The Big Girl

Annabelle is growing up so fast. I can truly see huge differences in her compared to just a year ago. In less than 2 months, she will be turning 4 years of age. That would probably be the most appropriate time to point out her doings, but I think I'll go ahead and sum some of that up tonight before she turns 4.

And, I am not blogging these things to brag on my very smart child. :) I really just want to remember when she started mastering certain tasks. I am in no way trying to compare my child to anyone else's child as I know these are all tasks that most children will accomplish eventually. Every child excels differently. I think it mostly has to do with personality and interests. Annabelle excels more with her fine motor skills. It is the gross motor skills we probably need to work on a bit more. I don't anticipate an athlete out of this one!

1. Annabelle is completely potty trained! She even keeps her bed dry at night. I am sure that means she will probably wet her bed tonight, but since we arrived back from vacation in July, she has been going to bed without a diaper, and she's been waking with dry panties. She typically wakes at least once for me to help guide her to the potty.

2. Not only is she completely potty trained, but she has also started insisting that she go into the bathroom stalls in public alone with the stall door locked. "I'm going to touch the potty, is that okay?" she'll ask. Of course, she doesn't have much choice as she needs to use her hands to get herself on the potty, so my response is always, "Just as long as you wash your hands, but try to touch as little as possible." I am completely disgusted by it, but I am starting to let some things go and relax just a tad. I think Sophia has helped me to relax and live a little, germs and all!

3. She helps me empty the dishwasher. This task includes drying the dishes on the top rack. Of course, the breakable dishes are still my responsibility even though she has insisted that she wants to unload everything. I draw the line with my $32 plates that will never be replaced if I have to pay for them. Annabelle is working hubby right out of his morning job that he inherited when I was gosh awful sick with Sophia during that first trimester.

4. She apparently knows how to pick up after herself at other people's houses. Do what? Was that really my child? Because you see, she never does that at home! This evening Annabelle and I had dinner with some friends to celebrate their son's first birthday. I watched Annabelle sit quietly and politely in her chair as she ate her dinner and then cake. She apparently dropped some of her cake on the floor because she picked up a piece and placed it in the palm of her hand and carried it to the kitchen to find the trash can. All without being asked! Seriously, folks, whose child was that? It could not have possibly been mine! She couldn't find the trash can, so she headed back to her chair with the cake in hand. I then asked her if she was looking for the trash can. She nodded her head yes. The birthday boy's Daddy then helped her out by taking the dropped piece of cake for her. I asked her if she had dropped her piece of cake. She responded, "Yes, it was just a little piece though." I think she was afraid she was in trouble, but I asked her if she needed more since she had dropped it. "No," she responded.

5. She's such a little mommy! Not so much to her sister as she tries her best to annoy her, but she was watching over the birthday boy this evening. So much that she knocked him down several times when she was trying to protect him from going outside in the backyard. They have a fenced in backyard, so I guess she didn't understand that he was fine to toddle around.

6. She pretty much knows all of her numbers, one through ten. She does tend to get the numbers 6 and 9 mixed up quite a bit, but that is quite understandable. She's been counting to ten since I cannot even remember! I know she was definitely counting to ten back in March 2009, but I am sure she started doing that long before then. She can also count to twenty, but she typically gets confused when she gets to thirteen and fourteen. She's been counting to twenty for quite some time too. I am pretty sure she was counting to twenty long before her 3rd birthday.

7. She's learning her ABC's, and she has started to identify and spell some words. Okay, well only one word. This past weekend, she learned to spell stop. She told hubby that she knows a stop sign says "stop...S-T-O-P."

8. She can write her name completely on her own without asking Mommy or Daddy for assistance.

9. In the last month, she has started to identify words that rhyme.

10. Within the last few weeks, Annabelle started coloring between the lines. It was quite odd as it just clicked one day. I really haven't preached it too much to her even though I am sure I have mentioned it to her on an occasion or two, but one day she colored between the lines and came to me to show me the great job she had done.

11. She can draw simple pictures such as balloons, tulips and stick figures.

12. Annabelle picks out her own outfit for the next day at bedtime. She has been getting herself completely dressed in the mornings without any assistance from Mommy or Daddy. That doesn't mean, however, that she always matches, but it'll do!