Mary Elizabeth is growing like a rose

I took ME to her "brown doctor" for her 3-year-old checkup on the 28th. For the most part, we got a good report. I talked to the doctor about how she barely eats anything and some other things, so the doctor wanted to check her glucose level to test for diabetes. Talk about stress on a momma who waited about 30 minutes for the nurse to come do the test then hear the results. Ugh! Luckily, the result wasn't bad, but the doc told us to make sure we're getting in some fruits and veggies. Ha! Easier said than done when you have a child that basically doesn't eat anything but breakfast bars and a few bites of other things.

Stats:

• Weight: 35 lbs. (85%)
• Blood pressure: 94/50
• Length: 38" (74%)

Looking back at all of her pictures, I can't believe how much she's grown and how beautiful she's gotten! I also can't believe how many milestones she's accomplished in just a mere three years! I mean think about it...a little person that totally depends on you for everything to someone that has started exploring with their own independence (insert ME yelling "Leave me alone, mom!" or "Shut the door!").

1-day-old



1-year-old



2-years-old



3-years-old

Things that ME has been into over the past 6 months:

• Seeing how she loves art so much, she's very into describing things by the color (we live in a "brown house", we go to her "brown doctor" because the doctor's office is in a brown building).
• She talks non-stop! I definitely see the resemblance to her dad in this area..."word quota"!
• She's got an imagination like you wouldn't believe! We've thrown snowballs in the middle of the summer, we go to the"library" to get tons of books (the library is our bedroom and we don't have any books in our room), we take pretend kitties and doggies with us everywhere that usually ride on her back. I've even had to chase after an imaginary frog named "Louey, the Bluey Frog" while I was buckiling her into her carseat.
• She's so compassionate and already has goals set for her future! At least everyone in the family has been sick at one time or another this school year. When ME knows that one of us doesn't feel better, she says "Do you feel all better now, {insert name}?" She tries to make all of us better by giving us our medicine (for some reason she always wants to give Drew orange medicine) and gives us lots of kisses when we don't feel better. I think she's on the right track to being a great doctor! Plus, her initials are a great help, too!
• She's gotten into the Disney princesses and Peter Pan. At least twice a week, the four of  us have to play Peter Pan (ME is Peter Pan, Drew is "Cafferine Hoot", I am Tinkerbell, Benjamin is Smee, and Dixie is Nanna). Man, I sure wish I could figure out how to keep that darn crocodile out of our house. Ha! Do you sense a possible preview to the Dees family Halloween costume idea for 2011?
• She loves to dance. She's been going to danin' class this year. She talks about it all the time and knows what day she goes to dancin' class, but once we get there, you never know what kind of performance you're going to get from her. Sometimes she's really great a looking at herself in the mirror, other times she might be a great frog hopper, or really great at standing on her dance spot. Rectial should be interesting...cute, but insteresting! 
• She loves school and loves to play school. She's really learned a lot this year and gets along with all of her classmates. We receive a daily report sheet about her progress and very rarely do they fill out the bottom portion, but I was so proud of this comment that she got a few months ago. The girl loves her shapes almost as much as she loves color! If you'll notice she was the flag helper (her favorite helper job at school) that day, too, because she loves to say the Pledge of Allegiance! It's the cutest thing ever to hear her say it!

• She loves to sing, too. She's all about singing to her own beat. Whenever Benjamin is upset, she starts singing her favorite song, "Jesus Loves Me". She's really good at "re-mixing" classics, too. She likes to do a "rap" style to "Jesus Loves Me", "ABC's", and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".
• When she asks for things politely, she says "May I want {insert object's name}, may I please?" How can you say no to those manners?