Lauren at 3 and a Half

I had good intentions of posting an update about Lauren when she turned three back in November, but we had a few other things going on. ;) Time went by and I figured I'd do an update when she became three and a half in May. Well, here we are in July and it still hasn't been done. Poor girl is going to have a large gap in her scrapbook, right around the time her brother was born. Good thing I made it up to her by creating a new person for her to play with. :) So, finally, here are a few things about Lauren at this age...

*I always seem to start with stats, but I don't know her official weight/height at the moment. She was about 34 pounds at her last visit to the doctor, but that was back in January. She is currently between 41 and 42 inches according to the growth chart in her room. Still tall, still beautiful.*We tend to joke that she is 3 going on 13. She looks older than her age and often acts older than her age (attitude included). She can have full conversations with adults and is easily understood. She's already interested in clothes, hair, and make-up. In some ways it is a blessing and a joy to have a child who is "advanced." In other ways, I don't want her to be in such a hurry to grow up!*She loves all things princess, especially "big, pretty dresses." One of my favorite Lauren moments happened a few months ago, when I went to check on her during the night. I discovered her sleeping like this:*Lauren loves pretend play. She makes good use of her dolls, her play kitchen, her doll houses, her dress-up clothes, her playhouse, etc. And she's constantly talking while she plays--sometimes to her pretend friends (who are "playing" with her) and sometimes just to her toys. Actually, she's just constantly talking. Period. As someone who enjoys peace and quiet, I have had to adjust. :)*She doesn't have a whole lot of interest in drawing or coloring. She started making stick figure princesses (of course) a while ago, but doesn't spend too much time with that. She's more interested in books and reading, rather than writing. (These pictures are from March, of her first drawings.)*She is still great with puzzles, and can easily do her 100-piece puzzles on her own. She is also very good with numbers. I'm often surprised at how she makes up mathmatical word problems on her own. For example, she got a new My Little Pony at the store a few months ago. When we were driving home, she said, "Mommy, there were only three ponies at the store, and I bought one. Now there are only two ponies at the store." Interesting that her mind works in these ways without being prompted.

*She has a great memory, often bringing up things that happened a long time ago (from her perspective) and talking about them. Are all 3-year-olds like that? I don't really know.*She's a good eater, enjoying a variety of foods. High on her list of favorites are chicken, fruits, crackers, and anything sweet.*She is a great big sister. She adores the little guy, and they play together often. She entertains him in the car or in his crib, when he first wakes up from a nap.*She also adores her daddy. She is thrilled when he gets home from work, and they play together every evening. They also ride bikes together, and Daddy is teaching her to play catch, t-ball, and other "sports." Not a lot of athletic ability, but a lot of desire to actively have fun, and that's what we are encouraging. :)*She is shy around adults she doesn't know, but very quick to make friends with other little girls. When we go to the park, she's not very interested in the playground equipment, but immediately looks for another girl to make friends with. *Lauren is a wonderful 3-year-old from the perspective of a parent. She has her difficult moments (of course) but she always wants to please us and she generally listens and obeys very well. She entertains herself much of the time and plays independently quite often. She takes directions well, and can dress herself, help clean up, and get her own snacks. All of this has been very helpful as I've been dealing with a new baby. {Update: I actually wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but didn't have time to finish it then. It's funny reading back over it now--it sounds so clinical, as if I'm describing someone else's kid! But you know we love our Lauren dearly. She is a blessing, a joy, a challenge, and a delight. She is uniquely Lauren. And I love having these blog posts to remember what the kids are like at each stage. It will change in the blink of an eye...}