Macy Girl

I am trying hard not to feel guilty about my lack of blogging. And I do realize that it is mid August and Macy's birthday was in June, but she still deserves an entry. 

Macy is quite the 3 year old. 

Memories of Norah at this age starting coming back to us in detail a few months before Macy turned 3. It started around the time I picked her up from school and her sweet, sweet teacher asked, "Soooo...how is Macy doing at home these days?" 

There is only one direction in which this conversation was headed. 

(Me): Uh, well, she's a bit of a challenge. How's she doing here? 

(Sweet teacher): Well, she roared at me today.

(Me): Roared? 

(Sweet teacher): Yes, roared. (She demonstrated by putting her hands up in the air like paws.)

Nice.  

We're definitely experiencing the so-called "terrible threes." Call them meltdowns, tantrums, "totally loosing it," or whatever you want. It definitely happens and it's not pretty. 

But there is also a completely lovable, totally sweet, irresistible side of Macy, which helps make up for the rest of it. 

My day does not feel right if it doesn't start out with one of her morning hugs. It's like she gives you everything she's got in that moment. And her hugs are often accompanied with, "I really do love you, Mommy." 

And her smile--it can light up a room. When she smiles extra big her cheeks push up so much that her eyes are barely open. This is especially pronounced in the morning when her eyes are still a bit swollen from sleeping. 

We have noticed lately that Macy can be quite sensitive. Sometimes when we tell her "no" or ask her not to do something--even if it isn't very harsh--she slowly starts to frown and she breaks down in tears. 

Another sign that we know we have a three-year old is her insistence on doing things, and doing them her way. This has also been a bit of an adjustment for Norah, as she doesn't get to control their play and make all of the decisions anymore. 

Generally, however, Macy and Norah are very sweet sisters.

They genuinely enjoy each others company, look out for each other and giggle a lot together. One of my favorite things is hearing them refer to each other as, "Sister." 

"Hey Sister, do you want to color?" "Look at this, Sister!" "Sister, come with me." 

One morning last week Norah and I walked down the hallway past Macy's room. Macy wasn't up yet, but just as we passed her door we heard it open. Norah excitedly said, "Ah - Sister!" I kept walking but Norah turned around to get Macy. When I came back into the hallway a few moments later, I found the two of them just standing there hugging. 

Of course there is the other side of the sister relationship as well, which includes pretty intense competition. For everything. Most kids fight over who gets to go first, but somehow ours have turned it into who has to go first. And who gets to open the door and who gets in the car first and who holds Mommy's hand and who pushes the cart and who carries the bag and who gets the purple bowl...and the green spoon...and the pink cup. And on, and on, and on. 

Some typical developmental topics: Macy is fully potty trained, and was pretty easy with only a handful of accidents. Unfortunately her biggest one was quite costly, as it happened on our couch cushion which resulted in a couch purchase since it soaked all the way through. She continues to be a great eater, though is painfully slow. I mean, painfully. We have had some sleep issues, mainly getting her to stay in her bed at night, but it has gotten better since she turned three. We have been emphasizing the difference between how a baby goes to bed and how a three-year old goes to bed, and it seems to have an impact. She still naps everyday. Most weekend naps are taken with Norah in Macy's bed. 

While Macy's verbal development seems typical overall she's not quite there with the pronunciation of the letter "r," which I find completely adorable. It sounds more like "owe" than "r" if on the end of a word, and more like a "w" if at the beginning. "Dowe" instead of "door," and "wing" instead of "ring." Then there are words that she just doesn't quite have right yet like "macamoni and cheese." And she refers to one of her teachers as "Gabalella" instead of "Gabriella."

Macy had a joint birthday party this year with two other kids in her class - Olivia and Henry. 

The party was at a kid's pool that is only about 1-2 feet deep in most places and has a structure in the middle with slides, tunnels and climbing walls. It was a great location for a party and the kids seemed to have a great time. 

Macy had an early birthday celebration several weeks early when we got together with Lisa, Scott and the kids to celebrate May and June birthdays.

While our little three-year old keeps us hopping (occasionally hopping mad) we choose to focus on the sweet cuddles and laughs that Macy brings to our lives. Definitely worth it!

Happy 5th Birthday, Norah!

We had a great rainbow birthday party for Norah this year. It was the first time that we only invited girlfriends. While we missed having some of our close family and friends as part of the celebration it was nice to be able to focus on her a bit more. A lot more, actually. All but one family dropped their kids off (at my suggestion) so it was literally just the girls.

There were 8 in total, including Macy and Mikayla. While a few years younger these two were more than willing to be a part of the celebration. 

After a bit of playing on the play set everyone was thirsty: 

Then more playing on the play set, definitely not without plenty of, "But I wanted the swing," "It's my turn," "She won't get off," but overall it was still fine. 

Then it was inside to color rainbow pictures and get tattoos. 

And now for cupcakes!

Then back outside for more fun and a group picture!

Norah with two of her besties, Caroline (a current classmate) and Chloe (bestie from school since she was about 6 months old). 

Admittedly, I had a ton of fun with the rainbow theme. Mom and dad would attest to the fact that I LOVED rainbows growing up. When given the chance, that's what I drew. Apparently that has filtered down to Norah since whenever we color together I tend to draw rainbows. When I suggested the theme for her party she was quickly on board! Though I was really the only one who appreciated it, I had fun with the theme.

I think  I will write my usual note to Norah later, though another day would be better since we have had a relatively rough 24 hours. Nonetheless, I love my Norah and we had a great birthday celebration that was worth capturing.