The Waldock Kids: Hannah at 2 1/2!

Hannah Supriyah - 2 1/2

Yes, our little pixie is two and a half! I'm not quite sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way she ceased being a baby and became, in Rebekah's words, "an ending toddler and beginning preschooler." She is still a tiny little thing (takes after her Aunt Steph!), wearing anywhere from 12 - 24 months clothes (she swims in 2T!), but she is extremely independent... when she wants to be. She still likes to cuddle and be held, and she loves it when Mommy lays down with her to take a nap. But don't you dare try to help her put her shoes on or do anything for her she knows she can do on her own: "I can do it all by myself!"

On a walk (well, Mom walks, kids run back and forth!), one of her favorite activities


Cuddling with Grandad Waldock (and of course "Pink Bunny" her faithful companion)

Here are some of Hannah's 2 1/2 year old accomplishments and interests, in no particular order:

~ She is 100% potty trained!
Yes, that's a very exciting one for Mommy! We buckled down to get it done once and for all near the end of November, and by the beginning of January she was pretty much dry day and night! I was quite surprised about the night time part because the other two look much longer to stay dry at night - but I'll take it! Aside from a rare accident here and there, she is 100% potty trained. After 6.5 years of diapers, this Mom is inexplicably happy to now be diaper free!!

~ She knows the main colors.

~ She sings the alphabet song (omitting "N").

~ She is learning to recognize letters and numbers.
Her favorite letter is "H," of course, and she has been writing it for several months now. You always know when she's been "writing" on a paper, because it has "Hs" all over it!

Learning letter "B"

~ She can count to 15 (give or take, depending on the day).

~ She dresses herself (although she still needs help with undressing, taking shirts off).

With "baby Jesus" in the "manger"

~ She is a daredevil, climbing and tumbling everywhere and on everything!
Our little pixie is also our tomboy. She enjoys girlie things too, just not quite as much as her big sister.

~ She is very coordinated and has great balance.
It's so interesting to watch children as they grow and see the things they are good at. This is one area where Hannah seems to excel. She's very good at throwing and catching a ball, and when she does her daredevil stunts, she rarely gets hurt because she has such good coordination and balance.

~ She adores her older siblings.
She especially idolizes Daniel right now. If he does something, she wants to do it; if he says something, she repeats it (and of course she considers it gospel truth).

Cuddling with Rebekah and Daniel (and Pink Bunny) on a chilly winter morning

Playing so nicely together!

~ She has an amazing memory for a 2-year-old.
Yes, we are biased, doting parents, but we are constantly amazed at the things she remembers. She must be an auditory learner! She hears a song once or twice, and then we hear her singing it a day later. She and Daniel learn poems together, and she always has them down at least as fast as he does. She listens to Rebekah and Daniel learn their memory verses, and then we'll hear her reciting them to herself later! Just yesterday we heard her reciting John 14:1-6 which Rebekah has been learning. We never worked with her on it, she just picked it up from listening to Rebekah. Last night she recited it (more or less) for us on video:

~ She loves helping in the kitchen - and with whatever else Mom is doing.
If I am working in the kitchen, she wants to be there too - and not just be there, but be helping! She's getting to be a great little dish rinser. =)

My good little helpers

She loves to stir

And of course licking makes it all worthwhile :)

Helping with the laundry - the best part that all the kids enjoy is taking it up to the terrace to hang on the line!

~ She loves Indian food.
A couple of weeks ago I made a very American meal (which I rarely do). Nathan and the older kids loved it, but Hannah didn't like it and was asking for rice! She enjoys the spicy food and handles it much better than Rebekah and Daniel do at this point.

Our little Indian princess

The child who is currently the most "Indian" of the three is the only one who wasn't born in India!

~ She loves the fact that God is always with her.
More often than not, when someone says something (anything) about God, she will pipe up with, "God is everywhere, but we can't see Him, but He is always with me."

~ She loves books.
Books play a major role in our home, so it only makes sense that she would love them like the rest of us. She would much prefer being read to than looking at books herself, but she will often sit down and "read" a favorite book from memory. And she definitely prefers picture books to chapter books (she is two after all), but she will sit and listen to (and seemingly enjoy) chapter books like Little House on the Prairie, Uncle Wiggily, and Stuart Little as well.

Bookworm

Reading one of her favorite books with Grandpa Chuck - you can tell she is really serious about this book!

Our sweet girl... her charming smile will win over almost any heart (and she knows it and uses it to her advantage with people outside the family)! She is full of life and energy and giggles and fun. She is as stubborn as anything, which can be a challenge for her parents, but that also means she is persistent and doesn't give up easily even when something is difficult. It is such a joy to watch her learn and grow, even if it is happening a bit too quickly.