Zara Update (3 to 3.5) !

This has been the time of parenting where I really have had to begin to be more thoughtful about what I am doing. Zara has been going through a lot expecting a new sister, going to school and having new expectations the older she gets (even though she is still just a little one). RIE parenting really resonates with me and the way I see children- that they are to be respected & heard but also understand where they are in their development & guide them. I adore Janet Lansbury, her book “No Bad Kids”, her blog and her podcast. She has taught me so much. I have really needed her in my parenting journey to learn and be comfortable with Zara’s emotions, to give her a routine and expectations, to give her room & to observe/ understand certain behaviors. I have a long way to go but I could just cry over my gratitude for my parenting mentors in 2019.

- She is not potty trained yet but she is working on it. She wears regular underwear often- she is almost there.
- Rules are tough for her and for me (I know kids need boundaries but in my heart I despise arbitrary rules so it is hard for me to wrap my head around sometimes.) We are both working on it.
- She still loves to act like a lion, act like she is trapped in a cage as a lion or pretend to be a "bad man" and put others in as jail (peers and her parents).
- Z had her first night away from Mom & Dad (we went to a concert in St. Louis) She was fine but I may never do it again. I could not sleep being so far from her.
- Poor Zara has had to deal with my pregnancy exhaustion so I have not been present in the same way as before. She is already noticing that change is coming. She get upset if we talk about her being a big sister and it makes her sad. There are moments of excitement but it is a scary change for a little one. Sometimes she calls herself Eleanor (her new sister's name) and she calls the new baby, "Boss Baby."
- Zara is obsessed with her Dad! She really loves him. He is also taking on more with Z because I have been so tired or because I am taking time for home projects (nesting is intense this time!)
- She finally had her first hair cut- a little trim. It felt like such a big day! She was a little freaked out but loved her fresh look :) We had a nice time & had brunch together after.
- We had our ups & downs at her soccer clinic. It exhausted her and she had a hard time following her coach because she wanted to do her own thing. Sometimes I was frustrated but she is a toddler & it is supposed to be fun. I just also want her to be a person who follows through- someone come tell me to chill out, haha.
- We don't watch Game of Thrones with Zara around but a couple times she woke up, saw the show and asked "is that a bad man show?" Anything that is for grown ups is called a "bad man show."
- Zara visited the funeral home a lot with me lately. We go in the mornings and open up before school. So she has been obsessed with death, yikes. She talks about it, makes up songs about it and always finds a time to say "he died" about someone in a show or real life.
- Z constantly requests I sing "La La Lu" from Lady & the Tramp. I think she likes to act like a little baby & she will definitely always be my baby girl!