First Visit to Santa and Christmas Program

Jillian had her first holiday program last Wednesday. She was so excited about the night and when we got there she ran around, hyper and happy. But soon it ended. The tears came. We tried to calm her down by taking her outside but it got worse because she thought she was missing the program (it hadn't started yet). She finally got back to normal but then it was time to begin. All the kids went to the back of the church and out some doors to file in for their big entrance. Her class was announced and started filing in but where was Jillian? Bringing up the rear, crying in the arms of her teacher.


The first song she cried through, started to rally towards the end of the second. By the third and last song she was fine, jumping up in the air and landing on her bottom.


Earlier in the night she met Santa, her first time ever. Boy, she was ready. She was shaking with excitement. She kept a big smile on her face. I think she forgot to tell him what she wants - a skateboard - but he'll get the message.

Disneyland!

(Jillian holds on to Mater's tooth)

We decided to take Jillian to Disneyland for her 3rd birthday. Well, actually, before her 3rd birthday so we wouldn't have to pay for her. We went for 3 days. Jillian's Mima and Papa made this happen for us and came with us for Jillian's first visit. We stayed at the Grand Californian and had adjoining rooms. That made going to the parks so easy. We also had a few visitors. Ethan and Adam came on our first day and the Stephens family joined us on the last day.

Jillian's first ride was supposed to be Dumbo but it broke down! This is from a later ride. We went to Casey Jr., the train ride right next door. Dumbo became ride #2.

The cousins together. They got along really well. Those boys have energy!

The grandparents and grandkids are ready to go!

Jillian loved meeting the characters. She didn't get her mom's fear of costumed characters.

Jason, Jillian, Emma and Doug. We were so happy they could join us!

We loved the World of Color show at California Adventure. It was beautiful and fun to watch Jillian get excited at each music and scene change.

Jillian's first character encounter with Alice.

The gang in front of Mima's favorite ride, Matterhorn.

Beginning our adventure on Day 2. We got in early and it wasn't very busy.

Moving to the 3 Year Old Classroom & A Night Without Daddy

So the school wants to move Jillian to the 3 year old classroom this week. We were/are nervous as it has only been 2 months in the 2 year old classroom. She tried out a visit today to the 3 year old class. We prepped her and her teachers prepped her. I went out to the playground to pick her up and she runs over to me and says, I kid you not, "Mom, I actually think I'm going to like this." I asked her to repeat it to make sure I heard her correctly. She had such a great time with the 3 year olds and so we feel much better about this move!

Tonight Jason has a happy hour with friends so it is just Mommy and Jillian. I called Olive Garden for a dinner pick up (can you believe I still have giftcard money for there?! That is the only reason I did it!!) and it came with chocolate milk. Jillian was in heaven. She drank it all before we even got home. Now she is watching Toy Story and eating Mac and Cheese. We're going to pick up Jason at 8 and she is so excited to put on her jammies and ride in the car to get her Daddy!

1st Shiner

A couple weekends ago Jillian was being adorable, walking upstairs and into her bedroom for her nap with her eyes closed. She was pretending she was asleep. Well as we get into her bedroom she trips (on nothing - she's not graceful) and falls eye first into the metal folding chair we keep in her bedroom. I freak out. She cries. Dad keeps a cool head and checks her out. 5 minutes later she is fine. I am still a mess. She got a small cut from where she hit and a heck of a shiner!

Jillian Dresses Herself

For about a week or so Jillian has expressed an interest to dress herself. This includes selecting the actual garments, removing her pjs and putting on her new clothes. She can usually take off her socks and pants no problem. Taking off the shirt is usually a greater challenge and often results in some grumbling and whining. If we offer help she is quick to turn up the volume on the whining but will finally give in.

Putting on the new clothes is always a challenge. This is definitely not my favorite way she shows her independence. Her pants don't make it past her diaper and it is so sad to see her hopping around trying to pull them up. She gets lost in her shirt and doesn't get the concept of a front or a back. Same for pants, actually. Shoes and socks are her strong suit. She can get on most pairs but it can take a few tries depending on her patience and concentration levels.

The best part is to see what she picks out. This photo is from her first day choosing her entire outfit. Classic!

Papa's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated (my dad) Papa's birthday. We went to Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad and sat on their outdoor patio. All the kids got antsy and ran around, stopping occasionally to sit with Papa. When the free birthday dessert came out the kids came running back. I'm not sure he got very much of his birthday flan.

Friends Come to Visit

Yesterday Emma (and Marie) and Rachel (and Heather) came to visit us. The girls had not been over in a really long time and now everyone was old enough to play with all of Jillian's fun toys. Jillian was not interested in being a hostess. She did interact with her guests but she often played in another room. She would be thrilled one minute to show them something and then distracted by Snow White the next. It was still super fun to have guests. Thanks for coming over!

School!

Various circumstances led to Jillian starting pre-school last week. She started on Tuesday, July 5th. We found a transition center/school that goes through pre-K. She'll be learning letters and numbers and potty training. Yay! Already she loves it! She knows her teachers and has "friends". And she has been initiated! Only one week after her start and she caught a virus! Jason was up all night with her. (Vomit is one thing I cannot do!!!) Poor thing is weak and tired but in remarkably good spirits! Coincidentally we had a doctor's appointment scheduled for her school physical. So she got checked out today.

Jason and I are so hopeful that this regular routine will be good for her. She was beginning to get cranky transitioning from place to place and us armchair detectives thought the uncertainty might have played a factor. Hopefully this will continue to go well!

Summer by the Pool

I purchased this pool that's meant for babies. Last year I bought the crab pool and it lasted for only 2 dips before the top of the crab dipped into the pool and it was unusable. Bummer dude. So this year I spent $5 for this beauty. All she wants to do is stand in it anyways. She hasn't gotten into sitting or submerging.

As daring as she gets! She likes to throw all her Little People animals into the pool. Barbie and Ken have also taken a dip.

Showing her prune-y fingers. She doesn't like that they're different and is very relieved when they go back to normal.

Jillian At 2.5

So as I have been s-l-o-w-l-y putting together Jillian's baby book I realized how much of life's daily events I forget. So I am going to try to be more diligent with the blog so when I go to document her toddler years I have something. (I really have a horrible memory!). So this will be a current events post.

Jillian loves make-believe.

• She tells long stories about this and that - including some real facts but a lot of nonsense (plot and words).
• She plays with her Barbies (and Ken) and they have dialog and move about their mansion.
• She wants to pretend that she is a doctor and will listen to our heartbeat and give us bandaids.
• She switches our roles. Jason becomes the baby, I become the daddy and Jillian becomes the mommy.

Jillian still watches way too much TV!

• She has a gazillion favorite shows. Lately she asks for Angelina Ballerina, Go Diego Go, and she has returned to Dora the Explorer.
• Her vocabulary now includes the word iPad. She has mastered several puzzles.
• When we're out she'll ask to watch a show on my phone.

Jillian knows how to bargain and manipulate.

• Bedtime is awful! She asks for a million and one things to make us stay in her room longer. She needs one more drink, one more hug, one more book, etc.
• We have to be so careful what we say and what we promise her. She will hold us to everything! Yesterday I told her we could get some popcorn "at home" (we were at Legoland). She fell asleep in the car, was half awake as we took her inside and as soon as we got to the bedroom, "Mom, I want popcorn."
• Oh yeah, she calls me Mom sometimes. And Jason, Dad. It is pretty funny from such a small thing.
• If we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do (like go upstairs to get ready for bed) it is not surprising to have her reply, "How about I watch a movie first and then go upstairs." She is a wheeler and a dealer!

Talking

• She is still very communicative. We are so lucky. We've been holding conversations with her for a long time. We don't really notice new words (unless they're remarkable). We mainly notice new sentence formations or parts of speech.
• For example, she has been saying "because" and "so" and "but" for a really long time. And she uses them correctly!
• This past weekend she ran out to the backyard and said, "Oh! My! Gosh!" Hilarious.
• A few weeks ago she started on the ever popular toddler questions, "why?"
• She constantly wants to know why someone is doing something, what is their name, etc.
• She has begun to blame Jason and I for things that happen. It is amusing but we're trying to discourage it. If she sees a toy in a different spot, "Mom, why did you take my toy?" She is very serious when she says this as if we have wounded her.

Behavior

• Overall we're very fortunate. She doesn't have any standout issues. She does have tantrums but mostly minor. I haven't yet left a grocery store. We've never given a time out. She has had to apologize for yelling or throwing things. We're just trying to teach her to communicate verbally what she needs (and in a polite way!)
• By the way, Polite as a Princess is an awesome book for teaching good behavior. Jillian is all about the Disney Princesses and so she really responds well to this book.

Favorite Foods

• Waffles
• Yogurt
• Fruity Cheerios
• Chicken Nuggets
• Any kind of fruit

Also, she has been telling us she loves us without us saying it first. Let me tell you, that is just an awesome feeling. She is still a Mommy's Girl but is becoming more and more of a Daddy's Girl every day. We love our girl.

Easy Reading

Jillian and I spent a fun couple of days together. Yesterday we went to breakfast with Daddy, the zoo and Costco. Today it was playing with Ava Yates and nap at Mima and Papa's house. Ava's mommy gave me her US Weekly to enjoy. Jillian asked to read it on the way home.

She kept pointing out "Mommies" and "Daddies" her usual names for adult women and men.

Jilly Faces

So Jillian has been doing faces on command for awhile but I haven't been able to capture a lot of them. Here is her repertoire.

The Lip: Her sad face.

What?

Silly face.

A Trip to the Aquarium

Jillian was really excited to go to the aquarium. She had been to an aquarium in Maui with Mima and Papa and knew she would see lots of fish. She was not so excited about having her photo taken.

We stayed in the big tank room for a long time. It wasn't very busy so Jillian could run around and see the fish up close.

Daddy, Jilly and her "friend" Uniqua (a Backyardigan).

Jillian got to touch a sea cucumber in the outside tide pool area. She loved it and so daddy took her back to touch it for a second time.

Jason's Marathon

On Sunday Jason competed in his first marathon in Carlsbad. Jillian was excited to see her daddy but also for her first donut.

Our first stakeout spot was around mile 14. It was easy to spot Jason because there were only marathon runners (as opposed to half-marathoners).

Here he comes after the turnaround.

We then moved to mile 22. This location was at the park on Cannon and PCH. Here's the cheering squad.

I am so proud of Jason! This is something I could never do myself.

Recap: December

December: So we had several fun events the first couple weeks of December: Jason's office party, getting together with friends, and more - but no photos! The lack of a flash seriously hampers capturing lasting memories. Well, Jason solved that problem for us! He got me a digital SLR. I have been wanting one of these forever. I don't know how to use it - yet - but watch out when I learn what this baby can do!

Baking with Mima: December 22nd

Christmas Eve Fiesta: Pam held the Christmas Eve Fiesta this year. The food was awesome, and she kept the traditions of the Ugly Ornament Exchange and the piñata!

Taylor just found out we were giving him Jason's old truck.

Christmas Morning: Jillian sort of enjoyed opening gifts. We had another year of progressive gift opening. I think the last gift was opened after New Year's.

Christmas Day:

A new bike from Mima and Papa.

We do an ornament exchange at my parents' Christmas dinner. Here Ron celebrates his victory. We also did wine tasting which was a huge hit!

Cousin bath party.

Legoland: We got passes for Legoland as a Christmas gift from Pam. We went the week between Christmas and New Years. It was too crowded for my taste but I've since been back and it was empty. Jillian loved it - especially the Duplo room.

Jillian learns how to wait in line. She's not great and not horrible.

She wanted to go on the helicopters SO bad but is not quite tall enough.

December also brought a big birthday for Jason. We celebrated in Jason-style with dinner and beer at Lost Abbey Brewery. It was so much fun but guess who didn't take photos? I know! Bad wife! But his loving family and friends did and once I get those I will post the fun!