2 1/2!!!

Can you believe another six months have passed by?  Eliana is now 2 1/2!  30 months old!  I just can't believe it and though at times it's seemed long, overall I feel like these 30 months have flown by.  I was just reading what I wrote for her two year post and she has grown and changed so much in the last six months.  Sometimes it happens so gradually that I don't even notice it.  For example, I talked about how six months ago she was really into saying "mine" and "it's mine" and now she hardly says those words, at least that I notice.  Maybe it's just that now she is saying so much more I don't notice those little phrases as much.

As far as talking goes, Eliana's vocabulary has exploded over the last couple of months and her ability to put sentences together has grown as well.  She easily says 5 and 6-word sentences now and is even starting to use fun words like "Cool!" regularly.  I think one of her favorite phrases is "Be right back!".  She doesn't want us to walk away!  There are still times when we can't understand what she is saying but it's getting easier and easier all the time.

Eliana's Tajik has definitely improved a lot over the past couple of months and I know the preschool has a lot to do with that.  She uses some Tajik words mixed-in with her English words and definitely responds better to people when we are out and about.  I'm sure she knows more than I even realize as she doesn't enjoy when we speak in Tajik to her.  It's fun seeing her learn to engage in two languages.  She can count to 5 both in English and Tajik on her own and with some help can get to 10.  She is also really enjoying singing right now and picks up on new lyrics quickly, even when just listening to them on the Ipad or TV.  It's really fun.

Eliana LOVES all her friends and pretty much everyone she knows is her friend.  She can name pretty much every person in her life and when she takes the time to draw something it is usually of "people", though they really are just squiggly lines.  She is generally sad when we leave someone's house or when guests leave our house.  She regularly asks to play with her friends and even her teachers and when we are at home she is literally by my side almost all the time.  Being alone is just not a preferred option for her.  It's fun and tiring!

Eliana almost always picks out her own clothes and generally does a good job rotating and not wearing the same things every day.  She loves pockets and her jackets and sweaters.  Right now she is loving a pair of tennis shoes that a friend gave us that have lights in them.  She wants to wear her "new shoes" all the time.  She is doing quite well with potty training and very rarely has number 1 accidents.  We have finally made some progress with number 2 and over the past two weeks she has gone several times in her potty.  We had to take drastic measures and took her bunny and other stuffed animals from her but it's finally clicking and she's doing pretty well.  She pretty much always goes on her own without any encouragement from us and in fact balks at any encouragement we give her.  Our praise really doesn't motivate her.  It's quite interesting and I'm sure this aspect of her personality will push me in the future but we are slowly learning how to help motivate her.  We are only using one diaper a day now though so that is awesome!

Eliana still isn't very much into doing things that require a lot of structure.  Her teachers at school get a little frustrated with how little interest she shows in doing crafts and here at home she'd much rather just pretend play than do puzzles or color.  I've been trying to work with her a little bit on a children's catechism and we've made it through the first four questions and had to stop because she doesn't even want to pay attention to what I'm asking, even though she knows the correct answers.  She just wants to spout off the answers and get the process over as soon as possible.  It really is interesting seeing these traits come out.

Eliana is a good story teller and remembers so many details of events even weeks after they happen.  We are usually surprised by the things she remembers and shares with us.  Sometimes it takes awhile for us to figure out what she's talking about because it was so far in the past.  She is also starting to understand that we are going to the US soon and has latched on to certain things like the fact that she will take her bunny with her and get to play with Noah and Luke and that Papa is going to give her M and M's.

Eliana still takes a good 1.5 to 2 hour nap each day and goes to sleep around 8pm each night and wakes up around 7 or 7:15.  We had a long battle with teaching her to stay in her room after she wakes up in the morning but thankfully we made it through that one.  Now when she wakes up she comes out and we get her her milk and she goes back in and reads book or plays with her toys until we get her around 8.  I need that time in the morning and am thankful we figured out how to get it.

Eliana can be so sweet and loving and usually enjoys giving kisses and hugs and has started saying "I love you", which of course just melts our hearts.  She can be equally angry and pitch a monster fit though so we're still working hard on that.  I am seeing little improvements so that is encouraging.  

Eliana has taken off height-wise the past few months and is up to 36 inches, which is 64%.  She is quite a bit taller than our friend here who is only five days younger than her, which hasn't always been the case.  She has had a bit of a growth spurt lately too and has gotten up to 26.2 pounds, which is 20%, and way higher than in the past.  She's gained 4 pounds and 2.5 inches since her birthday.  Perhaps she is going to be more like us than we thought!  Her 2T pants are good lengthwise but a bit large in the waist.  They work though!

Eliana loves putting things in order and loves to narrate life, which goes along with her strong ability to notice things.  She also wants you to acknowledge that you hear everything she says and will repeat her statements until she is satisfied with your response.  She is a mama's girl hands down, loves to watch TV any time we'll let her and can't wait to get on that airplane and see everyone!

What a gift!  We are so thankful and excited to see you continue to grow and change, sweet girl.  Being your parents is such a privilege!