My little dolly is now 3 years old! I thought I better write down some of the things she's doing now.
She loves to "read" her books. It's amazing how fast she memorizes the books I read. I let the kids take a few books to bed after I tuck them in. I frequently hear her reading the words word for word. It's so cute.
She LOVES to sing. She especially loves to sing in public. At the grocery store. At church (we still sit in the baby room for this reason). She sings to herself all the time at home. She is very loud too. Her voice is definitely not quiet and we are always trying to remind her of the difference between inside and outside voice.
She and Nathan are starting to PLAY together! YAY! I figured it would happen once she turned about 3. They used to spend 80% of their time fighting. Now, they spend 80% of their time playing instead of fighting. I'm finding myself with more time to do things like clean. Perhaps I'll finally be able to (almost) keep the house as I like!
She just got her big girl mattress. We told her when she turned 3, she would have to give her crib to the baby next door. Right now, Elizabeth is sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Her actual bed will arrive next week. The transition so far has been super easy. I lay her down (and she talks and sings) and then she walks out in the morning. I guess it was the right time for a big girl bed!
Speaking of sleeping...
I'm not sure whether or not to give up on her nap. She will nap, but the problem is then she won't go to sleep quickly at night. I like to put the kids to bed at 8, but if she's napped (and she's not tired for a nap until about 3 or 3:30) she will sing and talk in her bed until 9:30 at night. We've been skipping a few naps lately to see what happens. She gets a little cranky in the evenings, but when I put her to bed at 8, she's right to sleep. Then, I'm having to wake up her in the mornings at 8:30 or 9. So that's kind of late to wake up. It's a tricky time sleep wise!
There is nothing she can't say. And she speaks very clearly. I have no speech concerns whatsoever. Every day, I hear her picking up new vocabulary words. It's truly amazing. And her imagination is quite something too! She and Nathan spend all day just making up games now. So they're doing their job as children. Playing!
She's becoming VERY independent. She wants to do everything by herself or help with every chore. She can put on her own socks and shoes and undies. She's working on getting her shirts and pants on. She also wants to brush her teeth and floss by herself. I let her do these a little bit before I finish up.
She's potty trained during the day no problem. Not even a little leak anymore. She still wears an overnight diaper.
Now that she's 3, Nathan's preschool teacher has invited her to come to class and see how it goes. Elizabeth was receptive to this idea until she found out that Mama would leave and go home. So for now, we will not do preschool. I think she values her alone time with Mommy (no Nathan around) too much! Next fall, I'll try her in preschool a few mornings a week and see how that goes.
She's a pretty easy going child. Her brother is so stubborn so she ends up giving in most of the time as she doesn't care to get her way. I'm not sure if this is a younger child thing or not. I think if they were both as stubborn as Nathan, they'd have a lot harder time playing together.
Her favorite toys are her stuffed kitties, her ponies and any imaginary and dress up costumes.
Eating is the hard part with her. She would eat noodles and cheese or burritos every day all day. She eats lots of fruit, but is not a vegetable fan. I remember Nathan was the same way at this age. Now, he will eat some vegetables. So I'm hoping she'll improve as she gets older! And so far, she's only allergic to peanuts and sunflower seeds. She hasn't had any reactions for a while.
