Zara Update (3.5-4) !

These 6 months were marked by major transition in our family. Zara prepared to become a big sister & then Eleanor was born in August. Play is how kiddos deal with life so Zara spent time acting like a baby (which you can see in so many photos. It was a way she coped. I encouraged and supported these moments). Zara also spent a lot of time talking about when she was a baby, asking me questions about that time and the time she was in my belly. Z also had a Lion King obsession. She acted like she was a lion every day & recreated the presentation of Simba constantly. We had a lot of "baby rooms" & "zoos" around our house. Our girl loves to set up her toys, blankets and figurines. OH, and she makes lots of forts because that is a childhood staple. 

Z has had less tantrums & will reason more often. I know these things are normal & improve with age but we also try to validate her & give her extra cuddles during these times. It is a learning process for me. I get a lot of help from researching RIE parenting. 
*Totally not RIE approved but sometimes we bribe her with candy or a show. 

Her eating is improving! I definitely believe in exposing her to all fruits & veg is important. Even when I know she probably won't eat them- just seeing them will set her up later. But we keep a few staples she will eat consistently- cucumbers, bananas, apples & grapes. As much as I want to never ever bribe- it comes in handy when I really want her to eat well. I can get her to eat her dinner & a banana if she is allowed a chocolate after. 

Our sweet girl likes her independent play but does like when we participate, are near or watch. It is a little difficult to participate because she is quite particular about how she wants things done & it seems like we are almost always wrong during playtime. Personally, I do better with more physical type of play: carrying her, running, talking while hiking. Jonas is the parent who is comfortable sitting with her. 

On our transition to back to work/ school/ daycare: Zara was very exicted to go back to school. She pretended I was her teacher & our home was a classroom when we started talking about going back. I feel like she enjoys school but would have a better time if mom & dad could figure out bedtime. Zara needs more sleep for sure. We are working on it. Z started our time back with lots of energy and helping me in the mornings but now only does that when she is well rested. Who can blame her. 

Jealousy of Eleanor: Zara is not as jeaous as I thought she would be. She is in her own world most of the time since Eleanor is so tiny & cannot engage with her yet. Sometimes she is hurt sharing the attention- especially is Jonas is caring for Eleanor. Sometimes she is a little rough with her baby sister but I don't think she does it on purpose and is always embarrassed. It is hard to feel like you are a second priority. We really don't feel like she is missing out on time with us because of Eleanor but the extra hug & kiss are gladly given to help her feel secure.

She is potty trained! 2 weeks before Eleanor was born her daycare encouraged her to go without a pull up & she never went back. I appreciated it so much! She still uses pull ups at night and the accidents are less frequent all the time.

Zara gave her first talk at church! She was wonderful!

Z also had her first set of swim lessons at the YMCA. She got a little distracted by my presence sometimes but she was so brave and she loved swimming so much. After her sessions, the instructor allowed her to go down the big slide & it was her favorite. Jonas set up a small pool in our yard & would swim with Zara for hours almost every night. Eleanor and I would watch from the window to avoid mosquitoes. 

Just some cute things: She calls gloves "glubs" & woodpeckers are "wood peppers". 

We love our messy, wild haired, chocolate loving daughter/ lion/ baby. 

The time a neighbor's pig escaped::