So Yaya had her 38 month birthday while we were in New Jersey. Another quick and fun month has gone by, and here is the girl lounging on the bed in the hotel while Papa calls in a delivery dinner order:
[[image:2011-0922-yaya1.jpg:No barrettes for once!:center:0]]
Food status: no change, although we did discuss when she used to eat more stuff (like plums which used to be her ultimate favorite). And she corrected me (I called plums red and she said they were purple) and she remembered that she ate it from a spoon and Papa stirred it around before he fed them to her. She also talked about mangos and other fruits so maybe if she’s in the mood she might try those fruits again. One day, she’ll eat more stuff. She will, god willing.
Potty training status: jeng jeng jeng… Success!!!! She is diaper-free now, except for nap- and bedtimes, and also veeeery long car rides (like the 11-hour New Jersey trip). She goes in the grown-up potty (with a potty insert) when we travel or go to other people’s houses and she even poops in the potties now. She does not like using a diaper as a toilet anymore – and although she likes to wear diapers (she requests one for no reason every so often) she actually takes them off and asks to go in the potty! Woohoooo!! Yaya=5500, Mama & Papa=200! We are totally getting there and we’re so proud of her! Since this started, she has only had about 3 accidents, too, so she really gets it! Plus I only ever had to bribe her two times (the first two days) with playing bubbles, and since then she’s proudly been a potty-using big kid! Hopefully we won’t get too much regression when Yaya’s Adik arrives 🙂 And also, she is definitely our daughter. She prefers plain white underwear (with no designs). Is that weird? We let her choose the underwear she wants and this is what she likes.
Yaya is definitely getting very expressive – she speaks mostly in complete sentences and is beginning to construct fairly complex sentences. For instance, the other day when we were driving (on the way to New Jersey, if I recall correctly) I asked her to sing a song from a particular Wonder Pets episode, and it was one that I actually did not remember myself. So she thought about it for a second and then she said “Mama, can you help me remember the song?” Which Vin of course pounced on as an example of a complex sentence (linguists!). But he’s right, it is a complicated thought. And sadly I did not remember the song, but Vin saved the day by stepping in and singing the first line so Yaya could then sing the rest of it. 🙂 Papa helped her remember the song. Go Papa!
She continues to be quite supportive of getting a baby brother – she now includes him in her drawings, so that is making us optimistic that she will adjust and hopefully thrive as a big sister. She also showed a lot of love to Amy’s newborn daughter Hana, kissing and hugging and peeking at the baby while she nurses, so again, more optimism. We continue to try to prepare her for the big change. Wish us luck!
Until next month! Y’all come on back and check out the girl’s developments. Happy birthday baby girl! We love you! Also a Happy Ninth Birthday to Yope Irfan!!! We love you too!
[[image:2011-0922-yaya2.jpg:Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed:center:0]]
