Aubree Update

I've been writing Aubree updates for over two years now. It's familiar, I know how to do it. I'm not quite as comfortable with "blogging" so, to help ease my transition, I'm going with the old style! And, since it's been a while since I've written an Aubree update (I had a fairly good excuse for not keeping up, right?), there's a lot to tell!
* A short while before Bryce was born I took Aubree to a "Big Sister" class offered by the hospital. Technically, Aubree shouldn't have been able to attend. When I called to register, the leader asked Aubree's age. When I replied, "she's 2 1/2" (which was a very slight exaggeration), she responded, "we don't take kids under 3." Then she asked a little bit about Aubree and decided to make an exception. I promised Aubree would be well-behaved, then prayed that she would! She did wonderfully! There were about 6 families (around 10 kids) at the class and Aubree was by far the youngest (the next youngest was 5 and he was a bit of a monster, which made Aubree look extra great in comparison). The class was extremely well done. First, each child was given a baby doll and taught how to hold the baby ("put on a 'seatbelt'"), diaper the baby, and take care of the baby. Then the kids got to make t-shirts for themselves and the baby (see the picture below of Aubree and Bryce modeling Aubree's creations. Aubree's shirt says "I'm a Big Sister" [she wears the shirt whenever it is clean] and Bryce's shirt says, "My Sister Loves Me). Finally, they were taken on a tour of the maternity ward and told what to expect. At the end, the leader told Aubree, "you were so good, you can come back anytime." Phew.
* I fully expected to have Bryce before Easter, but since he decided to wait I was able to go with Aubree to the Ward Easter party. She had a fun time hunting for the eggs, but was happy with the few she picked up. I think she realized there was candy inside and couldn't be bothered looking for more eggs when she could sit and enjoy her spoils.
After the egg hunt, the primary had organized a number of games and activities for the kids. Aubree participated in the first few, but soon she and her "best friend," Ella, retreated to a corner and spent the rest of the time feeding each other candy. It was so cute to watch!
* Here is a picture of Aubree modeling her Easter dress made by her Grandma Graff. She especially liked this dress because she could "spin."
* Aubree has proved to be an extremely loving sister. She takes every opportunity to tell me or anyone who will listen that she is a "big sister." She's always loved babies and seemed really excited when we talked about her baby brother coming, but you can never totally predict how a little one will react to such a big change. Overall, she's done very well. She only gets in trouble for being a bit too loving. She always wants to give him kisses, or give him his pacifier, or bounce him in his rocker. She likes to get right in his face to talk to him and generally refers to him as "my baby," "little guy," "buddy," or "my brother." However, she says brother more like "brudder." Sometimes I'll tease her by saying something like, "he's your little brudder." To which she responds, "no mom, not 'brudder,' brudder!" It cracks me up every time.
Of course, it hasn't been a completely smooth transition. She's been a bit more clingy and fussy, and often when I'm nursing she'll want to climb on top of me or will say, "hold me!" To help with this problem, we've turned nursing time into story time (if Aubree wants it). She picks out books for me to read to her...and she's getting pretty good at turning the pages!
*Lately Aubree has REALLY been into dress-up (i.e. all day, every day). She almost always starts with one of her leotards, then puts tutus, or dresses, or outfits on top. When her one-year old cousin, Ally, came to visit, Aubree helped her join in the fun. Thankfully, Ally was a good sport and didn't seem to mind being Aubree's living doll. Which reminds me, Aubree has also been spending a lot of time dressing up her dolls. She especially likes to dress them in her pajamas.
* One day, not too long ago, Aubree got in trouble for doing something and she got a bit mad. She came right up to me and very sternly said, "Mom. I don't like you 'No-ing" me!" Gotta love two year olds!
*I am thrilled to announce that Aubree is 100% potty-trained! Without any encouragement, help, or insistence from her parents, she started waking up dry most mornings. I was still putting her in pull-ups "just-in-case," but about two weeks after Bryce was born I decided I wasn't going to buy anymore diapers. I explained that from then on she would be sleeping in her underwear. Aubree didn't seem to care one way or the other. That night she had an accident and I began to question the wisdom of my decision. Since then, however, she hasn't had another accident. I take zero credit for this achivement - It's all Aubree!
* Aubree has had a major growth spurt recently. She's still rather tall and thin, but has certainly filled out. Lots of clothes that were too big for her a couple months ago are almost too small now! A few days before Bryce was born I took Aubree to the doctor and they had her get on the scale. The nurse said, "she weighs 27 pounds." I laughed and told the nurse to weigh her again because she made a mistake; I didn't think there was any chance that she really weighed that much. The nurse agreed to try again, but Aubree refused to get back on the scale. A week later we had to take Bryce in for a weight check and I had them weigh Aubree too, just to prove the previous week had been a fluke. Nope. She really did weigh 27 pounds! I almost fell over in shock. Aubree only gained 4 pounds from the time she was one till she turned two (from 18-22 pounds) and the doctor told me to expect her weight gain to slow after she turned two. So, to gain over 5 pounds in 6 months is quite an accomplishment. If you ask Aubree how much she weighs her standard answer is "245." I have no idea where she came up with that number.