Tula Belle is 2 and there is so much going on!
Tula's Stats:
Weight: 22lbs (4th %)
Height: 32in (15th %)
So this is big! Tula has passed the 10th % in height which is huge. She still appears to be much smaller than her peers but she is wild enough to keep up with the bunch. Dr. Menkus is not concerned about her weight because she is on a slow and steady curve and the curve is good. That makes this Mama feel good and have my worries put to rest. She wears 12 months clothes but we are hoping to bust out the 18 month winter wardrobe that has been waiting so patiently since last winter.
Tula's Favorites!
Favorite Food: Tula loves "tweats" or treats as most would say. She loves candy which is funny because I love dessert but candy isn't usually my first choice. She holds strong that sweet tarts (smarties!), m&m's, and suckers are her favorite foods. She also loves grilled cheese, watermelon, applesauce, teddy bears (teddy grahams), yogurt, and her once a day vitamin! She is still drinking a lot of milk and water- juice must be in the form of a box to get her to drink it, which is okay with me!
Favorite Toy: Tula has finally started to play! It brings so much joy to my heart. Right now her favorite is baby dolls. (Again~ I am grinning from ear to ear just typing those words!) She wants to rock them, feed them, push them in her stroller, and of course put them in time out. She gets easily frustrated when she can't carry all the babies and their accessories so Ivy has just introduced her to the diaper bag and Tula is in heaven.
Favorite Place: Tula loves to be outside- anywhere! She loves to run, explore, and swing. She loves to collect rocks, mulch, and bugs. We are thankful that we have another outdoorsy girl as it makes for some perfect family evenings.
Tula's Personality
Everyday Ms. Lisa checks that Tula is "cheerful" and "active" on her daily report. I would say these words perfectly describe my girl.
She is cheerful when she can be touching you. Touch is definitely Tula's love language. She likes to be held, sit on your lap, and recently she has taken to holding hands. She is definitely a little cuddle bug.
And active.... oh yes, she is active! I would say she has two speeds "off" or "high." She is very busy moving all over the place. She runs, jumps, rolls, climbs, and moves from one toy to the next very quickly. She is a risk taker in the fullest. This makes Mama nervous but I just have to keep watch all the time! She also talks on the same two volumes as she moves. This left her hoarse for the first two weeks of school and we are often challenging her to whisper. She has not mastered this skill yet! :)
Upcoming Events
In the next year of her life I hope that Tula continues to grow and mature but I am not rushing it. I love babyhood and I don't want to watch it pass by so quickly. Dr. Menkus talked to us about getting rid of the paci and potty training and I do believe those things will happen soon- but not yet.
Weaning from the paci: Tula loves her paci and blankie and tends to think of these as one thing. During the day they are working very hard to have her rely on her blankie for comfort. This works for some of the day but once she is home she acts like she was starving for the paci. We have heard her say many times "I need my paci!" and usually we let her have it! Ivy was free from the paci at 2 1/2 and my goal with Tula is by 3. We'll see!
Potty training: I have a confession. I have never potty trained a child! Ivy woke up on her 2nd birthday, declared she was wearing panties, and never looked back! She was ready in the best way possible. Tula is not- she doesn't stay dry for long periods, she soaks through her diaper most nights, and she isn't "regular." All signs that showed Ivy was ready before her 2nd birthday. Tula is interested in the potty and has had a few successes but more often she puts on panties, doesn't go in the potty, and within 5 minutes will wet the panties and be ready for some new ones. I will be watching for the signs and jump on the opportunity when I have breaks from school. I don't want this to be stressful for anyone and I know it will come before long!
We enjoy our snuggly wild child and are so excited to see how she grows in leaps and bounds over the next year of her life!
