3 Year Check-Up

We are now a full month into the "dreaded 3rd year" that so many people have warned me about!  I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase, "Just wait until she turns 3!" I don't know why we women do this to each other but it always seems to happen.  When you're married, "living it up" with your husband before enter into mommyhood, and get the flu, I always heard, "Just wait until your first trimester of pregnancy!"  Then when I was pregnant and in my first trimester I heard, "Just wait until you're in your 3rd trimester and you can't walk, breathe, sleep, etc!"  Then it was "Just wait until the baby is here and you're a walking zombie!"  Fast forward to the meltdown stage and all I heard was, "Just wait until she turns 3!"  What is it about this age that seems to take parents right over the edge?  I thought "the terrible twos" were supposed to be the worst of the tantrums, fit throwing, meltdowns!  I guess not.......at least according to what everyone else has to say.  I guess I have a whole 11 months to keep you all updated on my opinion of this 3rd year!
Grace had her 3 year check-up last Friday and here's a quick recap.  She's 38.5in long which puts her in the 90%!!  WOOT WOOT!!  Maybe my Papa John's height genes made their way into my girls!!  She now weighs 32lbs and falls into the 60%.  The nurse didn't write down her head size, but Dr. McColl said it falls into the 90% (no surprises there!) and "it isn't too big!"  WAHAHA!!
Gracie loves to eat and some of her favorites are:  ANYTHING with cheese (cheese slices, macaroni and cheese, cheese and crackers, string cheese, you get the idea!), ALL fruits, "chips" or cheese puffs, fishies (or goldfish), fruit snacks, strudels, ANYTHING sweet (she is my daughter after all), and she loves to dip food in ranch!
Some of her favorite shows include Mickey, Little Einsteins, Dora, and Scooby Doo.  She is currently on a Toy Story kick and this usually changes every time we make a road trip to Indiana.  Whatever movie she picks is usually her obsession for the next few weeks.  A few past obsessions have been "Memo," Charlotte's Web, and, of course, "Grinchy!"
Grace loves playing with any little toy that is accompanied by a "house."  For example, she will sit and play with her Little Pet Shop house and animals, Strawberry Shortcake house and accessories, Weeble treehouse and "eggs", etc. forever!  Candyland is fun but she gets distracted halfway through the game UNLESS she gets the cinnamon roll card which is pretty exciting in our house!  She LOVES to play "doghouse" with her daddy.  This is basically building a fort by putting a blanket over anything that will allow them to sit under AND it is extra fun when Pete joins in!  She can dominate anyone in a game of Memory any day!  Disney Princesses have made a killing off of us and Snow White is currently her front-runner.  At her check-up, an older lady came in and sat across from us.  Grace looked at her and said, "Hi, my name's Grace.  Who's your favorite princess?"  Sounds like a completely legit question to me!  WAHAHAHA!!  
She talks pretty plainly (or at least to me), but there are still some words that I just can't bring myself to correct.  A few of my favorites are "twalet" (toilet), "musgit" (music), "waterspout" (anything that has water coming out of it), "cataroni" (macaroni).
Grace LOVES making Anna laugh and we have been so lucky that she never went through the jealousy stage!  The two of them just play off each other and it is SO cute to watch!  Anna is captivated by Grace and watches her every move.  She has been a great big sister and an excellent helper for mommy!
Her personality is OUTGOING, OUTGOING, and OUTGOING!!  She NEVER meets a stranger and EVERY cashier in the surrounding grocery stores, Walmart, and Target now know her name, Anna's name, and my name!  She can turn from as sweet as can be to full of sass in half of a second!  She is very tender-hearted when someone is crying or upset and her little motherly instincts come out immediately.  Grace doesn't stop going, going, going from the second her feet hit the floor until she finally crashes at night after reading at least 15 books that she brings to bed with her.  I'm quite certain that Grace wakes up talking and continues talking all day until absolute exhaustion finally takes over!  She is a very animated child and gets excited about the funniest things.  For example, sometimes she still walks in her room and says, "Oh my!  I LOVE my green walls!"  Keep in mind I painted her room last May!  WAHAHA!  She also likes to have her toys/books in their specific places..........something that I secretly LOVE!!  She can usually tell you or show you exactly where something is.  Ahhhhh keep it up girl!  Matt and I often say that she really is a funny kid!  The things that she does and says are hysterical! I just ordered a journal-type notebook made for recording the things your kids say, and I can't wait to show it to her when she's older.
Grace has been a joy to have in our lives and I truly feel blessed to call her mine!  Hold on a second.....I just got a little emotional there!  I now understand when everyone meant when they told me to enjoy every second because time passes by so quickly.  The past three years seem to have flown by in the blink of an eye!  It still feels like we just brought her home from the hospital.  Yet, at the same time, it feels like she's always been with us.  I need to record her birth story, but that will have to come another time.  Until then, I'll keep you all updated on any new happenings during her 3rd year of life!