Now We Are Three

Dada blowing out her candles

Dada turned three years old this last Friday, celebrating quietly at home with her parents, opening a few presents and playing with her new toys (some Legos, a Brio train, a top that hums, a vintage all-metal Tonka toy, magnetic building toy). Full photo spread on Flickr (friends and family only).

On Saturday we threw a proper birthday party with a couple of friends (Haley Jane and Jane). The girls had a great time, although none of them actually ate the cake, which was a little disappointing given that we had formulated it specifically to appeal to Dada's love of chocolate. Oh well. The adults had a nice time talking and eating pizza (the take-and-bake pizzas from Costco are remarkably good) and cake and ice cream (which Julie had made using her new ice cream maker attachment for her mixer) and watching the girls run around like crazy. Full photo record on Flickr (friends and family only).

The party ended about 6:00 and everyone got a gift bag, in which we had impulsively included candy necklaces that we'd had lying about. We had just settled down to watch a couple of cartoons when Macie, the granddaughter of some of our neighbors, came by with her Grandmother. We invited them in and offered cake (which Macie didn't eat either, although she had just had her dinner). She and Dada played more. Dada had also received a gift bag and decided she wanted to eat all of her candy necklace Right Now, so she cut the string and put all the candy beads in a bowl and then ate them with all dispatch. Dada and Macie then did more running around like fiends for about an hour. Dada also pestered Macie to share more of her candy necklace, about which Macie was remarkably generous. We tried to explain that Macie was under no obligation to share but Dada was clearly in the grip of a serious sugar jones and was not really listening.

Finally our guests went home and we were able to get Dada calmed down enough to prepare for bed, where Dada went out like a light once we finally got her into her bed and the requisite three stories read and three songs sung.

Here is the roundup of developmental milestones:

• As of 29 Dec 2006 Dada measured approximately 36 1/4 inches
• She can build things out of regular legos
• She can spell her name and write more or less recognizable Ds, As, Ms, and Os and almost Ys (she is still confusing T and Y)
• She knows all her colors
• She has started asking "Do you remember {person's name}?" as though she was introducing you to someone you may have met in the past (although she hasn't gotten the "not used for people you obviously know well" subtlety).
• She can tie an overhand knot