My Big Kid is 3!!!!

The little girl who made me a mommy is 3 today. I can't believe it! The year from 2 to 3 has hands down been my favorite, and I'm excited to see what 3 holds. I did not think the 2s were terrible at all. Watching her grow, learn, and become her own person has been such a fun ride. Felicity is smart as a whip, tender hearted, assertive some of the time, and shy some of the time. I often say I never know what I'll get with her. I guess she's like a box of chocolates ;). For her birthday, we threw a Paw Patrol family party complete with a pink cake with purple icing that she requested. Today we're going to a giant indoor play place and having ice cream sundaes for supper! She got lots of paw patrol toys as well as a cleaning kit, outdoor toy kitchen, and our big gift to her is magnatiles... which we can't wait to play with :).


Height: 38 inches... she had a growth spurt this year and looks so tall to me now! She outgrew our back up car seat (even though it's rated for 40 lbs 40 in) almost over night.

Weight: 36.5 lbs; during that growth spurt, Felicity also went from a 2T to a 4T. She has almost no 3T clothes to pass down to Clare because we barely had anything in that size before the pants got too short. I do think her diaper affects that somewhat, but 4T clothes seem more comfortable for her.

Medical issues: Poor girl has some major constipation issues we're puzzled by and trying to solve, which also seems to be affecting potty training, so that's on the back burner until we get everything figured out for her. Other than that, she's had a couple small bugs and colds this year but has actually been the healthiest out of the 4 of us. Multiple times the rest of us would have something, and she'd never catch it.

Sleep: About a month ago, Felicity gave up naps. I don't mind because she still has a "rest" where she stays in her room for about 90 minutes. Sometimes she stays in bed and other times gets out, but she plays quietly. This gives me down time while Clare is down, or time to nurse/keep Clare down while she is in her room, so it works out really well. She has put herself to bed easily and slept through the night the entire past year, with (thankfully) no regressions when Clare was born, or anything like that. She's a great sleeper! Felicity usually sleeps anywhere from 6:30/7;30pm to 6/7 am. Some days she will sleep til 7:30! I realize that may be early for some, but it is luxurious here.

Clothes/diaper size: As I mentioned before, she's mostly in 4T. I suspect she'll be in them for quite a while, but she could surprise me! Felicity is wearing a size 6 diaper.

Likes: Everything Paw Patrol! Her imagination has exploded over the last few months, and she will easily spend an hour in her room or at the kitchen table playing with her paw patrol toys (and she has LOTS of them because we apparently have no self control). From 1 until about 2.5, she didn't care much for toys, especially if she was playing alone. Most of her things went untouched and she was much more into reading, dancing, arts and crafts, etc. Now she will get out Little People, puzzles, her doctor kit and so many other things and come up with her own little scenarios. I have a blast peeking in at her to see what she's playing. It's such a fascinating glimpse into her little brain.

Felicity loves naming colors, numbers, shapes, days of the week and letters. She's has them down for probably close to the last year, except days of the week which are very new for her, and is now starting to enjoy trying to copy letters (as of this week). She is incredibly easy to teach. I have never 'formally' taught her anything. She watches educational shows, we sing songs, read, and I point out things in every day life and she absorbs them almost immediately. I'm always surprised when I teach her something once or twice (like how to pray the children's rosary where you just say the names of the prayers) and she will do it on her own days or even weeks later. I hope she is always this much of a sponge.

She also enjoys just about any show on Rootle (the PBS kids' channel), any book that comes her way especially Berenstain bears, dress up, snacks, and night snuggles.

Dislikes: Felicity is very, very tender and is, dare I say outraged?, when someone hits or pushes her, or takes her toys. Though she of course will offend others in the same way, it is so hurtful to her when it happens to her. Much to my dismay, she does not really like kisses or hugs. She might run up and hug me once or twice a day, but that's about it. Kisses are almost nonexistent. She doesn't like loud noises, anything in her shoes, or wearing coats even when it's cold!

Nicknames: She mostly requests to be called Skye (Paw Patrol), and we call her Tickle, Big Girl, baby, and sissy.

I don't want to forget this: Felicity has matured so much this year! She's pretty good at using her manners, although she's a little 'bossy' ;). She LOVES nursery (1x a month) and being left with neighbors (maybe 3-4x a month) where 8 or so months ago she would have dissolved in tears at being left. Now she runs off, refusing a hug goodbye. Probably out of necessity, Felicity has become much more independent since Clare was born. She gets her own diapers and wipes, along with her sister's, and throws away the dirty ones. She's putting her dishes in the sink and sometimes will wipe up her messes. She is pretty good about putting things away, and seems to like things having a 'place'. She's very much a preschooler and not a toddler anymore!

I love watching the special relationships she has with her grandparents. She warms up to them almost immediately, if not immediately, and loves to play with and cuddle them. It's also been so fun to watch her with her sister! Although sometimes it's frustrating how rough she is with her, there are also tons of sweet moments where she'll try to comfort Clare if I can't get to her right away, saying things like "it's ok baby; your mommy is right here!". She also is cute about sharing her food with Clare, which she won't do with anyone else!

I love this girl so much!!!!