Will and I have been looking at each other constantly lately saying that Anna-Kate has changed more in the last 3-4 weeks than she has in the last 6 months! It's like she has made the conscious decision to become a kid rather than it happening over the course of months. She is adding to her list of skills daily! So, I thought I would do a post to remember how our sweet baby girl
turned into a little kid!
Anna-Kate has always been our reader. Now, she will occasionally go upstairs, sit on her bed, and start reading books by herself. "By herself" is the key phrase. By herself, she drags her stool to the light switch and turns on the light. By herself, she goes into the medicine cabinet, pulls out the rubbermaid container, and gets out bandaids (the beginning of mischief). By herself, she goes up and down the stairs to get toys that she wants. By herself, she pulls on and off her panties, shorts or skirts. Some of these are things that her playmates have been doing for a long time. She has just been content to let me help her or do with me. Until now. She is trying lots of things by herself!
Her play is so much more imaginative. She talks on the phone while grocery shopping; her conversations sounding very real. She puts her baby down for a nap and then runs upstairs when she hears her baby crying. She cooks octopus cupcakes but then won't let me taste them because she burned them and needs to make more first. She gives instructions that are multi-layered. She doesn't want to play our way, because she has the rules already in her mind.
She wants to be helpful. She wants to feed Benjamin his food. She picked out my shirt and then put my earrings in my ears (how did she do that successfully?!). Only a few examples with this particular one in picture: Last night Will and I watched in surprised, proud amusement as Anna-Kate decided to set the table.
She has a newly enjoyed independence, imagination, helpful spirit, determination, ...
Of course with every good thing comes a not-so-great side!
Her new found "kid-ness" also includes moments like this: she falls down and instead of crying, she breathes in really deep to keep herself from crying. That is great. But, when she is disciplined instead of instantly feeling broken-hearted, she takes a deep breath and stomps off. Oh boy!
All these changes, of course, means sleep is affected! Naps have become on her term. I have decided to not fight it. ve f she naps, great. If she doesn't nap, as long as she is quietly in her room, then that is fine too. Yesterday was a great example.
She didn't fall asleep until she had tried desperately to stay awake with her dollhouse out and her box of miscellaneous toys pulled onto her bed. (Can you find her?!) This was her first nap in about 5 days!
We think bad dreams have started. She has woken us up at 3, sad to go back to sleep. She doesn't articulate well yet why she is sad. This is not my favorite milestone to have reached.
Anna-Kate remains our smart, book-loving, mama's girl, story-telling, cautious, cheese-loving, quiet play, amazingly wonderful girl! But, she is turning into our independent thinking, helpful, stubborn, opinion-sharing sweet kid!
We think bad dreams have started. She has woken us up at 3, sad to go back to sleep. She doesn't articulate well yet why she is sad. This is not my favorite milestone to have reached.
Anna-Kate remains our smart, book-loving, mama's girl, story-telling, cautious, cheese-loving, quiet play, amazingly wonderful girl! But, she is turning into our independent thinking, helpful, stubborn, opinion-sharing sweet kid!
