You've been blessing our lives in amazing ways for three whole years (plus nine months in my belly...). I can't believe what a big girl you are. You're a little person - with opinions, ideas, problem solving capabilities, an imagination (oh, an imagination!), and the sweetest little voice I've ever heard (even when you're saying things like "thay-at" - as I tell you daily, "that" is only one syllable, and I have no idea how you've gotten a southern twang when you've spent your entire life in New England!)
You love life. You bring such joy and laughter to our home! You love to run and play, kick your soccer ball with your Daddy, jump as high as you can, ride on your tricycle and scooter, and DANCE. Oh, how you love to DANCE. Just last week Daddy downloaded "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte (which Daddy and I know as the song from the end of Beetlejuice) for you, and you go crazy when that is on. You love Pete Yorn and Jack Johnson, too. You jump and spin and wave your arms, and smile so big it's completely infectious. Before you know it we are all jumping and spinning and acting crazy. And loving every minute!
You also love art. You love to sit at your little table and do a "project" (aka a "pwojack") together. Paper, crayons, glue, scissors, paint - you love it all (and you're a girl after my own heart). One thing you and I do together a lot is sit and make cards for friends or family. You get a big kick out of it. You also recently got an easel with a chalkboard, white board, and place for paper to paint, and you've been going to town on that. You've made some pretty pieces of art we are thinking of framing. :) You can draw a very good circle, and a nearly-recognizable face (the mouth always ends up being a straight line across the chin, but hey, whatever). You can trace things really well, and you're learning to cut with scissors.
You talk like a grownup. I'm always amazed at how big you sound. You say things like "I don't think that's a very good idea" and "We have to be careful with paint, Mommy." You understand that there are degrees to things - you get that "a little bit" means something different that "a lot." Two words you are still working on understanding are "because" and "otherwise"; right now, sometimes you get them right, but more often you use them both to mean "but" or "and". Your running stream-of-consciousness commentary is often strung together with these words: "We have to be quiet because Leah is sleeping; otherwise the tree is really tall." Um, what?
You're becoming very independent too, and it would be sad except it is so sweet. You are 100% potty trained, and are getting to the point where you can almost go all by yourself. You can dress yourself a little bit, and you're pretty good at undressing. You get yourself in and out of bed, though at night you still want us to tuck you in after you wake up. You feel secure though; you understand that if you need us we're close by (we have a new video monitor and you say "If I need you I have to talk to the camera" ("cram-a")).
You are an amazing big sister. You LOVE Leah. You want to hug her and kiss her all the time, and often ask to burp her or hold her. You always cover her with a blanket when she is lying down, you let us know when she's upset and you try to comfort her. This week she had to go to the doctor's office and you kept telling her the doctor was nice, and when they had to put in a cathider to get a urine sample you gently rubbed her head and told her "it's ok." You still mostly call her "Weah" but you can get out "Leah" - though when you think too hard about it, it comes out "Wa-Leah". That's my favorite. :)
You're very sweet a lot of the time, but you are also three, and all that comes with being three. You have a major meltdown probably once a day, which involves going to time out and staying there (usually for at least 15-20 minutes, which seems WAY longer to EVERYONE) until you can calm down and stop crying and apologize for whatever it was that sent you there.
Your favorite things right now:
1. Color: ORANGE
2. Song (to sing): Jesus Loves Me (or any other words to that tune; you make up songs every day)
3. Breakfast: cereal. usually Special K Red Berries ("pwakes [flakes] with strawberries")
4. Food: crackers. (Triscuts)
5. TV show: Oswald and Yo Gabba Gabba. Probably Yo Gabba Gabba wins a head-to-head, but it would be close. (Daddy puts his thumb on the side of Yo Gabba Gabba because of the music...)
6. Game: Hide and Seek (though you still tell us where you are if we say, "Eeeeedennnn, where aaaaaarrrrre yoooooooouuuu?"). We are thankful you appear to be over the "It's raining on our heads" game, in which we constantly had to very quickly hide underneath covers or toys or in the closet, or otherwise cover our hair. It was fun while it lasted. :)
I love you sweet girl. Someone once told me that at 3 all of a sudden our babies become little people, and he was right - I can't believe what a little lady you're becoming, so quickly. I look at your sister and remember you being that little and it seems like yesterday. But I don't want to go back - I want you just as you are. Maybe sans a tantrum here or there, admittedly, but definitely who you are. I honestly wish I could record every little thing you do, so I can forever remember this moment in your life, because it is so, so, so precious.
Stay sweet my love, and keep growing so big and strong. Hugs and kisses and love all around you! Know you are deeply treasured by your Mama.
Love,
Mommy
