To my sweet Abby Emmy,
It's so hard to believe you are three years old! You bring so much joy and laughter to this world just by being you. You love adventure and if there is no adventure to be found you create one yourself in a make believe land far greater than anything I could ever dream of. You like to do things the "right way", which really means the way you have decided things should be done. This means you are often trying to direct everyone to do life the way you think they should. We talk a lot about other people's space and worrying about ourselves instead of controlling others. You ask lots of great questions and are always seeking to understand things in a new way. If someone didn't know you, they might think you are trying to push back and not obey, but in most cases you are genuinely seeking to understand why you are being asked to do something. After some explanation, you are likely to respond with your new favorite phrase, "Oh, that makes sense Mommy!" You delight us with your mind, with all your thoughts and questions.
You love to have conversations with people. Not only do you like to talk with people, but you also ask people questions about themselves. Some days when we sit and eat lunch together, I forget I'm sitting with a three year old because we chat so easily about life and the conversation is reciprocated. I really enjoy your company and miss you when you are not around. You're my little buddy! Mealtime is not always easy though. In this season, it feels like it takes lots of effort to remind you food is for eating. You love to pretend you are Rachael Ray and recreate your dinner plate into a culinary masterpiece OR your utensils become drumsticks as your perform with your very own band.
Your ability to reason with us with such grace and skill makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes. I think you are a natural born diplomat. I found the word diplomat in the dictionary defined as a person who is tactful and skillful in managing skillful situations, handling people, negotiating and maintaining relations. Then I found a picture of your face right next to it. Ok, not really, but I should have! You know how to change your tone, tilt your head and shrug your shoulders to evoke the right response from others. You prepare your explanation or formulate your question in a way that will make someone think twice before answering you. It's not even always manipulative. Often, it is just a genuine understanding of the situation and how it should be handled.
You are a walking musical! Your favorite show of all time is the Fresh Beat Band. Everything around you is an instrument, which means any moment becomes a concert. You love to make up songs, but you also love to listen to worship songs before bed and sing with Mommy and Daddy. You have such a sweet beautiful voice and you sing more on key at the age of three than your Mommy ever has! Just the other day you told me you wanted to learn how to play the drums. Then, you took out all of my spice canisters and said they were your snare drums. You took out two of your sisters snack cans and said they were your timpani drums.Two boxes became your bongos and a pan your cymbals. This isn't a joke. You have it all thought through.
When we went to the doctor for your three year wellness visit, you were such a big girl! The nurse assumed you would be fearful as she asked you to sit in the chair to take your blood pressure. Not you. You were so excited to finally be old enough to have your real blood pressure taken for the first time. You hopped right up and gave her your arm. She had no idea you had been waiting for that moment for a while now. You love the doctor's office. You weighed in at 33 pounds and measured 3 feet 1 inch. You even had to get an unexpected shot to get you caught up with all of your vaccinations. You were not happy about it and decided you didn't want to. So...you looked Dr. K. in the eyes, said "I don't want any shots" and tried to walk out the door all by yourself. It was hilarious. After we got you back into my lap, you were so brave and set a good example for your little sister who had to get four shots that morning.
Like a true three year old, you are getting some tantrum throwing practice in. Though I am grateful that these come pretty rarely, when they come they are enough to wipe out a whole army. To be honest, you look just like me in my home videos when I was three!
You love chocolate and try for any chance to get your hands on a good dessert. You love to cook and bake with me and we often pretend we have our own cooking show. You love to read, play with play-doh, do arts & crafts, play mommies, school and church. You have such a tender heart and often remind us to pray for specific people and situations. You love to dance, have music parties and pretend you are a member of the Fresh Beats. You love to snuggle your sister and will play with her for hours. And of course, you are always up for taking a break and watching a good show. Some of your current favorites are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, The Fresh Beat Band, Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora, Curious George and Sid the Science Kid. Some of your favorite movies right now are The Lorax, Tangled, Cinderella and Finding Nemo.
I've said so much, but also so little. You are such a special little girl and I'm so blessed to be your Mommy!
I love you Lady B!
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