Madeline lately

Madeline will be 3 years old in less than one month. She's a little person now. No more baby. No more toddler. She can hold an all out conversation. Can talk on the phone. Potties by herself. Comes very close to dressing herself. Plays toddler computer games by herself where she has to move the mouse and click. Can count to 10 easily, although sixteen or tweleven ends up in there sometimes. Can blow bubbles by herself (which is a HUGE deal). And does not need constant visual supervision.

She is still a super dooper cuddler and a momma's girl. Lucky for me, she still likes to be babied and loved up. She loves her daddy too and they have great little outings on the weekends. Outings are a breeze (usually). She walks herself around and really listens well. We've been very lucky to never have to endure a store or restaurant fit.

Long gone are the days when I could tell myself not to get angry at her because she's not doing whatever she's doing to make me mad. Now she does things just because she knows they annoy me.

Her imagination and memory are fantastic. She remembers things from months and months ago, like which chair everybody was sitting in at our kitchen table when we frosted cookies for Christmas, and details from our last trip to San Diego. And she told me a little story while we were driving, of how she was going to turn into a butterfly and fly up to the top of the mountain that we could see in front of us, but she couldn't carry me with her because I was too heavy, so I'd have to wait in the car.

Her bedtime routine is nearly the same as it has been for the last year. Jammies, diaper, turn on noisy fan, turn on ceiling fan, turn on fishy nightlight, she checks attendance of her current group of bed toys, asks to go get whatever's missing and gets denied, jumps and lands on her knees and lays her head on her pillow, gets covered up, mom gets sippy of water (we are nixing this gradually), goodnights, after door's closed yells "goodnight mommy!"2 more times for the heck of it. Newly added is her star blanket that she won't sleep or get out of bed without, and wanting to be carried to bed upside down.

She still will NOT get out of bed herself even though we moved her into her toddler bed months ago.

I love it when she runs to give me a hug before daddy gives her a bath, and when she says the word "beautiful" even if it's only referring to the only pair of undies she ever wants to wear, and when she says "oh my goodness' because she sounds like me. And I love it when she kisses me on my cheek spontaneously and when we cuddle in my bed at night and watch part of a movie after Maison goes to sleep.

Her specs at nearly three years old? Hmmm... Seems tall for her age and pretty skinny. Probably about 32 pounds. I had to cut her hair shorter to stop the tangles. She doesn't like it brushed. She hates to have her hair in a ponytail or braid if we're at home. Clothes size 3T. Size 5 nighttime diaper. Size 8 shoe. Beautiful big blue eyeballs that I like to take pictures of, if she'd just sit still.

Oh, and lastly... (plug your ears)... she still has her binki.