Rylie is officially 2 ½ years old today, and I thought it would be fun to do a little update on how our oldest girl is doing and some impressive milestones she has hit since her birthday in November.
2-year-olds often get put into the box of “terrible two’s” which I personally think is unfair. First of all, if you think this age is terrible, it will be terrible. There is so much power in our thoughts and words that it is imperative for the success of our children that we watch what we think and say. Second, I totally get why people think it’s rough, BUT if you didn’t know why you felt the way you did, how to process it or how to fully communicate the problem, you’d probably throw a little tantrum too. My encouragement to those who are entering or are in the 2-year-old season is to change your perspective. They’re learning and there is so much joy in this age! Don’t miss it because you think everything is “terrible.”
Okay, onto the update.
Food:
Rylie and food’s relationship has become very dynamic. She definitely has her favorite (Chick-Fil-A’s nuggets is a big one 😝) and even though she is willing to try all food, she has definitely expressed “don’t like it!” multiple times. We thank her for trying it and then tell her she doesn’t have to keep eating it.
She also does this disgusting thing where she keeps food in her mouth… for a looonnng time. Ew! We can tell because she doesn’t talk (not her norm). We tell her that’s gross and to spit it out in the trash.
Breakfast is her biggest meal of the day and her appetite seems to dwindle as the day progresses. She loves a good snack and absolutely loves fruit.
I asked her the other day if she wanted a PB&J sandwich and she said yes. Come to find out, she didn’t want the bread she just wanted to scoop the peanut butter and jelly and lick it off the spoon! 😛
Rylie absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen, which I enjoy. It usually results in a longer prep time and a bigger mess, but I don’t mind 🙂
Sleep:
Her bedtime was between 8 and 8:30 pm but this past month she has been waking up earlier and typically foregos a nap and just plays quietly. Alll this to say, her bedtime has been moved to 7:30-8 pm.
Her current routine involves singing two worship songs – God, You’re So Good and Build My Life – then saying a prayer. She prefers the bedroom door stay open, which occasionally results in her peeking out or straight walking out. But one look from us usually sends her running back to her bed.
Just this past week we put Rylie and Emmaline in the same bedroom, and it has worked out far better than we expected. Both girls sleep great and when we asked Rylie how she likes it, she said, “I love it!”
Life:
Rylie is a sponge and says, “what’s that?” a lot. She loves to sing and be outside with animals. Emmaline is her bestie and they love playing together.
Her vocabulary has exploded to say the least and I cannot even list all the words she knows because she talks in full sentences most of the time.
Owies are a HUGE topic these days, mainly because she is very good at getting them! We quickly say “you are healed in Jesus name!” And it has made a huge impact in her recovery. She also loves to say this to others who are hurting, which is precious!
Of course disciple is a heavy part of our lives right now, but overall Rylie is an amazing little girl and we love her curiosity and desire to learn.
She can count to 12 and she knows some of her colors better than others.
Her hair just keeps growing and it has been fun to try to do new things with it. She doesn’t always want her hair done, but if we do Emmaline’s or our own (yes, even Aaron) she’ll usually go for it. We make a big deal of how pretty her hair looks when she lets us do it to hopefully help the situation.
The Incredibles 2 is her all time favorite movie but mainly because of Jack-Jack. Woody and Buzz are a very close second and she’s attracted to anything with Woody or Buzz’s face on it.
She loves to help others, which is precious. We really think it’s a high love-language of hers and we’re intrigued to see it flourish.
Her imagination is continually developing and it is so fun. The most recent adventure is a tiger apparently being in the living room and we had to sneak up on it and rawr really loudly 😃 She loves to read books too and enjoys taking the book and telling me a story 😊
“Rylie, you’re a leader! Not a follower. You have to teach Emmaline the right thing to do, don’t copy her bad behavior,” is said often in regards to her little sister. She things it’s silly to copy Emmaline but we’re quick to say the above sentence and she seems to be getting it. There is a fine line though between leading Emmaline and being another parent to her, so we’re working on that distingtion as well. But she absolutely adores her sister and enjoys the interaction Emmaline can now provide her. They really are best friends. Rylie always wants to know where Emmaline is if they are apart and she loves playing with her little sister.
Rylie will be 3 this Fall so I’m starting to brainstorm some educational learning opportunities that we can begin this summer. Since Paisley will be joining our family in late-September, I plan to keep the curriculum very light but ultimately get into a pre-school style routine with her.
Rylie is absolutely loving farm life and enjoys helping Daddy take care of the animals in the morning. She can also catch a chicken on her own which is so fun (and hilarious) to watch.
Mera is a good friend to her and we love the sweet connection the toddler and the puppy are forming.
Me:
To be honest, I have to catch myself not wishing away these little years. With 3 under 3 coming this Fall, it’s so easy for me to feel overwhelmed and easily exhausted. I have moments with Rylie that only occur because she is older and I absolutely adore them, but then I come across little baby pictures of her and cherish the “easy baby” that she was. I’m constantly reminded to enjoy every season because even through the hard times, they bring such sweet memories.
We traced some of Rylie’s poor attitude to my lack of attention to her. Not because I’m purposefully ignoring her, but because I was working full-time and then would come home tired to a husband and 2 little girls + a growing one in my tummy that sucked a lot of energy out of me. Aaron and I have learned that Rylie thrives differently when she gets quality time with me. Not me and Emmaline, just me. “I wanna go with me!” is her way of saying she wants to come with me, wherever that may be in the house and help me accomplish what I need to. It’s humbling to watch her desire to be like me (she wants to do her makeup like me, eat in my lap, go into the rooms with me, do chores with me, etc.) It encourages me to seek the Lord so I can be the best example to my girls – especially Rylie.
I heard on a podcast I enjoy that there is so much intentionality in the birth order of children. It’s not an accident. Rylie being the oldest and being chosen by God to lead her siblings shines a different kind of light on her to me, and I’ve found that it has made me slightly more intentional in how I raise her.
Rylie is a joy, and those who know her know it’s true. She brings everyone so much laughter and it’s been so fun to watch it develop as she’s grown.
