THREE!

we're changing our vocabulary from "she's almost 3" to "she is 3" when people ask her age and that's a crazy shift. 3 sounds so old and mature, but I guess that's what happens year after year... she's come a long way from this ...

to this...

and a trip down memory lane as she's grown up literally before our eyes...

her 2nd year...

3 years ago today still gives me the nervous feeling in my tummy if I really think about how she entered this world; it was scary and traumatic as we almost lost her, but that just fuels my gratitude and thanksgiving into this universe because she has brought such immeasureable joy to our family. We worked like dogs to have her here with us, but it seems like no work at all in hindsight because she was worth that much; we would do it all over again and then some just to be together. She had an incredible time in Busch Gardens for her birthday celebration surrounded in so much love. (there's about 300 more pictures where this one came from)

Lily, here are some of the things you're doing right now off the top of my head:

You love to sing Happy Birthday to inanimate objects like your crib, chair, dresser, etc and always reaches an unusually high pitch for the second verse of birthday.

You love to watch Supernanny and are aghast at their behaviors.

You are crazy sweet to your brother and don't like when he cries. The other day he was crying in the house with David and you were outside in the pool. Somehow you heard it with the doors closed. You looked stunned, stopped playing, raced inside like road runner, soaking wet, bringing him his favorite giraffe toy and pacifier. You begged me to make him a bottle and stood by my side tapping your toes as I got it ready then ran it to daddy.

Actually, you don't like when anyone cries and will ask a million questions when you hear someone crying or in trouble. It goes from empathy to nosy in seconds.

You love when I call for you and say "Lily Grace, I need to see your face" and you come running. Usually.

You love to climb into your carseat and have me knock from the inside of the house so you can scream you're ready.

You officially changed my dad's name from Papa to Grandpa the other day, but want David's dad to still be Papa.

You tell us everything that has happened in your past happened yesterday. Like you were born yesterday, you went to the water park yesterday, you had your birthday party yesterday, you went to grandma's house yesterday.

When we tell you to wait 10 minutes for something, you slowly count to 10 and expect time to be up. Same for 5 minutes counting to 5, 2 minutes counting to 2, etc.

When you're sick you tell me there's a bug in your tummy and you say "shoo fly" to make yourself feel better.

You have a shy personality, but surprise me all the time...like with the man at the pool you walked over to and played catch with for 30+ minutes and started up a conversation with out of the blue. He was about 85 and spoke broken English, but you two had a ball.

You remember to pray for everyone in our family and are like detective cluesoe if one is missing.

You get to watch TV in the car as a reward after we leave some place when you're a good listener at the store, play date, church, etc. You usually tell me when you have or have not earned the privilege.

You love to teach things to us that they already know how to do like you taught me how to use the kickboard yesterday and read a book. "come heer mommy, i show u" as your waving your hand in the air to lead me in that direction.

You exude happiness from every pore and teach us everyday about balance and perspective.

Your hearing is incredible. You heard grandpa's watch single tiny beep on the hour during the loudest song at church last week and it took us forever to figure out what you were saying as you were explaining what you heard. The ironic part is you say "what?" a lot when you are processing an answer to a question. I only know this because when I say "you heard me" you can repeat the answer.

You sleep like a teenager. Always have since birth; we can't figure out why you need so much sleep, but we're not complaining.

Being home with you (and Grady) has meant more to me than you'll ever know.

You like to sing your ABC's while going potty and tell me which letter you landed on when it comes out; you laugh especially hard when it comes out at the letter P and exclaim "I went pee-pee on the letter P. Dats so funny"

Grandma made you a brand new taggie blanket which is the exact replica of the 3 extremely worn blankets you use interchangeably now, but you don't like it because it's too soft. ??

You ask "where we going?" as soon as you wake up, before and after your nap and before you go to bed each night. You love to be 'on the go' like me, but it's probably because you don't know any different.

You act up the most around people that are new to you. You have a warm up period for sure. Aunt Jen says it's like the first day of school feeling for you where you feel nervous and don't know what to do with that feeling so you become more tempermental, crying over silly things that wouldn't normally bother you. You used to cry when the UPS man would come to our door when you were a baby so you've come a long way.

You do not like to be the center of attention, but danced like a wild woman in front of a group of 50 strangers at a party during the Super Bowl half time show so just when I think I have you figured out, I'm wrong.

You don't like when people say hi to you, but will often say bye to people when asked. You barely like to say hi to us when we come home bc it has to be on your terms. Oh, and you love to wave to people as they're leaving our house. You wave so hard like you're in a parade. You especially like when they honk. Sometimes I see you through the den window waving to me and daddy says you're inside begging for a honk or 2.

You fell the floor in puddle of tears at Moes in the doorway when Julie was excited to see you and said Hi while waving wildly.

You voluntarily wave to 85% of the cars as they drive by if you're playing outside.

Every time we ask you why your baby is feeling a certain way it always the same answer. "Baby is sad because she misses her mommy and daddy. Baby is happy because she is with her mommy and daddy. And baby is mad because she is in time out. "

You LOVE with a capital L to read books. You love to read the pictures and would do it for hours straight if you could. It is darling with a capital D!

You said you don't like to say hi to people because you're afraid they'll eat your toes.

Playing catch is probably your favorite game. You might get a tee-ball set for your birthday and you'll pretty jazzed about that. If the ball hits you on the head, you laugh like you're about to lose your breath and each time is like the first time it happened.

Driving your Barbie car and riding your tricycle are favorites too.

You refuse to call it a ''nap'', but you will ''rest your body'' each day without a fight.

You call going to bed at night your nap time.

You are a people pleaser at the young age of 3.

You are unbelieveably brave when it comes to roller coasters, slides, any sense of adventure which doesn't fit into your cautious personality either, but I completely trust you when you tell me you do or do not want to do something. You are sure so I'm sure and I don't push either way because you're always right. So far.

Last year I told you, in passing, you could have bubble gum when you're 5. If you see someone chewing bubble gum, you tell them you can chew it when you're 5, which isn't the case, but still funny to hear you reiterate what you heard so long ago.

The other day you were so excited at the dinner table to show me how you learned to eat green beans with your feet. I didn't know if I should laugh or be horrified.

Someone asked your brother's name the other day and you said it was Ralph. You also said you were 3 going on 4. Liar, liar, pants on fire.

You love to role play different scenarios of what you would do and what babies would do like if someone takes a toy or hits.

You don't like crunchy peanut butter. You love green beans and eat them like potato chips. You will only eat meat if it's off the grill. ??

You don't care what you wear each day so it hasn't been a struggle. Yet.

You LOVE to talk on the phone, play with my phone, look at my phone, dream of phones or anything phone related.

You love to count in Spanish like Dora. You love to for me to wait until you count to 3 in Spanish for me to turn off the car, but you always stop at "quatro" thinking that's 3.

You are loved unconditionally beyond measure by SO many. Thank you for bringing more joy into our family then we ever thought possible.

Happy Birthday Little Person.