Stop GROWING Already!

This is a Look How Much I've Grown update post. Lily Ruth is changing so fast (AGAIN!) that my head is spinning! I'm gonna note some of it here before I forget :-)

Her vocabulary/word usage in context has exploded yet again - she recently asked "can I watch a movie on your Kindle Fire?". She also sobbed "It's just... *sob, tears, sob*... I never, never, NEVER get to sleep with my mommy and daddy" the other night when told that it was time to lay down in her own bed.

Her concentration level is up - she plays by herself for long periods of time. Only pausing briefly to give me updates or request snacks. She also tells loooong, complex stories with lots of characters, intricate plot twists and surprise endings.

She has become re-interested in blocks, and wants to build by herself for the first time. Last week, we built side by side for a while, then we pushed our creations together and connected them:

I love her attention to color placement!

The next day, she wanted to build by herself, but wanted me there as a witness/block stabilizer (she occasionally needs help pushing them tightly together). She made this entirely on her own!:

- in the second image, I pulled them apart to show the separate structures. Again, I marvel at her focus on color!

She has also shown a renewed interest in trying new foods. This is a HUGE blessing. Even she was tired of the few foods she would consent to eat recently! She ate spinach and peas last week without trickery, bribery or stern commands. I am elated... and am getting completely ahead of myself by planning all new menus again :-P

We've started some basic 'science experiments'. While looking for a distraction (so that I could start dinner in peace) the other night, I whipped up a small batch of the the old cornstarch-and-water 'is it liquid or solid?' It was a HUGE hit:

A few nights later, I had promised a cookie making experience, but was out of eggs. In desperation, I made up a larger batch of what we now call 'A Big Mess' and dyed it pink. Since she was able to use her new cookie cutters and her decorations, so it was accepted as a substitute :-):

The pictures are dark because she loathes the flash :-/

We got around to making the actual cookies last night. This was another big 'first'. Until now, she has begged off any baking because of the noise that the mixer makes. My newly Big Girl not only stayed in the room with the mixer, but held it with me through all of the steps! She also cracked eggs and squeezed in food coloring. We also cut out hearts together and iced and decorated them. There are no pictures of these processes as you need all available hands to control the situation :-P The end result are these beautiful, but bland cookies:

I'm not going to share the recipe, because it produced tasteless cookies. Unfortunately, I still have about 3 pounds of dough in the fridge. Hopefully I will be able to write it off and not feel like a gluttonous waster when throwing it out...

Add in her increased agility on the playground, and she's basically a whole new kid. It's terrifying.

Thank goodness she's still my baby

Who's toes press into my body as we snooze of a morning

Who dances without inhibition in public

Who plays very silly games with her long-suffering dog

I love you little girl.