Bye Bye Baby

Between starting kindergarten and playing soccer, Sassy has been getting a lot of the spotlight lately. However, there's someone else in our house who's been busy with some milestones of her own.

In a few short months Stinkus will be 2 1/2 and slowly but surely, signs of babyhood are disappearing from our household. Once again, it's bittersweet. I LOVE this age and I'm having so much fun seeing her become this little PERSON. (Unfortunately, she's got enough personality for ten little persons but I digress... ha!) On the flip side, it's hard to see her so big. It seems like she should still be that dark haired baby we brought home from the hospital.

However, all good things must come to an end so. . .

Signs that Our Babyhood Era is ending:

1) Stinkus is sleeping in a big girl bed and doing pretty well. She has some issues STAYING there when we first turn out the light. It's apparently great fun to come running down the hall, peek around the corner at us, shriek, "Uh oh! Dey see me!" and run like a maniac back to bed. After a few dozen times, she's out and we don't see her til morning. I'll take it.

2)The feeding chair has retired to the basement with the other "garage sale items." That one may have been a mistake. I'm missing the straps on the feeding chair and trying to come up with a way to plant her tush to the chair so we make it through one meal.

3) Stinkus is talking a mile a minute, though not always in English. Lately we're noticing that she's trying so hard to get her thoughts out that it's total jibberish except for the last two words, which is really all she needed to say in the first place.

4) She's growing like crazy. This summer she wore sandals that Sassy wore the Easter before she turned three, and most of the outfits that fit are 3T. So much for having another girl. I'm afraid there are few tubs in the basement she can wear!

5) I'm no longer saving clothes/shoes/toys, etc for the next baby. Instead, it's going to the next garage sale. I'm pretty excited that a lot of the big items have already found other homes. And cleared up space in mine!

6) Each box of diapers may be our last. I should probably do some serious potty training boot camp because it's typical for her to bring me a diaper, wipes and instructions: "Here, I pooped. Change me." For some reason though, she refuses to sit on the potty. I keep hoping that she'll decide one of these days and it will all just click.

7) She's a huge help around the house. Maybe it's because she doesn't realize she's doing chores, but Stinkus loves helping us do laundry and load/unload the dishwasher. Sometimes her help isn't wanted--like when she pulls a chair up to the counter and dumps whatever is within reach to the dish you had going for dinner. But overall, she's a good little worker.

It's hard to believe that almost three years ago (to the date!), we found out we were pregnant with her. At the time, I couldn't picture anyone but Sassy, and I couldn't imagine loving another baby. But as happens with any family, God lets your heart grow and your love double, and now I can't imagine life without our Stinkus. I thank God that He sent us such a little spitfire. I often joke and say we were going to have three until we met #2. . . but in reality, it's because life is complete with these two little girls. Plus I'm not totally convinced a third could survive this: