Caitlin: 3 1/2 years old

Three has definitely been my favorite age with Caitlin so far. I'm sad it's already half way over! She really is an absolute delight 95% of the time. She is fun, funny, smart and sensitive. She is usually pretty friendly to people and pretty social. She can be pretty unpredictable though. She has an amazing talent for being so intuitive and noticing people's emotions and situations around her. She always wants everyone to be happy and involved. She is very aware of things that seem out of place or things that are different... literally she doesn't miss anything and if she seems something new or different she will ask about it and she demands a real thought out answer instead of being brushed off. Her questions make me think and notice things as well in a different way and it makes me wonder what goes on in her little head all the time. She never stops thinking, her little wheels never stop turning, even when you think she is vegging out watching a show she will all of a sudden ask you a question about the characters and why they did something or why they are feeling a certain way. She's always been very curious. She's pretty impatient, she wants to know what is going to happen and when. She makes me laugh with her ideas that she comes up with and her imagination and she also makes me smile when she does sweet things and says sweet things that show how big her heart is. I love that she is confident. She is not afraid to put on a show and dance her little heart out or sing in front of almost anyone, or no one. She is also confident in her emotions and in her knowledge, she will tell you she loves you and tell you how she feels and be very sure about it. She is smart. She likes to play what we call "the question game" where we ask her questions like "what is something really tall? or "what is something that flies?" and she answers. Her answers always surprise me and sometimes they are really out of the box. If she's not acting her best, she is usually being whiny or stubborn (i.e. not listening and doing what we say) or talking back. Those are her things we discipline her the most for. Rarely does she throw tantrums or yell or be violent. She always wants to please us and she is motivated by treats or getting to do special things. She is usually very grateful for things and loves surprises of any kind. She is very talkative, talks almost non stop. She will talk about anything and everything. I love having conversations with her all day. She is a good big sister. She has never said that she doesn't want to play with Nolan (sometimes she will say that she doesn't want him to play with her things) but she is usually very inclusive and sincerely loves and is proud of her brother. She is pretty good at entertaining herself, but always prefers to be playing with someone.

I just love her to pieces and the big girl she is becoming. I'm so proud of her and of her kind and good heart and I take a lot of satisfaction in the knowledge that I've helped her become this person, although she has done way more for me. We love our little princess.