THREE!

Dearest Pea,
Where has the time gone? YOU ARE THREE!!! Three years old. Sometimes I find myself thinking about you as "the baby" and I realize that is totally off base. You are completely your own person, so autonomous and confident and capable.

You love to pretend to be someone else. Most often recently it's Leah from the Signing Time sign language instructional DVDs you love (and I am Rachel, the teacher and Leah's mom) but sometimes you are other characters from TV and books: Curious George, Tyrone, Pablo, Elsa, Domino the Dog, Hello Kitty. Sometimes you are even someone pretending to be someone else: Leah pretending to be a cat, for instance. When you are in these characters, you don't act any differently, you just refuse to be called by any name other than the one you have chosen. And you are very committed-Daddy and I constantly forget and call you Eliza, and you immediately correct us.

You started taking ballet class, which is adorable and hilarious. I'm not allowed to be in the class with you (DROP OFF! WAHOO!) but I got to watch the first day. You love it, mostly because of the outfits.

You love your playgroup that you attend 3 mornings a week. There are 6 kids and you play with all of them well. We bike to "school" and you love to sing and point out the familiar sights on the way.

And you have become quite my helper in the kitchen! Every time I make anything, you want to be front and center. You scramble eggs, mix in spices, roll out dough and add everything to the pan.

With the winter weather keeping us indoors more, you've been exploring arts and crafts and dress up/dance in the house.

BIG GIRL SELFIE!

Pigtails, potty training and PRESCHOOL

Dear Pea, 

At 2.75, you have morphed into a complete and totally independent person. You essentially potty trained yourself and now only wear diapers when sleeping.  Which blows my mind. Whoa, that chapter of our lives is DONE!?? Crazy. Now if you would only start sleeping through the night we'd feel a little less zombie like in our every day lives.

We finished a perfect summer. The weather was rarely unbearable, we still saw some friends, we got out and enjoyed a TON of what NYC has to offer.

 Coney Island-your first rides!

 The Prospect Park Zoo-you thought the lily pads were kale

 Scooting is the essential locomotion preference for the Brooklyn under 10 set

We went apple picking in the Hudson River Valley

You've developed a real interest in arts & crafts and cooking. Your latest specialty is macaroni & cheese (from a box) but you really do a lot of the preparation.

We no longer travel with a carrier-you ride the subway like a bit kid: ducking under the turnstile, climbing the stairs, reading on the train. Here you are getting ready to head to the UWS with Daddy

AND!!  You started an organized playgroup, which is really an anti-school as it's all about play, exploration, nurturing and socializing. The woman who runs it believes that play is the base of children's culture. It's a magical, calm, loving space and we all feel so good when we're there. You like the other 6 or so kids, you like Lele, you come home with new songs and new stories and new skills. You have a life away from me and are learning more than I could teach you. It's so wonderful to be setting you out into the world on a path of your own discovery. We gave you this life, Sweetest Pea. It's yours to live, to discover and own. You're already starting to show your own passions (dance, music, bossing everyone around) and I know soon you'll begin dreaming your life dreams. It's a magical time. 

your first day of "school."

I'm sad because our friends are leaving

Dear Pea,
It's been the summer of mass Brooklyn Exodus. One by one, our friends are departing for more space, cheaper rents (or mortages) and better gigs. Yesterday we lost our BFFs to California, the most heartbreaking move to date. Everyone else has at least been visitable. But Harper is en route to the West Coast and we'll be doing most of our playing over Facetime.

 Several "Farewell to Harper" event this past week 

Unrelated, or maybe not, you have been on a Difficult to Parent streak. You ignore instructions, you totally meltdown at the slightest perceived injustice ("I don't want it to be Monday!!"), you throw your toys, you argue, you tell me that I'm not being nice. This morning, after the 800 millionth tantrum in 2 weeks, I spoke to you very shortly. I had lost my patience and was trying my best not to yell, so I just looked at you with what I thought was a disapproving look. You stared back evenly, concerned. "Mama, are you sad about Jeanmarie moving away?" After that, the day got much better. 

In other news, you've uttered your first swear. It was an F-bomb! Amazing! You were pretending to nurse your doll and after you had switched sides, you looked down at her and told me that your baby is so fucking cute. 

Champion nurser!

This weekend will be a bit of a reunion of sorts and I'm very excited. Friday we're going to visit a friend who moved north and Sunday other friends are coming back to Brooklyn to celebrate their 2nd kiddo's first birthday. It will be so wonderful to have much of the gang together. 

Summer Fun!

Dear Pea,
Your two most common phrases these days are "Remember yesterday?..." and "Let me show you a trick!"

Yesterday is anything that happened in the past. It could have been an hour ago, a week ago or last year. But you really like to tell stories about what happened. They are always accurate and often random (as in, what could have made you think of that?!). Sometimes we have to hear a lot of the story before we know what you're talking about, but most of the time we can figure it out. I read something somewhere that said that children remember early childhood well until about age 4. Once they're 4, most of the early memories fade and the lasting memories start around 4. In any case, you remember a lot of your life so far.

You also love doing "tricks." Tricks are really anything that you're doing. "Let me show you this trick!" basically means, watch me do whatever I'm doing right now. Sometimes it's a somersault, other times it's eating your breakfast. In any case, it's pretty funny.

So far this summer we have traveled to Cincinnati to see dear friends, been to the beach, taken lots of boat rides in the East River, had wonderful special play dates and been to a number of parks. NYC in the summer really is pretty amazing.

 Your first amusement park, Rye Playland! You went on two rides then wanted to go home

Long Beach!

  Cincinnati Pirate Cruise

 Cincinnati fun with friends!!!

 boating along the East River

 giant playground play dates

 your first popsicle, at a concert in Madison Square Park with some friends

 Coney Island

2 and a half!

Dear Pea, 

You are two and a half years old. Hard to believe that I have spent some point of every day of the last two and a half years touching you, carrying you, kissing you, nursing you, helping you sleep and delighting in your company.

As you can see, you've had the same smile your whole life. When I look at these pictures, taken at 6 months, 18 months and at 2.5, I see a silly, joyous, mischievous person. I hope you always have this sparkle

Vermont

Dear Pea, 

We went on a BIG vacation with 8 of our buddies and their families. It was INSANITY! There were 9 toddlers, 2 babies, one teenager and 16 adults in one house for three days. We had a great time. YOU had a great time. You loved waking up each morning knowing that your friends were right there. Though you occasionally asked to go to a playground, you overall had a blast. 

HIKING

HANGING AT THE AMAZING HOUSE

 giant bubbles were a highlight!

soaking up the jacuzzi tub

about to be bedtime...

one of you little stinkers pulled the fire alarm shortly after this shot was taken. Unclear who exactly, maybe a team effort...

THE BEACH

 Oh, and that beach park did indeed have a playground, so our last day there proved perfect for you

 farmer's market our first day, Mama heaven