Birthday Videos
Oops, I never posted videos from Anya’s third birthday back in October and Sierra’s first birthday in December!
Anya’s birthday video:
Singing “Happy Birthday” to Sierra:
Sierra eats her cake:
Gymnastics
We took Anya to preview a gymnastics class that two of her friends are taking. She had a lot of fun and I think it will help improve her gross motor development (Anya, I love you, but holy moly girl, you trip over your own feet A LOT).
Warming up:
Sierra the spectator:
Anya in action:
Call Me!
My big girl Anya knows her phone number and address! I’d love to post a video of her singing her little songs, but I don’t think broadcasting our contact information to the whole world is advisable, so oh well. If you want to see, you’ll have to catch the live show.
Big Girl Ambitions
Lately, Anya has been talking a lot about how she’s going to be a real princess when she grows up and she’s going to live in a castle. She also told me that when she’s a princess she’s going to have a little brother and he’s going to grow in HER belly.
I kind of wonder what being grownup looks like in Anya’s mind. A conversation from this afternoon:
Anya – When I’m big I won’t have toys anymore.
Me – Oh? What will you have?
Anya – Grownup stuff.
Me – Like what?
Anya – (thinks for a second) Scissors!!!
More on Anya
As of about two weeks ago, we stopped insisting that Anya take a nap. Even though she would sleep most days for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, she was having a very hard time falling asleep at night and was also waking up too early in the morning. In the past, if she didn’t nap, she would get cranky or kind of punchy around dinnertime and would be nearly falling asleep by bath time. However, the nap skipping experiment has gone quite well. Most days she breezes through the day without issue and then goes to sleep relatively soon after we put her to bed – and stays asleep for about 11 straight hours. A couple of times, skipping the naps has caught up with her and we ended up having her “rest” in her bed, knowing she would probably conk out. I hear that tends to happen when kids give up their naps.
Also, Anya can now officially spell three words – her name, boots, and mom. :)
Did I mention…?
That Anya has been sleeping in underwear instead of a pull-up for nearly three weeks now with no accidents yet? Or that she can put on her jacket by herself? Or that she (usually) can tell her right from her left?
So Literal
Three-year-olds are so literal. Tonight I was singing “Don’t Stop Believin‘” to Anya and after the first few lines, she turned to me, appalled, and said, “Mommy, it’s not nice to take the train.”
She was much happier after I explained that “take the train” means to ride the train.
Anya’s three-year well check
Anya had her well check with the pediatrician today. She weighed 32 lbs and was measured to be 36.5 inches tall. I’d kind of like a second opinion on the height, though. I think she might be a little taller than that. She did not quite understand how to stand up against the wall so the nurse could measure her. At school, they measured her to be 38 inches. I’d guess she’s somewhere in between those two heights.
(I should have mentioned in her update: At age 3, Anya is wearing size 7 1/2 shoes, shirts ranging from 2T to 4T depending on the brand, and still 24 months pants, which continue to fall off her tush on a regular basis.)
The appointment went well. I think this particular doctor is so good with little kids. She was feeling a little skittish at first, but he got her to warm up fairly quickly and she got through the whole exam without any tears. He said she’s in excellent health and commented on her being particularly articulate. 
No shots for her, hooray! Sierra did get her booster flu shot, in her arm rather than her leg at my request. She cried for approximately a millisecond. I also sat her on the scale, just to see, and she weighed 19 1/2 lbs fully clothed.
To Anya, on the Occasion Of Your Third Birthday
My Dearest Anya,
Mommy’s post right before this one is excellent, and encompasses much of what I’m feeling now that you’re three. You’re an amazing little big girl, and the emotion that’s at the forefront of my mind as you cross this age milestone is supremely easy to summarize:
I am so very, very proud to be your dad.
The things you say, the jokes you make, the insights you have, and the questions you pose — they’re all a delight to hear, and awe-inspiring to witness.
Before you were born, I wrote you a song to try to capture what I was feeling back then. I sang it for you at your baby naming, and I’ve sung it for you many times since — often, by your request!
I don’t want to write a sappy song
That’ll make you roll your eyes
You can definitely be my mushy girl, professing your love for me (and the rest of your family), offering plentiful hugs and kisses unprompted. But there are definitely times you’re not so interested in the gooey, over-sentimental stuff. Sometimes, you just want to have fun!
I just want to write a happy tune
That we’ll both know for all our lives.
Since you’re already able to sing the entire song to me, I don’t have to worry about that last part so far.
Don’t know that I have it in me
To write the perfect song,
But if it’s about you, Anya,
Then how can I go wrong?
Man, was I prescient. The song didn’t have to be (and isn’t) perfect. You are.
‘Cause you’re my baby,
And I’m your dad
You’re the very first daughter
I have ever had
I love you so much
More than I can sing
My whole life I’ll try to thank you
For all the joy you bring
Mommy covered the main points here already. You are forever our baby, even as you become a bigger and bigger big girl. I don’t have the words to express how much I love you. And I really do constantly try to show you how grateful I am for you. Listen, you’re a three-year-old kid: There are times where you can be trying for even the most devoted and patient of daddies. But even when you’re being, shall we say, a challenge, I’m constantly reminding myself how lucky and fortunate I feel to be your dad, and how I want to value each moment with you, even when you’re on your forty-fifth minute of eating the same apple.
Anya, as I try to write something that captures even a fraction of how happy I you are my daughter, you’re sitting here eating breakfast (slowly). You’ve negotiated for a bite of an unseen granola bar, assuming you eat the rest of your breakfast first. You’ve said “Oh, thank you!” in response to my giving you your Healthy Vitamin. You’ve declared: “Daddy, I love you!” — apropos of nothing. And just now, you announced: “I painted my pumpkin in Izzy’s sukkah!” Yes, that’s true. And I love that you have a mind of your own that thinks about things, jumping from thought to thought. Too cool. And now: “Is that your granola bar? Don’t eat the last bite, because the last bite’s for me!”
You started talking so young, and the sentences you construct now are incredible. Getting to know you through your thoughts and words has been remarkable. Seeing your 3-year-old joy at spotting your stack of gifts, with your jaw truly dropping as low as it could as you stood in awe, was awesome. But hearing you squeal: “Oh, look at all the presents for me!” was even better.
You’re a very special girl, and I love you very much. Happy birthday.