being 3

azalea, you had your 3 year well check up yesterday, so i thought this would be a good time to record how age 3 has been going. i've heard lots of people say "3 is harder than 2" and in some ways i've found that to be true, but in other ways not. you are throwing fewer tantrums than you used to, but you are getting smarter, more independent ("i do it!"), and more sassy & defiant which poses new challenges :) you keep us on our toes for sure! sometimes i lose my patience with you, but i stop and remind myself that you are acting totally normal for your age and it's my job to be an example to you by modeling good behavior in response. it's a good thing you keep us laughing with all the cute things you do! 

you: you weigh a whopping 29 pounds (25%) and are 37.5 inches tall (50%) as of your appointment. still a peanut in the weight category, but not as tall percentage-wise as you were in your younger years. you are wearing all size 3t clothes, although many of the pants are way too big in the waist (see: 29 lbs). you wear undies during the day (including naps) and pull-ups at night. you wear a size 7-8 shoe, which hasn't changed for a long time. you aren't so much into picking out your clothes as you are telling us "not that one! not that one!" you hate having to change out of your pajamas in the morning (can't say i blame you) and it can make getting out of the house in a timely matter interesting. you do enjoy picking out your jammies each night. it's always a big decision with lots of "ummmms" and thinking. you are very opinionated about your hair. you will tolerate a "pretty" (barrette) to keep your bangs back, but usually throw a fit if i want to put your hair in a pony tail or do anything else to it. and trying to brush your hair is usually a battle as well, which results in your hair becoming a giant rat's nest after a couple days. ;) you still have not had a hair cut yet, but i think it's going to happen soon! 

eating: you love to eat! let me re-phrase that...you love to eat your favorite foods. you ask for snacks 50 times/day and always tell me "i hungry mama". your favorite foods are yogurt (you would eat 10 of those a day if we let you), mac n cheese, toast, grilled cheese, burgers (anything with ketchup), pizza, grapes, apple sauce, crackers, and of course any type of dessert. peas are the only veggie you will eat, so i make sure you eat them almost every day. it's hard to get you to try new foods, but hopefully that will improve with time. you still sit in your tripp trapp chair at the table. you drink water 99% of the time at home. you never want milk at home anymore, but jean says you drink it at her house. you won't touch juice, which i think is funny for a kid. 

sleeping: you are still a great sleeper (once we get you down). that part has gotten more challenging recently. you go to bed around 8pm each night, but you put up a little fight about it. you try to delay going to bed by asking for water, to go potty, etc. you also want to put yourself to bed (shut the door and climb into bed), which is pretty funny. you wake up anywhere between 6:15 and 7:15am, but still never get out of bed on your own. you still willingly nap every.single.day. for 2-3 hours, which is such a blessing. keep it up, girl! :) you've done awesome in your big girl bed since we moved you to it last august and it's been nice that it's full size so we can lay down with you when necessary. you sleep all over the bed, we find you in funny positions almost every night. and always on top of the blankets! 

playing: we are starting to see more make-believe play from you, which is so cute! you'll go in your room and narrate a birthday party or cook in your kitchen. you loooove to dance to music with your dada and are very opinionated about which songs we play. your favorite song right now is "let her go" by passenger. you get so excited when it comes on and stop whatever you are doing to listen. you love puzzles, play doh, books, stickers, building towers, etc. you ask to watch videos all.the.time. but we try to limit it. you get pretty mad about that. your favorite shows to watch are super why!, peppa pig, elmo, bubble guppies, and dora. you recently watched your first disney movie - frozen. you enjoyed it, but it has not been anywhere near an obsession like most kids i hear about. i can't wait for warmer weather so we can go to the park, wading pool, blow bubbles, run through the sprinkler, etc. it's going to be such a fun summer with you! 



talking: you talk so well these days. we understand 99% of what you say and i'm pretty sure others do too. your sentences have become longer and more complex and it's so funny to hear all the things that pop into your head and your observations on life. you love to hear yourself talk and make noise in general and you do not like when mom and dad have a conversation that doesn't involve you. we are working on patience and not interrupting with you. you love to talk about things that are coming up, like holidays and birthdays and you ask a lot of questions, including the never-ending "where's ____ ?" questions :) you love to tell us what's not going to happen. driving by the mall "we're not going to the mall today." etc. 





miscellaneous: you are 3 months into being a big sister and i think it's going really well. you certainly have times of jealousy (especially when dada holds ashford), but you are always sweet to your brother. you love to help with his baths and bring him his pacifier and toys. you still like baths, minus getting your hair washed. you scream like we are torturing you. silly girl. you are doing so well with the potty. your fear of public bathrooms has gone away, so that's been nice! you have fun at jean's house while i work and i love asking you what you did/ate at the end of the day. jean says you are so proud of your brother when you are there. i think it's because all the kids want to play with him (competition) ;) you love helping your dad bake and grocery shop. you are a big daddy's girl right now, in general. even to the point that you sometimes cry when he leaves to go to the bathroom. ha! you love to be chased, picked up, spun around, etc. basically anything resembling a work out for mom and dad. haha! you are very good about saying "thank you" when we do something for you, but we have to remind you to say "please" most of the time. after not being a hugger for quite a while, you always give us hugs and kisses now and tell us you love us. i can't get enough! we love you more than anything!