(36 Months) - The Bean at 3 Years

Physical - she's alllllllllmost 30 lbs (25-50th percentile) and alllllllmost 3 feet tall (10th percentile); most of her clothes seem to small for her, because her belly seems to take up all the landscape, but she is still wearing 3T clothes and is growing in to size 7 shoes; strawberry blonde hair that she prefers to wear down, but can be bribed into putting into a high or low pony, or wearing a clip to hold her bangs out of her eyes; blue eyes; big ole belly; painted toenails; very expressive eyebrows (even strangers comment on it); possible chicken legs; likes to be in just her undies

Typical Week - she attends Vermont Hills Family Life Center at the church just down the street in our neighborhood on Mondays and Tuesdays, home with Beebee on Wednesdays, then "mama day" on Thursday and Fridays, and "flamily days!" on the weekends

Food and Drink - she's still a good eater, who mostly snacks and hates the word "dinner" (we think it's because she knows that dinner comes right before bath which comes right before bedtime); eats 1-2 bowls of cereal with blueberries in the morning, eats at school on daycare days, with me eats most of her calories in the first half of the day; enjoys dairy, carbs, and fruit the most

Sleep - juts recently gave up her Neenees (of which she was now sleeping with 3!); bribed her with "sparkly shoes"; is sleeping on a queen-sized mattress on the floor of her room; earns two marbles to put in her jar to work toward an ice cream date for the nights she stays in her own bed without waking us; naps 1-2 hours in the afternoon; often tantrums before nap/bedtime; likes to do everything herself in her pre-bed routine including choosing her diaper and PJs, picking the book, turning on her nightlight and the noise machine, turning off the light, etc.; we still lay with her for 5-20 minutes when she goes down

Potty - in undies with the very rare accident, diapers at nap and bedtime; seems to have an aversion to public restrooms or using the potty without mama or daddy

Social and Emotional - very affectionate, offers "I love yous," hugs and kisses to us multiple times each day; likes to copy bigger kids, usually girls; likes to have or do things like Mama and Daddy; very concerned when others are upset; able to verbalize her feelings; serious tantrum thrower on the near-daily; learning to "calm my body," take laps, and take big breaths; behaves better when provided warning; very responsive to praise and bribery; takes turns; likes to be silly and make people laugh; if Mama or Daddy are home with her, she plays alone MAYBE 20 minutes cumulative throughout the day, per school and my dad, she will happily entertain herself in an appropriate way

Physical - dresses and undresses her pants/skirts/undies/tights herself, but needs help with tops; puts on and off her own socks and shoes; loves to count on her fingers; can zip but not snap or button; runs, jumps, climbs, skips (but doesn't seem exactly motorically gifted); still won't pedal her tricycle or ride her scoot bike; likes to wear a helmet; likes to color with crayons, recently started painting

Cognitive and Communication - follow instructions very well; often asks strangers their names and ages; is unpredictably shy and unpredictably so outgoing; very even tempered with everyone but mama and daddy; LOVES attention and socializing and chit-chatting; talks all.the.time; loves ABC's and all things letters (in chalk, singing about them, "F says fff, F says fff, every letter makes a sound and F says F")

General - we often describe her as having a lot of "micro energy," in that she doesn't have the stereotypical boy big energy, but is constantly moving in these small ways, and is very demanding about attention and talking; she seems very compassionate, always interested and concerned in other people's feelings; she has become very good with her manners and asking questions; is more of a watcher than a doer in new settings, but will gladly try most new things; really seems to enjoy most activities, but prefers playing at the park or in the front yard, doing art projects together, running errands, helping with anything grown-up, plays with babies and her kitchen or musical instruments, likes looking at pictures of herself; freely gives "I love yous" and hugs and compliments; is very compliant in social settings, can be very oppositionally defiant with mama and daddy; likes anything "special," enjoys outings and never wants to go home; loves the zoo and the Children's Museum and hanging out with friends; always says "I'm hungry" when she is really tired; seems to have FOMO (fear of missing out); is never as happy as when she's with her whole family and is hamming it up singing, playing the uke, or making people laugh


Only a few quotes I wrote down from the past month:

"Hey guys you wanna see my table dance?"

Francie: "I'm touching your boobies."
Me: "You like my boobs? Why?"

Francie: "Cuz they're big and fat and squishy. "

Francie: "Hey Daddy, I'm scared."
Alex: "What are you afraid of?"
Francie: "Hmm, well, nothing. I just want attention."

Talking about healing owies or getting over a cold: "The we get up and we get better. Know the amazing part? We eat veggies and we heal."

"I just am't" (as in, am not)

"Can I do (insert anything here) when I'm a grown-up?"

We did a yearly Birthday Interview, with the following same questions (here is hers from age 2 years):

Yearly Birthday Interview - Francie @ 3 years
Her answers are in quotes, the parent-known answers are in parentheses
1. What is your favorite color? "blue" (purple)
2. What is your favorite toy? "frog" (babies)
3. What is your favorite fruit? "carrots ... apples" (blueberries or strawberries)
4. What is your favorite tv show? Daniel Tiger (truth)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? "peanut butter and jelly ... cereal" (truth)
6. What is your favorite outfit? "dresses" (she really started wanting to choose her own clothes)
7. What is your favorite game? blank stare (Memory)
8. What is your favorite snack? "cereal" (and bars, applesauce, yogurt with fruit ...)
9. What is your favorite animal? "fox" (in fact, she is afraid of foxes, and dear, and bugs
10. What is your favorite song? "Twinkle Little Star" (and ABC's)
11. What is your favorite book? "I Love You Forever" (and Olivia, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Day, On A Summery Saturday Morning, Going On A Bear Hunt)
12. Who is your best friend? "Mommy and Daddy and Logan and Max
13. What is your favorite cereal? "hot cereal" (Cheerios with blueberries)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? "play bubbles" (true, and going to April Hill Park)
15. What is your favorite drink? "soda" (ha! she's never had it, but drinks milk at school, steamed milk with Beebee, and occasionally has some kind of juice at a party or something)
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween (she likes all things "special")
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? "a toy, a frog toy" (her Neenies, except she just gave them up)
18. What do you like to eat for breakfast? "cereal and jelly" (Cheerios with blueberries, waffles)
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? "mac n chees" (wish granted)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? "a teenager" (ensue adult guffaws)