She's 2!

Isla turned two on Monday, just a reminder that our little girl is growing up.  She loves to tell people "Happy Birthday" so it's fitting that now it's her turn.  When she's had cupcakes this week, she says "Happy Birthday Isla" and I find it quite adorable. When it's all said and done she will have had three different cakes/cupcakes so hoping she felt special.

 Taking a little lick...

We didn't do much to celebrate since we had some cake at Grandma and Grandpa's and Isla had already opened presents on three different days.  But on Sunday we had some lasagna for dinner and some mini cupcakes and sang to our girl.  It was already getting late and the girls needed a bath so we didn't give her a present from us.  I figured we'd do that on Monday, her actual birthday, however Mark worked late and they were tired so it seems we have forgone presents from us this year and Isla will be receiving it at Christmas time.  This is probably the last year that will be acceptable because she still doesn't really understand why she's getting presents.  Plus Sawyer has demonstrated a heck of a jealous streak so no need to push that further.

At any rate, with this birthday Isla will be moving up into a different room at daycare - the preppers room - and so the official potty training is likely to start soon.  That and moving her into a big girl bed are probably the two big things over the next few months.  I let Sawyer and Isla try to take a nap in Sawyer's bed on Saturday after our drive home from Michigan and it was disastrous.  Neither of them slept or would stay in bed.  We'll give that another few months.  I'm hoping potty training happens before then - Isla is definitely ready - she tells us when she's pooping and asks to be changed.  This morning I even had her taking off her wet diaper saying "yuck".  However, she seems terribly afraid of the toilet and will not even sit on it since that one and only time several months ago.  I don't want her afraid so I haven't pushed it but hoping seeing her older classmates go will prove to be some incentive. 

Fittingly, I also had the girls parent-teacher conferences for daycare today.  I do them over the phone because I don't feel my kids have any huge issues and they usually only last a few minutes.  But I did write down some of the things they said...

Isla:

• Strong verbal skills - this one surprised me because she's  not as strong as Sawyer was, but she does talk a lot, and understands a lot...perhaps it's just her soft voice that has me doubting her
• Catches on quickly to stories and songs
• Loves to engage in group activities - one of the first to run over for them when called
• Is very helpful, and enjoys cleaning up toys
• Independent - likes to play with the other kids but equally fine going off on her own to play in the kitchen or read a book
• Is very caring - this one I knew, but I was happy to hear it confirmed from school. Our Isla is just an affectionate, and caring kid.  At school when kids cry she goes over and rubs their backs, or hugs them, and says "it's ok".  As home, she loves to give us hugs and kisses and tell us "i love you".  Mark and I are the biggest beneficiaries of this, and I think it's safe to say we both love it.
• Her main thing to work on was using words when she's upset, though she doesn't hit or bite at school which is nice - seems she reserves that for the one who can really upset her (Sawyer), and she's still struggling with sharing toys, as it seems most of her peers are as well.

Sawyer:

• Very smart - I've known this for a long time, but again good to hear others thing the same.  Sawyer is a smarty who catches on to things very quickly
• Has lots of friends
• Is very imaginative - she's gotten very into art, and has a teacher who is very artistic and fosters this a lot which is great
• Can focus for extremely long periods of time - Sawyer can get engrossed in her art projects or coloring and concentrate
• Her teacher said she's ready to learn to read and should be able to sound out words if she would try - they don't work on it right now in her class, and we haven't much either because Sawyer hasn't shown much interest but her teacher thinks she's more than ready
• She's not quite as bossy as she was in her last update, but her teacher told me she did taunt a little boy the other day and almost made him cry.  It seems she really didn't know what she was doing but definitely didn't stop as he got more upset.  Apparently she was quite remorseful when the teacher stopped her and pointed out the reaction of the boy, but I do hope our girl uses her powers for good and not evil, and doesn't become some kind of bully.

All in all good reports.  Definitely growing up fast...