Clare is now a sassy, verbal toddler. We never know what phrase is going to come out of her mouth, or what she is going to be playing with, acting out, pretending, etc. It’s so fun to watch but it’s keeping us on our toes.

Unfortunately we’re without a camera, so I’ve borrowed pictures from Clare’s new preschool and Grandma T’s last visit. The school is the two mornings a week when she’s not with Adam. The idea is that it will give her more experience in a group/classroom setting. It’s a pretty low-key environment with less than ten kids and two teachers but it’s the beginning of a more structured setting. So far she seems to like it, especially the outdoor play where they encourage lots of messy exploration. She’s occasionally quiet when we drop her off, but always happy and boisterous when we pick her up.

We’ve been having some fun conversations these days. A few weeks ago I asked Clare if she wanted to go to the playground. She told me “that a good idea Mama. Maybe we go for a hike. A hike to a lake!” I was shocked by her suggestion. Tonight I hid the bath toys she kept throwing out of the bath tub (after the third throw) and when she asked where they were I told her they were hiding. Clare looked at me indignantly and said “I go find them Mama!” She’s also started to identify some of her emotions. Today she threw a fit when we were leaving the Children’s Museum. In the car ride home, after she calmed down, had a drink and a snack, she told me “I cried Mama. I mad.” I told her that I knew she was mad. She sighed and said “It OK. I happy now.”

Other activities these days include beginning potty training. Yes, we’re getting on the potty train and it’s been slow going. It started off well and Clare was very into it, but now we’ve hit some delays. Plan B is that we’re starting some diaper-free time, mostly outside, hoping that it helps move things along. I would really LOVE to have Clare out of diapers by the time the new baby arrives but Adam has cautioned me not to set unrealistic expectations. We’re on Clare’s schedule with this.

At Clare’s two-year pediatrician appointment a few weeks ago she was pronounced very physically and verbally active and very healthy. So healthy that she’s 35 inches tall (one inch shorter than three feet!) and in the 90% percentile for height. She weighs 28 pounds and is in the 70% for weight. She’s wearing a 3T in clothes and a size 8 in shoes. If the old wives’ tale is true that you can predict a person’s adult height by doubling their height at 2 years old then Clare will be approaching six feet as a grown woman. J is already investigating college basketball scholarships

On their trip (split between Portland and Bend) we had lots of good food, good wine (well, not Clare or I but everyone else), a little bit of outdoor adventures, and lots of laughing and family time. I was half distracted/stressed by work stuff but everyone else relaxed and refreshed.

Some of Clare’s new tricks that she showed off while family was visiting included speaking practically in full paragraphs and picking up and using any phrase that catches her fancy or anyone tries to teach her. Grandpa Danny had her saying “superstar!” and “I don’t think so” while he was here. Mike tried to teach her to say “Roll Tide” but I’m sorry to report that hasn’t stuck around

A new favorite book is The Giving Tree. I don’t read it to her as much since it makes me cry (darn pregnancy hormones) but J reports that they’ve been reading it a lot lately. It’s a good way to talk about the concept of growing up. As we read the book Clare asks where the boy is – and we talk about how now he’s a grown up man.

“Baby Brigade” has been a popular choice these days. JP and Deb bought Clare this book (I think) and it’s a very fun one to read. It has a nice rhyming beat to it and Adam reports that he even does it as a bit of a rap. Clare really likes it – her favorite part are the babies.

Lately Curious George has gotten a lot of play at our house – specifically the original story book. Clare LOVES Curious George and even has her own little stuffed George who she carries around. The stories and illustrations are simple enough for her to follow, especially now that she’s able to follow a bit of a plot.

Grandma T brought Clare this book a few months ago. I thought we would bring it out more as we got closer to November, but Clare is loving it right now. She likes to point out the Mommy and the Daddy in the book, but we also talk about the baby and the Big Sister. It’s given her some reference points when we talk about the new baby coming to our house.

This is another Grandma T book, and it’s quickly become a family favorite. Again, it has a nice rhyming rhythm to it that makes it fun for us to read. It also has a cute little story about a baby Llama throwing a tantrum waiting for his Mama Llama. It’s a good lesson about patience for frustrated little toddlers

While not a book, I also want to remember some of Clare’s favorite songs these days. She has quite a memory for music and songs and really shows preference for specific ones. Her favorite non-nursery rhyme song (that is, a song that we don’t sing with her) is Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. She LOVES this song and will stop whatever she’s doing to dance and sing to it. She also really likes The Lion Sleeps Tonight (“the lion song”) and the Black Keyes Howlin’. Howlin’ has a little verse that goes “da da da da” and Clare likes to sing along with that part. She’s also pretty specific with music she doesn’t like – shaking her head telling me “don’t like it” sometimes to songs on the radio. A little critic already.

Last night at dinner Clare told me that she also had a baby in her tummy. I asked her what her baby was doing there and she told me “growing.”