Reagan - 3 Years Old Already!

3 years old is such a fun birthday to celebrate! Reagan was so excited that it was finally her turn to blow out the candles! It was really the first birthday where she understood that we were celebrating her and boy, was she a happy birthday girl!

We went to the store a week before her birthday and she picked out a her own Finding Nemo cake, but was disappointed we didn't bring it home that day. When she finally saw it, her eyes lit up for the rest of the day! Reagan got to share her special cake with Nana, Papa, Auntie Phyllis, Uncle Frank and Auntie Kathleen, but unfortunately, it was also the beginning of the continuous snow we've received and John's parents couldn't make it up from Rochester to celebrate.

Hard to believe our little baby is already 3! She has definitely grown out of the toddler stage and is really growing into such a sweet, independent little girl.

The unplanned theme of her gifts were Toy Story and dress up. She started the night as Jessie from Toy Story, complete with Jessie doll and Bullseye the horse.

But she was completely won over by this Tinkerbell dress from Uncle Tim, Auntie Jane and cousin Emma! The dress has barely left her body for the last 6 weeks!

3 years old has begun as a difficult age for all of us. There seem to be more tantrums, power struggles and defiance than ever before. But Reagan can also be super sweet, loving, creative and suprisingly smart too. We just never know what mood the day will bring.

Some of our favorite things about Reagan at age 3:

• The best birthday present to John and I was Reagan's decision to wear underwear! We hadn't been pushing it too hard and it paid off ~ Stress free potty training!
• The associations she makes between things are hilarious. Her shadow is her "eyeshadow," at one point, I must have said, "I need a stool or something." Now our stepstool is called a "stool something." Princess and Christmas have been combined into "Princmas."
• She loves to "write." She has a special Tinkerbell notebook that she writes in. She writes in squiggly lines, sometimes separating the squiggles as different "letters."
• Dress up and pretend have become her favorite pastimes. She loves to dress up as Tinkerbell and Jessie. We also play a lot of puppy with my belts as her leashes.
• Reagan loves to do art projects with markers, paints, stickers, glitter, you name it!
• She still loves gymnastics. She surprised John and I this fall by beginning to jump, grab and swing on the bars in the gym. She is fearless!
• Reagan loves to read a lot. She often just wants to read books herself and not be read too. She doesn't know to read the words, but she makes the story up from what she knows about the book and from her imagination.
• It is amazing how many songs she knows the words too. Even Lady Gaga!
• She is great at doing puzzles. She got a few new ones for her birthday that I thought she would need to wait on, but she can put together the 48 piece puzzle with little help!
• We're working on emotions and empathy. Reagan is starting to recognize how she is feeling and telling us how she feels. We're also trying to make her understand that pushing, hitting, and biting hurt someone and it's our job to make them feel better. This is mostly an issue with her brother, but I think she has a hard time using her words at school too.

Reagan is a fiercely independent little girl and has been from birth. At a stage that is known for power struggles and tantrums, this independence really comes out. While it can be frustrating at times, John and I truly believe that this will serve her well in the future. She's not going to let anyone push her around, that's for sure!

On the other hand, her joy and excitement are hard to contain and she really makes you appreciate how exciting the little things can be.

We love our little girl through the ups and the downs!