Zoe at Three and a Half Years Old

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... if you see a little performer above, then the picture captured what I thought it would. I asked if she wanted me to take her picture sitting on a rock and this is what I got. Yes, she wanted her picture taken, but she was going to give me a pose. Drama queen is an understatement with her - maybe that's the way it is for all 3.5 year olds?

She has taken to singing her requests "Mommy, can I please have some milk" is now a song. She is so expressive with her songs and conversations. She has a wonderful imagination that constantly amazes Dave and I. She plays by herself with no problems but will engage either one of us if the mood strikes her. She's been spending more time playing with her "new computer" that the Grabers got her for Christmas, she doesn't even request cartoons anymore. Unless she's at Pa's house and he's watching the news, then she immediately will ask him to turn cartoons on.

She's so much fun to be around and makes us laugh constantly. She's got a warm heart, always telling us she loves us and giving us strong hugs and kisses. As she winds down at night, she gets super affectionate and cuddly.

She also has a strong will, letting us know when something displeases her. When things are going her way, she'll tell us "You're my best friend, Mommy/Daddy!" But if we upset her, we often hear "You're not my friend! You're not coming to my party!" I think she's heard other kids at school say this. We just smile at her and tell her she's our friend no matter what - or something like that. She's still pretty easy to re-direct, unless she's hungry. Then the meltdowns just have to run their course until she's eaten a little something, after a few bites or a drink of milk, she's back to being silly and charming.

She's a good eater and good sleeper, still taking naps when given a good opportunity. It sometimes takes her 45 minutes to go to sleep, but then she's out for a few hours. Unfortunately, I don't think she's given that kind of time at daycare to fall asleep and probably only gets about a 30 minute nap. She's more than ready for bed by 8pm during the week, which works out fine with my work schedule.

Happy 2009! Here's to another happy and mostly healthy new year.

(This is how Zoe rang in the new year)