, “C-F-U”. One of us found it hilarious when she told us daddy’s job is taking care of baby Luke :)
Other favorites at this stage:
- “Helping” grandma do dishes. She (and grandma’s kitchen) usually end up soaked, but she has a blast.
- Reading books. She has made the leap into longer books and she’s great about sitting and following along. We are often shocked by how much she remembers.
- Bath time. If we’re having a grumpy night in our house, it’s into the tub the kids go!
- She’s a Panther fan, and talks about going to games anytime we drive past the McLeod Center or the Dome. She loves to yell U! N! I! Goooooo Panthers!!
- Her friends at daycare. We are blessed with a great place for the kids to spend their days, and Clara is lucky to have a couple of sweet boys close to her age.
