The Buerglers: Evie: Three Years!

Measurements:

Weight: 38lbs >95%

Length/Height: 38.25 inches >76%

Eats: 3 full meals, 1-2 snacks, 6oz cow's milk, 10-15oz of water

Diapers: Evie only wears Flip diapers at home with the overnight inserts during the day. She wears Pampers size 6 to school and out of the house. She wears S/M Huggies Overnight Pullups to bed.

Clothes: almost out of 4t, mostly 4s

Shoes: 10W

Teeth: All are accounted for that she should have by now

Sleep: 8/8:30pm bed, 7:15/7:30am wake, occasional afternoon car nap a few times a week

Firsts and Milestones:

Evie is loving her big girl room. She's much better at going to sleep at night now that we cut out the afternoon nap. She loves to read books with Eric, say prayers and falls right to sleep.

Evie is starting to recognize letters and numbers. She can find numbers on the elevator buttons. She recognizes the words Evie, Mommy, Daddy and Maggie. Eric occasionally practices other sight words with her.

She can sing her ABCs by herself, as well as several little kids songs. She now makes up her own songs to narrate her play time.

She can count to 20, but still skips a few numbers.

Evie grasps chronological order like before and after. She is starting to understand "yesterday" "tomorrow" "next week" though isn't not very accurate.

The first thing she asked each morning, "Mom, what today is?" so I tell her "Tuesday" and she asks all sort of questions, "What are we doing? What is the weather like? Can I wear a dress or pants? Who is the line leader? Who brings snacks today? Is it any of my friend's birthdays?"

Evie has gone beyond mimicking us in her play, and is now creating her own scenarios. She's also starting to play dress up, house, mommy, etc. - things that are a little more complicated than just pretending to be an animal

Evie's interactive play skills are starting to develop. It's fun to watch her be the follower in some group settings, and the leader in others. Just like her mama!

Evie is incredibly thoughtful and empathetic. She regularly asks how we're feeling, how our day was, and gets very upset if I cry or am in pain.

Likes:

aden and anais blankets

friends

school

reading books in her bean bag chair

baby sister

building things
coloring

puzzles

playing at grandparents houses, or with cousins

Helping Mommy (cook, put clothes in the dryer, sweep, build things)

TV/Movies: Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Dora, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Leap Frog, Dinosaur Train

food/snacks: peeze-pouch (squeeze pouches) trail mix, sweet potato chips, cheese, waffles, Moe's, Starbucks bacon gouda sandwich, broccoli, Pirate Booty, cheeseburgers, and any fruit or berry.

Dislikes:

being told NO

having her diaper changed if it interrupts her play

not having Mommy's FULL attention

any mention of potty training or using the toilet

being told her TV/iPad time is up

Fun Things:

Evie is really getting into holidays, parties, and birthdays. She helps host company and gets right into the spirit of the holiday.

Evie's becoming a little more forthcoming in group settings. She's jumping in, bossing kids around, and playing hard.

She's starting to have "favorites" - often whatever she is doing or eating. And everything needs to match.

While her behavior isn't perfect, it's been really neat to watch Evie begin to understand what it means to be at church. She likes going to Mass. She likes to light a candle to pray for our priest and seminarian friends, and she continues to surprise us with her reverence of the Eucharist and curiosity of the saints ("Mom, what's her name again?" pointing to one of the statues in the sanctuary)

Evie is a great big sister. She loves Maggie so much and is generally really good with her. She's always looking out for her and wanting to play...sometimes a little too rough.

This girl LOVES to go out to eat. She will ask what each place has to eat "for kids" and will even order for herself (and yes, she orders and eats the broccoli!)

I can't post without mentioning her dear Bee Blankie. Evie loves her blankies. They have been tents, rivers, table cloths, blankets, sun shades, veils, dresses, and above all, her source of comfort. She still refuses to sleep under the covers, just under her blankie.

Not So Fun Things:

We're still really struggling with Evie's tummy and potty training. I think some of it's related, but I am beginning to wonder if she has food issues too. We're going to start talking with some specialists.

I'm learning how much words and tone affect Evie. She's very sensitive to criticism, raised voices, and correction. On the flip side, words of affirmation go a LONG way!

While she's still not up to speed on her gross motor skills (still about 4-6 months behind), she's finally starting to show some improvement. The extra playground time, trips to Jump-Jump, dance and now gymnastics are starting to pay off. I didn't realize how far behind she was until I switched her to gymnastics. She isn't phased that she needs help doing things the other kids can do. I love her enthusiasm and can't wait to watch these skills continue to improve. She's very proud of herself that she can do a few stairs without holding the railing now.

We've had a rough Fall with colds/viruses, STREP!, and Athlete's Foot. Oy!

She's only had one night terror in the last six months! YAY! We are now leaving the baby gate on her bedroom door open at night. I don't fear her sleep walking during a night terror any more.

We're working on self-care (getting dressed) and using the potty. But she's great at clearing her plate, setting the table, taking off shoes and jackets, washing her hands when she needs to, and brushing her teeth. These things just take time.