Happy 3rd Birthday, Olivia Cate!

My Sweet and Spunky Girl,

You are three today and your official “threenager” year is here.  Not that you really needed it to be official or anything… you’ve been acting like a threenager for most of your life anyway.

At three, you are a leader.  You are bossy, you are opinionated, and you are charismatic. 

You hum, you sing, and you chatter nonstop.

You love princesses, dressing up, having your “show-nails (fingernails)” painted, putting on makeup, and all things girly, but you also love playing with the boys.  It’s not uncommon for you to run around the house decked out in your Belle dress and a crown while also brandishing one of Jacob’s Nerf guns or light sabers. 

You love being naked!  You’d run around in just underwear all the time if we would let you.  As a matter of fact, every Saturday and Sunday when we’re at home, you pretty much do… when you’re not wearing a princess dress, of course.

You are completely obsessed with styling hair and you can actually put your own hair (as well as my hair) into a ponytail.  We have no idea how you learned to do that!  Your motor skills are refined well beyond your years.

You are finally starting to get interested in watching TV, but you still don’t usually sit through an entire movie.  Right now your favorite things to watch are Masha and the Bear, Sophia the First, and Lego Frozen.

You are obsessed with Band-Aids and you want to wrap one around your little pinky finger every.single.night before bed.  This has been going on for months now with no end in sight... and Band-Aids ain’t cheap!

You are wearing 4T shirts and 3T pants and you are still really tall for your age.  Most of your baby fat has just melted off these last few months, though, so your weight has stayed pretty much the same this last year. 

You are fully potty-trained and you pretty much trained yourself.  All Daddy and I had to do was hand you some pretty Anna and Elsa underwear and you pretty much never looked back.  You don’t even sleep in a diaper anymore… undies all the way!

You are just the pickiest little eater that I’ve ever met and you pretty much just eat enough to keep you alive.  The one thing that I can always count on you to eat?  “Peanut and jelly.”  You love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I think you would eat them at every meal if we would let you.

We moved you to your big girl bed a couple of months ago and it has been a complete and utter disaster.  You went from being the world’s best sleeper to the world’s worst sleeper literally overnight.  We just can’t seem to get you to stay in the thing.  Bedtime is a struggle pretty much every night.  And every single night since we have moved you to the big girl bed you have crept into our bed in the middle of the night.  Only once have you made it to the 5 o’clock hour in your own bed.

You are stubborn and you are bossy (did I mention that already?), and most of the time Daddy and I cannot sway you if you have your mind set on something.  It’s your way or the highway.  Which means that you spend a lot of time in timeout.  Or actually not, because it’s physically impossible to keep you there.  I always end up having to sit with you hold you down in my lap because you’re constantly trying to escape.  Apparently you don’t believe in the old phrase you do the crime, you do the time.

You are soooo clumsy.  You are constantly tripping, falling, walking into things, bumping your head, and hurting yourself.  Bless it.  I wish I could just wrap you up in bubble wrap.  But I’m not even sure if that would give me peace of mind, because I’m sure you’d still find a way to injure yourself.

You are terrified of any loud noise or any noise that is out of the ordinary – airplanes, helicopters, dogs barking, screeching tires… and do not get me started on thunder and fireworks!  You are completely panic-stricken now when you hear either.

You have a heart of gold, but you also have a mean streak.  You care deeply about other peoples’ feelings and you are always the first to check on someone if they are hurt, but… sometimes you were the one who hurt them in the first place. 

You have a soft spot for Maui, and you are constantly talking sweetly to her and loving on her and carrying her around.  Bless her tiny heart, she is just so patient with you and she lets you haul her around the house whenever you want.  You would carry her everywhere with you if we would let you!

You give the very best hugs in the whole world.  Sometimes when you hug me, I think you’re going to squeeze the life out of me, and I love it so much.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, our lives would be completely and utterly boring without you, Olivia Cate!  God knew exactly what He was doing when He placed you in my arms three years ago… you are the perfect completion to our little family.

Happiest of birthdays to you, my dear!  

I love you. 

I love you.  

I love you.

Love, 

Mommy

Birthday Letter - Age 2