Sweet girl, tonight I felt so sad starting to write your letter. It's bittersweet to watch as you grow into this amazing and funny little girl and leave behind more of your baby qualities. We hear that age three can be tough but I am hopeful that, as in all stages before, the good far outweighs the bad. I can see why it would be a struggle. Already, I can tell that you sometimes grapple with if you want to be big or little ("Mommy, I so big. I not big. I little." is a regular phrase uttered at home these days). I am there with you, babe. I love the strides that you've made now that you're fully potty trained, are communicating more, and are gaining independence. I catch myself occasionally thinking "man, it will be so nice when she can get up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom on her own" or "I can't wait until she can buckle her own safety belt and wash her own hair". But those things are so small and make up such a teeny part of our day. With those gains will come inevitable losses, too--like words you no longer cutely mispronounce, adorable toddler grammar, and kisses that are just a smidge too sloppy.
I am pretty sure I am going to cry every year on your birthday. You may figure this out one day. Don't judge me for it if you catch it happening.
So, favorite things. My favorite thing is sleepy hugs where you rub your hand on my shoulder. Daddy's favorite thing is listening to you become more verbal. We both think you are so funny. Your latest phrases that make us smile are "I no know" complete with hand gestures, "Where's that coming from?" about anything you see that you haven't seen before (you favor this phrase over 'what's that, mommy?'), and "I got lots of stuff" (you often say this when looking at a pile of things you have pushed into a tower or when you are carrying too many things at once). Your favorite things are search and find books, puzzles, running, slides, being outside, and octonauts. You remain inquisitive and genuinely curious. You are incredibly kind and gentle (at least from what we see at home) and truly love to help. You're smart though you tend to give up a tad too quickly when things get difficult. We are working on not jumping in to rescue you and solve things for you. I know you come by this trait honestly. You're still 100% a momma's girl and I am 100% okay with that. I think your daddy feels left out by this sometimes so he is happy that you seem to be enjoying spending time with him more and more each day. You remain completely adorable. I know that we are biased. But, objectively you are really cute, too. You are becoming slightly more graceful though your legs are still beat up from frequent tumbles and rough housing. In addition to having "lots of stuff", you also know lots of stuff. You do a pretty decent job going through/singing the alphabet, counting (to around 15, somewhat inconsistently), and knowing all your basic shapes and colors. You are also becoming much more conversational and are quite the story teller. Your memory continues to amaze me. I am excited that we are at the stage that a few of your memories are more likely to solidify and remain with you as you get older. I hope you always remember how loved you are on this day.
For the last month you have been telling anyone who would listen that you are "3 on my birthday. In April. Coming soon." It definitely came quickly.
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