The latest on my girl ...

Since I've been neglecting our blog lately (blame pregnancy, as well as getting ready for the baby, the demands of CCI and launching a web-based business all at the same time), I thought I'd do a little update on the Shelbster.


Shelby has been helping me organize and purge around the house. We did her toy box this weekend and it's helped her discover lots of fun toys she's forgotten about. She's been dragging this stuffed animal around with her now for days and puts on little shows for us highlighting all the tricks Sweetie Pie can do. When she left for school this morning, she put him on the stool next to me in the office and asked me to watch her. She said she gets two naps a day and needs to go outside to get a little exercise too. Obviously, Shelby has a wonderful and active imagination.

Shelby has seriously matured during the last few months. She's so verbal and is much more articulate than most kids her age. The things she wants to talk about and her ability to communicate continue to amaze me. Yesterday she told me that her favorite shows on TV are "Martha Speaks" (PBS) and "Pinky Dinkie Doo" (Noggin) because both shows "use lots of big words." If there is a word Shelby doesn't understand, she grills you until you give a definition that makes sense. And then, you'll hear her use the word in conversation exactly as it should be.

Shelby has been plowing through her Hooked on Phonics program. It was a Christmas present and clearly one of the best things she got (thank you Charlie and Cathy). She loves it. We're suppose to just do two letters a night, but Shelby is so excited and advanced (if I do say so myself), she'll easily go through 4 to 6 letters a night before I cut her off. She plays the games on the computer for each letter and can navigate through the Phonics software all on her own. She's really doing a great job recognizing all her letters and their sounds. Next she'll be reading all on her own. Her personal goal (she set this herself, all on her own) is to be able to read to her little brother when he arrives. So we're working hard to get there.

Finally, one of my favorite things to do with Shelb right now is what we call morning chat. Each morning Shelby snuggles up with me and we spend about 15 minutes just talking. This morning it was all about St. Patrick's Day, but some days it's serious stuff like how the baby is going to get out of my tummy or where we should go on vacation (her vote is always to go to Papa's house). I really look forward to our morning chats, and I know Shelby does too. It's a great way to start the day.

Tonight we had a wonderful family night. The weather here is perfect ... so Mike grilled, Shelby jumped on the trampoline and I watered the flowers. Shelby chatted away as she practiced her tricks on the trampoline and has asked to call her Shelby the Chatterer (her words), because she likes to talks so much (her words too)!

I've been making a point to spend a lot of extra time with Shelby lately, in anticipation of the baby's arrival, and I must say I think I've enjoyed it as much if not more than she has. She's such a great kid. I'm lucky to blessed with a such a wonderful daughter.