Our sweet baby girl is growing up so fast. For almost 2.5 years, I never believed the hype of everyone saying that about their kids. I feel so lucky to have had so much alone time with Delaney and truly feel like we soaked up every second we could together. But ever since she started preschool, I’m seeing her grow up right before my eyes and it’s going way too fast!

Delaney is testing us more than ever, but she’s also making us so proud as we see the kind of friend and sister she’s becoming. She is so beyond nurturing that it’s a shame I have to tell her not to touch Owen so often so he won’t get sick. She loves to hold him, makes sure he’s OK, and when it comes to her friends, I see an inclusive kind girl and I couldn’t be more proud. It’s hard to be sensitive and friendly when others aren’t always that way, and I want Delaney to always remember how important it is for there to always be someone willing to be kind…even when you put yourself out there, make yourself vulnerable and don’t always get kindness in return.

Since starting school, Delaney has transformed at drop off and is becoming more confident every day. She always tells me on the way to school “I’m not gonna cry about you, I’m not gonna cry about Owen, and I’m not gonna cry about Daddy.” For the first couple of weeks, she asked for all of us and told her teachers she wanted us and wanted to go home. But now, I walk her in, she gives me a big kiss and a hug, and if it’s Jordan dropping her off, she also says “See ya lata Alligata!!” I never thought I’d see the day since she’s always had tough drop offs since babyhood.

She loves to say “let’s count!”, points out tons of letters everywhere we go, loves to do projects, is a master climber on the playground, and is developing really funny mannerisms likely from her friends that make her seem even more like a big kid and less like a little toddler. Delaney loves dresses, loves to get “nice and cozy!” with us. loves reading and memorizing books (current favorite is Green Eggs and Ham), still sleeps with three blankets and a boppy pillow for her head, loves doing “drills” with Daddy in the family room pretending they’re football players, loves jumping in puddles, is an incredible scooter rider, loves the playground and still oddly obsessed with the baby swing and underdogs, sings and dances to Moana and Frozen songs all the time with or without the music, loves all of her grandparents (she calls them her parents haha), loves me and Jordan, is crazy obsessed with Owen, is one of the biggest helpers both at school and at home and always LOVES a job, has gotten pretty great at having her hair washed and combed every night, is so funny and has the best smile and laugh, still drinks a bottle of milk at night (we’re working on it…..again),  and is still in a crib because she’s been an awesome sleeper and we’re too smart to mess with that.

With her age, Delaney has become even more particular about routines, schedules, the way she wants things to be, having things stay the same, and needs time to process nearly every slight change she might face. This is often hard on us as parents because with the steadfastness in routine comes Delaney’s impeccable knack for making a habit out of everything and anything — including the not so good. We love to spoil her, let her watch movies with us, have candy, get ice cream for dinner every once in a while — but it’s very challenging because then she wants whatever “special treat” we give her every single time and it becomes a tough conversation and usually, eventually a tantrum!