She's 3!

Anne Meredith is 3 years old today. She graced us with her presence on October 5, 2007 at 8:51 p.m. If you recall, she was a chunky 9 lbs, 8 oz and 22 inches long, with dark hair and dark eyes. She was (and still is) perfect, and she was worth the 2 days of waiting/labor in the hospital.

At exactly 3 years old, Anne is speaking very well. She has an interesting sense of humor, and will change her tone of voice or rhythm to make something funny. She speaks in full sentences and is good at labeling emotions. Last night she had made me a play birthday cake, and she walked it into her bedroom, then tripped over Sambo and dropped it. She started bawling, but through the tears she said "I dropped your cake! It is wrecked! Now I can't give it to you! Because I tripped over Sambo!" Oh, she was so upset.

Anne received a Beginner's Bible for her birthday, and we have been reading it quite a bit, because she loves it. We've read about 90 pages, up through the story of Jacob and Esau. This morning we were talking about it and she said "Esau is on 'Dora'". Gimme a virtual high-five if you get that joke.

According to the official measurement taken at daycare, Anne is 39 inches tall, and she weighs 30 lbs. She'll get measured again at the doctor's office on Friday.

She can run with a funny gait, jump, and walk up stairs, though probably not as well as she should. She still lags in the gross motor area, but she's catching up.

She draws circles and zig-zag lines, and Oma has been teaching her to cut on a straight line.

Anne loves to read, and as we read to her, we'll leave out words and she can fill them in with amazing accuracy. She has a strong memory. Tell her something once and it is in her brain forever.

Opa introduced Anne to the song "Brown-Eyed Girl" and it is now her favorite. She asks for it in the car, and can't grasp why I can't control what comes on the radio.

She is totally, 100% potty-trained. Dry all night, no diapers ever. Occasional accidents, but they are few and far between.

We moved her out of the toddler bed and into a twin bed for her birthday. I think she really likes it--she hasn't gotten out of it at all.

She still eats like a bird. Loves milk, cheese, and yogurt (yo-grit, she calls it). Also loves fruit and crackers. No vegetables except baby carrots (with "branch" for dipping) and no meat or eggs ever. Fruit snacks are her absolute favorite, and are a powerful tool for behavior modification :)

She knows her name and can tell you her birthday. She knows Sambo is her brother. She knows all her letters, colors, and shapes. She can count to 14.

Anne loves to sing and dance and play the piano (pahn-yo). We sing the songs from "Annie" quite often, and sometimes we add the Wild Anthem just for variety.

So there's more than you wanted to know about our daughter at age 3. The lack of pictures is a result of our broken camera--I'll try to get you an updated shot soon.

Happy Birthday, Annie.