Ivy || 2 1/2 Years Old

Ivy turns 2 1/2 today! Halfway to three!! Eeeeek! And would you believe it, Ivy is nearly the same age that Kip was when the pandemic started. Isn't that wild?? It doesn't feel like that long, yet here we are. Crazy.

 

Ivy at 2 1/2 Years

Weight: ?? (26 lbs. at 2 years) 

Height: ?? (35 inches at 2 years)

Personality: Sweet, shy, imaginative

 

Ivy is a little pixie pie, apple of my eye. She is truly so sweet and snuggly. But don't be entirely fooled, girlfriend has a dramatic flare as well!

 

In the last six months, Ivy went through a very tough period of separation anxiety and shyness. Just after she turned two she became very attached to us and fearful of anyone else (including people she was familiar with like relatives and our neighbors). This social avoidance lasted about three months and then she came out of it a little. She is still far more reserved than Kip but she will now tolerate certain people interacting with her (like Grandma and people we see often).

 

We are on the long and winding path of potty training over here. Last I updated, Ivy was withholding stools and requiring occasional enemas. We still have this issue but sticker charts and toy bribery have helped a little. She has slow digestion so that doesn't help. She is quasi-night training herself by waking up early in the morning and telling us she needs to pee. She is otherwise dry overnight and dry through naps. We are hesitant to do the traditional three-day no-pants method like how we potty trained Kip because she will absolutely NOT tolerate being naked. We are just following her lead and while that is taking some time, she is actually slowly training herself.

 

Ivy absolutely adores Kip. She is his biggest fan and is highly attached to him. She is always asking him things, checking in on him, copying him, following him, etc. He gets rather irritated with her often but can be a really sweet big brother to her as well. They have a typical sibling dynamic but I love to see how much Ivy looks up to Kip. I'm not sure "the oldest" sibling is ever really aware how much they impact their younger siblings. Neither is able to see how much the other one really cares.

 

Milestones for Ivy by 2 1/2,

First professional haircut

First time attending birthday parties

Starting to try to dress herself

First trip to Colorado

Mastered pedaling her trike

Progress in potty training

 

Sleep

Ivy is still sleeping in her crib. She goes to bed between 6:30 pm and 7 pm and has started loads of bedtime manipulation to stall. Her strategies include claiming to need to go to the bathroom, being "cold," wanting water, throwing stuffed toys out of crib and demanding them back. She no longer uses a sleep sack and will keep a blanket over her all night. She also started using a night light and expresses a fear of the dark. Ivy regularly wakes up between 5 and 5:30 am either needing to go to the bathroom or ready for the day. She generally does not go back to sleep. It is a great day if she is still asleep at 6:00 am. She still naps once a day from 10:30 am - 12:00 and is still very attached to her pacifier for sleep. I'm not sure when we will introduce a big bed but I'm hoping to get her to age three. She is a snuggly girl and loves to rock and snug after naps. She is the sweetest little petite thing and just melts right into your lap and straight to your soul.

Eat

Picky, picky girl. Ivy does not enjoy trying new things and has very typical "kid" palette consisting of dairy, fruit, and chicken nuggets. She refuses things constantly by saying "Eww, yucky. That's not good for me." She enjoys condiments by the spoonful, buttered pasta, will occasionally eat a sandwich, and prefers to eat off mom's plate for breakfast. She loves snacks and helps herself all day long. Never met a gummy candy she didn't like and loves Popsicle and almost all sweets. Oddly, she isn't a fan of dairy-based ice cream and prefers Italian ice or sorbets.

 

Play

Ivy is incredibly imaginative in her play. She acts out full scenes in her dollhouse, loves when Kip plays with her, and truly blossoms when wearing costumes/dress-up. She recently got into the Gabby Dollhouse show on Netflix and adores those toys in addition to her beloved CocoMelon figures. She builds with Duplo Legos, loves to collect sticks and acorns outside, enjoys swinging, climbing, and sliding. She is creative with coloring and stickers and is very dexterous and communicative. She keeps up with Kip's play schemes despite the age difference and they have had many adorable moments collaborating through play. Kip is her best friend and she is not particularly interested in socializing with other kids.

Talk

We've been told that Ivy is rather advanced in her speech and vocabulary. I'm sure some of this has to do with growing up around an older sibling as well as being a girl. When Kip turned 2 1/2 he was just beginning to carry full conversations. At this point, Ivy talks like a five year old. She will tell you entire stories, sing full songs, tattle on her brother, and perfectly communicate her wants and needs in the cutest toddler voice. She is quite the chatty gal but you might not know it because outside of home, she is quiet and shy.

 

Things I want to remember about Ivy at age 2 1/2:

 

HATES the feeling of sand on her feet (she wears socks to the beach. ha!)

Enjoys having mom sleep on floor in her room at night and will ask, "mama sleep you?"

Developed a strong fear of dogs

Started giving fist bumps to new people as a comfortable way of engaging 

Constantly asking for snuggles

Enjoys helping prepare foods in the kitchen

Early Intervention evaluation

Prone to ear infections

First bout of covid

Loves to go to the grocery store 

Always reaching out to hold my hand and say "my mama"

The way she says "oh, I like your ___ [insert whatever you're wearing]"

 

Typical phrases:

"get outta way"

"Hi Mama"

"little bit"

"too ube" (youtube)

"I like my mama"

"that's not good for me"

"I wanna feel better" 

"chick a lay" (chick-fil-a)

"I wanna be awake!"

"nor" (more)

"cram" (crayon)

"pinkos" (flamingos) 

"gram-ola" (granola)

We love this tiny little girl so much and enjoy seeing her personality bloom more every day. Watching a child develop from birth is truly one of the greatest wonders of the world.

Happy half, beautiful girl!