And my daughter turns three

It's amazing how quickly the years pass. Getting out all our baby equipment has made me realize just how grown-up our little Livvy is becoming!

Here she is just a few days old:

On her first birthday:On her second birthday: And on her third birthday:

What a joy she has been to us! Though she was "blessed" with my stubborn and willful spirit, I know perfectly well that I am lucky to have such a good little girl.

I love that I know her so well. Sometimes I feel like I know her better than I even know myself. I love that I get to spend each day with her and see her learn and grow. I'm so excited to have another little girl, and Livia is thrilled to be getting a baby sister, but my heart aches a little for the end of this time, just the two of us.

Some fun facts about Livia:

• Reading is still one of her all-time favorite things to do. She loves going to the library, can quote passages from her books (and often does in applicable situations), and would rather read than do a lot of other fun activities.


• I will confess that sometimes I fall asleep while reading to her. She will often get me a blanket and then stay beside me, looking through the books herself until I wake up. She really is a good little girl!


• Livia will happily eat most fruits and vegetables, including lima beans and broccoli, but I have the hardest time getting her to eat entrees, especially meat! Sometimes she'll eat chicken or ham, but she refuses to eat beef (except at costco, when she gets samples. funny girl), and won't eat anything mixed, like a casserole.


• She LOVES her daddy these days, and squeals with delight when he comes home. They spend almost every evening chasing each other around the house, and I love to hear her giggling with him.


• Liv is an excellent speaker, which is both good and bad. I can always understand her, which is great, but so can everyone else, which is not always so great because she's three and says awkward things! I can't even pretend she said something else, because it's just plain as day.


• Has taken to calling me "mother" instead of "mommy."


• She's very social and enjoys play dates immensely. She likes to play at the park, but often asks to just stay home and play fantasy games with me. Her current favorite is playing doctor.

Speaking of doctors, Livia had her 3 year appointment last week, and did so well! She was nervous, which actually surprised me because she had been so excited about it until she was actually there, in the doctor's office. But she didn't cry and cooperated very well. She did a vision test, which was actually really cute to watch, and even got her blood pressure taken with a small little compression band. I was glad she'd been with me to all my prenatal appointments so that contraption was very familiar to her. We left with a bill of good health, and discovered that she's still in the 30th percentile for both height and weight. So she's petite, but proportional. She weighs 29 pounds now, which is a little more than I thought it was, and is just under 3 feet.

I could write a book about my little girl, but I think I'll just end with some pictures from her birthday party. Happy Birthday Livia!