It has been a long time since I posted. Since then we have had a few cute/quirky Ambree-isms develop. I love this age and getting to see her personality more and more.

Problem Solving. She has started showing higher-level (I say that like I know, but in all my mom expertise, that is what I will call it) problem solving skills. A few weeks ago one of her mylar balloons got wrapped up in our ceiling fan. Immediately she said, 'Get Daddy's ladder!' I was humbled when she wanted a ladder to fix another problem later that week that could clearly not be solved with a ladder. I would tell you what that situation was, but I cannot remember, and neither can Sean. I'm pregnant and he is a guy. But today, while watching a new episode of the Wonder Pets, she figured out how to help the Itsy Bitsy Spider before the Wonder Pets did. Granted the Wonder Pets are fairly predicable and not more than fairly intelligent, but she's just two!

Bed Time Songs. Over the past month she has started requesting songs that do not exist at all in an attempt to delay bed time. "Sing Som" she says. Many of her requests do exist at this point because they have so frequently been asked for, including the smash hits 'sky som,' 'ground som,' 'bengal tiger som' and 'bubbles som.' One hit wonders include the 'door som' and 'elephant som.' While singing the Bengal Tiger song I was thoroughly corrected when I messed up the song plot line by saying that Raji the mouse pulled the thorn out of the tiger's paw- "NO Mommy! The Wonder Pets help!" And we're back to the Wonder Pets.

Miss Bossy. Ambree has also decided that she is in charge of everyone that is at her height level or lower. She bosses passer-byers around at church, our home, the store, really anywhere. Telling them "BE Careful!!", "No Fussing! Need nap.", "Come Here to Ambree!" Poor Jack.

Life Skills. We spent most of the first year of Ambree's life teaching her the life skill of sleeping, and the second year trying to catch her. Now it's rewarding to teach her more seemingly basic, but ultra rewarding life skills. One we've been focused on is eye-contact. When she sees someone her immediate response is to look away, and sometimes she's done this just to show you that she is ignoring you. So now when we see someone we say, "Look at eyes" and she is pretty responsive and jumps out of her shyness quickly. A new one, of this last week, is "Calm Down." As taught on the Wonder Pets when the baby monster is throwing a fit, sometimes we need to take deep breaths and count to three. It is hilarious to watch her close her eyes, take a deep breath and then count- she's been skipping 2 and 4 lately, so its 1-3-5-6, and so on. She thinks its pretty funny too so it usually helps her come out of her fit. It is amazing to me what I can just teach her to do now.