Happy 3rd birthday Abby Lu

This blog post is publishing at 1:18 AM, the moment 3 years ago that you entered the world and gave me the greatest title ever, Mommy. I waited so long for you and you have not disappointed me one bit. There is so much I want to remember about you and this age and I fear my memory and words will fail me.

You are by far the funniest kid I know. I am sure most parents think that about their kids and they may all be right. You make up songs, tell funny stories, have a million facial expressions, speak in different characters voices, and entertain at all times. 

 You are loving and caring and show your compassion to those you love. You will get a sappy look on your face, tilt your head and tell me "I lub you so much" at least 5 times a day. You run and give hugs, smother my face in kisses, and tell me things like, "I adore you", "you are the best Mom" and "you're my favorite". I should bottle these kind words up for the years when you hate me!

You are incredibly organized and structured. You are routine. If you have one Yo Gabba Gabba bracelet, you must have the full matching set. If I give you green foamy bath soap, it must go in the green bowl.You never ask for a snack, it is always "a snack and a drink". You want an equal number of blankets to match your baby dolls at night time. Order is important to you. You like to count things and make sure they are all there before moving on. You come by it honestly no doubt and I hope it helps you succeed in whatever God has chosen for you to do.

You are a pretty good eater and sleeper. You have a limited number of things you will eat, but you typically eat a healthy portion of them. Your only vegetables are: peas, green beans, cucumbers, sweet potato fries, corn, carrots (raw or cooked), and broccoli. Any other you have tried have been unsuccessful. You'll eat any fruit we give you. Meat is not your thing yet. You eat chicken nuggets, grilled chicken and lunch meats only. You don't seem to understand assembled food- no pizza, sandwiches, spaghetti, corn dogs, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.  You will eat anything bread or sweet related! No questions ask- I have no idea how you know! 

A typical day is a cereal bar and milk for breakfast about 7:30, a healthy mid-morning snack of fruit, cheese, or pretzels, and then lunch about 11:45. Your school lunch is cheese and crackers, fruit, and raw carrots with water or a yogurt smoothie. After nap, you get a "treat" and you love little 100 calorie snacks, a lollipop, or fruit snacks. For dinner, we often give you lunch meat or chicken nuggets, a hot vegetable, and a roll or tortilla. You love almond milk, whole milk, and mango milk (yogurt smoothie). We haven't given you juice, but you drink apple juice/water mix at school.

You are a good sleeper, once you fall asleep. Some nights you are out quickly and other nights you'll take 2 hours to go to sleep. For the most part, you will talk to yourself in bed for 2 hours and we don't even know you are still awake! You always sleep through the night. You nap for about 2 hours each day and sleep from about 9 PM - 7 AM. 

We have your 3 year well check next week, but I am certain she will tell us that you are TALL! I can only assume you will stop growing soon and level out with other kids. Between your big vocabulary and your height, people often assume you are already 4. You wear a 2T or 3T clothing. You have a 4T head, 2T waist and 3T length. So, it just depends. Your feet have caught up with your age and you wear a size 8.

I asked you 20 questions after bath the other night and hope to ask these same questions of you each year. Some of these answers came out of the blue.... I would have paid big money that your favorite color is blue, your best friend is Makayla or Kalea, and that your favorite drink is milk!

Happy 3rd birthday babycakes! We love you always!