Three

 

 This little girl will be three tomorrow.

 These three years have flown, busy and full as they have been with laundry and toys, travel and trips to museums, diapers and school and so much love.

 So much love for this little girl.

Three year old Ivy has a heart of sunshine and a temper like a summer storm, quick and fierce and over soon. She is a story teller and a pretender, making up narratives with any toys at hand, most recently including a package of fruit snacks. She loves to sing and can do a good rendition of the abc song, twinkle twinkle, and itsy bitsy spider, her current favorites. All of her songs end on rising notes. She has the most expressive face.

Three year old Ivy still loves to nurse (though it might be time to wean when your child tells you, clear as day, "momma, I'm all done with this side, time for the other side now...") She hugs fast and strong and plants the sweetest kisses on whatever part of us she can reach. She loves her dog and imitates our endearments for her... "Oh, Cor, you're such a GOOD dog..." She loves all dogs, actually. All animals, really. She's been known to plant kisses on many of them, too.

She is funny and decisive and verbal and shockingly girly, loving nail polish and lip gloss and all things pink and princess. But she can handle herself with the boys, and loves dragons and hot wheels and sword fights and running and jumping off of things. When she gets hurt, she rarely wants a kiss... She wants to get back to the game, even as she cries.

This girl loves school and circle time and ballet class. She confidently joins groups and says hi to everyone. Ivy does not sit quietly by during movies and stories. She's got questions and comments for every page. She loves Little Mermaid, with "any other movie about princesses" following close behind and Power Rangers coming in after that. Her favorite books have babies in them, or animals, or girls, or soccer, or pink, or rhymes. I guess she really just likes books...

She also loves, in no particular order: ice cream, her friends Lillian and Naomi, cleaning up spills, strawberries, broccoli, and pepperoni.

She is assertive and opinionated and won't hesitate to scream at Jack, or threaten to bite him, at the least provocation. She loves wrestling and tickling and the general manhandling that playing with a brother entails... Until she doesn't and then it is OVER. She does not take kindly to being told no. When she gets into a crying fit, she'll march right off to her room, wailing all the way. And she'll be back a moment later, the sunshine back out from behind the clouds. Most days, she is easy going, flexible with change and ready to enjoy whatever comes her way. Unless she is not....

Three year old Ivy is trying to give up her nap, and is not sure she wants a big girl room upstairs just yet. This girl loves to be near us at night, to come padding in a few times a night and say, "I come in your bed now, momma?" Three year old Ivy snuggles in close and loves to be held... And flings her sleeping hands in your face and kicks and squirms and goes diagonal in the bed.... Last night I asked her why she doesn't just sleep all night. Se said, "because I TWO!" Here's hoping three year old Ivy figures it out... I am hardly ever angry with her, but I am very tired...

Three year old Ivy is still our little tow-head, starting conversations everywhere we go. She can charm the world with her smile. Her laugh is a song. She is still my tiny, this big, big girl. I love her voice, her silly face where she shows her bottom teeth, the way she doesn't say her "s" sounds, her drawings, her imagination, her questions.

I love my three year old girl.