Slow

Last year at this time, we were making a tough decision.  We were deciding if we should put our little 2 year old in school.

If you want to read about our dilemma back then you can go here or here.

We decided to put her in.  It was, I think, a great decision.  One I stand behind 100%  But even with school 4 or 5 half days a week, she's still not really talking.  She's added a few new words to her vocabulary and has gotten a little more adept at communication, but we're not there yet.  Not even close. And her tantrums are not better.  They may even be worse.  And while I've retired all her size 2 clothes, it's more because I'm tired of them... not because she's really outgrown them yet.  Her feet are a little bigger, but not by much.  She's still in the same size shoes.

She gets into EVERYTHING.  I can't trust her alone for a second.  Just yesterday she pulled down the shelf in the bathtub, toppling everybody's shampoos and soaps and things.  Then she tried to put the sharp end of my razor in her mouth.  Thank God I caught that one before it was too late.  It's like a have a perpetual 2 year old.  Who's very fast and very busy.

She's not potty trained or even close.  She will sit on the potty, but that's it and only if she feels like it.  She takes her diaper off several times a day.  I've cleaned #2 out of her bedroom carpet at least 3 times this week.

I'm not exaggerating.  It's true, every bit of it.

She figured out a year ago that she could get into our pantry and take whatever food she wanted.  She's not allowed and yet a year later, she's STILL doing it.  It could be my inconsistent parenting on that front or her stubborn streak or that she's JUST NOT GETTING IT.

She's still just as likely to spill her open cup of beverage all over the floor as drink it, so we're still doing sippy cups most of the time.  Cutlery is still thrown on the floor almost every meal.

She's 3 1/2 years old, my friends.  She should be done with most of this by now.  And yet she's not.  So I think it's easy for you to see why I may be feeling a wee bit frustrated.  And tired.  And discouraged.

And yet.  She has grown in many ways.  It's just hard to see - I guess - in the day to day.  I can now pull her in the wagon without worrying about her jumping out while I'm not looking.  That's something.

Her hair has grown.

She knows her basic shapes, colors, and letters.  I think.

She's walking up the stairs now.  And she can handle stepping down now off a curb or shallow step without falling or holding on to anything most of the time.  Most of the time.

And she can jump.  Oh, and climb into her brother's top bunk bed.  Guess how excited I was to see that skill.


Uh huh.

But I'll be honest.  This is getting old.  Really, really, really old.  The limits of my patience and sanity are being tested.  And it's not helping my waistline either.

Oh ya, and it's making my all scatterbrained.  I forgot about Will's therapist appointment yesterday.  He missed half of it.

I just hope it's darkest before the dawn, because despite the 18 hours a day the sun is shining now, it's feeling kinda dark here.