Dear Claire.... you are two and a half! You have grown so much even since your birthday. You are starting to really enjoy your baby sister... making her laugh by "playing tickles" (always using your head to rub up on her tummy, jumping up and down, and (loudly) screaming silly talk. You love to wear dresses and "get all dressed up" with headbands... always your favorite outfit if you have the choice.
One of your favorite parts of the day (besides tv time... Dora, Elmo, or Barney...) is listening to music in the car. We are taking a little music class with a few other kids and I have really seen a natural talent growing in you. You are able to keep rhythm, recognize instruments, and "name that tune" within a few seconds on your favorite cds. The best way to motivate you to get into the car quickly is by promising music for "girls who are sweet."
I have also really seen your imagination take off. You are able to play much more independently, pretending and creatively making up names and activities. Your favorite toys right now are legos with the little people who take part in the town you have built. (Above: "Mommy can you make a gondola for da boys go up up up da mountain")
You are also taking quite an interest in writing and reading. You continue to LOVE reading books as much as we can. I have a bit of "mommy guilt" because our time for reading one on one has been dramatically cut since Catherine's birth, but you still seem to enjoy the little bit we can do together. At this point, you have just learned to draw a "smile face" and you can verbally spell your name. I had you pull out the magnets for the letters of your name and you were also able to arrange those correctly. You have shown a great interest in reading "What dat spell mommy" and even spelled on your own "mma" for "mom".
