Once Ella turned 2, I decided it was time to stop writing monthly updates about milestones and such, since she had really outgrown many of the things I was documenting. However, I do want to take time to write about some of the things that make Ella, well, Ella. I know that these moments will pass too quickly and I’ll one day forget more of this time than I’ll remember, and I want to remember at least some of it.
Her conversations and speech are too funny. We sometimes joke that Ella is 3 going on 30. She says things in such a “proper” manner sometimes, it really cracks us up. For instance, many times when a simple “no” would be a perfectly fine answer, she’ll say “no, it doesn’t” or “no, I do not need it” or “no, I am not” or something along those lines.
Recently, when I was taking Ella to the bathroom, she popped her head out of the stall, and said something to the effect of “Mom, I don’t need your help. I’ve got everything under control.” It is so hard to keep a straight face when my 3 year old says to me in such a matter-of-fact way that she’s “got everything under control.”
A couple of days ago, she came in from the playroom to tell my husband that Troy was throwing his sippy cups in the trashcan. After talking with my husband about it, she walked back into the playroom and told Troy, “Dad and I talked about it . . .” followed by instructions not to throw the cups in the trashcan. My husband’s conversation with her did not in any way imply she should go back into the playroom with such authority, ha!
Ella really does a great job with her manners most of the time. She’s polite and does a good job saying things like “Yes, ma'am” and “No, sir” as well as “please” and “thank you.”
I already feel like she’s got my husband’s debating skills at times. She can be sly with how she asks (or doesn’t ask) about something in order to try to get what she wants. I’m amazed at her perceptiveness and observation skills. She is a silly child; in fact, one of her favorite words/phrases right now is “silly” this or “silly” that. She loves to be the center of attention, and can put on quite the show if she thinks she is the center of attention. She loves to run, and she can run for a long time. I really wish I could harness all her energy up for myself! : )
I’ve been astonished by her memory skills lately. Ella remembers details of things that happened many months ago – in fact, it seems like sometimes better than I do. It is really intriguing to watch her remember something because her memory has been jogged by even the most insignificant things. For instance, a couple of days ago when she was eating breakfast she commented about a particular kind of cereal that she had when she was at Gigi’s house. She still talks about a princess party she went to more than six months ago (she wasn’t even three at the time). It is funny to hear her recall something because most of the time it starts with the phrase “the other day when I was . . .” whether it was really just the other day or many months ago.
Ella loves going to Bible class, as well as going to worship services with the church. She’s already been able to memorize several scriptures (and could probably do many more – I need to teach her more!). She does a great job saying a prayer when we ask her to say it.
Ella enjoys playing outside; watching movies (particularly Tangled, Monsters, Inc., Toys (and Toys 2 which she calls “new toys”), and a new favorite, Cars); playing on the ipad or phone; drawing/coloring; and playing pretend. Her “pretend” skills have been kicked up a notch in the past month of so. She’s been able to pretend with things for a while (for instance, pretend to cook with her dishes), but now she’s pretending when she doesn’t have anything tangible to hold onto at all. I asked her to bring me a diaper the other day, and she came into the room pretending to hold a diaper and gave it to me. I was so proud of her pretending, but I needed a diaper, and a pretend one just wasn’t going to work! : )
Ella is kind and thoughtful too. Although I know there are times she wishes Troy wasn’t around (particularly when he’s trying to bite her, ha), she’s always concerned about him. We’ve kind of moved her out of their shared room for naps and nighttime because they kept waking each other up. Many nights I think she still wants to sleep in the room with Troy . . . I think she misses him! She loves to go in and talk to Troy when he wakes up, and they play a game she started calling “socks” (I think where she pulls all of the socks out, puts them in his crib, and he throws them out). Although she has never particularly been the cuddle-type, she can give the sweetest hugs and kisses if she wants.
I feel like this post is so incomplete – there are so many things I could write about Ella. She is such a joy and blessing in our lives, and I’m so thankful for her!
