Grey's Quarterly Update...3 and 1/4...

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Oh Grey girl! It is a little weird not doing monthly updates. I have been looking forward to your first quarterly one! There are so many great things about this age that I want to remember!!

• Stats: 2T clothes, size 6 or 7 shoes
• Schedule: You go to bed between 7 and 8. If you haven't had a nap, it's definitely closer to 7. If you have napped, closer to 8. If you have napped, you won't actually fall asleep for some time...sometimes 9:30/10! You are usually up between 7:30 and 8, but occasionally earlier or later (i.e. after the 4th of July, you slept until 9:30!)
• Eating: You are still as picky as ever, but I have somehow got you to try a bite of taco meat, a black bean, and watermelon. All of which you said you liked, but wouldn't eat another bite of. I'm counting the fact that you ate them as a win though!
• Potty Training: You are a tee-tee pro still. Poop has still been a huge struggle, but I feel like we are turning a corner. I wouldn't say it just one day clicked, because we are still struggling and I still live in fear of going into your room after bed or nap time...the smell of your poop when we open the door. Golly goodness, child! Over the last 3 months we will have made a day or two of progress, only to revert back to pooping in our pull-ups at nap or bed time. Finally, a month ago, I just decided to chill but also stay super consistent. When you pooped, you earned back: books in your bed, stuffed animals in your bed, cartoons/quiet time before nap and bedtime. You also got special privileges- ice cream or a popsicle after pooping and napping/cartoon watching on mommy's bed or the couch. When you pooped in your diaper, you lost all of those things and couldn't have any of them back until you pooped again. You also had to clean up your own bottom in the bathtub. There were weeks where you had none of those things and were in the bathtub daily cleaning yourself. It was so hard for us to not give in, especially with the cartoons because that is our down time and the only time you cuddle with us, ha! I told your daddy one night that I had never met anyone so stubborn! He just laughed and said he had. Turd. Anyway, about 2 weeks ago I had just had it and said you would also get a spanking next time you pooped in your pull-up. This has been a total control thing for you at this point and you were simply being defiant. I did have to spank you, but then we went a whole week with pooping in the potty. I think you had been without all your privileges for so long that getting them all back was the most amazing thing ever! Anyway, since then, there have been a couple of poops and we start all over, but I feel like we are light years from where we started!
• Personality/Friends/Relationships: 
• You LOVE your friends. Seriously, LOVE THEM. When we started you in private swim lessons a couple of weeks ago, you kept asking, "but who will be my friend?!" You are very sweet with your friends. For the most part, you share, include everyone, and are so kind and full of empathy. It's interesting to watch you play, you definitely tend to be a follower and will do what your friends your age or older are doing, but you also are very aware of right and wrong and seem to know when you're NOT supposed to do something- which usually results in you telling/tattling. You have no problem telling when someone is "not being a a good listener". With that said, you are definitely the boss when you are with your younger friends, especially your...
• Sisters!! You still adore them! However, as they are getting older and interested in your toys, we are seeing some possessive outbursts. These are limited though and usually occur when you are tired. For the most part you share and include them. You love playing with them, visiting them in their cribs when they wake up from naps, hugging them, holding their hands in their carseats...
• Mom and Dad- you are still a daddy's girl, but I have seen you pull a little more towards me lately, which has been a nice change. You were a good mix of mommy and daddy's girl before the twins, and I've missed you wanting me since they were born.
• You are such a pleasant little lady to be around 90% of the time. If you are sleep deprived, that's when we run into meltdowns and defiance. I'd say that's pretty typical for toddlers. We will go days with no time-outs and other days you're in time-out 10 times before lunch!
• You love to help and love being a big girl.
• Discipline: Time-out is definitely what works best with you. Occasionally, when you've reached your limit for listening at the end of the day we will threaten to take away a privilege like reading a book or singing a song before bed. This also works well for correcting your behavior. You do not respond to yelling. The best way to communicate with you is to get on your level and talk calmly about the problem. Telling you to take deep breaths also helps when you are really upset. And LOVE & LOGIC all the way with you! I try to "deposit" and give you choices all day long (What foot do you want to put your shoe on first? Do you want to comb your hair in the bathroom or living room? Do you want to wear a pink bow or a green bow?) . You like to have control. I really try to pick my battles and if it's something that doesn't hurt you or someone else, I try to let it go or let you do it (i.e. wanting to eat outside at your picnic table in the 100 heat with the flies, wanting to wear your towel over your pjs to bed...) I'm pretty consistent with all of these, but there are definitely days where my patience is worn thin and I get in power struggles with you or will yell when I've just had enough. We work through them and I always apologize. You are so sweet to me and will usually say, "Don't ever yell again, okay mommy?" or "You don't be mean no more." I'm glad you give me grace. :)
• Play:
• Dress-up- You change into a twirly dress pretty much first thing every morning and usually have no less than 3 outfit changes a day
• Singing/dancing- Life with you is like living in a musical! You sing all day, to songs you know and love, and then you make up your own. It is so cute and entertaining! Your favorite songs right now are, God is on the Move, and Try Everything.
• Imaginary Play- Your imagination is blooming! Everything talks and and interacts... I love listening to you personify everything.
• Little Things- Your favorite things to play with are just anything tiny! Critters, Shopkins, Small collections of anything (coins, cards, little markers, stickers). You love to pack your purses full of things and carry them around.

• Speak:
• One of my favorite things is how you still have an 's' sounds for your 'f'. So fish is sish, etc. 
• You still don't use pronouns correctly, which is also one of my favorites. "Hers crying!!"
• Your figuring out plurals and it's fun to hear you say things like, goatses, catses, and Puffses. 
• Other fun phrases and sayings: "I like ____ the better" (meaning it's your favorite), "What do you like the better?" "I can't..." (You suddenly can't walk, feed yourself, or complete a chore sometimes. It's all very dramatic.) "I don't want to." (Tough luck, kiddo.) "I'm 3 like Grissin" (Your friend Griffin.) 
• You always say your name is Grey Grey.
• Development and Learning:
• Swim lessons- we pulled you from Aqua Tots where you were doing once a week lessons (started in March). Other than getting used to the water, you were basically learning nothing. We opted for a two week session of privates with a PE coach I used to work with. She did them here in the neighborhood and you had a total of 8 30 minute private lessons. You won't be going to the Olympics this year, but you learned SO much! You have no more fear of the water, love to put your head under and can swim and reach for the side when dropped in.
• Bible Stories- You are also attending a little MDO type summer camp. There are 3 2 week sessions M/W/F. You've finished one session so far and have LOVED it. We are changing up some things for next year, and you'll be at a new school for logistics purposes, but if that weren't the case, I would send you to this MDO program because you have learned so much! I'm not sure what is so different about this program v. the one you attended last year, but you have come home from each day and can tell me all about the bible stories you've learned. I love hearing you talk about baby Moses, the burning bush, God turning the staff into a snake. :)
• And finally, you've learned to stall. Goodness. Bedtime is a 30-40 minute  adventure now. This is when you will tell us you need to poop (pretty sure you hold it until bed time) and you also need about 5 extra hugs and kisses, 2 more songs, one more story...It's hard not to oblige. One day you won't even let us tuck you in. 
• You are just like your dad in that you have this impeccable memory! You don't forget much and remember things I would never think were even important!
• Parent Struggles: 
• Stalling- I guess this is just a rite of passage? I thought we might avoid this stage, but alas, the last 3 weeks you have hit it hard. You are hungry right as it's time to go to bed. You have to poop right as we are leaving your room...
• Teaching you to share
• Prayers:
• Friendships! We are praying for the friends God puts in your path. You can be a bit of a follower (nothing wrong with that), but we pray you find the right friends to follow. Friends who lift you up, encourage you, and spur you on towards love and good deeds!

 First black eye!