Thirty-Four Months

Dear Peeper:
You are thirty-four months old today, which is just dangerously close to three.

Within the past week or so, strangers have started guessing you at three, and when they ask, I've started answering that you're "almost three," but then, of course, I have to qualify that with some big dumb thing about how "I'm just getting used to saying that, because "thirty-four months" sounds silly, but she'll actually be three around Halloween, and . . . oh, yeah, you have a nice day, too, thanks."

In a few days, I guess I can start saying that you'll "be three next month," but you know I'll have to add, "Well, the end of next month," because that's the kind of Mama I am.

The big news in your little world lately is that you're now the proud owner of a New Big Girl Bed, and you've even slept in it for four partial nights.

Last night, you were actually there pretty much all night, but I was with you for the majority of it (from about 3:30 on).

We did move back to the big bed around 7:30 this morning, but then you were up and out of bed (and, therefore, so was I) as soon as the clock "turned into an eight" (there was no talking you into nine today), so I'd say that's pretty close.

You also like playing in it, and you really seem to like your cool zebra-striped sheets, so I think it's going quite well so far.

We are in no rush to get you moved out of the big bed fulltime, we'll just be happy with the occassional grownups-only bedtimes for now.

Speaking of your sleeping habits, we've pretty much completely dropped your nap now, although you occassionally have one if we have to be in the car for a while, especially in the late afternoon. You seem to go back and forth between a few nights of 9:00ish bedtimes and (after I make the mistake of saying that outloud) 10:30ish bedtimes.

Either is better than the midnight or later that you'd be doing with a nap, so I think the naplessness is here to stay.

You usually have a sleepy / cranky period sometime around 4 - 6 pm (not the whole time, but somewhere in that range), but a little goody (but not too much - I have to watch closely that you don't doze off) usually fixes you up and you catch a second wind to get you through a few more hours.

Other than that, or if you're not feeling well, you're still usually a pretty happy, cooperative, easy-going kid, for the most part (and compared to many kids your age). You do tend to get frustrated when things (or we) won't "copawate" with you, but unless it's cranky-time, that's usually pretty short-lived.

Our biggest cooperation issues with you are usually about not wanting to go to the potty when we suggest it, and about making a huge mess at the table, with the pouring and mixing and whatever elsing it is that you want to do with your food and drink instead of eating and drinking it.

And every single time, you seem genuinely shocked - shocked, I tell you - to learn that we aren't please when you dump a cup of water into your plate of food.

"Mommy doesn't like it when you do that, Peeper."

"You doooon't?"

That is actually a typical sort of response from you, and when it's not about something so frustrating, it's really funny.

The inflection is impossible to reproduce in writing, but there's just this totally (feined?) innocent, incredulous, "Little-old-me?" thing to it.

Your latest thing is to suddenly exit the scene - either because we're trying to get you to stop doing something you want to do, or trying to get you to do something you don't want to do, or just because, with a "buh-bye!" (that could be straight from the old SNL flight attendant sketches) or, occassionally, a more formal "Goodbye!"

That's just one of the many hilarious things you say these days, most of which are probably unintentional. I'm sure that just the natural literal-mindedness of a toddler, but you often come across as quite the smartass. Which of course, makes Mommy and Mama very, very proud.

For example, the other day, you ran into the room an announced, "I pee-peed!" Of course, since no one had taken you to the potty, I asked "Where?" Your answer: "Into my panties!"

For a while there, everytime we got in the car, you requested "Itsy Bitsy Spider." One day, I didn't want to scroll through the whole CD (on the iPod) looking for it, so I just started it at the beginning, and said "I think Itsy 'Pider is on this one." I then adjusted the volume and asked you, "How's that sound?" and you said "Sound like 'itsy bitsy 'pider, climbed up . . . ."

Um, no  honey, I wasn't asking how the song goes!

Speaking of, you still love to sing, and you've recently added a few new songs (and nursery rhymes) to your repetoire, including Tisket A Tasket, Widdle Miss Muppet, and some others that I can't think of right now. The other day, you were singing something new and when I asked where you'd learned it, you said, "In the car." Oh yeah, that is on ths iPod, isn't it?


We're still cranking thorough your Letter of the Week curriculum, and we're on the home stretch, wrapping up Uu this weekend. We were on target to finish right before our upcoming trip to Texas, but then we spent two weeks on S. Now I'm not sure whether to double up a couple of letters (probably XY?) or have to do Z when we get back.

I suppose I'll report back on that with my next letter.

In the meantime, I guess it's about time for me to wrap this up and think about actually going to bed with Mommy when she gets home, which will be any minute.

Well, with Mommy and you, since you're in the big bed tonight, but that's fine, too.

I love you, big girl!


love,
Mama