Our Sweet 3 Year Old

Gwen changes so fast and moves from phase to phase very quickly. I'm working on a potion to freeze her so that she stays my sweet 3 year old forever. Just in case my potion doesn't work. Here are all the things that I love about our little precious girl that we don't want to forget...

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Height: 34 1/4 inches (9th Percentile)
Weight: 26 lbs ( 5th Percentile)

FAVORITES
Foods: Mac and Cheese, ice cream, cake (well, actually the frosting), and fruit. She's pretty good at eating, except for veggies and meat can sometimes be a challenge.
Movies: Any Thomas movie, Polar Express, and Charlotte's Web
TV Shows: Curious George, Clifford, Mr Rogers, and Sesame Street
Songs to listen to: Sleigh Ride, America (by Neil Diamond), Curious George Soundtrack, Thomas songs, Run Run Rudoloph, and fortunately, many songs that Mommy and Daddy like
Favorite Songs to Sing: I am a Child of God, Praise to the Man, Called to Serve, We Thank the O God for a Prophet, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and many songs she makes up on the fly.
Favorite Toys: Thomas trains and tracks, baby dolls, her gecko light, took kit, doctors kit and play kitchen.
Favorite Activities: Any art project (drawing, painting, coloring, cutting and pasting), dancing to music, swimming, gymnastics, playing make-believe, playing hide-and-seek, reading books and telling stories.
Stuffed Animals: Softie (the bunny), Mr. Brown Bear, Shamu, and Baby Jesus (yep, this is what she named her bear)
Other Favorites: Family Home Evening, telling knock-knock jokes, wrestling with dad, taking baths, and playing with Mommy's makeup.

SLEEPY TIME
Wake Time: Anytime between 7:30 and 8:30. Every once in a while, she will surprise us and sleep until 9:30 or 10:00.
Bedtime: 7:30 ish
Naps: Almost completely non-existent. If she does nap, she's up until 9:00 pm. We do try to have quiet time everyday. Sometimes she will fall asleep unexpectedly while playing...

SPEECH DEVELOPMENT
Gwen speaks in full sentences and is probably slightly more verbal than other three-year-olds. She speaks very clearly and most people can understand what she is saying the majority of the time. Some of her favorite things to say are: "Oh, that's cool!", "Ok, here's my idea..."

LEARNING
Gwen is currently in a weekly mommy and me preschool. She can recite her ABC's and is learning to recognize many of the letters. She can write many of them too. She can count to about 15 and is starting to recognize numbers, but it hasn't come as quickly as letters. She likes to hold her fingers and ask what number it is. She never thinks I'm right. Usually the number is something crazy like, eighty-thirteen.

PERSONALITY TRAITS
Gwen is bossy, stubborn, and always right. At the same time, she is sweet and incredibly sensitive. She showers us with kisses and hugs and says "I love you" several times a day. If she hears any mention of an owie, she is quick to get her doctors kit. She is always concerned with others and their feelings. She is quick to soothe if somebody is crying. Even if I'm just frowning, she will say, "Mom, why do you look so sad?". She is also incredibly goofy and loves to laugh and be silly. If a stranger stops and asks her something, she will usually give them an outrageous answer that doesn't make sense. Her favorite answer seems to be "pizza". Gwen also loves her down time and likes to relax and cuddle with Mom and Dad. She is also very content to lay in her bed in the middle of the day just so she can hold her "lovie" and suck on her binky- neither are allowed out of bed. She loves to wake up slowly, and will lay in her bed awake for a half hour in the morning before even making a peep.

POTTY TRAINING
Gwen is fully trained during the day and rarely has any accidents. She can hold it for hours, which sometimes makes us nervous. She still wears a diaper at night -we aren't in a hurry and will let her transition to underwear at night when she is ready.

QUIRKS
*Gwen is completely intolerant of clothes. Any little thing out of place "bothers" her. She hates seams, tags, tights and jeans. Some days she has to wear her underwear inside out or doesn't wear any at all.

*Instead of taking the direct route to the downstairs bathroom, Gwen runs all the way from the family room, past the staircase, and past the garage door to get to the bathroom.

* Gwen likes everything in it's place. If I leave a closet door ajar, she will always push it shut.
* Gwen isn't afraid of the dark. She will hide in a closet for several minutes without a care in the world.

* Gwen screams and cries when she has her hair brushed.

FEARS
Heights, unexplained noises in her room, and all sorts of movies and shows. Even innocent shows like Little Einsteins and Curious George have been known to scare her.

THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO FORGET

* She loves to help with things around the house and always wants to know what her job is. If I'm in the kitchen, you can bet she will be dragging a chair over to the counter so that she can help out.

* She loves to cuddle with us in our bed in the morning. She will touch our noses and will want to "ask questions". Usually the questions are about our favorites or quizzes about animals.

* She can get excited about anything and thinks everything is fun. She thinks taking out the trash with dad is great, always wants to hit the emergency cord that swings from the garage door opener, and loves it when our produce delivery arrives.

*She loves to do group hugs and group kisses.

*When we ask her, "Gwen, are you Mommy's baby girl or Daddy's baby girl?" Her answer is always, "Mommy AND Daddy!"

*The second we start to scold her, Gwen's face crumples up and she starts to cry. So sweet and so manipulative.

* Gwen loves to do things just because she knows it makes us happy. Almost everyday, she kisses me right below my neck (she calls this kissing my heart) and then looks at my face to see how happy it makes me.

We love this girl!