Abby Jane is two months into being three, so it's about time for me to attempt to encapsulate my oldest daughter at this age. We all do these age updates on our kids, but is it as daunting for you as it is for me? How to find words to peg the entirety of these treasures that are our kids? That said, here goes my attempt at being concise. (*Update: this is not concise. At all. Sorry!)
-She is not concise (either)! We're in the 20 questions stage, and I answer "why?" and follow-up questions at least 500 times a day, and that is literal. I remind myself very regularly that this is how she builds her intellect!
-She loves, loves, loves her sisters. Frequently calls them "sweetie," has her own personalized if-they're-crying loop of songs that starts with Jesus Loves Me, moves into a rousing rendition of Wheels on the Bus with a few verses, sometimes throws in some Itsy Bitsy Spider or I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee... usually tears are all done somewhere in there.
-She is chief of the backseat, responsible for passing out snacks, toys, reporting on baby status, if Blythe is becoming "Shoeless Joe", etc.
-She loves rough-housing, wrestling, tickling, doing tricks, running, and being crazy with Jake when he gets home from work.
-Every morning, she gives the "Rambo call" (our neighbor LOUDLY YELLS for his dog Rambo on his back deck). That is what we call the way I am summoned when she awakens: "MAMA!!!!! MOM!!! MOM!!! It's light outside!!!!!")
-She remembers EVERYTHING, even going back to California days. She picks up on and hears EVERYTHING we say, often impatiently asking, "What are you telling Daddy?" when we're in the middle of a conversation, so she can be involved, too.
-She repeats adult phrases and correctly in context. I.e. "Mama, this sure is a GREAT dinner!" (with same inflection Jake uses) "I'm having issues with my sleeping bag."
-We don't get to go to the playground often, as I need to have another adult to help if I'm going to a "good" playground, but swinging is still her favorite thing.
-Favorite inside activities: reading books, drawing, cutting, making towers, cooking in her kitchen, playing in her tent, playing with leapfrog word hunt, taking extremely detailed care of babydolls as only the big sis of twins would.
-Favorite front yard activities: tricycle, scooter, simply running around, playing with cars, lawnmower, raking, blowing bubbles. And get rides from her sisters.
-She loves pink. Shocker.
-She'd rather talk than eat during dinner.
-She has loved her gymnastics and swimming lessons! Starting the next level of swim lessons next week.
-She can identify all the letters and many numbers and is noticing letters in her environment
-She takes a while to warm up sometimes in a new surroundings, but she is irrepressible once warm.
-She always wants to know what our plans are and absolutely prefers to be on the go and out and about.
-She canNOT wait to start preschool in the fall, to the extent that the other day, I had to show her how many months are left on the calendar before she goes. She thought she could go the next day.
-Sometimes she isn't a fan of staying in her Sunday School class.
-She still loves the smoothie she has had every morning for the majority of her life!
-She sometimes plays for the first hour or two of her afternoon nap and has very involved conversations with her babies during that playtime. Afternoon "nap" lasts around three hours.
-We try to not dumb things down for her and never underestimate what she might grasp. She still surprises us with concepts she internalizes. With that comes greater accountability for all of us- for us, to realize nothing gets by her; for her, because we KNOW she KNOWS better sometimes!
-Sometimes she might need to wear a tutu to Publix.
-She is absolutely immersed in spiritual things between BSF, church, our sing-a-long CDs, and her stories. We have spiritual conversations on a regular basis that often switch mid-conversation to something vital like, "What are we doing after naptime?" But God's Word is surrounding her, and we are so thankful for signs here and there that it's sinking in!
This age has its share of challenges too (sharing, obeying, etc!), but there are more than enough precious priceless moments that redeem those very "three" moments. Janie has kept us on our toes since day one. (Or day minus two, for those of you who remember how long it took that kid to come.) And oh, how we love all the parts of her that keep us guessing and keep us amazed at the gift she is to us! Happy 3rd, precious Janie!
5 comments:
I love reading all about little Abby Jane. =) In so many ways my Bella reminds me of her. I know they're gonna continue to be such good little leaders as they grow up!
I can't believe she is 3?!? In my mind she is still that sweet baby girl sitting on the grass in the courtyard! What a beautiful, inquisitive, and delightful little gal she has become. I love hearing about her :)
love it. Love it. How I wish our girls could play together. They would certainly be besties. They'd probably have in-depth theological conversations while changing their babies' diapers. What a big girl. With such long legs!
hahahahahaha -- I just laughed out loud at her church nametag pic! we have had several "conferences" in the church bathroom in the past few weeks with Kirkley girl! thank goodness they are on other days rather than sunday morning. the other wednesday night, i had to pick her up to "conference," she was hollering craziness, we passed the preschool director where her rain boots fell off, and we finally made it into the bathroom. proud proud moment. however, she walked right into sunday school the next sunday. :) your nametag was a little more tactful.
I love your post about Abby Jane! It made me laugh and was so sweet. Like Katie, I remember her as a sweet baby girl. So fun to hear about her and how she is growing up!
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