My beautiful Renae turned 3 on June 18, where have the last 3 years gone?? I know I've said it before but I really don't enjoy how fast time is going, I just want to keep my kids small forever. BUT...... that being said, I really need Renae to grow up a little. This age is fun and hard! Renae has a wonderfully, busy spirit, she is always on the go unless she is sleeping (I am still encouraging naps when I can get them in). She has changed so much in the last year. When I was looking at pictures from last summer, she still seemed very small to me but now looking at her she has definitely grown up some. She has the most wonderful smile and laugh that makes me laugh even when she is being cheeky bad, I don't know how many times I've chased her to the sound of that deliciously cheeky giggle.
We've had a rough few months together as we've been trying to improve her speech. I took her for speech therapy assessment and not surprising, I came out knowing that she is behind in her speech and we had some work to do together. I'm pleased to say that 3 months later, her vocabulary has increased tremendously (said maybe 20 words before but now that has doubled) and she is improved so much. We have a lot more work to do but our relationship has gotten better because we can communicate better. For example, we've been watching the "Baby Signing Time" videos and I'm not always 100% sure what is actually being retained but today she asked for "cereal" by saying it vocally and doing the sign (she even tried to do the "c" sound which sounded very cute). Also, she was quite distressed at bedtime and she was asking for something but I wasn't understanding, she was hitting her leg and crying, I was confused and getting annoyed because it was BEDTIME. Then something clicked inside of me that she was doing the sign for "dog", she remembered when I hadn't. I went and found the puppy she was asking for and she quite happily went to bed. Things are getting better for us.
BUT, in true Renae style yesterday was terrible for us. Within a 1/2 hour she did 2 of the cheekiest things she has done in a long time. She dumped 2 L of milk on her bed (I was cleaning in the kitchen, when it dawned on me that I had seen her with the milk out of the corner of my eye), I walked in just as she poured the last drop, she just looked at my and said "Uh oh Mom", yes Renae that was an uh oh! Ahhhhhhhhh, I cleaned it up right away with her sitting on the floor watching so I could keep an eye on her (luckily I had a plastic sheet on the mattress so no major harm done). That cleaned up, I went about my other job I was doing when the phone rang, it was my Dad who hardly ever calls so I stop what I'm doing to chat with him. I've talked for maybe 5 minutes when again out of the corner of my eye I see my little helper dumping an entire box of Mini-Wheat cereal in the arm rest of the Lazy Boy chair. She has obviously missed and there are little wheat crumbs all over the floor and chair. Ahhhhhhhhh, she went to her room for that clean up. I get the vacuum out and start cleaning up that mess thinking "What else can go wrong today??", I shouldn't have thought that because not 2 seconds later I clumsily dropped the vacuum on my baby toe and it felt like I broke it (it still hurts 36 hrs later). After I recover from my incredibly calm moment of getting hurt, I remember that I've put her in her room for quiet time but she has panties on because we are potty training. "What are the chances that she has to pee in the last 10 minutes, she's been doing really good" Stupid thought Leah, stupid thought! I go to check on her and she has ditched her panties and has peed on her carpet, good times!
All I have to say is that I am living the dream and my sweet Renae is keeping it real for me :)
I truly and deeply love my little girl, I wouldn't trade her for anything, she makes me laugh and cry and keeps my on my toes (well the ones that aren't broken, j/k). It was so much fun celebrating her during that week with all our family and some friends, she is loved and I so appreciate having her in my life to celebrate!
RENAE AT 3:
-tall for your age, people think she is older
-blonde with big, deep, beautiful brown eyes
-softest skin to kiss and tickle
-loves to brush your hair and do you make up (and her own when she smuggles into Mommy's)
-goes to bed between 7/7:30, sleeps great at night but up by 6:30 most mornings
-still can get her to nap if its quiet
-anytime I am cooking she drags a chair over to "help"
-loves to do the dishes anytime she spies dishes in the sink
-loves bath time and would take multiple baths a day
-she's a free spirit, she is very driven
-she loves to dance, asks for ballet music and puts on pretty dresses to dance
-when she smiles everything lights up and she gives great genuine hugs
-she adores Daddy and loves to drive in his truck and visit him at work
-she is a terrible listener at times and is very independent but is so so sweet when she wants to be
-she loves her baby brother and helps so much with him
-she doesn't want to ride in the stroller or grocery cart anymore, just hold on to the side
-she uses her hands to talk a lot with gestures, "lets go Mom" waves with her hand
-she sings along to many songs (Barbie dream house, happy birthday, call me maybe)
-she is so unique with her own little amazing personality
-she is so curious and interested in everything
-she is an electronic genius! she can figure out how to work cell phone, tablets faster then any of us (well not Daddy but she is getting there)
-she is very bossy and thinks everything is hers, she has taken possession of many toys that are not actually hers, Nicole has been pretty good about letting things go
-she loves to wrestle and play with Daddy
-she loves to snuggle with Mommy and give me kisses (she also wipes them off)
Happy 3rd Birthday to my Beautiful Renae, we love you Nae-Nae!!!!!!!
