Ladybug Birthday

We are definitely out of the baby stage and growing up in this household.  We recently celebrated Mikayla's 3rd birthday, and learned all about ladybugs at the same time!  With that said, this little girl just doesn't always seem to act her age; some of the things that pop out of her mouth you just can't quite believe.

Starting about a month before her birthday, she started announcing to anyone who would listen, "I gonna be free ('three'). I have ladybug birthday!"  And then she would try her best to show 3 fingers.

On the morning of her birthday, I wished her a “happy birthday” and she looked up at me all seriously and said, “Mommy, I don’t want to go back in your tummy.”

Then, she was running back and forth in the hallway with the boys, and all of a sudden ran up to me, totally unprompted, and so sincerely said, “Mommy, happy birthday for you.”  Like, she really got the fact that we share something special, even though she may not fully understand it, her little serious demeanor and a few little words just melted my heart.

And then again, we are reminded daily that she is also very much a 3-yr old.  She got new pajamas and dress up shoes for gifts.  She took off her old pajamas, and then put on her dress up shoes and was prancing around naked.  TJ exclaimed, “She’s walking around naked in high heels!”  Scott quietly said, under his breath, “Probably won’t be the last time.”  I started busting out laughing while enjoying the show.

On her (well, our) actual birthday, Daddy made his famous breakfast pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.  Of course she barely ate anything, but the rest of us enjoyed it!  To note, her birthday fell on a Tuesday, and actually turns out that this was a "snow" day for us, so all the kids were home for the day while I was supposed to be "working from home."  I told my co-workers right away that morning that I would be checking in and probably be logging some vacation time.  Of course, they were in the same boat with their kids, so it all worked out, and I got to spend some extra time at home with the family.  That evening, we braved the cold and headed to Grimaldis for a free pie, our usual birthday destination.

Anyway, back to the ladybug birthday party...again this year we were fortunate to have a family party with both sets of grandparents!  Grandma and Grandpa were on their way back from volunteering in Phoenix for the month of January, and made a detour on their way home.  Mikayla was perfectly happy with her cousins and brothers to help celebrate!  Scott smoked some pork for pulled pork sandwiches which were awesome.  On a side note, he actually had to set his alarm for 6:30 a.m. to start smoking it.  Very funny considering he is not a morning person, but he is serious about this smoker!

Dearest Mikayla, you light up our lives!  You have this bit of sweetness that is hard to explain...but we eat you up and love to get yours hugs and kisses.  When your brothers are screaming and fighting and yelling at Mommy and Daddy, you do or say something funny (like dance on the coffee table) that makes all of us just stop and just start laughing together.

You love to read stories and seem to have a really good attention span for books that seem too hard for you to understand, like the Berenstain Bear books.  

 

You love to have Daddy play his guitar and sing right before bed; Daddy is trying to learn all the songs that Mr. Steve sings at the library, like:

"Roy G. Biv" -They Might Be Giants

R is for red
O is for orange
Y is for yellow
And G is for green
B is for blue
I for Indigo
And V is for violet
And that spells Roy G. Biv

Roy G. Biv is a colorful man
And he proudly stands at the rainbow's end (So you'll see him)
Roy G. Biv is a colorful man
And his name spells out the whole color spectrum (So you'll see him)

What I don't quite know is what other toddlers learn the colors indigo and violet at this age, but you seem to enjoy it and maybe that will give you an edge someday.

You are, for the most part, fully potty trained.  Does that even make sense?  What I mean is, no longer do you bring us a diaper so you can "go poop on the stairs," or on the coffee table, or on a chair, or wherever it might be that is a bit higher than the ground you are standing on.  While there is a part of me that hates to say good-bye to this little piece of cuteness, I don't miss the diapers and I will continue to give you "candy for poop" (two Smarties) as long as it keeps you pooping on the potty.  I will also continue to put you in a diaper at night until you are dry in the morning for many mornings in a row, as changing your sheets more than every two weeks is definitely not on my "to do" list.

Food - not much has changed with your eating habits...it's almost as if you eat a lot about every 3 days, and then you kind of pick at your food.  To say it though, I know you have grown, so I'm anxious for the Dr. stats to see where you are.

What you love: going to the YMCA while Mommy and Daddy work out, visiting Mr. Steve at the library with Daddy, and then going to the mall for a merry-go-round ride, gymnastics, even if it just means that you drop the boys off and get to go to HEB with Mommy to get some Buddy Bucks, the Woodlands Children's Museum, the Bagel Shop that you always expect to visit after the museum, going to the park for hours at a time, taking your brothers to school and picking them up, getting water for everyone at the dinner table while you should be eating your dinner, dancing and singing for certain, and wrestling.

A note about the museum, Daddy tried to take you the other day, but it was closed.  He got down on his knee to explain to you he was sad, and that he was sorry the museum wasn't open.  You quickly replied, "That's ok Daddy, the bagel shop is open."

Naps -we are pretty much done.  I'm tired of wondering what I will find when I go up to check on you.  The other day, (while Grandma and Grandpa were visiting) I found you laying on a suitcase, sucking on the end of a charging cord that was plugged into the wall.  (Sorry Grandpa and Grandma if I neglected to mention that.  Hope the cord still works!)

Little Stinker, we love you bunches and hope you had a wonderful time celebrating your 3rd year!

Doctor stats:
Height: 3' 75" (32%)
Weight: 28lbs (16%)
BMI: 14.59 km/m2 (17%)