The Passineau Family: Pittsburgh Edition: Ella is 2

Hard to believe our baby girl is 2. Where did the last year go?? Ella has certainly become a mostly independent little girl in the last year & it's amazing to see her transformation compared to her 1st birthday. She continues to be our silly little girly, girl!! Always, ready to wear a pretty dress or model some scarf, bow, accessory, etc. She has the funniest little run. Very prissy! Her language development has really taken off & she can make little sentences now. Mostly 2 & 3 word stuff like "Ella go too" or "Ella eat too"--I hear this a lot. She's more interested in coloring & is really enjoying sidewalk chalk right now. She is bad about trying to eat it, but the taste mostly deters her. Although, I don't think she really understands the princess stuff, she certainly likes it also (probably, b/c her sister does). She is more mild mannered than her big sissy, but she also has a willful side that we see. For 2, she is mostly obedient. She is sometimes mean to Jessie, but I can't help but giggle under my breath & think well, you probably deserved that. She's a strong child & very big for her age, not in an unattractive way, but she's as tall as a 3 year old & wears mostly 3T clothing. Her favorite foods include, grapes, pineapple, apples, little oranges (cuties), mac & cheese, pasta, meatballs, bread, apple sauce, jello, yougart, veggie straws, & pretzels. She loves to dunk her food in a sauce. Chicken nuggets in ketchup, veggie straws & pretzels in apple sauce or peanut butter (I know a little strange, but she loves it, so whatever). She will try most any food, so thankful for that!! She doesn't like ice cream as much as me & Jessie, but she will eat some, especially if sprinkles are involved. She continues to enjoy reading & we probably read about 10-15 books a day, depending on the day & on how many chores I have to complete. She & Jessie both are enjoying the playroom more & more. It's their little hideout & they like that they can go down without us now. Ella loves cars, buses, bicycles, really anything that has wheels. She always points out the buses to me as we drive past. She also really loves garbage trucks, she will get angry if I don't let her look at the garbage truck on trash day, she loves to stand at the back steps & watch the garbage men take our trash...she always waves to them & says "bye, bye garbage truck". The mailman gets the same treatment, he almost always waves back, which she loves. She can reliably count & identify up to the number 5. Colors, however, still not all that great with those....despite numerous books, flash cards, & good old fashion repetition. She is pretty good with her alphabet, when I say that I mean she's learning the song. Her hand/eye coordination is very good for a 2 year old. She can hold & manipulate utensils very well. She can do pretty well with crayons, pencils, & markers. If you ask her to draw a circle she will do it & it looks pretty good. If you ask her to draw a triangle, it doesn't look so good :) If you ask her how old is Ella she will say 2 (or sometimes 3--b/c sissy is 3 & always answers for her). She will hold up 2 fingers--one on each hand to show you 2. She doesn't mind me brushing her teeth or hair & most of the time she will allow me to hold her while I read to her. However, diaper changing is becoming a wrestling match. On that note, I will start hard core potty training very soon. She's done ok with training pants, but it's still really hit or miss with that. I've just resigned myself to the fact that she may take longer to train that Jessie did. She's very motivated to wear big girl panties, but she doesn't understand when she needs to go..yet!! She continues to be very attached to her paci, but I know that will come to an end soon...meaning, I will have to end that soon. She's getting 2 year molars so she's pretty uncomfortable when the teething pains strike & her paci comforts her. She loves to run to you as fast as she can & be swung around in a circle....she laughs so hard when we do this. It's one of my favorite things to do with her. She likes to be my little helper also & some of her little jobs include, helping unload & restock the silverware drawer, using the swiffer, helping clean up toys, shoes, etc., & carrying one piece of non-important mail in from the mailbox each day. She & her sister also like to help me with laundry, they turn on & start the washer & dryer for me. She's a precious girl in every sense of the word, I love seeing her personality develop each day & thank God that he entrusted her to us. Our family would lack so much without her sweet little self! We love you more than you will ever know Ella girl, Happy Birthday!

Michael had to travel for work this year on her birthday, but we did a very small celebration with her before he left. Daddy also spoiled the girls very much this year. He got Ella a Barbie jeep Power wheels for her birthday, enjoy a few pics of our little celebration & of the girls riding in the jeep...so cute :)