The Peipert Family: Three + Half

Nora is now three and a half years old! She is such a big girl. I am continuously amazed by the things she says and does. It's crazy to think about how fast they change and grow in the first few years of their lives. Having both of the girls so close in age I often forget what Nora was like when she was Janie's age, whatever that may have been at the time, and have had to look back at videos and blog posts to see. It was not that long ago that Nora was not speaking in sentences. It was not that long ago that she was sleeping in a toddler bed & crib. It was not that long ago that she was tottering around instead of running everywhere. Now, she climbs ladders & draws little people shapes & talks in sentences upon sentences & it's amazing and eye opening. It is just a reminder to make sure to soak in all the little moments before they pass you by!

Nora Lane

Three + Half

Nora is still attending her preschool classes five days a week. She is there for long days as I have to drop her off early and not pick up until five or so, but she loves it. There were a couple days she had to miss because of pink eye and she was asking to go to school. This is great to hear because she struggled with the drop off for so long and although things have been fine lately and I know that she is happy once I leave, it's always good to get that validation from her. She loves playing with her school friends and has always had a love to learn and so I do not worry about her in school at all.

Making patterns at school

She has been learning letters and although I will say we do not work with her very much on them at home anymore, when we do talk about letters she seems to be picking up a lot. She knows letter names and sounds (not consistently of course) up to Qq now! She doesn't know them all and it can change every day what she says she knows, but she is definitely remembering some letters. Side note: Janie is currently singing her ABC's in her crib in the room next door and it is making me smile! We also see Nora do well with her counting. She can count to 20 consistently and even beyond that, but less consistently. She tends to think we have a base 6 system after that. She is writing her own name {it's precious} and she draws little stick people. She seems to use a writing utensil using an appropriate grip. I'm just so proud of that sweet little girl!

Learning the letter Ll!

Stick figure + her name

We haven't charted her growth much but we did go to the doctor and she was a little bit bigger than when she went at three, maybe a few pounds heavier is all. She is still wearing mostly 3T but I have noticed that some things she is growing out of. I bought her 4T pajamas for Valentine's Day and they fit her surprisingly well, so we may need to start sizing up. I've also started getting her size 8 shoes. We bought our first little girls shirt and although it was long in the sleeves and not super fitted, it worked! I was surprised!

Nora continues to go to dance class once a week and we are anticipating her first recital this spring. She enjoys going each week and although I think she is one of the youngest in her class she does okay... I think! We did not add swim lessons to our agenda for the spring but will probably take them again this summer. Some things need to pan out before we know what we will do.

Happy girl at dance class!

For the most part, we have good days. Nora still proves to be very emotional when she is hungry or tired. She is usually a good helper and though she tests the limits as any toddler does, she is generally pretty good about doing what she is asked to do. There seem to be fluctuations in when she throws fits, though. For a few weeks she will throw lots of fits and then it will stop for a period of time. I am assuming she is growing in some form or fashion. It gets very frustrating at the time, especially since they usually happen when Justin is out of town, but they usually subside after some time passes.

Generally speaking, Nora is a very sweet and helpful little girl. She is a quick learner and loves to be an observer in new situations. When she is comfortable, she is talkative and cooperative. She is very good at communicating what she wants when she is not angry or upset. She is still not the most coordinated of young people but she makes improvements over time.