(40 months) - 3 years + 4 Months

Epic epic tantrums. Daily. Like, should we see a child psych for our emotionally dysregulated and "spirited" child? And seriously oppositionally defiant. We are officially turning to professional advice via parenting books. I just picked up The Happiest Toddler on the Block from the library, and have also put holds on How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, The Five Love Languages of Children, The Whole Brain Child, and No Drama Discipline. I haven't read much by way of parenting since the breastfeeding and sleep-training era. She was easy-peasy for potty training (more or less taught herself), and has never been much of a picky eater. But girlfriend can throw down. She demonstrated her perfect tantrum form on a nature hike with the Menne's last weekend. Rachel commented that it was like she Googled "tantrum" and acted out in all the pre-defined ways. On top of the 1-3x daily tantrums, which I have more trouble recovering from than she does, she can also be sassy and defiant and stubborn and strong-willed. Don't know where she got that from (ahem, Alex).

First trip abroad - she was a super-star traveller and got her first passport stamp in Ireland. I think she has a future of wanderlust, given that she's got people who love to visit new places on both sides of the gene pool. As long as she is socially engaged with another human, she can (almost) handle nearly 22 hours of travel with nary a nap. The old Irish men loved her ("You're such a good garul"). 

"Actually, earthworms have bones in their ears to hear zebras at the zoo."

No more naps. Except for ~10 minutes in the car or stroller every few days. Can take ~30 minutes of quiet time before starting to throw things down the stairs and require adult attention. But we always aim for an hour.

"Mama, did you like that dead pig?" Along with the story of the time she bonked her chin on the teeter-totter, the deer in our campsite, and the time she fell in front of Grand Central, she now has the anecdote of the dead pig we saw at the pig farm in Ireland. She refers to that smelly dead pig at least every other day.

New play teepee on the new deck!

Francine: "I wish I had a baby."
Me: "You can have a baby when you're bigger."
Francine: "Like when I'm 18?"
Me: "I hope you have a baby more like when you're 30."
Francine, disappointedly: "Ohhhh, but I want one right now."

We talk a lot about rhyming right now. In Ireland, I was bragging to Aunt Jen about how the Bean would probably be an early reader because of her superior phonological awareness.
Me: "Bean, what rhymes with dog? Cat or log?"
Her: "Cat."
Aunt Jen: "Um, right. Great phonological awareness."
Since that time, however, she's mostly nailed the rhyming thing. And loves to come up with new ones on her own.
"Mama, do bear and chair rhyme?!? Mama, do run and sun rhyme? Mama, let's make a rhyme with cup."

Auntie Katie had her first baby, a beautiful girl named Hannah Joyce. Francine got to meet her on FaceTime.

Her: Mama wouldn't be silly if I had nine hands?
Me: Yeah, so what what would you do at nine hands?
Her: Pick up stuff.
Me: What else?
Her: Hug a big ol' tree.
Me: What else?
Her: Pick up a big ol' mama.
Me: What else?
Her: You know what else I do mama? I pick up a big ol' AJ.

Hula outfit. "Mama, where my bra?"


Found her first whole sand dollar. On the same day her 33 year old mother found her first whole sand dollar.

Mama: "You just went right to bed with Mimi and Papa didn't you?"

Bean: "Yeah."

Mama: "How come?"

Bean: "Because parents are kind of different."

Mama: "Who told you that?"

Bean: "A friend."

Spent two weeks in daily group swim lessons. Several of us got a chance to see her in action, including Daddy, Beebee, Mama, and Mimi. I'm a nervous swimfan, and like her to keep her shoulders and head above water at all times. But apparently she can adequately blow bubbles for five seconds, and even fell under once without so much as sputtering. And girlfriend loooooooooves her some water slides. The first time I took her to class, she happily bounced her way to her teacher, Emily, and waved bye to me. I waved and nodded acknowledgement to her teacher, and Francie says to me, "Mama, don't look at me." Three going on thirteen?!?

Future sociopath?? Upon finding a dead bird being eaten by a slug in the middle of the path on a nature path outside Tillamoook, she says, "If I was alone I would STOMP  it."

Lover of popsicles.

Our up-for-adventure girl: she went to Ireland, Bend, and Manzanita, and is off at Cow Camp with just her daddy as we speak.

Despite her current behavior problems, she's still sweet as can be 90% of the time. "I'm gonna be your favor and carry your magazine."

"I wish ... "

... I had a baby brother named Francine.

... I had a jeep. I like the wind in my hair. 

... My name was Caillou.

A Daddy's Girl through and through. He's the lead parent this summer, and she so enjoys whatever time she can get tagging along with him - to Home Depot, making beer, in the yard, cooking pancakes, etc.

"Mama, you can bring this for lunch tomorrow." Um, no thanks.

Pointing to a stamp on an envelope I'm mailing, "Mama is that you on there?"

Me, "No sweetpea, that's Janis Joplin."