The Thrill of Three

August 15, 2013

The Thrill of Three

Isabelle is now about a month into age 3, that age everyone describes as, "It's not terrible twos, it's the terrible threes." I have braced myself.

This age is a funny one, and like every age, it comes with it's wonderful traits and it's not-so-wonderful traits.

First off, this child amazes me everyday with her beauty, intelligence, and sense of humor. The love I have for her keeps growing and growing. Here are all of the things that I never want to forget about my little 3 year old.

Personality:

As I've known for quite some time now, Isabelle was born a people-pleaser, rule-follower, cautious and shy. She is a teacher's dream: sweet, quiet, kind, obedient. Ok, I'm going to brag now. Every teacher she's had says what a delight she is, a happy breath of fresh air, everyday. She plays well with others and doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. In fact, the teachers of her last week-long summer camp session at First Pres offered to pay part of her tuition to keep her in their class next year! By the 3rd offer (they even said they'd help with transportation! - ha) we almost took them up on it!

That is what I just love about my sweet Izzy. But the hard part about that side of her is that she has to let it all out and be her true self in a safe place, around safe people - that is, home with her parents. My girl can have some crazy tantrums, and the mood swings are extreme. She is fickle and funny, just like most 3 year olds. She'll love you one minute and hate you the next. And if she's in the right (or wrong) mood, she'll give you a pubescent teenage glare that will make you question whether or not we just skipped ahead 10 years. Izzy is such a good child out of the home, so this need to let out her emotions with us, at home could last a long, long time (into adulthood!?). I see so much of her in me...ok, she's exactly like me. Around other people she's working so hard to be so good; so strong when she's left alone in a new setting, so kind when other kids take things from her, so obedient when given instructions. But nobody's that perfect, so we have to find a place to be loud, emotional, wild, sad, crazy, dramatic, scared....and whiney.

Sorry, Mom. Now I get it.

Isabelle didn't not fall far from the tree. She is extremely shy, just like me, so I understand her. I find that I want to protect her, because I know how she feels. But I also want to push her so that she is not always so dependent on me. It's hard to be shy- I've worked at it my whole life and I think I've started to overcome it, but it's a lifelong thing. Her shyness does make it a little harder on me - for instance, Isabelle will not let go of my hand at a birthday party and when we're with friends, she'd sometimes rather hang out with the adults than the kids. But I know that she'll learn to navigate through life just fine with this minor impairment! And one day I'll just wish she'd want me as close to her as she does right now.

Izzy is also super sensitive. The word "no" is barely uttered in our house. And if we do say "no" when there's a safety concern, she usually turns to tears. That doesn't mean she never gets disciplined. The worst that happens in our house is that she's sent to her room to sit alone for a minute. That usually happens because she refuses to do something (like get dressed, still her least favorite daily chore) and ends with 5 minutes of intense crying and screaming. We're talking intense. Our house is not a quiet one.

Isabelle is a HAM. As shy as she can be, she also loves to be the center of attention with people she knows well. She is happiest while singing and dancing in the center of a room surrounded by family. She has a million faces and is so expressive. She is quite the little thespian and loves to put on a show (much like her mommy who once dreamed of being on broadway).

Skills:

My girl is an artist. She is currently obsessed with drawing and painting. Wakes up in the morning and paints about 5 masterpieces before school, and continues throughout the day. I knew the minute she put a crayon (in her left hand) and put it to work at about 18 months that Izzy would be a crafty little girl, just like I was.

Isabelle is sporty; she loves to run and do what she calls "exercises". She will happily run around our yard without any purpose, and she insists on running circles in our house before bedtime (nice calming routine we have). She's very skilled at the playground, maneuvering herself around a jungle gym like a monkey. And she's got some serious dance skills. We have dance parties daily.

This child of ours is so witty and always making us laugh. She makes silly voices and says the funniest things. What a joy to hear that precious little voice every day. Sometimes we don't understand everything, but I have to remember that she pronounces her "f" as "s". Just the other day she was talking about a fox and I thought she was saying socks. I just love it!

My favorite Izzy sayings:

"I'll do that when I get bigger."

"I do." and "that's a great idea" (in response to most things)

"louder, please." - in the car, every day. (loves her LOUD music)

"that's a beautiful cake, mommy." - she says this about every cake I am working on, no matter the stage it is in.

"I love ____." - describing anything that she's a little afraid of (like thunder, wind (which to her, signifies a storm coming), bugs, and the latest: hawks)

Clearly my girl is a positive thinker.

Sleeping and Eating:

Isabelle is a great sleeper. She does great through the night (despite the random cries for us after a weird dream), and a great napper - still takes a 2-3 hour nap every day. I savor this!

The paci is still a great obsession of hers. I have been contemplating taking it away, especially because her little teeth appear to be spreading and pushing outward more and more! BUT, I'm fearful of losing the nap. I need these naps big-time since I work during them every day!

Recently I told her about the paci fairy, who will come one night and take her pacis away since she's now such a big girl. I assured her that she would leave her a special gift in return for her generous paci donation. That night, I heard her moaning and calling for me. I went in there and saw her sucking and clutching onto her pacis. She said to me, "I don't want to sleep." I knew immediately what was going on. She was afraid the paci fairy (that wicked lady!) was going to come steal those pacis right out of her mouth in the middle of the night! Poor baby. I assured her I'd contact the fairy immediately to tell her not to come in the night. (What was I thinking?!) So not fair that something so soothing to her must be taken away.

She's a pretty darn good eater for her age - healthy favorites are chicken (of any kind), broccoli, green beens, brussels sprouts (crazy, I know!), and she especially loves ice cream and of course a cake (the icing part the best)! We try to make it a treat to have cake, so when she does, she savors every bite.

I could go on and on about my baby girl, and it seems I already have. This is all pretty boring to most people, I but I know I will appreciate reading it in a few years. I am so excited (and a bit fearful) to see how this 4th year will be for my precious Isabelle!

I am so proud and in love with the way Isabelle has taken to being a big sister. She has her jealous moments (which she takes out on her parents), but she is always so gentle and kind to her little brother. She talks to him all the time, and if he's fussy she'll bring him a toy and say, "It's ok, Collier. I'm right here." Collier hasn't started crawling yet, so I know that when he starts getting in her business, things could change. I am living in the moment!!!

Happiest little baby on the block!

A few weeks ago, I took Isabelle down to Seabrook Island for a short vacation with my friend, Pryor and her kids. Izzy and Emmie were born just about a week apart and since their births, we have formed a friendship that is so special because it was started by our children! Our girls have such a fun time together and it was SO wonderful to spend the time in Pryor's parent's beautiful home on the marsh. The girls had a ball and it was a much needed break for me. I had to squeeze in a lot of work hours during the day when I got back, but it was totally worth it and I'm so thankful for my flexibility! (Collier got to stay home with daddy since he's not too into the beach this summer and I knew we'd never leave the house with schedule conflicts!).

Isabelle and Emmie, hamming it up.