It's my little girl's third birthday. The big three. So in honor of the occasion I give you a post all about her (then again what post isn't about her?). And naturally very wonderful photos taken by Ashley.
She's tall. Maybe even tall and gangly? All legs. Her feet are no longer that of a toddler. She's magically a kid now. She is rough and tumble. Gymnastics? Yup. Somersaults... Balance beams - she creates one everywhere she can. A curb. A low wall. A painted line. She is fearless. I am surprised she only broke the one bone so far. She makes our heart drop several times a day. If she hurts herself she really hates having a fuss made over her. She prefers to mope in solitude.
Within the last eight months her vocabulary has increased at a blinding rate. If you weren't around her during that time you might not even recognize her. That nuk was really holding her back. She repeats practically everything. She still will not say Avery or Nonna. Just E and Whoa. Those she is holding on to and that's just fine by me. I'm not sure I could take losing those last two "baby" words of hers. She talks throughout dinners and even says a cute little prayer that she's borrowed from her best friend. It's pretty amazing to actually be able to hold a conversation with your daughter. A two-way conversation.
Her hair is to the middle of her back if it is straight. Which it never is. The wisps around her face are still curly, so I hold out hope she won't lose them. She loves to have it done but hates the brushing process. She prefers bows and braids but pulls them out more often than not. Teeth brushing? Oh yeah. She sings the Brusha Brusha song from Grease.
She got her first bike. She does pretty good and only partially struggles with the multi-tasking part of moving feet and steering. She loves wearing dresses and fancy shoes. Princesses and Tinkerbell are where it's at. She likes chocolate milk and fruit snacks and Pirate's Booty. Oh and ketchup. Lots of ketchup. On anything. She does well eating her fruit but never vegetables. She likes pasta of course and french fries. Anything frozen.
She loves to brush my hair everyday and tells me it looks pretty after she's done her styling. She is a great little helper. Setting the table or getting things for David. She can be polite when she wants to be. Excuse me, thank you, etc. She struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder (diagnosed by myself of course). Things have to be just so. Everything in it's place which as you can imagine, I love. This becomes an issue when David barrels along and just ruins the whole thing.
Up until two weeks ago she absolutely would not discuss using the restroom facilities of any establishment. Which is when we said tough. Threw some underpants on her and I think I can say with some certainty she is potty trained when it comes to number one. That's where it stops for now. She will even go on her own on a big potty. So I should be pretty psyched about that. I gave myself a deadline of her third birthday so I guess I can count it as a partial win?
She loves ANYTHING where she can sing. She learns lyrics practically the first time she hears a song. It's hard to believe. Anything put to song and she is all over it. Her favorite songs are Sisters, Fly a Kite, Ho Hey, Bye Bye Birdie, Riding in My Car, Skidamarink. Sometimes I'll hear her just singing a song all her own. Times like that are when you just stop what you're doing and maybe your eyes get a little watery and you just listen to her and marvel at who she is. That she's a little person with a personality all her own.
Her favorite movies have varied throughout the year. But currently it is Pollyanna or Bye Bye Birdie. A classic for her is Beauty and the Beast of course. Girl loves her some Belle. And Beast for that matter. But if you just need a moment to yourself you can throw on any child's movie (with singing) and she will sit silently and watch. I'm not saying I do this all the time I'm just saying it's a definite perk to have a movie lover as a child.
She is a tiny little version of myself. She has the temper. The attitude. The mannerisms and facial expressions. But she has the good from her father too. Thank God. She is thoughtful and sweet... she is sensitive and loving. Affectionate. It's a rare day when Matt and I don't look at each other in awe of what she just said or did.
She can count to 9 if you ignore the fact that she always misses 1 and 6 and 7... She matches colors very well but if you ask her what color something is she will almost always respond with "blue". She sings her ABC's but of course only because it is to song. She has mastered the art of the letter "t" but most others in her name stump her. She can cut with scissors sweet Lord I foresee hair being cut.
She prefers to play with whatever her brother is playing with. But if that's just not a possibility she plays with her Disney figurines, her kitchen, Baby Sophie and her bottle and stroller, her dollhouse and Cinderella Castle...or books. She has quite the imagination and really loves to cook for you. She'll even make sure you have a beverage. She likes to color but before she does that she needs to rip the paper off the crayon. She loves to play dress-up but sometimes just cannot make up her mind which outfit she should wear.
Now... To work on those learning those colors.... And counting....and the alphabet... A parent's work is never done.
Happy Birthday Letteria. You are a spitfire and we love every little part of you. Here are the rest of the photos. They are the best aren't they? Thank you Aunt Ashley! We just had too much fun with this shoot!
