Adventures in Parenthood: 3.5 Years

Clara is a crazy little girl! She is smart, sassy, and stubborn beyond belief. So many things she does remind me of myself and as a result we constantly butt heads. She loves to learn and has started asking how to spell things. She can spell Clara and Mama, and is working on Dada. She has learned what sounds letters make and will often tell me what letter random words start with. She loves to count in both English and Spanish. She can only write a "C" and basically draws circles and scribbles...I don't think we have a budding artist. However, Clarita loves music and sings constantly. She makes up new songs and one day I heard her playing the piano and singing a song she had made up...it actually sounded like a real song!

Hook 'em horns!

Two braids = Anna

Rainbow Brite!

Her babies

Watching Dada leave

Snuggling in church

"sleeping"

Clarita is a social butterfly and loves spending time with her friends, cousins, and of course Emmett. She is super bossy and bosses Bailey and Emmett around. She likes to pretend she is their mom and tells them how to behave. When they don't listen she gets upset. The little Snuggle still has two imaginary friends, Bluesha and Bappa. Sometimes they are her brother and sister, and sometimes her kids. I always hear her saying things to Bluesha that I say to her like, "I don't want to have to tell you again." It's pretty funny and makes me realize how I sound to her. When we were in a bind recently Sarah watched Clara one day and she had a blast! When I told her that Sarah was going to watch her she said, "Yay! I have been wanting them to cuidar (babysit) me!" She had so much fun playing with Sarah and the boys and has declared that she wants to do it again and that she wants Reedcito and Kierito to come over for dinner.

The cat named Mimi

Playing at the river with Dada

Clara has never been too attached to a certain stuffed animal. She has a favorite for a while and then moves on to something else. Right now she has three "babies" that she sleeps with, Bafa the cat, Bevo the longhorn, and Shee Shee the bear. She generally doesn't play with them during the day and only wants them at night. She also likes to nurse her babies, push them in her stroller, and carry them in her baby carrier. The Snugglepuff loves to play especially with dolls (she is obsessed with being a mom), anything kitchen related, playdoh, and anything craft related. She also likes to pretend that she is a teacher and she teaches things to Bailey and Emmett.

These two!

"Take a picture of me and Baby Emmett while he nurses"

This little girl has such an imagination! She's constantly inventing stories, scenarios, and loves to play dress up (especially if she is a princess). She makes sure to tell me when things are just pretend so I don't get confused! Clarita also is very sensitive. She becomes genuinely upset if she thinks someone else is hurt (especially Emmett) and if he falls down she always asks him if he is ok. She is concerned about kids that don't have enough food or toys and has offered to donate her things to them (she has also offered to donate toys she doesn't like hoping she can get a new toy out of it). She likes to give her clothes that are getting too small to Bailey and gets excited when she wears them. However, at times Clarita also dislikes sharing, especially if it is a toy that she really likes. She has learned that she can generally offer to trade Bailey and Emmett for a different toy but gets upset if they don't want to trade. Then tantrums ensue. And boy can this girl scream. She is still like a cartoon character with tears squirting out of her eyes! Her tantrums come on fast and generally end quickly. She can usually be reasoned with, but still has times when she screams for 10 minutes about a seemingly unimportant event. We are working on getting her to tell us how she feels instead of screaming. Sometimes she is great, other times she just screams. I can't wait until this stage is over...there's nothing I dislike more than a child screaming for no apparent reason!

Visiting fuego when the abuelos were gone

Getting ready to drive to San Diego to visit Mikaela

Generally Clara is my little buddy. She loves to snuggle and constantly tells me that she loves me and that I am the best mom. She is usually a good helper and one day even stopped Emmett from going in the street when I was loading the car and not paying attention. Clarita is a girly girl and insists on wearing dresses and skirts. She wants "hair down to my butts" and would love nothing more than to be a princess. She also likes running and says that she wants to be a runner like Mama! Clarita really is a sweet little girl and although she always keeps me on my toes, she definitely brightens my day and constantly makes me laugh!

Silly pose

Stats

Weight: 28.8 pounds

Height: 38 inches

Wearing

She's still super tiny and generally only changes sizes because the season changes or her legs get too long. She wears 3T but still has some 2T shorts. Most of her clothes (especially pants and shorts) are baggy because she is so skinny. She will probably need 4T pants soon, but they will probably fall off her waist!

Likes

Mama and Dada and Baby Emmett, Signing Time, playing outside and going to the park, playing with her kitchen, helping us cook, reading, riding her bike, playing with her cousins, playing with the cats, singing, dancing, running around naked, taking baths, "lollipop" videos, play doh, anything craft related, bubbles, bounce houses, playing with her friends, dressing up.

Dislikes

Not getting her way immediately, being told no, waiting, having to go potty if she doesn't want to,

Sleeping

Clarita still takes a nap and generally goes down between 1:00 and 2:00 and sleeps for 1.5 to 3 hours. Some days she sings in bed instead of sleeping, but these don't happen often. She goes to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and generally gets up between 7:00 and 7:30. She now comes downstairs by herself when she wakes up and can turn on her light. She sleeps in a twin bed with a million animals and a bottle of water.

Nicknames

Clarita, Snugglepuff, Snuggle, Wiggle, Munchkin, Birthday Twin, Loquita, Pipsqueak, Wigs, Loqs, Puff, Caca

Talking

Clarita still talks up a storm and seems to have a good understanding of grammar. She still speaks mostly English but continues to speak more and more Spanish and now says some complete sentences in Spanish. She also likes to turn Spanish verbs into English and says things like "I portared mal (I behaved badly)" and "I'm crecering (I'm growing)."

Eating

Some days she eats everything, some days she refuses to eat anything. She almost always has cereal for breakfast, but the type changes each day. She still dislikes most meats (except bacon, sausage, and hot dogs) and loves fruit and junk food. She hasn't had any other candy and still thinks it is for "big ninos."

Favorite Colors

Pink and red.

Best Friends

She says her best amigo is Reedcito and her best amiga is Bailey.

Exciting Events

April 28, 2016: Stops using the little potty

April 29, 2016: First gum

May 14, 2016: First slumber party (with Bailey)

May 17, 2016: Starts getting up and coming downstairs by herself

June 13, 2016: Starts preschool (summer session more like daycare)

June 17, 2016: Gets an electric toothbrush

June 19, 2016: First solo hike - not carried (Weaver Lake)