Elliott's actual birthday was on Monday. I woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" with Lucky Charms, milk, and Max & Ruby. She ate and watched her show while I got ready. Then we went to the park to meet Dad for lunch. We had burgers, fries, and a cupcake leftover from her party. We played for 2 hours before heading home for a snack and a nap. We got Dad a change of clothes, picked him up early from work, and went to the zoo. We didn't have much time at the zoo, but Ellie really like seeing all the animals. We went ahead and got a zoo pass so we can go back when we have more time. For dinner, I made some of Ellie's favorites: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob.
We had such a fun day with our 2-year-old! And she had a fun day, too. She's told several people all about her birthday. She mentions the important facts such as:
-she climbed up the steps and went down the slide
-she "swinged"
-she had a cupcake with stars on it
-she saw the animals at the zoo
-the monkeys were just crawling on the grass
-she couldn't sit on the rhino (statue) because it was too hot
Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! We love you so much!
Birthday Breakfast
Lunch at the park
Cupcake with stars
Swinging with Dad
Going down the swirly slide
Walking over the bridge
Swinging Lily
Swinging with Lily
Swing kiss!
The "too hot" rhino
Watching the lions
Ellie and Daddy in the welcome sign at the zoo . . . this has become their ritual
On Wednesday, Ellie had her 2 year checkup. She weighs 27.2 pounds (25th percentile) and is 33 1/4 inches tall (50th percentile). Can't remember her head measurement, but it was in the 75th percentile. Her doctor was impressed with everything we told him she could do, although she wouldn't perform (as usual). Here is what our girl is doing at 2 years old:
-She can say her ABCs and count to 13
-She knows most of her shapes, including some of the harder ones (square, circle, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, oval, hexagon, heart, star)
-She knows all of her colors
-She can sing several songs including "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," "Rock-a-Bye-Baby," and "Ring Around the Rosy." She also loves to sing some songs from the radio like, "Red Solo Cup," "Rumor Has It," and "Set Fire to the Rain."
-She is potty training. I'd say we're about 50% of the way there. She wears panties anytime we're at home with minimal accidents. She always pees in the potty and has done "#2" several times in the potty now.
-She speaks very well. We have full conversations now and she is very easy to understand. Her new thing is using transition words while telling stories like and, but, and then.
-She is very excited about becoming a big sister and talks about Jackson all the time.
-Her favorite foods are cereal, sausage, cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, french fries, macaroni and cheese, gravy, ice cream, vegetables and ranch, grapes, peanut butter toast, pizza, cheese, pickles, black olives, peanuts, raisins, and any type of candy or sweet (she gets that from me!).
-Her favorite toys are her swingset, her doll (Lily), puzzles, books, play-doh, her scooter, balls, and blocks.
-Her favorite books are her Dora look-and-find books, Pigs in the House, the family photo book I made her, and Just Me and My Dad.
-Her favorite shows (in order of preference) are Dora, Sid the Science Kid, Max and Ruby, Sesame Street, and The Wonder Pets.
-She enjoys going to the park and the library, playing with her cousins, and having visitors at our house. She loves her family and friends and talks about them all the time!
-She LOVES to dance and sing and entertain. She is funny and ornery like her dad.
-She is also very timid and sensitive like her mom. She will cry if she hears a sad song, like a lullaby, or if someone is being mean on a cartoon she's watching.
We're so proud of all your accomplishments, Elliott Rose! We love you!