Eleanor Lately

I'm so sporadic with posting these days that I (barely) manage to get Jack's monthly posts done; I'll eventually catch up with everything I want to record for posterity. But today, I felt the need to remember Eleanor at this age, 3 years and 2 months old.

  Someone asked me a couple weeks ago what the girls were like as babies. Avery was happy like Jack (though he is by far our happiest baby), and Eleanor was, well, like Eleanor is now. Serious. Quiet. Very sweet. She loved to snuggle and she still wants people to hold her.

Since Halloween, she has completely opened up. She's still sporting the serious face when strangers try and talk to her, but when she sees that you're a friend, she talks and talks and talks, and she wants to show you everything. Part of me thinks it was the Superman costume. She felt confident and cool in it, and that has translated into her daily life, even when she isn't wearing it. Sounds silly, but even Luke has noticed the change.

She will grab onto anyone's hand and pull them over to show them something.

She changes into pajamas during rest time if she decides she wants a nap that day. Might be the most adorable thing ever.

She is potty-trained, but regressing. It's frustrating.

She has her favorite outfits - her two Superman shirts, a blue tshirt dress, pants or shorts with snaps. She rarely matches and I'm cool with it. In the summer she wore her yellow flip flops almost every day, and this week it's her Dora shoes (no, Dora isn't actually on them, or else we would not have purchased them). She'll also usually put on whatever I offer, but I'll later find her wearing something else. She changes outfits multiple times a day.

She has worn her Superman costume almost every day since Halloween and asks me 100 times a day if it's clean yet. I'm not quick enough on laundry to suit her.

She made a rocket ship for Belle and the Beast to ride in.

Daniel Tiger is her favorite show.

She doesn't run away from me in the store, she doesn't ask for things while we're shopping (yet), and she doesn't complain if I tell her we can't get something. I actually thoroughly enjoy shopping with her because she likes to help and is sweet and funny and sings songs to herself while we shop. She DOES throw a fit if I tell her we can't watch a show in the car.

She likes to bring groceries into the house, she has taken it upon herself to empty the lint trap in the dryer, and she puts away the kid dishes with flair (and little complaining). She seems truly happy to help out.

She is quick to run to Jack if he's upset, unless she's watching a tv show. Her response is then, "SHH. SHH. SHH." And extreme aggravation that she can't hear.