Dr. visit

God answers us again. The zoo outing went well...the kids had fun and no rain. You can see some pics on my hubby's blog and hyung boo's blog. I love going to the zoo.

Ellie had her 3rd year check up yesterday. She couldn't be more excited to see her doctor. All she talked about was showing the doctor the boo-boo on her knees...and Ellie even made Dr. Winiger listen to her boo-boo with the stethoscope. Ellie weighs 28 pounds (gained 3 pounds since February) and is 36 inches tall. She is at the 25th percentile...small, but not unusual considering she's got a short mommy. I'm probably at the 5th percentile among adults!

Anyways, there's a corkboard full of pictures which hangs above the scale. As Ellie stepped up on the scale to be weighed and measured, I looked at the pictures and noticed Ellie's baby picture still up there. I believe that picture was taken exactly 3 years from yesterday's appt. date. I can't wait to add Kate's baby picture among their collection.

And we asked the question about potty training..."should we lay off when she feels frustruated or keep pushing?" The answer...."step back. she'll go when she's ready to go." I read so many conflicting advice, it's just nice to hear one from a doctor I trust. I worry too much.

On a side note...can someone nominate me to go on "What Not To Wear"?

40% chance of rain

Please, Oh Please, let there not be rain...I want to see the butterflies and dolphins and milking of cows.

We are planning on taking Ellie to the zoo tomorrow as a belated birthday outing. We invited her cousins and my sister's friend who has a daughter Ellie's age.

If anything, I think I will be more disappointed about not going to the zoo than my daughter. All she cares is that she can play with other kids...doesn't matter where or what they do, just the company alone is enough. Why can't it be that way as we grow up?

Brain Farts

I'm missing my glasses...and watch.

I've picked up cross-stitching again.

Ellie is intentional when using the plural form..."Where are my princesses?" Notice how she agrees the verb with the plural tense? Genius! Now if she can only get her shoes on!

Ellie refers to Boo as "Alice".

Developmental Milestones 3rd Year

Ellie's turning 3 in a couple of weeks and has a doctor's appt. coming up so I was curious to know where she was developmental-wise (if that's a word). I usually don't stress on where and when she should be in her development, except the early months of her life. But it's fun to read generally where 3 year olds should be and see how Ellie stacks up. I say she's in pretty good shape.
The milestones were found at parenting.ivillage.com

During the third year of life a child typically:
May sleep 10 to 12 hours at night
She sleeps 8.5-10 hours at night, but takes 2-3 hour naps. Yeah!
Hops on one foot
I haven't seen her do this...something to explore, but she can leap 3 squares on our rug...I'd say almost 3 feet.
Walks a line
Ellie is not the type of child to walk a straight line...she's free as a bird
Walks on tiptoes for a few steps
Again, Ellie would do much better to do interpretive dance than ballet, although she loves ballet
Brushes teeth, washes hands, retrieves own drink
yes, but not willingly
Puts on shoes (no laces)
depending on her mood, but she can do it
Completes a six-piece puzzle
Man!...Ellie just completed a 20 piece puzzle this morning! She's beyond!
Draws simple shapes
Ellie refuses to draw, but knows all her shapes
Enjoys helping with household tasks
She will help if asked, not sure if she enjoys it anymore. She used to love help sweep and vacuum
Follows simple directions
after much pushing
Plays spontaneously with two or three children
Ellie loves to play with other children...everyone's her friend
Identifies some common colors
She knows all the colors of the rainbow...and thanks to Blues Clues for teaching her "magenta" and "chartreuse"
Counts to three
this girl can count to 20
Enjoys "pretend" games such as playing house
Ellie is a drama queen. What more can I say?
Wets the bed at night occasionally
sigh...still in diapers...so no wetting bed
Uses the toilet often and may need help (boys may not be toilet trained until later this year)
she can do it, but refuses
Feeds self completely using a fork and spoon and can butter bread with a knife.
again, she can do it, but prefers daddy or grandma to feed her. We haven't given her a knife yet.
Speaks in three- to five-word sentences
Ellie speaks with many words in many languages. =)
Uses plurals (cats, dogs, etc.)
I've heard Ellie use plural words, but still observing whether it is intentional
May have difficulty getting some words out (not a sign of stuttering)
it's so funny, you can see her brain looking for the words as she's speaking...very cute
Sings a simple tune
not in tune, but sings many songs...she's not too fond of daddy singing though...he he he
Asks a lot of the "Five W" questions
she asks a lot of "Where", "What", and "Who"
Demonstrates a three-minute attention span
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Her attention span is short, but def. 3 minutes
Remembers yesterday's happenings
only if she's asked about the happenings, but won't bring up the topic on her own
Understands some dangers, such as moving cars
yes...except standing on the chair! or she understands, but doesn't care
Feels shame when caught doing something wrong
this one is interesting...she doesn't feel shame, but she knows when she's doing something wrong...she'll give us a "challenging, mischevous, let's see how far I can take this" look until I say "mommy's getting angry" or "what did mommy say?". The whole "Danielle Lim!" doesn't affect her at all...it seems to drive her more.
Is interested in similarities and differences
Ellie was busy sorting and organizing her blocks and legos today. She's also interested in who is a girl and who is a boy.
Understands difference between self and younger children
with the baby coming up, Ellie very much wants to be a baby again. I placed some hanging baby toys for the boppy pillow and Ellie jumped right on the boppy and pretended to play with the toys like a baby.
Doesn't understand difference between self and older children
hmmm...not sure about this one. she loves to be around older girls though
May show preference for opposite sex parent
Yes! She looks for daddy all the time! Kinda getting annoying...what am I, chop liver?
Develops sense of humor and enjoys making people laugh
Ellie's going to be the one wearing the lampshade at parties...no doubt

To make much of food

I made theeeee best watermelon slushi yesterday with my new blender. Just watermelon and ice...so pure...so sweet...so good...so refreshing on a 100 degree day.

The baby shower was a success. An adorable diaper cake and fantastic music, which were provided by my sister's friends, put the finishing touches on the day.

My sister got a lot of big ticket items on her registry and then some cute clothes. The weather was so hot, there was no need for folding tables, but the chairs we purchased came in very handy. I was really concerned we wouldn't have enough food or space for 20 people, and again, I over estimated food and was left with tons of leftovers which I shared with my family. We will be eating sandwiches for the next 2 weeks.

The potato bacon pizza was a big hit and got a couple of requests for the recipe. I was told my sister and I should go into the catering business...I'll cook the food, my sister will do the baking. Ha ha ha ha...that reminded me of what Jae said to me the other day when I suggested he start another profession...he said that once it becomes work, it's no longer fun. I guess it can be true, but I hope it isn't.

Maybe I'll put more thought into this...Bachelor in Elementary Education...catering food business...interesting...maybe I'll cater for childrens' parties.