You're three and a half (well.... almost three and three quarters...)! What a nine months its been... on one hand, you've been incredibly smart, loving, and fascinating and on the other hand well... a real handful. You're a sweet, fun loving, Disney princess obsessed (how did this happen??), ball of energy.
We did a lot of things in the spring and summer -- playing with the cousins, trips, and general fun at home and school. You FULLY immersed yourself in the traditions of Easter this year and were overjoyed to dye eggs and hunt them in the yard. You also agreed to take a photo with the Easter Bunny after I bribed you with a smoothie and agreed to sit between you and him.
In May we went up to New York to visit the city. You loved the massive pizza at Grimaldi's, riding the subway, taking a boat ride to tour the Statue of Liberty, riding the sea glass carousel in Battery Park, and romping in the splash pad at Domino Park in Brooklyn. It was quite a whirl wind for you and you "remember" the trip fondly, even if we're not sure you actually remember most of it. Hopefully we will be back in the city again soon and you'll get to take it all in again!
We went to the beach at Emerald Isle in June and it was the highlight of your life! You would have stayed all month if you could have. We had a few days on our own and then Grammy and Pa, Aunt Stephanie, and your cousins came for a few days. You also made a friend who was your exact age, staying in the other side of the house we were staying in named Annie. You loved running around and screaming on the sand with her, scooping sand to make castles or just to dump it out, and swimming with Daddy or I. Every day wore you out completely and you were a bit of a handful at times because you were so tired. You did not love showering the sand off of your body after each trip down to the ocean, but you complied because we made you - it was not optional. You loved walks in the evening on the beach with Daddy and Kala. I was VERY pregnant, so it was tiring for me too! We had about 100 stairs up to our house, and you did them with zeal... me, not so much. You also managed to fall off of a sofa while playing and hit your hand pretty hard. We were afraid it was broken so we got to take a trip to the hospital ER in Emerald Isle to get it x-rayed. You were not pleased and threw some of the biggest fits imaginable at the hospital. Mama also couldn't be in the room with you when you got the x-ray and you were not satisfied that it was daddy who had to hold you. What a trip... Speaking of medical stuff, you also got a second set of ear tubes in during July and your adenoids removed. We're hoping that this is your last surgery and that you don't have any more ear infections going forward. So far, so good!
You and Annie playing.
Wading with the cousins and Aunt Stephanie.
Your very first banana split.
You had your first dance recital with Ms. Martha at Primrose. Grammy, Daddy, and I came to watch and you were the only kid out of all four that agreed to participate. I was a little bit surprised (shocked even??) that you were agreeable to performing in front of a crowd. You're so shy most of the time with strangers, but you also love to follow directions! You're also doing really well with your swimming lessons. We picked them back up this Fall and you've done about 15 lessons with Temple, your swim teacher. She's really great with you, and you love giving her high-fives and doing big jumps, big arms, and little kicks in the water with her. Your skills have really improved, and you seem to enjoy your lessons a lot!
You and your friend Stella.
In action.
Swimming with Temple.
The biggest event in your life in the last six months is that you're a big sister now, which has required a lot of adjustment on your part. You've handled it pretty well overall, but certainly have shown some streaks of jealousy with everyone fawning over your little brother Scott. You also try to run his life - and have strong opinions about what he needs to be doing and when and where he needs to be doing it. Your favorite book the last few months has been the big sister book you have. You've memorized the entire book and know it page by page, even though you can't read. You took it to school for your "show and share" and were very proud to read it to the class. Every time I pick you up at school, while I'm on maternity leave, I bring little brother in his car seat and your classmates mob him. We have to remind them repeatedly - no touching, just looking!! You like to be the enforcer of that rule. Your teacher, Ms. Fisher does too.
Leaving the hopsital with Scotty - the first time you saw him.
The first time you held Scott.
Since your birthday, you've really grown into your own personality. You like to make hand gestures to ask for things that are pretty funny, but the funniest thing is your talking! Like Mama, you never shut up. You're just chatty and want to be part of the conversation. You like to argue with us too - and bargain. You'll say "But Daddy!?!" And "WHY?????" You want to know about everything. You also use Mama and Daddy as the authorities for everything and happily tell your Aunt or family members "My Mama said I cannot get in the bath until the turtle is green... or my Daddy said I can't wear these pants today!" You like to copy things your parents say too - Mama wondered where you got the phrase "I sure can!!" Then she heard Daddy say it! You like to ask what things smell like when you walk in the house or a room and smell a new smell. When Mama told you you smelled like dumplings, you told her she smelled like wine... touche! You also like to say Kala is tooting when you're tooting and blame it on her - even if she's in another part of the house - you haven't really picked up on the genuineness of your lies yet.
You also like to know what rhymes with what and will ask us endlessly whether two words rhyme. When you can't think of a rhyme you make up a word that isn't really a real word, and we have to let you know that. You like to tell bad jokes and are working on getting better. The one you've memorized that you tell everyone is "Why was the banana sick? It wasn't peeling well!!" You try to make up others, but fail to realize you need to come up with a punch line before you tell the first part of the joke. You're working on it! You also LOVE being a little bit scared by movies and TV. You like to say "I'm a little bit afraid!" and cuddle up to Mama or Daddy on the couch. If a movie is not scary enough for you, or doesn't have a princess, you're not interested. Mama took you to your first movie in the movie theater in November - Frozen II came out, and you were so excited to go! You wore an Elsa dress that your cousins passed down to you and were over the moon to get candy and popcorn and sit in the big seats.
You're doing really well at school and have learned to write your name very well! That is a development that has really only happened in the last couple months, but you've improved a lot. You also know many letters and are working on the sounds they make. You can count really high - probably past 20 or 30 if you tried.
Your "first" day of the school year in September.
With your BFF Isley at the Science Center.
You were very excited for Halloween and are very excited for Christmas this year. You dressed as Cinderella for Halloween and were SO, SO pleased with yourself and your costume. Mama let you wear some eye shadow and you were over the moon. You love make up and are very interested in wearing it any time there's a "special occasion," which you define very broadly. Little brother, Scott was a mouse to go with your Cinderella costume - we declared him to be Gus Gus because he is so chunky. You trick-or-treated like a champ and made it to about 20 houses before you started crashing. You love your cousins SO much and want to be just like them and do everything with them. They are definitely your biggest role models these days.
The main thing you're struggling with is your bed time. You really don't want to go to sleep. You get in bed usually, after some coaxing, but then want to get up 15 times to venture out of your room to ask for one more song, or a hug, or to use the bathroom, or some water, or ... the list goes on. We've tried bribing you, locking you in your room, taking things away etc., but nothing really seems to do the trick completely. We're hoping this is a phase that will pass and soon you will have a little more control over your behavior at bed time.
Here are some pictures of other fun stuff you did the last 6 months.
Going wild at the splash park with your cousins.
Visit with Emma, Todd, and baby Lyla, who captivated you!
Swimming at Grammy and Pa's pool.
Princess night at the baseball park with Daddy.
Tea at the O'Henry Hotel with Katie - one of your favorite activities.
It's been a pleasure to watch you grow, even if you are in a difficult phase of childhood. You're trying to gain some independence and also still very much dependent on Mama and Daddy. We suspect you'll grow and change even more before your fourth birthday and look forward to seeing you do that. You've been an amazing big sister and really have been nothing but kind to your little brother. He's the apple of your eye, and we suspect that soon you'll be chasing him around the house. You're also super loving to Daddy and I and tell us how much you love us and hug us all the time. It warms our hearts!
Love, Mama
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