We won't talk about the fact that they're old enough to be strong willed and want to do the opposite of what mommy wants, the tormenting of baby brother, the energy required to be consistent with discipline, or the meltdowns. And let's not talk about sharing, and how many times her father and I had to talk to her about sharing at Saturday's birthday party for a friend. No, let's stay away from those topics. Since I know I'll have at least two more kiddos to hit this age and stage, I need to think happy thoughts about three.
Ten Reasons to Love Having a Three Year Old
1. Announcements: "Happy Birthday, Daddy!!" On a random Sunday in June. When his birthday is in March.
2. Easily Entertained: Whether it's a coloring book or a 98 cent pinwheel from Walmart, it doesn't take much to make this child's day. The pinwheel's name is Charlie, by the way, but it's a girl pinwheel that wears a teething ring as a "fluie" (floatie) in the swimming pool (Huggies box). Don't ask.
3. Random Reigns: Baby brother is in the high chair, screeching and squawking. What does the three year old do? She yells "Ribbit!!" We don't know why she does it, but this is what she does. Every. Single. Time.
4. Odd Definitions: The definition of a big girl, in Isabelle's opinion, is one who wears panties. Within five minutes of her little friend's arrival at our house a few weeks ago, both girls had already established that both of them are big girls, they wear panties instead of diapers, and so do their mommies. Really.
5. Cute Pronunciations: She's still little enough to say things in an adorably cute way. If you give her something, she might say "Why sank you!" or simply "Sanks!!!" She asks that I put her "akwon" (apron) on when she wants to help cook, and she'll snuggle up to me and say "I yuv you, mommy!"
6. She can take care of pottying completely by herself now: Start to finish, she can do it all. She climbs on top of the toilet to turn the light on, takes care of everything, and washes her hands well. She'll be the first to tell me if a visiting child forgets to wash their hands.
7. She doesn't know the difference: Shake or smoothie? To her, they're both the same. Forget the fact that one comes from Sonic ("Somic") and is made with ice cream, while the other is made at home with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and milk. All she cares about is that both drinks are pink. And yummy. And that's what makes it good. In fact, I can pass it off as dessert.
8. But she does know her numbers: And we recently figured out that we could put a digital clock in her bedroom, tell her she can't come to mommy and daddy's room until there's a 7 in front of the time, and she actually does it. No more 6:45 wake ups for Izzy (or mommy!).
9. Creativity and Imagination Reign: One day, I heard some of her "friends" (small figurines) having a conversation in the backseat. I asked Isabelle to fill me in on the details. Here's what I got out of her: Her pediatrician, my OB/Gyn, and Andrew's surgeon were all eating apples together. I don't know why. I don't ask anymore. And when she walked into the bathroom this morning and asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I told her "a mommy." Her response? "OK. I want to be a choo choo train." Five minutes later, she walked in declaring that she wanted to be a fairy when she grows up. Lately, she's into pretending she's various things, like a kitty cat, puppy, or a baby. Sometimes she's a little more abstract. She told my sister "You be macaroni and cheese and I'll be a good eater."
10. She lives for dress up: Nearly every day, she's Belle, Minnie Mouse, Snow White, or someone else. Once I put music on in the morning, signalling playtime for the kids, she immediately runs to her room to fetch a costume. Because if you give an Izzy some music, she's going to want to dance. And if she wants to dance, she simply must have a costume...
And if you don't recognize the rhythm of those statements, either you've never had a 3 year old, or you've never read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In either case, you might be missing out!
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