Clara's 3 Year Old Update

 First of all, this child is HILARIOUS!! I wish I could record everything she says, all day long. She makes me laugh like no other. Three has been quite challenging so far as a parent and I know the teen years are going to be much harder but it's a mini glimpse. She's definitely an independent little person, and stubborn. I have read that being stubborn and not giving in at this age will lead to a very well grounded adult, and a person that goes after what they want. So that makes me quite happy! She brings me more  joy than anything in this world.

*Her favorite foods include: english muffins with butter, artichokes with butter, broccoli with butter, corn on the cob with butter...bascially anything with BUTTER!! Also she loves cream of wheat, eggs, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwiches. And she loves anything that she can dip. She calls dip "dippy". And what kid doesn't love junk? her favorite snack is fruit snacks for sure.

Eating Artichokes

Eating a Nutella covered Oreo and not sharing with brother. 

*She's at this adorable stage where she says good morning or goodbye to items. Like her Gabba dolls. When we are leaving the house she says, "Bye Bye Gabbas, Bye Bye Dogs, Bye Bye Computer" lol.

*She is big on blowing kisses goodbye as well.

*She loves her friends: Lucy, Carter, Sarah, Lincoln, Sylvia, and Claire. Anytime she sees a baby now, she calls them Molly. It's so cute!

Baby Molly

Claire & Clara, so cute playing!! 

Lucy & Clara

*She will randomly start crying if she misses her grandma.

*Bedtime is one of my favorite times with her. We have a whole routine: bath, vitamins, allergy meds, brush teeth, pee, jammies, and then we read a few books and talk about life. She is just so sweet! She still rubs her belly button to sleep. And now she has picked up this lovely habit of sucking on her bottom lip when she's sleepy and so she has bucky beaver teeth when she's sleeping. It's probably the funniest thing to see. Not to mention the fact that she sleeps with her eyes open too. She also loves to have her butt patted when she's falling asleep and that is a must every night before I leave her room. She still sleeps with her Nemo lamp and ocean sound on.

Refusing to nap, but passes out on the couch around 6pm, almost everyday now. 

Bath time with Boogie

Bucky Beaver Teeth, and hand on belly button

Sucking on her lip

Taking a nap with Papa on the floor

*She's afraid of the dark.

*Her memory baffles me. She remembers EVERYTHING. I can't believe the things she remembers.

*She loves to write, color, play doh, & iphones.

Rolling out Play Doh

one of her many obsessions, iphones

*She's obsessed with purses, and sunglasses, and her Gabba babies. She's been carrying them around everywhere, and lines them up, feeds them, and tucks them in bed. So cute!.

She loves putting on mommy's makeup

*Her vocabulary has now surpassed the point of keeping track. She says everything. I think I'm still the only person that understands her but it's pretty amazing.

*She SCREAMS a LOT!! She has the most high pitch, deafening scream. I'm very used to it, and don't really notice it unless we are in public. Then I freak bc I don't know how to stop her haha!

*She's a daddy's girl for sure. Loves her daddy.

*She's starting preschool in September. I'm really excited for her to learn to interact with other kids, and to be with Sister Ricks. It's only 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. It's just enough time for her to be apart from me, learn and play with other kids.

*She loves to watch movies in Mommy's bed. It's her favorite place to hang out.

*She loves to wake "Boogie" up in the mornings and from his naps. He loves her sooooo much and thinks she's hilarious.


*Her hair is finally what I consider "long". I never had long hair so I'm completely clueless in this department. I've been watching and reading some hair blogs on how to do her hair. We've done some fun things lately with knots, and braids. I still don't know how to french braid but I'll learn. She hates having her hair pulled into a "Pony", and just likes me to clip back her bangs. So she tells me every morning, "Mommy no pony, just bangs".

Twisted knot braid

*She's at the stage where I've been making everything into a game or a joke to get her to do stuff bc she's so stubborn. Today I told her it was lunch time and I was going to make her a sandwich. She said, "No mommy, no sandwich". So I said "How about you come make your sandwich, come help mommy". She got so excited, and I let her squeeze the mustard, and lay on the cheese and turkey. She ate the WHOLE sandwich. So I'm so glad all that child psych I took in college in paying off. I'm learning to embrace her stubbornness instead of fighting it. So much easier for both of us. "They" say to give them choices and that crap really works haha!

*I'm still not very big on spanking. It's VERY rare we pull out the spanking card. It usually involves some sort of safety issue if we were to spank her. I just have issues with it since I worked for CPS. I'm also afraid  when I'm really angry that I might hit her too hard, so I just don't hit her. She gets put in the corner a lot, or I turn off the tv or take away what ever she is playing with. I did try the whole throwing her toys away and it was a big giant FAIL. She doesn't quite understand that trash goes away forever, so when I threw her gabbas in the trash she said "bye bye Gabbas in trash" and went about her business. Then Eddie came along and spit tobacco in my trash can and it was a total fiasco haha!! Gabbas got a bath! So mostly I just have to give her a look, or an arm squeeze, or I count to 3, or I have resorted to pulling her hair. I grab what I can when she's running from me, lol.

*She has the craziest facial expressions. She's so animated and loves to roll her eyes, and she has started this  raspberry thing with me. It makes me so mad!!

*She's starting to sing a lot. It is so fun. She loves twinkle twinkle little star, She'll be Coming Around the Mountain, Itsy Bitsy Spider.

*She loves for me to read to her. She loves the Seuss books &  Mercer Mayer.

*I have started giving her chores. She helps cleaning up her toys, and her bedroom. She loves the help me load the laundry into the washer and put in the soap.

She begged me to let her mop, and then got really upset when I tried to take her picture, haha. 

*Her 3 year check up was sort of crazy. She was excited to go to the doctor bc we go often for Jack bc he's only 1. So she hadn't been in a long time. She kept saying "Mommy no shots", over and over. Which I knew she wasn't due for any shots until she's 4. So I told her no shots. However I had no idea that the blood pressure cuff would be the end of the world. She was HYSTERICAL, she may as well had a shot she was just as upset. She never could get a read on her blood pressure but I'm sure it was fine lol. Then she was so worked up that by the time Dr. Ho came in she continued to cry, that I had to hold her while he examined her. Which meant I had to put Jack down and he crawled around the floor which is soooo gross. He got a good hand washing before we left and a bath when we got home. Her belly button is still herniated however he won't do surgery until she's 4. He's hoping it shrinks but I doubt it will bc it's been the same size since she was born. It's not a very big one.

All ready for her 3 year check up

Playing with the toys at the drs. 

This is where the meltdown began.

She was so worked up, she cried until we got in the van.

*She is 38 3/4 inches (90th percentile) in height, 34lbs (75th percentile) in weight. Tall and skinny!!

*She loves to swim!! She's always wanting to go to Auntie Fishy's house to swim.

She really loved the beach this year.

*She hates being sticky and is constantly washing her hands, or wiping her face. 

More than anything I just hope she grows to be my best friend when she's older. I want and hope that she will stay close to me and feel that we did a good job raising her. I have such horrible fears of not having a relationship with her when she's older. I just hope we aren't damaging her in some weird way that we don't realize we are doing. It's seriously a very REAL fear of mine. I hope she feels that we honor her, and respect her, and want what will make her most fulfilled in life. And most of all, I want to be as nonjudgmental as possible. I want her to always feel she can come to me when she's scared or confused or happy or sad or stressed or angry or whatever she's feeling.  And I really hope that she stays close to her brother as they grow up. Relationships can become very complicated as we get older and it's just really difficult. I see how genuinely, and innocently they love each other. There is no drama in their relationship...yet. haha!