Tabby: 2.75

I am this close to having a 3 year old on my hands!! Yikes! I have no idea how long it’s been since I last did one of these little updates on Miss Tabby, but I know that even in the past month, we’ve seen some remarkable changes in her.

The closer she inches towards THREE (3!!) the more she seems to leave babyhood behind and become a little girl. It is awesome and a bit bittersweet to behold. Recently, we’ve really noticed her attention span increasing. She can suddenly sit down and do a 30 piece puzzle start to finish. She will paint seemingly forever if we let her. She seems to listen and mind and follow through so much more easily and consistently. It is very cool!

We’ve also noticed some big leaps in her cognitive and verbal skills. She is suddenly picking up and parroting everything we say. She’s done this before, but it is on a new level and with more understanding (if that makes sense). She also concocts elaborate pretend scenarios with her “fwends.” There are lots of friends from reality and a cast of rotating pretend characters as well. She plays games with them and goes to “York” (New York, we think). Her most favorite imaginary friend is called Sheena. Sheena, I am told, is a “big girl. She is potty-trained (more on that subject LATER).” While she makes up stories with/about her imaginary friends, they do not seem to actually EXIST to her … they do not eat or have a favorite spot on the couch or anything. It is quite amusing in any case.

She has also (about 10 years early, I think) discovered a love for the telephone. She loves to take calls or preempt our calls to talk to her many loyal subjects. And the conversations have gotten down right… coherent. Back and forth, give and take. It is highly amusing and very fun. I especially like this for her out of town family and for Matt when he must be away.

I must also relate how amazing she is with Ben. She is proud to tell any and all that, “He’s my little brudder.” She is more than willing to help me with feeding him, changing him and decoding his wants/needs (these, I notice, usually correspond to her current want/need). She loves to entertain him and is our designated “pusher” when our decrepit swing (now on its 4th kid) gives out. More than anything though, she is very kind and loving toward him and it’s very nice to see them together. I have high hopes for them being good friends and playmates.

Our big hurdle right now (that I’m currently pretending does not exist) is potty training. Preschool, which seemed so far away when we toured it early this year, is looming large (registration in about a month). And this is still an issue. She has no interest in the potty and vehemently refuses to even try. We’ve been reading potty books (she loves these, and requests them at bedtime) and talking about it occasionally as the topic arises, but the concrete action is very much a problem. My hope is that if we lay off, the problem will resolve itself in time. When she’s ready. Right??? Either that or I’ll just stop buying diapers and she’ll have to figure it out. That’s the ticket.

All in all, she is an absolute joy and I am happy every day when I get to pick her up from the sitter and even happier when I get to spend the day with her. She is funny and sunny and a darling girl.

Favorite foods: pickles, meatballs, anything sweet, ketchup
Favorite shows: Dora, Diego, Little Einsteins, Nemo
Favorite toys: art supplies, puzzles, blocks/legos, Playmobil
Favorite books: “liiiibary books”, Sam’s Cookie
Clothes: size 2T-3T, size 4 diapers (L in cloth)
Favorite recent moment:
Me: “Tabby, are you singing ‘Put a Ring on It?'”
Tabby: “No, mommy, I singing ‘Single Ladies!'”