Clare has been holding a daily countdown of how close she is to her birthday. I don’t think there’s been a more anticipated birthday… ever. She’s so very, very excited for both her birthday party and to be four years old. As she told me last week “when I’m four I will know everything – because when I’m four I will know how to do a cartwheel. then I will know everything.” Well then, here’s snapshot to remember on the eve of knowing everything.
Me: Clare, why do you always argue with me?
Clare: Because you are always wrong.
Clare: Mom, if you get angry with me again then I’m going to leave you forever! I’m going to go to the other side of the world and never see you again! And I’m going to take Sammy with me!
But it’s not all attitude, Clare has her sweet side too. She’s so thoughtful and considerate. She loves helping me out in any way she can – if I ask her to be helper she brightens up and helps with enthusiasm. She takes such pride in being a big sister and takes great care of Sam. Any time we meet someone new Clare puts her arm around Sammy and says “This is my little brother Sam.”
She is getting to be so independent and absolutely loves when she accomplishes something by herself. If she wakes up before J and I (every weekend) she gets up, goes out to the kitchen and makes her own toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich. The very first time she was able to do it all by herself I woke up to find her standing by my bed absolutely vibrating with glee. “Mama! I made peanut butter toast all by myself!”
Her favorite thing in the world in imaginary play – whether it’s dress up, playing with her stuffed animals, acting out scenes in her dollhouse, or directing scenes between her and Sammy. Within an hour period she might be a bird flying on a nest, an elephant taking care of an elephant baby, a mommy taking care of a human baby, and an astronaut blasting off in a space ship. She still loves to look at books, but now she also loves to tell and act out the stories herself. As an example, one day she told me “I was drawing a picture at school when I heard something behind me. I looked over and saw a pink shirt, a twitchy nose and sparkly eyes. It was my Daddy! He had come to take me home from school!” She also loves music and is always, always singing or humming. She’s beginning to make up little songs and rhymes – yesterday she sang “I love dirt, I love sky, I love chocolate pie.”
Three has been such a fun, if occasionally challenging, age for our girl. I know that four will also bring excitement, challenges and more fun.