Janie Elizabeth Peipert | 2 years old
WEIGHT: 27 pounds | HEIGHT: 33 1/2 inches
Two years ago, when Janie was born, I wasn't sure what we were getting ourselves into. We were excited, don't get me wrong, but we had no time to really ease ourselves into the idea of a second baby so quickly. But... it happens; and day by day you learn how to adapt to life with two kids rather than one, and two young children at that. Some days you think that you may never stop changing diapers; you may never get to sleep again; you may never get to shower again... All things you thought with the first one, but for "seriousness" this time. Each day it grows a little bit easier; a little bit more routine.
Eventually though, you forget what it was like to have just one child. You shower again. You sleep again. You're still changing diapers... but only on one of your children. Eventually, you think to yourself, "How could I have not done it exactly this way?" because they bring you such joy, both when they are together {especially when they are together} and when they are apart, that you cannot even fathom the idea of having just one of them. They were meant to be and it is lovely.
So, Janie is celebrating her second birthday today! Time has flown by. It does not seem like that long ago that she first graced us with her presence. We have loved every minute with her, but we love where she is now, too. She is an incredible little human. Some of my favorite things about Janie are that she is a very serious snuggler, her amazing communication skills {makes it a lot easier}, her love of books & reading, and {although terribly frustrating at times} her very intent set of opinions. She is one of the sweetest little girls but also has a fair amount of spunk. I say spunk because I really don't love the word sass, but if I'm being really honest...
We went to visit Janie's pediatrician today & her stats are in! She is in the 70th percentile for weight & the 35th percentile for height, making her a healthy little lady.
Hanging out at the Dr.'s office with Peppa Pig.
We will have a party next weekend, but we did celebrate with some cupcakes today. We stopped and got a variety of them after her doctor's appointment today. We sang Janie "Happy Birthday" and she was the cutest little thing when she realized we were singing to her.
Janie with her cupcake!
Singing "Happy Birthday" to the sweet girl!! Adorable.
Since she was 21 months old...
Speaks using simple sentences Janie does a TON of talking. She is stringing sentences together like a champ. She will communicate very effectively what she wants & needs as well as tells stories to nearly anyone about whatever it is she has on her mind. There are still times that I'm not sure what she is saying, but for the most part I can catch every word. I would say that people who are not around her nearly as much probably have a more difficult time with understanding her, but she is definitely a great talker regardless! We are proud of how well she does!
Plays make believe & dress up with her sister This is still a favorite activity for Janie and Nora to do together. They are the best of playmates and choose to dress up rather often. On the rare times that Nora is not around, Janie still chooses to dress up, but will quite purposefully choose the dress that Nora loves the most. As well as the crown and shoes and jewelry and wand that Nora usually chooses. She is prettytricky smart like that. Janie is loving some of her new dress up clothes that she got for Christmas and is becoming quite good at walking around in little light-up heels!
Loves reading books Janie has really taken a liking to reading. She has always enjoyed books but she will sit and look through the pages of a book for quite some time. At Christmas in Illinois she received a few books and we would have to remind her that she had more things to open because she was so content just looking through her books. I also thought for a short while that I only needed to bring about two books on the airplane to keep her happy for the trip. She has also started a very teacher-like habit of holding a book and "reading" it so that other people can see it. She will say, "Are you ready, mommy?" until I physically say, "Yes," and then begin her storytelling. She must be mimicking her teacher's behaviors at school! It's pretty cute and makes this teacher mama proud.
A little of that sass spunk I mentioned earlier.
Telling her bath baby to LISTEN & OBEY!
Plays make believe & dress up with her sister This is still a favorite activity for Janie and Nora to do together. They are the best of playmates and choose to dress up rather often. On the rare times that Nora is not around, Janie still chooses to dress up, but will quite purposefully choose the dress that Nora loves the most. As well as the crown and shoes and jewelry and wand that Nora usually chooses. She is pretty
Loves reading books Janie has really taken a liking to reading. She has always enjoyed books but she will sit and look through the pages of a book for quite some time. At Christmas in Illinois she received a few books and we would have to remind her that she had more things to open because she was so content just looking through her books. I also thought for a short while that I only needed to bring about two books on the airplane to keep her happy for the trip. She has also started a very teacher-like habit of holding a book and "reading" it so that other people can see it. She will say, "Are you ready, mommy?" until I physically say, "Yes," and then begin her storytelling. She must be mimicking her teacher's behaviors at school! It's pretty cute and makes this teacher mama proud.
Sucks her thumb Oh man. I wish I could say that she doesn't do this anymore, but she does. We will keep on keepin' on. I expect all the mamas reading this to give me their best advice within this next year! I think 3 has to be the end of it all. Right??
Requests music I think the more appropriate word would be "demand." We continue to push saying "please" and she is actually pretty good with saying, "thank you" but she will yell requests from the back seat for music she likes. Nora asks for specific music too. What we have become accustomed to is listening to the same few things in the car... every day. They are creatures of habit!
Sings songs Janie LOVES singing. I think she sung herself to sleep just now for nap time. Her favorites lately are Frosty the Snowman and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but the other day she sang "I think to myself, It's a wonderful world," over and over. Just that line. I guess she has heard that song before?? Who knows. She also turns everything into a song. She told me today that she was going to sing the Merida song (there isn't one) and just started singing "Meridaaaaa, Meridaaaa" at the top of her lungs. There ya go.
We are not really ready to potty train yet, though she has shown some of the signs...
She talks about the potty.
She tells me when she has to go...
She undresses herself {and sometimes when you least expect it!}
Requests music I think the more appropriate word would be "demand." We continue to push saying "please" and she is actually pretty good with saying, "thank you" but she will yell requests from the back seat for music she likes. Nora asks for specific music too. What we have become accustomed to is listening to the same few things in the car... every day. They are creatures of habit!
Sings songs Janie LOVES singing. I think she sung herself to sleep just now for nap time. Her favorites lately are Frosty the Snowman and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but the other day she sang "I think to myself, It's a wonderful world," over and over. Just that line. I guess she has heard that song before?? Who knows. She also turns everything into a song. She told me today that she was going to sing the Merida song (there isn't one) and just started singing "Meridaaaaa, Meridaaaa" at the top of her lungs. There ya go.
This video was from a bit ago, but Janie still loves singing her ABC's.
She will yell out that she sees "ABC's" anytime she sees letters!
Loves dancing to music Her dancing is really mostly twirling these days. But, yes, she loves it! She watches Nora dance in her class and I can tell she's wanting to try it. Maybe this summer she can do a little mini-class for two year olds!?
Loves her big sister Nora is her hero. She loves playing with Nora and also still knows exactly how to push her buttons. Janie was the sweetest all week while we were up north and the second we got in the car, she started saying things and doing things that made Nora upset. Part of this is Nora is being too sensitive sometimes, but also Janie just knows what makes her tick. It's pretty smart of her, really, but kind of frustrating as a mama. They are getting better at working through those kinds of things without arguing and they usually play very sweetly with each other! Today I found them sitting in Nora's closet, side by side, with the lights out and a flashlight on, sharing a pretend picnic. Random yet sweet.
Loves her big sister Nora is her hero. She loves playing with Nora and also still knows exactly how to push her buttons. Janie was the sweetest all week while we were up north and the second we got in the car, she started saying things and doing things that made Nora upset. Part of this is Nora is being too sensitive sometimes, but also Janie just knows what makes her tick. It's pretty smart of her, really, but kind of frustrating as a mama. They are getting better at working through those kinds of things without arguing and they usually play very sweetly with each other! Today I found them sitting in Nora's closet, side by side, with the lights out and a flashlight on, sharing a pretend picnic. Random yet sweet.
Birthday love from big sister, Nora!
Loves cinderella Cinderella, Peppa Pig, & Bubble Guppies are what she talks a lot about. And Christmas and Evie our elf. She loves her Cinderella and princess stuff, which is probably also from the dressing up the girls like to do. I considered having a Cinderella party for her, but I just couldn't do it!!
Generally agreeable (says "okay") Janie has some definite opinions about what she does and does not want to do. And if you make her a little bit mad she can give some serious attitude. But she is fairly easy to talk to and reason with about things when she is calm. I'm not sure she totally understands the explanations we give her, but she does accept them easily and listens fairly well. I was pretty happy that we made it through the airport with no serious issues. And I didn't have any way to contain her since we didn't have a stroller. It was a promising experience!
Eats a lot, but only what she likes Janie has really shaved down the amount of food she consumes. She must just not be growing as much. She is also still pretty picky about what she eats. I can count on her to eat fruit and to eat carbs. Cheese & yogurt are pretty easy to count on. Meat is about 50-50 and vegetables are essentially a total miss. Janie will eat lots of what she loves, if given the opportunity: cookies, doughnuts, bread, eggs, blueberries... just to name a few. We typically offer the same thing that Nora gets, which may or may not be what the family is eating, it just depends on that day and she either eats it or doesn't. There is no other option and has never been another option if she choses to not eat what we give her. I am hoping that with more time, she will learn to try more things.
Uses a fork Janie uses a fork & spoon fairly well these days. She makes a little mess with cereal but enjoys eating it the way Nora does, which I wouldn't let her do until recently. We have started working on drinking from a regular cup, though it is a bit messy still and requires adult supervision.
Has 16 teeth Goodness... I think this is the same? I don't think we've gotten any new molars but are expecting those two years to come soon! Janie had her first happy visit at the dentist a week or so ago and it went pretty well! She liked playing with the tools but was a little shy about some of them going into her mouth. She even sucked on that sucky straw thing and was a little shocked but thought it was silly!
Janie at two years old:
Uses sentences to speak
Knows basic colors & shapes
Can count to 12-ish
Sings ABC's
Enjoys playing with baby dolls & dressing up
Loves reading books to self & others
Sings songs & sometimes makes up her own
Pretty picky eater
Sucks her thumb
Uses utensils
Drinks from a cup (sometimes)
Likes to brush her teeth
Has 16 teeth
She is such a sweet, sweet girl! I cannot believe that she is already two years old. What fun we will have this next year! Oh, and her party is yet to come... I need to get to planning it!!
Generally agreeable (says "okay") Janie has some definite opinions about what she does and does not want to do. And if you make her a little bit mad she can give some serious attitude. But she is fairly easy to talk to and reason with about things when she is calm. I'm not sure she totally understands the explanations we give her, but she does accept them easily and listens fairly well. I was pretty happy that we made it through the airport with no serious issues. And I didn't have any way to contain her since we didn't have a stroller. It was a promising experience!
Eats a lot, but only what she likes Janie has really shaved down the amount of food she consumes. She must just not be growing as much. She is also still pretty picky about what she eats. I can count on her to eat fruit and to eat carbs. Cheese & yogurt are pretty easy to count on. Meat is about 50-50 and vegetables are essentially a total miss. Janie will eat lots of what she loves, if given the opportunity: cookies, doughnuts, bread, eggs, blueberries... just to name a few. We typically offer the same thing that Nora gets, which may or may not be what the family is eating, it just depends on that day and she either eats it or doesn't. There is no other option and has never been another option if she choses to not eat what we give her. I am hoping that with more time, she will learn to try more things.
TWO!! {kind of}
Uses a fork Janie uses a fork & spoon fairly well these days. She makes a little mess with cereal but enjoys eating it the way Nora does, which I wouldn't let her do until recently. We have started working on drinking from a regular cup, though it is a bit messy still and requires adult supervision.
Has 16 teeth Goodness... I think this is the same? I don't think we've gotten any new molars but are expecting those two years to come soon! Janie had her first happy visit at the dentist a week or so ago and it went pretty well! She liked playing with the tools but was a little shy about some of them going into her mouth. She even sucked on that sucky straw thing and was a little shocked but thought it was silly!
Janie has a sweet spot for a teacher at school - and not her own!!
Ms. Becca holding Janie's hand while on the playground.
Janie at two years old:
Uses sentences to speak
Knows basic colors & shapes
Can count to 12-ish
Sings ABC's
Enjoys playing with baby dolls & dressing up
Loves reading books to self & others
Sings songs & sometimes makes up her own
Pretty picky eater
Sucks her thumb
Uses utensils
Drinks from a cup (sometimes)
Likes to brush her teeth
Has 16 teeth
Janie & Mommy
Leslie Eure Photography
Janie & Daddy
Leslie Eure Photography
She is such a sweet, sweet girl! I cannot believe that she is already two years old. What fun we will have this next year! Oh, and her party is yet to come... I need to get to planning it!!
