July 19

Summertime fun is in full swing!  Little Sweetie is enjoying her summer, but still is in a bit of a culture shock at having her big brother home all the time!  This sharing toys and attention is for the birds and I think she is counting down the days until school starts back!

Even with all the screams of "that's mine!" I have enjoyed the times when they actually show each other how much they love each other.  I am glad they get to have this time together (although it is wearing Momma out)!

Fun at the pool (with special thanks to Ms. A for making this day possible!  I can't safely take them both to the pool by myself, so her help is so appreciated)!

Though they don't look like it in this picture, it has been fun getting back to Boot Camp with these two cheering me on from the sidelines!

     

     

Watching them play together in our little backyard lagoon makes my heart swell.  I hope she always remembers how much her brother did try to play with her as much as he was able.

Family story time with Daddy.  

And, of course, always a willing WILLPower representative!  Here she is with Little Buddy and their babysitter, Olympic diver Ms. K!  We can't wait to cheer Ms. K on in Rio next month!

But don't worry; she's still getting into plenty of hijinks on her own!

     

Like when she's a super hero cowboy...

...or when she's helping Daddy with building projects...

     

...or when she is having her own personal dance party in a restaurant booth (I thought I was getting  video of this amazing choreography, but only got pictures instead...I was so sad)!

Height and Weight

And she's at 30.8 lbs right now, but at least staying above 30 consistently now.  And still a shorty at just 35.75 inches!

Personality

She is so inquisitive and really wants to know why and how things work or do what they do.  I love these moments because I can how much she loves learning.  I hope that I can continue to instill that quality in her. She also talks about herself so positively, about how brave and strong and fast she is.  All I want is for that self-esteem to last and last.  It's definitely a work in progress to raise girls with this mindset and help them keep it!

Developmental Milestones

Again, she is ahead in so many things in terms of her development, but the one thing I want to comment on now is her emotional maturity.  She knows Bubby is different and she knows that I take him to Minnesota for medicine.  But she also knows that Bubby needs more help and attention from me.  Although she does take advantage of me having to pay attention to Bubby in order to get away with silly antics of her own (like running around a restaurant), I also see her trying to help me.  She knows that she can walk around in a store and that Bubby needs to stay in the stroller, so she offers to look for things or hand them to me.  Around the house, she knows that Bubby often wants his water cup or his Prince Wednesday doll and will take it upon herself to go look for them.  

I hate everything that she has to go through with Sanfilippo.  I want her to have a full and rich sibling relationship and I wish she didn't realize that she needs to grow up a little quicker because of her brother's condition.  But I am very proud of the person that is emerging from these circumstances.  Very proud.  

Fun Tidbits

Remember what I said about adding bedtime rituals in order to delay her bedtime?  Well, now she has added "tell me a story" after her normal book reading portion of the evening.   This usually involves Momma making up a story about a central character that happens to share a little girl's name and her adventures in space, a castle, a forest, etc.  It's funny, but it's funnier still to watch her try to stall dreamland, especially when she needs it (naps during the summer are much shorter thanks to Big Brother being home)!

Good night all, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma