Leighton :: 2.5 Years Old

Age: two and a half!

Stats: 30-ish pounds and over 3 feet tall

Clothes: Mostly 3T hand-me-downs from big sister

Favorite Foods: She used to be a great eater but Leighton tends to be pretty picky these days. Or only taking a few bites from each meal. She's much more of a snacker, I'd say. Her faves include go-gurt, string cheese, fruit snacks, goldfish, cereal with milk, veggie straws and any and all candy. And don't give her chips until she's eaten the rest of her lunch/dinner otherwise she'll ONLY eat chips. We spend many nights arguing with her to take another bite of the main dish or fruit/veggie before she can get any more chips

Favorite Toys: She doesn't seem to play independently as much as Gracyn did at this age - or at least that's just how I'm remembering things - but when she does wander off to go play, she's usually entertained by her baby dolls. Loves wrapping them up in blankets, having me put on their diapers just so she can promptly remove said diapers and feeding them. She likes to sit and color or use water color paints but only for a few minutes. And she still needs to be supervised with those otherwise she'll end up coloring on the counter or painting her arm.

Words: Her vocabulary has exploded. I need to jot things down and start a "Leighton Says..." series because she's starting to be quite the comedian. The best thing she says at the moment is, "so....okay." before she starts describing something or wanting you to do something. 

'So..okay. You come 'ere.." or "So...okay. Baby needs to eat!" before feeding her doll.

She will almost always answer a question with "I dunno..." before answering correctly. She knows her colors, for example, and if you ask her what color the strawberry is she'll reply, "I dunno, red?". Not sure where that came from!

She also thinks it's funny to say "Oh my gosh, look at her butt." from the movie Sing a few hundred times a day.

Overall, she's a sweetie. Leighton does have a mean side to her, though. Between the two of them, you'll most likely find her instigating fights, hitting, biting or pinching her older sister. She's in time-out several times a day, which really isn't effective since the behavior continues. Leighton also has a hard time listening, especially when we're outside and she wants to wander to the neighbors' yards trying to keep up with the big kids. She's definitely a handful at times, mostly for me since I"m home with her all the time. I am proud to say she's well-behaved for the most part when playing with others or at a friend's house.

She handled giving up her pacifier and switching to the big girl bed like a champ. We've started talking about potty training - purchased undies and everything, and even "tried" it one day last week but quickly decided she wasn't ready. She definitely knows when she's going or when she's all done but she has yet to tell us beforehand or actually go on the potty. We may try again later this summer or wait until after Baker is born. We'll see!

We love you, LL. You keep us on our toes and bring so much joy to our family. I can't wait to see you as a big sister!

A little side-by-side of the girls, both at 2.5 years old. So crazy to look back and realize how much they actually look alike!

Gracyn 2.5 Years Old