Almost 3 1/2

Grace will be 3 1/2 next Tuesday. How did my baby go from

thisto this?

Seriously...when did that happen? The three years since we took that first photo over Thanksgiving weekend in 2007 have flown by. My baby is now my little "big" girl. She walks the fine line between still being my baby and being a preschooler who exerts her independence and a desire to try to do everything by herself. I love listening to Grace talk and watching her learn to do new things. But, I also love those times when she climbs in my lap to cuddle and tells me, "Mama, I don't want to get bigger". (She has started to call me "Mama" sometimes, and I kinda like it!)

So, at 3 1/2 Grace:

• wants to be a nurse when she grows up. I didn't even know she had an understanding of what types of jobs people do. And, I didn't know she knew what a nurse does. But, when I asked her she said "they help people who are sick".
  
• loves to hear her own voice echo. She will shout or just make funny sounds in places where her voice is amplified. If you are ever in a public bathroom with us, you will see what I mean.
  
• has become fascinated with puzzles. I can't say she is very good at them, but working on a puzzle is something that keeps her attention for a long time and I see improvement each time she does one. Although they are only 24 pieces, they are great for concentration, problem solving, matching, geometric and spatial reasoning, and pre-reading skills.
  
• can spell her name, tell what street she lives on (and that is HARD - our street name has three words to remember), and what city we live in. I am never going to lose her, but it sure makes me feel better knowing she can help someone find me if it ever happens!
• makes up nonsense stories when she is in the bathtub, playing on her own, or trying to delay bedtime. And, every story ends with "the end"!
• is a little monkey who tests my nerves by climbing and jumping on her bed, the couch, the stairs, the jungle gym at the park....pretty much anything!
• remembers everything! It amazes me sometimes how she tells me what direction I should turn the car, identifies family members in photos even if she hasn't seen them in a while, retells the details of stories we have read, sings the words to songs, and shares information she learned at school like what the American flag looks like or what and optical illusion is. But....Miss Stubborn will not tell you ANYTHING if she doesn't want to. No amount of coaxing or bribery will work. She just says, "I'm not talking now" or "Mommy, be quiet"..
  
• is a little diva and show-off when she wants someone's attention. Then, she will try to make funny faces, tell a joke, create silly words, or repeat something you said or mimic something you do. It is not funny! But it is funny to know that she is trying her hardest to bring the attention back in her direction.