Three is the new two

OK moms, you know I'm right...threes are fun, but boy are they exhausting. They're still toddlers with limited self-control so they still have the tantrums, but they're bigger, louder, stronger, and smarter. Bianca is just learning so much and needs a lot of stimulation and is always asking WHY--I love her questions, but man do I get tired of the sound of my own voice!

I never expected a three-year-old to be so smart and inquisitive. A couple of her recent questions: Mama what's that black dot? (the period at the end of a sentence) Mama why does the sky move? (referring to the clouds moving in the wind) and Mama, can we go on an airplane to Mexico? (something we've never discussed!)

We've been doing a lot of talking about making good choices (letting me put her sister to sleep in peace is an example of a good choice) so I made her a chart to keep track. I'm hoping that it will help me to catch her being GOOD, instead of always scolding her for being bad. When she gets 10 stickers, she gets to choose something out of the "treasure box", which I stocked this week at Target and the dollar store. So far she loves it, and I like it too--even on a tough day (like Wednesday--as shown below, there weren't many good choices that day) I can look at the chart and see that there were a some good moments. :)



She likes to sit on any high surface--here it's Mia's hamper--and pretend like she's reading storytime to us. :) Funny, because when we actually GO to storytime at the Library, she's super squirmy, giggles with the kid next to her, asks me if we can leave, gets up to go and get a book, etc. etc. :)

Mia is so big now...I just moved her into her 3-6 month clothes. She loves her baby gym...I think she enjoys it even more than Bianca did. She's working on rolling back-to-front and I'm now remembering the roller coaster of physical milestones during the first year. It's so fun when they learn a new skill, but the weeks leading up to it when they practice incessantly and get really frustrated...not so much! Speaking of sleep, she's doing 8-9 hours at a stretch at night. It's awesome.

Rolling practice consists of rolling to her side (like this) and arching her head back as far as it will go, and then trying to rock onto her front. :) Lots of angry grunting involved. I have very strong, determined kids.

Sweet cheeks! I totally recognize this look from when B was a baby...the "Mom, the camera again? Seriously?" look. She's such a sweet little soul.