Allison’s 3rd Birthday

I can not believe my baby girl is 3 years old! She is no longer considered a toddler, she’s now a preschooler. I say this all the time, but so far this is my favorite age. She is the sweetest little girl who loves me so much. There’s something so special about the kind of love you feel from your kids. I’m still her whole world and I don’t want that to ever change.

Right now she loves to twirl around and say she’s a ballerina, loves to sing, wear princesses dresses, tickle her brother, be in the Tula, hug her friends, sit in Daddy’s new boat, and loves her best friend Lucy.

Within the last few months, she’s become a lot less shy. She’s still very cautious, but she’s more comfortable around strangers and people she doesn’t see too often. She loves being around other kids. She started dance class recently (she’s obsessed and loves her teacher Miss Val) and right away she went up to the other girls, held their hands and called them her friends. 🙂

She is still happy and sweet 99% of the time, but she is starting to say no more often. We don’t have a lot of meltdowns, but every once in a while she’s upset if she doesn’t get her way. Overall, I got really lucky – she’s an angel compared to a lot of toddlers. I think Logan is going to be my tough kid.

Schedule

Our schedule is changing starting next week because Allie is starting preschool! Here’s my plan:
Monday: Go to Burn Bootcamp at 9:30 am and then go to the library
Tuesday: Allie goes to preschool from 9 am – 11 am
Wednesday: Go to Burn Bootcamp at 9:30 am and then go to the Kohl museum
Thursday: Allie goes to preschool from 9 am -11 am
Friday: Go to Burn Bootcamp at 9:30 am and then try different play spaces

We are always busy and out of the house in the mornings. We get home around noon, eat lunch and both kids take a nap from 1:30-3:30 pm. A couple days a week we have play dates in the afternoon. We eat dinner at 5:30 pm, Allie gets to watch an hour or so of TV, we get ready for bed, start reading books in bed at 8 pm and then she’s usually asleep by 9 pm.

Eating

She still sits in her highchair, but not all the time. She’s definitely become a lot pickier in the last 6 months. For breakfast, she doesn’t eat much, but will usually have milk, strawberries and a spoonful of peanut butter. For lunch, she loves Dyno chicken with ketchup (she’s obsessed with ketchup right now) cheese, and fruit. For dinner she will eat the protein we’re having and will eat corn. The only two vegetables she’ll eat right now are green beans and corn. She’ll have milk and a granola bar before bed.

Challenges

6 months ago our challenges were getting rid of the paci and potty training Allie. We have done both!!! We took the paci away in April and we did the 3-day potty training method in July. I’m so happy to say that both weren’t near as bad as I thought they would be. The anticipation of both was much harder on me. Allie was pretty much potty trained within 3 days.

Our last day of Stroller Strides was this week. I am sad to be leaving, but I feel like it’s time. We have been going for almost 3 years and all of my close mom friends came from Stroller Strides, but Allie is starting preschool, Logan doesn’t love the stroller and I’m ready to challenge myself more with Burn Bootcamp.

We had Allie’s preschool meet and greet this week and I really love her teacher Maureen and the classroom. She will be going to school with one of her friends, Ava so I think Allie will be comfortable having someone she knows. I think she’s going to love it!

A few things I want to remember

• The way she says “ooookay”
• The way she says “I love you tooooo”
• How she holds mommy and daddy’s face to give kisses
• She sticks her foot in the air and says “tickle tickle”
• The way she hugs her friends
• How her face lights up and she runs to mommy, daddy, grandma or grandma Wendy when they walk into the room
• How she wants me to hold her and she puts in head on my shoulder when I pick her up out of the crib

Happy 3 years, Allie! We love you so much!