Kaitlin's 2 Year Checkup & Toddler Notes

We had Kaitlin's 2 year checkup on Friday. Everything looks good, here are stats:

Height: 38.5in, >97%
Weight: 33.2lbs, 97%
Head: still in the 75%

I did the height predictor on Babycenter.com and it said she will be 6'1"!! They even give you precision - they say there's a 90% chance that she will be within 1.7in of that. So we're looking at a tall girl here!

We talked with Dr. Meyer about discipline, eating habits and night waking. Discipline our issue is that she has started to think time-outs are a game, and sometimes just blatently walks out before her time is up. She said to just stay the course, ignoring her if she is peeking out and just putting her back in the corner if she walks out without much discussion, just saying "no, you're in time-out." This doesn't seem to be working yet so I'm contemplating a chair, in the hopes that that might make her stay? Any advice here is welcome.

As far as eating habits, we talked about how she eats SO MUCH. She said normally between 1 and 2 you see a weight dropoff b/c appetite wanes and activity picks up. Not so much with our girl. I asked if it was normal to eat a can of beans at a sitting, and she said "No, not normal but not a problem." I am just thankful that she eats so really no worries here.

We talked about night waking because Kaitlin goes through phases of months of waking 3-5 times a week in the middle of the night and needing us to come in, whether it be to hold her, cover her up, get her a drink, etc. I'm sure it's a combination of the move, the new baby and the new bed, and Dr. Meyer agreed. We had been going in there and patting her pillow (keeping the talking to a minimum, if at all) and then turning around and standing by the door while she calmed down and then leaving. This worked to a point, because it kept her from going into all her crazy requests, since we wouldn't talk to her, but it didn't really stop the waking. Dr. Meyer said that with her girls she would talk about a special treat they would get in the morning if they slept through the night in their bed without crying for Mommy, so kind of more of a positive reinforcement. We've tried that the past few nights and it seems to have done well. She's on a big honey kick so we tell her if she sleeps all night in her big girl bed she can have a spoon of honey in the morning. I worry a bit that this is starting a bad habit, but Dr. Meyer said after a couple times they forget about the treat and just are in the habit of sleeping through. Hope that's true.

I will say these past few weeks have showed me just how much more difficult toddlers are than babies, just because I have a side by side comparison at the moment. Babies are physically draining with the lack of sleep, but toddlers are emotionally and mentally draining, and I feel it's so much harder to be constantly tested on those levels. I just have to pray for patience and I find myself singing "It won't be like this for long"(thanks Mr. Rucker for a great song) more often than not just to get through the day/night.