Leah: 2.5

She's quite the two and a half year old!

Leah has quite the personality.  As always, she loves to cuddle, give hugs and kisses, and offer comfort.  She spends many hours a day as "Mommy", rocking and shushing her baby doll and asking me if I'd like to admire her baby.  She wraps herself and the doll in her beloved Blankie and walks around the house with a contented grin on her face.  It really is adorable.

If I tell Leah that I'm sad, she'll immediately start stroking my hair and whispering things like "it's alright" and "I love you so much."  It really is VERY adorable.  We can't wait to see her with her real live baby brother or sister.

With all her desire for physical contact and cuddling, Leah also is stubbornly independent.  There are things that she MUST do by herself.  If you zipper her coat up all the way, she will unzip it and do it herself.  If you condescend to squirt toothpaste on her toothbrush-- she will rinse it off, put the toothbrush back in the cup, screw the cap back on the toothpaste, and then start all over again from step one.  We learned a while ago that it's much easier to simply embrace this part of her personality with patience and allow her to do such things on her own.

Leah knows all her letters and some numbers and can write her name L E A H...although sometimes it looks more like L E H H.  She loves to play pretend with Grace, play on the computer or Steve's iPhone, swing in the backyard, call her favorite people on the phone for a short chat, and play with trains.  All while wearing a princess dress.  Leah can't wait to be three so that she can take ballet lessons like her big sister.

Leah still has that appetite going for her, and her favorite foods include cereal, black beans, sunbutter and jelly sandwiches, and crackers.

Daddy is her very favorite person, followed by her grandparents.  I might be #2 or #6 depending on the day!  She calls Steve every morning to say hello and check in, and she'll always run straight past her mother to give him a hug first!