Allison is TWO!

Honestly, I don't know how Allison is already 2! I know everyone says it, but kids just grow up WAY too fast! It seems like our little princess just became a part of our family, but she's already becoming such a big girl! Here's what she's up to lately:

• For starters, she is almost completely potty trained! This seems like it just happened over night. I thought she might be an early potty trainer since she started showing interest back before she was even 18 months old, thanks to her big brother's influence. But then she had a period of time where she went anti-potty, and I didn't push it. But something magical happened when she turned 2, and she just decided it was time to go for it again. Ever since, she has been in panties and has had minimal accidents! She is only in a Pull-Up at night and when we leave the house, just as a safe-guard. 95% of the time, even those stay dry. I am especially happy about this accomplishment because I was not looking forward to having two in diapers. Go Allison!
• She is obsessed with anything that is Disney Princess, and has started showing interest in playing dress-up. She mostly only wants to be Cinderella, which is her most favorite of the princesses. She also really likes Aurora, who she calls "Beauty."
• She still loves to sing, and you can hear her singing something almost all the time (especially when riding in the car). Even if she can't remember all the words to a song, she will just make stuff up as she goes along.
• She also continues to love to look at books and be read to. She would be content sitting in my lap for hours listening to stories. This makes the teacher in me so happy! :)
• We are in the process of redoing her room (also in preparation for the new baby) and she will soon transition to a big girl bed. She is very excited about her new bed, so I hope it's a smooth transition. Many nights when Tyler goes to bed she says, "I want a big girl bed wike Tywer!"
• She is so independent and likes to do most things on her own. In fact, she will take it quite personally if you try to help when help isn't wanted. Each time she heads off to go potty she exclaims, "you not help me!" as she attempts to shut the bathroom door in my face. A girl has to have her privacy, right? When I explain that I have to come along to wipe her, she responds with, "No, I wipe myself!" This sudden streak of indepedence isn't settling so well with Tyler, who has been used to her following him around and going along with everything he does. Allison is now realizing that she has a mind of her own and that she doesn't necessarily have to agree with Tyler on everything. Of course they still love each other to pieces, but they are having to learn how to play together without pushing each other's buttons. Fun times!
• Of course every mother has to brag about how her crow is the blackest (or the smartest), and I'm no exception. Allison is very much ahead of the game with her verbal skills. That, combined with her height, makes many people think she is closer to 3. She can pronounce just about anything you ask her to or that she hears, aside from words with an "L" in them, which she pronounces as a "W." There really is no limit to what comes out of her mouth. She speaks in complete sentences almost all of the time and enunciates quite well. She also has known her colors and shapes for several months now, and recently proved that she recognizes the numbers 1 through 5. We were playing one of Tyler's board games one afternoon, and in order to move your man, you have to draw a card and move the number of spaces indicated. Each time it was Allison's turn, she would draw a card and I would ask her what number she got. I was quite surprised to discover that she was able to tell me every single one! Since then, we have been working on 6 through 10, and she's almost got those down too. She's a very bright little girl!
• She is still quite the sassy little thing, but she also has the sweetest disposition. She is so loving, and when treated kindly, she will happily reciprocate. We just love her so much and enjoy the smiles and laughs she gives us each day!

Stay tuned for a post with pictures from her birthday and Princess Party!