It's hard being a Juju.

Julia has been exploding into a preschooler lately. 

She has an insatiable appetite for letters and numbers.  She is constantly asking me what different letters are, making me trace my finger along the words while I read, helping her count past 20, and insisting on me writing the numbers and ABCs so she can trace them.

Her verbal language is expanding too. She is figuring out more words and better sentence structure, but that makes her stutter as she tries to say the words in her head outloud.  When she stutters, it totally breaks my heart.  Yes, I know it is totally age appropriate.  Yes, I do realize that just this past spring break she was a stuttering fool when she was bursting with new words and that the stuttering went away once she had it mastered.  Yes, my mother-in-law is a speech pathologist and at my disposal for any questions or concerns (she is not concerned by any means).  But, that doesn't mean that listening to her stumble over her words is not the most heart wrenching thing to listen to.  I have had to tell Elisabeth that we don't interrupt her or try to finish her sentences for her; mainly because that pisses Julia off to no end and usually causes a full blown tantrum, but also because she needs to be able to figure it out without pressure.

And, as with every developmental growth, Julia has been a bear to deal with. Julia has also been determined to do things on her own.  She gets herself dressed and undressed.  She uses her stool to try to reach what she can so she doesn't have to ask for help.  She is furious (FURIOUS) if you at all try to do something for her when she is determined to do it solo.  And her temper?  Boy howdy, that girl is a tiny volcano.  We have really had to scramble to figure out ways to deal with her outbursts. Obviously, hitting or kicking are not allowed, but when she's mad, she needs to physically let it out (unlike our Ebeth who either needs to talk/cry it out or pouts somewhat quietly).  So, we've been letting her leave the room/table/area where her anger started and do her own thing until she can calmly come back and be human again.  Sometimes, when she has decided to throw/slam/destroy things in her anger, we give her the option of going to her room to chill out by herself or with our help.  Honestly, she usually asks us to come with.  Once she's in her room, she snuggles into her bed and we read books or cuddle or she cries until she can talk about why she's so mad.  She is much more of a "3 year old" than Elisabeth ever was. As I've said a million bajillion times, they are so opposite of each other.

Julia's definitely on her way to being her own independent person, even if she does need to have me in her line of vision at all times.

I am most curious to see how she will do when this new baby I am growing in my belly joins the outside world.