HER OWN LANGUAGE (35 MONTHS)

S has started making names for things. Her white shaggy dog is now named "doglo." But, it goes beyound her stuffed animal collection. Her cup is sometimes called "plop plop po." Every day there is a new name for something and momma and daddy can't seem to ever get it right since the name keeps changing. S had discovered she can make up her own language!

SOUND GAME (35 MONTHS)

S likes to play the sound game. She often says a word and then tells momma what sounds it begins with. Now, she often points out the end sound or a middle sound. She often plays it to occupy herself in the car seat.

It's a game momma started when she realized S knew all the sounds of the alphabet around 30 months. It's a fun game to play and momma thinks it will help her in the long run with reading. Now the only problem is that momma doesn't know some of the sounds herself.

DEFIANT & ANGRY (35 MONTHS)

Momma sees S's angry and defiant faces more lately, especially when transitioning from one activity to another. Momma sees it especially when she says, "It's time to go" either into the car or inside the house. Sometimes, S stands there glaring at momma and refusing to move until momma threatens to leave without her.

Momma wishes there was something else she could do other than threaten S. Giving her another two to five minutes isn't enough at times for S.

P.S. Daddy noted that S has been giving him the cold shoulder with ATTITUDE lately. "Tell me about..." responded momma.

WHAT S DOESN'T LIKE (34 MONTHS, 4 WKS)

This list probably is endless, but momma is writing this for properity sake...

- any food that sticks to her teeth
- any food that's too hot or too spicy
- anything sticky or messy
- SWIPER (from Dora Dora); he really scares her

- big crowds of people

EGG HUNT AT MIMI (34 MONTHS, 3 WKS)

S and her cousins Ariana (12) and Miranda (9) hunted eggs on Sunday. S had a wonderful time. Her cousins, aunt and uncle, Mimi and Poppy, as well as momma and daddy, had a great time leading her to the eggs. Ariana really got into the fun of hiding the eggs. Miranda had a good time hunting them too with S. The girls hunted the eggs three times and then Mimi divided the loot (quarters) into three piles.

According to daddy, Mimi and Poppy never put candy in their plastic eggs. They just hid it. It was more about the hunts than the treats.

P.S. Mimi had a lovely Easter basket for all three girls. S got Tinkerbell undies, ice cream PJ (the one she wanted), cute swim suit, 2 chocolate bunnies, and an Easter video.

P.S.S. Besides the Easter egg hunt, S's favorite parts about Easter was playing with her cousins and eating Mimi's chocolate triffle.

FISHING IN THE CAR (34 MONTHS, 3 WKS)

S's imagination has helped her play well by herself for some periods of time. She often makes up wonderful adventures for herself, like going on safari with her flashlight and bronoculars.

Last week in the back of the car, Momma noticed that she was "trolling" her backpack at her feet. When momma asked her what she was doing, she responded with "fishing." After a few minutes, she shouted, "I caught one. I caught one." "One what?," said Momma. "A big fish," responded S. "What are you going to do with it? Are you going to put it back into the water?" S responded, "No, I'm going to eat it. I'm going to cut of its head and eat it."

Momma just couldn't stop laughing and offered to hold the fish in the pretend cooler up front.

ALL OF THE SHAMPOO (34 MONTHS, 3 WKS)

At bathtime today, S poured her entire "new" bottle of shampoo into her bathtub while momma went to get the bubble bath from the other bathroom. Momma came back to a happy S in a big giant mound of bubbles. Momma checked the shampoo bottle and it was empty. S happily played in tub of bubbles for half an hour.... before momma had to pull her out to eat dinner.

OTHER ADULTS (34 MONTHS, 3 WKS)

Momma has seen S opening up more to other adults, than momma. When it is daddy's turn to put her to sleep, she often goes off with him easily without even a look at momma. S also welcomes Maria with a hug and a smile and they go off and play without S looking back. She does the same thing with Aunt Fiona and Uncle Nigel on date nights and of course, Mimi and Poppy too. A couple of weeks ago, she even engaged Ms. Heather, the children's librarian, in a short conversation.

Momma is happy that there are other adults that S can relate to and have them in her life, as special as momma and daddy are. Whatever the reason momma is seeing S more comfortable and perhaps growing more independent.

EASTER (34 MONTHS, 3 WKS)

S did an Easter egg hunt with her friends on Wednesday. Every time she picked up an egg she would bring it over to either momma or daddy to show them before putting it in her basket. Daddy thought that was sweet and funny. Luckily for momma, the paced picked up and eventually S was convinced she didn't need to show every egg she picked up to daddy or momma.

S often wanted momma to hold her hand while egg hunting. Daddy and momma found it funny that she was oblivious to the eggs at her feet but would walk across the lawn to an egg against the fence than pick up the ones a foot from her. Even though she doesn't quite understand the egg hunt, she does understand now that egg hunt means "candy."

More importantly, her friends and she had a great time and everyone's basket were full.

SARAI'S PARTY (34 MONTHS, 2 WKS)

S had the best time this weekend. She went to Houston for her Cousin Sarai's birthday party. S swung on Sarai's playset with Om Ngoai. She hung on the trapeze bar, ran around with the "big" kids, slide several times with Sarai, played the piano with Ba Ngoai, and ate cupcakes. She even went swimming. Afterward Sarai's party, S went over to Auntie Thi's house and jump up and down with Cousins Matthew and Lillian in their inflatable jumper while Auntie Phu chased her around.

To daddy and momma's surpise, she rarely went over to momma and daddy but just hung out with her aunts and her cousins most of the time.

MORNING WITH DADDY (34 MONTHS, 2 WKS)

Two to three times a week, daddy is in charge in the mornings. S wakes up and runs to wake up daddy. She has breakfast with daddy and then they play together before he either hops into the shower and goes to work or before momma takes charge.

They play play-duh and daddy makes animals, food or things that S can cut. They play Dora Dora sometimes. They play made-up daddy games, e.g. rolling the ball through the mesh tube S has. They pretend to be different animals. Recently, daddy and S pretended to be rolly-pollies, which S now does all the time. She folds her legs, curls up, unfolds and then flips over.

S loves mornings with daddy and often is angry with him when he quits or has to leave for work.