THREE

Dearest little Goose,
Wheeeee! You are THREE! And you are fierce and mighty and stubborn and hilarious and silly and creative and introspective and fun-loving and very very busy. First thing in the morning, you ask "what is our day today?" wanting to know all of the things we have planned. We must have at least 3 fun things on the agenda or you will either protest or demand that something be added.

You love to go swimming, to play in sand, dancing, visiting Coney Island, playing at home with your dolls and toys, playing with your friend Ossie and being read to. It's a toss up on how excited you are to go to a playground, ride your scooter, go the Child Watch at the Y or hang out with your sister. Sometimes those are awesome and sometimes NOT.

You really like to sing and often sing to yourself while you're playing or riding in your stroller. Some favorites right at the moment are your Brooklyn Nature Days songs (I don't know them, but one is Heyla Sheyla, which is a bunch of silly words and sounds), Call Me Maybe, Fight Song, The Lady with the Alligator Purse, Irreplaceable, Please Don't Stop the Music and The Four Questions. 

You just finished up your first session of drop off ballet and swimming classes at the Y, which you loved. You did a year of Brooklyn Nature Days once a week and are continuing that through the summer. You're a bit slow to warm up in new situations (except ballet class, but maybe it didn't seem new to you since you've been going with your sister your whole life), but after a few weeks you are comfortable and having fun.

You have a total mind of your own and cannot be deterred when you've set your mind to something. You pick out your own clothes every day, you decide what you want to eat every day (breakfast is always toast with cream cheese and bagel seeds AND cookie dough AND smoothie) and you decide what mode of transportation we use. Just today we had to backtrack and add time to our walk home from camp because you NEEDED to walk over a specific sybridge and I missed the turn for it. There was no tantrum, simply "But, mama, I need to go over that skybridge. You need to go back"  Most often we accomodate the requests (within reason, of course!) because you're so pleasant about it all.I can't wait to see you grow into the fierce person you already are.

Now that you're three, you're super excited to be BIG! You can reach the water fountain at the Y all by yourself (and so now do so often), you can put on your own sunblock, you put on your own shoes and socks. The baby is almost all gone. ALMOST. You still nurse to sleep and use diapers, but other than that, your babyhood is solidly in the past.

Two and 3/4

Dearest little Goosey,
These days are SO MUCH FUN! Seriously. We have a blast.

You wake up in the morning either as baby Grace (from Little House on the Prairie) or baby Cece (from Doc McStuffins) and want to be called that name until you let us know you are now Beezus and you're 7 years old. Nothing else in your day changes based on who you are, it's just the name you want to be called. But you do also love playing pretend and will play family all day, loving being a mommy or a big sister to your dolls and loving switching their outfits and changing their diapers.

The next thing you want to know is "what is our day today?" This is while we are still in bed, you just want to get a sense of the lay of the land. You are almost always happy with whatever the day is, you just want to know. If it's raining, you say you love rainy days. If it's sunny and cold, you say you love that. If it's sunny and warm, you an't wait to go to the playground. You are truly easygoing about nearly everything. (Except of course if I call you by the wrong name of who you are pretending to be!)

You sing all the time when no one is watching. If you're playing by yourself, or riding in the stroller, you are singing to yourself. Sometimes they're songs we know, sometimes you're narrating your activities with a tune.

You have cute little vocal tics, too, like saying "yes I mam" and "bumbrella" for umbrella. You also often say "y" instead of "l" so in the middle of the day it's time for yunch and your sister is Eee Yie Za

In the past couple of weeks you've turned a corner on your scooting ability and now you love to scoot to the playground or the train or to pick up your sister at school. Usually you need a break once or twice in the course of every 10 minutes or so, but once you get back on: ZOOM.

You've been doing Brooklyn Nature Days for about 6 months now and you love it. Sometimes you say it's boring, but you always are happy to go and tell me all about it all week. I think the "boring" parts are just the being in nature parts, which is actually quite lovely

In addition to playing outside, you love going to the Y for indoor playground, Child Watch and arts & crafts. You love playing at home, cooking in your kitchen, coloring cards for your Nature Days teachers, dressing up and finding a cozy place to play pretend.

window sill tea party for lots of your guys

You also LOVE reading books and are very happy snuggling on the couch reading book after book. Right now your favorites are the Llama Llama books and the Sandra Boyton collection. Though you really enjoyed listening along with the Little House and Ramona Quimby books, too.

We are loving watching you grow and learn and become more and more of yourself. 

Two and a half!

Dear sweet Goose,
You are TWO and a HALF! We sang "Happy half birthday to you" and put a candle in your toast to blow out. And now when anyone asks how old you are, you say "two and a half!" Your other big thing to share with everyone, all the time, is "I'm not a baby!"  I call you "baby" sometimes, as a term of endearment; you always correct me. Sometimes you wake up a few hours after you've gone to sleep and start crying and I'll come to you and murmur, "it's okay, baby, mama's here" and you will murmur back in your half sleep "I'm not a baby!" Today the train conductor said "hello, baby!" to you as you got off the train and you looked at him like he was dumb and said "I'm not a baby." So, you are consistent!

SO clearly not a baby! Nearly a grown up!

You have really started to assert your independence, clearly following your own agenda despite what Daddy, your babysitter and I are asking. Another frequent phrase we hear from you is "I listening now!" which is almost always in response to us depriving you of something you want because you haven't been listening. For example:
Me: Goose, please get down from the couch like that, we don't jump on the couch

You: jump jump jump

Me: Goose, I don't like that, you're not being safe with your body!

You: jump jump jump. I AM being safe

You: I want a cookie

Me: Goose, you may not have a cookie since you're not listening or being safe with your body

You: jump jump jump.....I listening now!

You don't like to be rushed and scolded me a LOT when I half pulled you across the street so we could get across in time with the light. You told me I was being super mean and hurt you (I really didn't hurt you at all!!) and did not like it!  I love that you assert yourself! But it scares the shit out of me that sometimes you don't feel like crossing the street in a timely manner

Also along with your dancing to your own drummer: you pick out your own clothes now. You have a favorite pink and white striped skirt that you wear almost every day.

You also are very particular about which shoes you're going to wear, which coat you want, how you want your hair done and what accessories you want to bring with you every time we leave the house. If it's completely up to you, you'd be completely laden with a backpack, a purse, a stroller, a wand, a baby (or two) and a phone. As you can see from the above pictures, we usually end up with one or two and that seems satisfactory.

You love hearing stories, love the library and love cuddling up with me and your sister and listening to what she's reading. Right now it's Little House on the Prairie, and while the narrative goes over your head, you ask often about Mary, Laura, baby Carrie, Ma and Pa. 

You also love signing and often sign to yourself as we're walking down the street or trying to fall asleep. The last rainy day we had, I was crabby about the weather and was grumpy to have to go outside to get where we were going. And you just started singing softly "Oh! It's a rainy day! Oh! Rain rain rain! Oh! I love to find puddles!" and instantly my mood brightened and the rain seemed more fun.

You continue to bring joy to all you meet. Keep listening to your own drummer, dear Goose. 

28 Months (almost!)

Dearest Little Goose,
Man oh man are you delicious these days! You are so verbal, we have complete conversations all the time now. Very occasionally Daddy and I don't understand what you're saying and your sister will translate, but most of the time you're fully able to communicate.

You count to 14 and know that numbers correspond to quantities of things. You will get two pieces of paper and say "Two papers, one for you and one for me" which I guess means you know math, too!  You like to count and will sometimes do it when you're measuring something like colors on the paper or steps you're taking. And sometimes you just count for fun.

You have some books memorized and will sometimes just start saying them when we're out and about. Mostly this is with the Knuffle Bunny books: you will look at me and say "One day, not so long ago..." and I'll pick up, "before she could even speak words, Trixie went on an errand with her Daddy." And then we go back and forth, reciting the story. You do it with Moo Baa La La La, too, which ends with "It's quiet now. What do YOU say?" and you always say "Again!" and so we read the book again.

We had a wonderful time visiting our family in Seattle and you LOVED all your time with your family.

First time eating jam. You're a fan! 

 Dress up in my old flower girl dress

 At Pike Place, watching the flying fish

 Holding hands with "uncle Kathy"

 Hiking with Daddy. You did GREAT!

 Considering sharing your veggie straws with Silly Uncle Davic

 Hoodie Buddies!

 Cousins! We love our Family By Choice

 Uncle Rossy read a LOT of stories to you both

 On a boat with Auntie Ellen!

 Suburban Backyard Sprinkler Dance Party

 Riding in style

 You have pretended to call "Linea" and her friend (and Kaden and Aunt Xan) many days since we've been back. You had a BLAST with them

Kirshenbaum boys are so much fun!

This round of dress up was started by you. As soon as we got to Uncle Mike and Aunt Xan's, you asked for dress up clothes. 

Seattle was wonderful and you loved everyone we spent time with, but it was a long trip and you were ready to go home by the end. The last few nights we were there, when you were overtired and needing to sleep, you would just cry "GO HOME!" And when we finally got home, you were so happy to see your toys and books. You instantly plopped down in front of your Legos and Magna Tiles and just built happily for hours.

You also LOVE coloring and making art. You have been making some fascinating collages with stickers, coloring and using scissors to make different types of fringe. You love to make art for specific people, mostly your sister and Maddie, but also me, Daddy and your dance teacher. 

You also are very into natural treasures. Sometimes when you're walking, you become fixated on "treasures" and need to collect them. "Ticks" (sticks), rocks and leaves are "beautiful!" and you try to fit as many as possible into my pockets. Before handing the treasures to me, you tell me "I love it!" and marvel at the beauty you see.

We had to bring all of this home. Plus about 6 acorns

AND....You started school!!! Well, preschool alternative Brooklyn Nature Days. You go one day a week from 9-12 and this week was the first time I dropped you off. You totally rocked it, telling me when you were ready for me to leave. When I came to pick you up, you looked close to tears when you saw me, but didn't cry and said you had so much fun. And since then, you've been playing "coco time" (circle time) and cleaning up the floor to make room for us to sit in a circle (well, a two person circle) and have tea. You already sing songs from school and talk about your teachers and how you like to hold their hands. I think it's still going to be an adjustment, but you're so proud to have your own thing to do and be a big kid.

And almost 2 and a half, you have no interest in potty training or weaning. We sleep in the same bed and you sleep well (most of the time) until early monring when you want to nurse and then you nurse/sleep for the rest of the night. On good days, you ask to nurse starting at 5:30ish and on bad nights it can be 4 or even 3:30. I try to keep dozing, with varying degrees of success, but you definitely fall asleep here and there. You walk for longer distances, often walking the whole way to the subway or bus stop. You love to climb and climb up whatever you can at the playground. 

You love to dance, and will often request ballet music and then dance around the house. You love to dress up and are often in some stage of costume whenever we are home. You sing all the time, often songs from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (on your first day of school, while we were walking from the train to class, you started signing "Grown Ups Come Back") but also the Annie soundtrack and Fight Song and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ("my song!"). You adore your sister, missing her while she's at school, asking to play with her and hug her when you see her and counting the days until the weekend.  You love hot dogs and request them for dinner at least 3 times a week. You also ask for lollipops, which I give you most of the time you ask since you hardly ever finish them and mostly just take a few licks. You know you are "'lergic" to eggs and won't try to eat food that we tell you has eggs in it. You like to help cook and are big on doing things "gether" which means you put your hands on whatever I'm doing. 

You love to explore your surroundings and are overall just such a happy person. I feel like no matter how much time we have together it's never enough. I try to see the world through your eyes and be impressed by how beautiful everything is. I try to capture your wonder and enjoyment. I love you so so so so much