The Gillespie Family: Lacey

I am waaayyy behind on catching up with Miss Lacey Lu. I had every intention of posting at 2.5, but that was two months ago. Allen has had so many video projects going on that I have come to know some of what life is like for full-time working single moms. I don't know how.they.do.it.

But on to Lacey-- the best summary I have at the moment is actually more of a prayer-- Lord, help us make it to age 3 and please let it be better than 2! Luke's twos were not that big of deal. Age 3-4 were tougher with him. Lacey is already hitting us hard. She is amazing. Her teachers at school have said more than once that she is scary smart, and they're right. Her vocabulary and command of language is incredible. She is funny and, like Luke, loves to make you laugh! She knows all her colors, shapes, and counts to 10 regularly and easily. She loves to color and is very meticulous in her coloring efforts (but that may just be a girl thing). Academically and developmentally, she is very progressed. However, those brains of hers are also quite manipulative and man, I only thought I knew what strong-willed looked like. This girl is STRONG WILLED and bossy, too. Unfortunately she is also in a hitting/scratching/biting stage. So her social maturity is lacking.

And yet, she is a love bug. She has always been a cuddler, and still wants to be held, to cuddle and to touch. It is because we love her so much and because I am determined to nip behaviors in the bud now that I have started working with a child behavior specialist. That's how I approach any problem, get a person to help me, so it only made sense in this situation. I know it will continue to improve and I'm sure there's a lesson God's teaching me here as well.

Regarding her stats and other details:

Weighs about 28 lbs.
Wears mostly size 3T, but still in some 2T pants
Size 7.5 shoe (And she loves special shiny or sparkly shoes! Her red patent and black patent shoes have been her favorites for a while!)
Has not yet started to be picky about her clothes, but I hear from other girl moms that will be coming soon!
Hair remains incredibly curly, like ringlet, Shirley-Temple-but-natural curly and it takes special products, and styling. The humidity actually makes it less frizzy because the curls get tighter. Though her hair has noticeably grown, she will likely not receive her first haircut until she's 4!
Has 2 of her two year old molars.
LOVES to sing and sings ALL the time. Most notably on the swing. Every time she swings, she sings.
Plays in her little play kitchen more than anything else. Loves to pretend to cook.
In the last couple months she has started lining up small toys. Every toy car from the car tub, every colored block. It's very interesting and I'm curious to see how this develops.
Naps have been a struggle for several months, especially at school. We're getting a better handle on them on home now that she is out of her school routine, but whereas Luke napped so easily until about 4.5, Lacey probably naps 4x a week. Her purple minky blankies remain a must-have for sleeping.
Bedtime has also been a struggle, in part because her brother gets her riled up and those two together, oh boy...craziness!

While daily life with my Lacey Lu may have its challenges, being a strong willed child myself, I can already see that God has a plan for this girl and that she was created exactly this way for His purpose. Now it's our job to prep her for that purpose and pray--a lot!

She just wanted to run around during Brother's t-ball game, including on the field.