Caitlin - Three Years Old

Caitlin,

I had really good intentions of writing this or at least writing it early and then posting it on your actual birthday, but every time I thought about writing it, I just couldn't find the words.  I said this last year too, but I guess part of me is just in denial that you are three years old, and by putting this off, I could pretend it never happened. And, now I am so late in writing and posting this, and my mommy guilt has set in. I think we might be closer to you being three and a half than we are to you being three years old.  Life has been good lately, which means we have been busy.  We have been busy doing fun things with you and also getting to know your baby sister and adjusting to life as a family of four.  That doesn't mean you aren't important though, and I want to finally get this posted before you are actually three and a half years old! 

The past year has been pretty great with lots of ups and downs, and you truly are coming into your own as a little girl now.  I've been looking back on the "One Frame a Day" pictures over the past year, and I seriously can't get over how much you've changed since the beginning of your third year.  You started the year off as a toddler who still looked a little baby-ish, and are ending the year with no trace of baby left.  Often times, I look at you and just can't get over how old you look.  This is exaggerated by the fact that you have a new baby sister and look like a giant when I compare you both.  Everything about you just seems so huge to me now.  It's just crazy. 

Here's a sampling of life over the past year! 

• You started a new school and loved it.  The first week was a little bit of an adjustment, but you have really come into your own and learned so much there.  You also have made some new friends, and you are constantly talking about them at home.  Your teachers in Junior Pre-K were Ms. Jeanne and Ms. Hager, and we were so lucky that you started your time off at this school with them. You tell us that your friends at school are Carsyn, Amy, Elizabeth, Cayla and Morgan.  I think you play with the boys sometimes, but right now, you just prefer the girls and that’s ok.  You are often found playing in housekeeping, playing in the kitchen and with the babies and also dressing up like a princess. 
• You talk non-stop.  Daddy and I can't get a word in edgewise.  You love interrupting us if we are trying to talk to each other (the horror!).  If I try to make my way into yours and Daddy's conversation, you are quick to tell me "Mommy, I'm not talking to you.  I'm talking to Daddy."
• The non-stop talking has led to many hilarious conversations with you.  I started trying to document these on the blog, but I really need to start doing a better job of writing them down so I don’t forget all the funny things you say. You keep us laughing most of the time!
• You are a master negotiator. Negotiations take place about how much dinner you'll eat, when you'll go to bed, how many books you'll read at bedtime, etc.  Sometimes though, it doesn't always work out to your benefit.  I'll say "eat 3 carrots", and you'll counter with "How about 4?" Daddy and I think it's funny when this happens, and we take your offer right away! 
• You have definitely become so much more adventurous this year.  You are still somewhat cautious, but you love to jump, climb and try new things most of the time. 
• You went on your first airplane ride to Clearwater, FL and a surprise trip to Disney World.  This was kind of our last hurrah as a family of three, and we thought it would be a really fun memory for you before your little sister arrived.  We were worried about the trip because you came down with a really awful bug the week before, but thankfully, you were on the mend by the time we got on the airplane.  The trip was awesome.  We had such a blast with you.  We spent a lot of time at the pool in Clearwater and also exploring the beaches there, and then we took you on a surprise trip to Disney World where we went to the Magic Kingdom for a total of about 1.5 days. 
• You rode your first rollercoaster, Goofy’s Barnstormer, at the Magic Kingdom and absolutely loved it!  You rode it three times with Daddy (because I was 7 months pregnant at the time) and were so proud of yourself each time. 
• You also met Minnie Mouse at Disney World, and since then have been telling us that she is your best friend. 
• You love bounce houses too.  You are already asking for a Daisy Duck bounce house party for your 4^th birthday. 
• You love to go swimming, and thanks to your puddle jumper float, you are feeling a little more comfortable in the pool.
• You learned how to dress yourself head to toe this year! This has been such a huge help now that Natalie is here!
• We started working on daytime potty training with you over the Christmas/New Year break from school.  We did this because Daddy picked you up from school before break, and your teachers told him that they expected you to come back in panties for the new year.  You did awesome with a few accidents here and there, but nothing major.  By the time you went back to school after the break, you were wearing panties all day!
• We started nighttime potty training in April because I wanted to try and get this done before your world was completely rocked when Natalie arrived.  For the most part you do ok as long as we take you potty before we go to bed.
• You love to play dress-up, and your favorite dress-up outfits are princesses (duh!). 
• We had your three-year appointment on May 29^th, and you weigh 28 lbs. (23^rd percentile) and are 37 inches tall (50^th percentile).
• You are still a picky eater and are unwilling to try new things most of the time.
• Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, French fries, carrots, cherries, cantaloupe, grilled cheese, corn on the cob, pasta with butter and parmesan cheese and mac and cheese.  All typical standard kid’s fare.  You do a pretty good job of eating both fruits and vegetables though.  It’s just the protein/meat that you struggle with.  We’ll get there someday, I hope!
• You did finally try cupcakes this year and now you love them.  You wouldn't touch them in the past.  The big catch is that you like for us to take the icing off for you to eat them.  Occasionally, you’ll eat some of the icing with your finger and then ask us to take the rest off.
• We are officially done with sippy cups!  You drink from a big girl cup 100% of the time now! 
• Most of the time, I can count on you to be a big helper, and it is awesome. 
• When you get upset about something (usually because we tell you no), you go into your playroom with Bubby and cry on the soft spot (your beanbag). You do this because there is a soft spot at school where the teachers tell you to go when you need to compose yourself. 
• You love wearing dresses.  It doesn't matter where we are going or what we are doing, a dress is always your first choice.
• You also love shoes!  I got you a pair of sparkly gold ballet flats last year, and I think you wore them to school most days during Jr. Pre-K. 
• Accessories are a big hit as well. Sunglasses, hats and hoodies/jackets are your favorites. 
• We have recently introduced you to Disney movies, and the princess movies are your favorites.  Right now, you love Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast the best.  You also love Toy Story (especially the one with Jessie – Toy Story 2), Shrek, and Finding Nemo. You will sit through an entire movie and hardly even realize that we are in the room with you.  You are also a fan of Sesame Street, Super Why!, Thomas the Train and recently, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
• You love doing puzzles, and we have graduated to the 48-piece puzzles this year.
• You learned how to ride your tricycle this year as well, and you are often found riding it around the house, doing the loop around the first floor.  Our walls are dinged up from this, but at least you are happy.  It’s nothing a little paint can’t fix. 
• You ask why A LOT.  You are very curious about everything!
• You love reading books with us!  I love that you love books so much, and we have started taking sporadic trips to the library to get some new things to read.  We typically read 3-4 books at bedtime. 
• Bubby is your lovey, and you are so attached to him.  As soon as you pick him up, your thumb goes in your mouth.  Bubby's name changes daily.  Sometimes you call him Bubby, Binny, Minnie, Wendy, etc.  I still think you are a cute little thumb sucker, but I think we’re getting to the stage where we may need to try to start breaking that habit.  I think sucking your thumb (and putting other fingers in your mouth) could be what causes you to pick up random colds/illnesses sometimes. 
• You love your cousin Leah so much, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual on her end. You play well together and love spending time together.  I’m so thankful that you have her to grow up, but I wish we lived just a little closer so we could see her more often!
• You can show us what emotions look like by doing different facial expressions, and it is so cute!  Our absolute favorite is your angry face. 
• You can count to twenty most of the time.  Sometimes, you skip 15-17 though. 
• You know all of your letters and can spell both your first and last name without any help!
• You still love going to the park any chance you get and I think the swings are still your favorite thing to do there.
• This year, you have become quite the Daddy’s Girl.  I think part of this had to do with the fact that I was pregnant this year and couldn't do as much with you as I usually do, but really, I think it would have happened whether I was pregnant or not.  Your daddy is so much fun, and you love playing and roughhousing with him.  I don’t blame you kiddo, I think your daddy is awesome too!  I also think Daddy can be a bit of a pushover with you sometimes, and I think you made this clear when you told me one night that “Daddy is nicer than you, Mommy.” It kind of broke my heart a little bit, but don’t worry, I still love you even if you think he’s nicer. 

Another year is complete and another letter to my girl is in the books.  You are such a joy to be around, and we just love you to pieces.  This year has been so awesome and so much fun, and we can’t wait to see what the next year brings.  I especially can’t wait to see how you grow into your new role as a big sister.  You have already exceeded our expectations here.  It’s clear that you love Natalie so much, and we can’t wait to see your relationship with her grow as she becomes more interactive.   We are so so proud to be your Mommy and Daddy!!  

Love you to the moon and stars and moon and back (and that’s a really long way)!

Love, Mommy

Two Years Old

Caitlin,

Seriously, where in the world did the last year go??  You turned two on Saturday, May 26th, 2012.  I am over a month late posting this, and I think deep down, I'm trying to stop time (as if waiting to post this will make you stop growing up so fast)!   We started your birthday weekend off with a trip to Sesame Place on Friday, where you showed us that you were not nearly as adventurous as we thought you'd be.  We had a feeling that the big Elmo would freak you out, but thought you'd at least like the rides.  The carousel (the tamest of them all) made you quite nervous.  We should have just taken that as a sign and put your swimsuit on right away to go to the water park, but instead, we tried the rope "course" (no go), the teacups (we didn't even make it on the ride because we ended up walking straight through to the exit), the bounce pillow (you got on and just laid there), and Big Bird's Balloon ride (the only moving ride that you actually seemed to kind of enjoy).  You LOVED the big tube slides... maybe we should have just found a big fancy (free) playground instead!  I think the most fun you had was playing in the splash park when you realized that you could run in and out of the water and splash all you wanted!  Regardless of all this, Daddy and I loved being able to spend the entire day with you for your 2nd birthday, and we're hoping to make it an annual tradition to do something fun on your birthday each year. 

On Big Bird's Balloon Ride (that's actually a half smile on your face). 

Your 2-year stats are as follows:
Weight: 24 lbs (15th percentile!!!  This is the first that you've been on the charts since you were 2 months old.)
Height: 35 inches (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 47 cm

Your personality has really started showing through this year. Although you have some random tantrums, you really are such a sweet little girl.

Your teachers at school cannot say enough nice things about you, and they are always saying what a good girl you are, how smart you are, and how you are such a good listener. 

  You have an intense love for Bubby (bunny), snacks, your hoodie jackets (especially the gray Scranton jacket that Uncle Philip gave you), monkey and Elmo, your blankets, and Leah ("Yee-ah").

You still suck your thumb, usually when you're tired, in an uncomfortable/new situation, or are watching Sesame Street. 

You know all your colors and almost all the alphabet and every animal sound.   

You will drink from Mommy's cup any chance you get.  You love water and milk and occasionally will have orange juice for breakfast. 

You love basically anything that has to do with water - the pool, bathtime, playing in the sprinkler, water guns, and your water table. 

The park is a big hit too.  Sometimes you will swing for a good 10-15 minutes straight (and that feels like an eternity to us).  You have also recently become more adventurous climbing up to the big slides and going down them by yourself (and scaring Mommy to death sometimes). 

You eat most meals with a fork and spoon (and most of the time remember to use them).  You can also drink from a big girl cup without making much of a mess most of the time. 

You can count to 10.  I've heard you do it, but most of the time, it's "one, two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, ten". 

You love accessories - bows, headbands, barrettes, sunglasses, and hats are some of your most favorite things. 

Your hair is finally long enough for ponytails!

 I was a little worried about how you'd do with a new baby in the family, but you truly love Leah ("Yee-ah") and are so good to her.  You keep her out of trouble (and sometimes tattle on her) and share most of your toys with her (and make sure that she shares ALL of her toys with you). 

You LOVE music.  Singing and dancing are definitely some of your favorite things right now.  You have also started to sing songs on your own.  Favorites are Happy Birthday, ABC song, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Rockabye Baby (Rocka Baby), Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and lots of songs from your Kindermusik class.  Your favorite from Kindermusik is Floating Down the River, and you absolute favorite song of all time right now is Little Red Caboose (also known as Vamoose).  And, of course, any song that Elmo sings makes you happy. 

First snowfall (if you could really call it that).  You weren't all that impressed with touching it, but you loved it when Mommy and Daddy were throwing snowballs at each other!

You love being "nakey" and trying to dress yourself.  You have also recently become much more opinionated about what you are wearing. 

You started finding things funny this year, and it's so cute to see what you think is funny.  In this case, I think it was because I told you that I was going to get your thumby.

 

You have perfected your hugging and kissing techniques.  When you hug us, you will wrap your arms around our shoulders (as much as you can) and squeeze tight.  Often times, you will also pat our backs while giving us a big squeeze.  You also now put your lips up to our cheeks or lips and will give us the perfect, sweetest little kisses.  Just remember to keep those kisses reserved for Mommy and Daddy.  No boys yet, ok??

You would take a walk in your wagon ("waggy") every day if we would let you.

You're starting to more pretend play.  Whether you're giving Bubby a drink of your water.

Or feeding your baby her bottle of milk. 

You have become quite the chatterbox lately.  Some of the cute/funny/shocking things that you say are: "Excuse me, Mommy", "Bless You" when people sneeze, "Slow down, Mommy" (in the car), "I fart", "I have gas".  I could go on and on.  You are generally really good about saying "Thank You", but we are still working really hard on remembering to say "please". 

Books are also a favorite thing right now.  If we would do it, I think you would let us read an unlimited amount of books to you each night at bedtime.

Spending some quality time with Grandmom. 

You love it when Daddy or I (or basically anyone) chases you.

We spent our first extended period away from you while Mommy & Daddy went on a much-needed vacation.  You stayed with Grandmom & Granddad for a few nights and then a night with Aunt Alexis, Uncle Tim & Leah.  This was Aunt Alexis and Uncle Tim's way of watching you (haha - not really, but they said you wanted to be buckled in your carseat and stayed this way for a good 15 minutes).  You did relatively well while we were away (and so did Mommy and Daddy).  We skyped every day (and you wouldn't talk to us), and we were so happy to get home to you at the end of our trip! 

Shoes have become a new obsession.  You will try any pair of shoes on at least once.  You have mastered the buckles on your shoes and get them on the right feet on the first try most of the time.  You understand when we tell you that they are on the wrong feet and will switch them. 

You got your very first haircut a few days before your actual 2nd birthday.  You did amazingly well, but I'm guessing it was mostly because of the TV in front your chair playing Dora. 

You really enjoyed the beach this year.  We can't wait to see how much you'll have when we're there in September with the LeNoirs/Mooneys. 

You love riding any type of bike.  We are working on teaching you how to pedal so that Daddy and I don't ruin our backs pushing you around all the time.

You learned how to jump this year.  So amazing!

You really are our pride and joy, and nothing makes us happier than to see you growing and developing into such an amazing little girl.  The past year has been full of lots of new and exciting things for all of us, and we absolutely cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us.  We love you so much, Punkin (yes, I still call you that), and we are so proud and lucky to be your Mommy and Daddy. 

Love you like no other,
Mommy