The Chronicles of Jill: Jill is Three and a Half

Three and a half! Suddenly the fact that we have only a year and a half until kindergarten is really kicking me in the heart. Sad! I keep telling her to stop growing, and that's now become a running joke. "Mama, ask me how I can stop glowing." (She substitutes /l/ for /r/ in her speech.) So, I comply by telling her that I'll stop feeding her, stop letting her sleep, etc., to which she replies, "But don't you want me to hewp you do stuff? Don't you want me to have babies? Well, then I have to glow up." Damn. She's got me there.

At this age, she is into a new obsession, which is Batman. She loves the show, loves the Super Friends, loves all of it. Steve has to pretend to be "the Batman guys" all the time. Jill shows them things, talks to them, etc. It used to be Luke and Leia, but she's move on now. It's really cute, but she also loves her morning does of Sesame Street, Cat in the Hat, Sid, and Super Why with the occasional Dora/Diego, Mickey, Oso, princesses, and Strawberry Shortcake mixed in for added variety. Star Wars has been moved to the back burner, but she still does love it. She has gotten more into her baby dolls lately which is fun to see, and the princesses are in constant rotation as damsels in distress for whatever game she is playing. She's really good at playing by herself but prefers for one of us to play with her. She loves to do art projects, and is really enjoying going to Paint Me a Story on Fridays. When we go to the museum now, she spends the bulk of her time in the art studio.

The other night she told Steve that we would need to get a new daddy after he came home from a doctor appointment. He asked what would happen if the new daddy wasn't as nice as he is, and she said, "I would just kick him out the door!" Our work is done in that arena!

We are doing preschool at home, which she LOVES and she is really coming along. She is meeting all but 1 of the first report card standards for kindergarten, and she is sounding out three and four letter words with ease. I am agonizing over whether or not to start her in kindergarten at 5 because so many people are waiting until their kids are 6 and she already has a late birthday, but she's so READY right now. Tough decisions.

She is our joy, and she is just the sweetest, most polite, kindhearted girl I've ever known...except for when, you know, she pulls down her pants for a laugh. I guess you can't be perfect all the time! She is earning quarters for her two behavior goals which are "Listening and Following Directions the First Time," and "Not Throwing a Fit When You Get Upset." She spent the first of her money the other day, but hadn't planned on it, so we didn't have her money with us. I told her I'd buy the toy (Catwoman) but she would have to pay me when we got home. "But I don't want to give you my money, Mama. I need to fink about it." She thought, and decided to do it, so when we got home I carefully explained the process so she would understand that I wasn't just taking her money. Afterward she looked at me and said, "Mama, I unnerstand, but it makes my heart sad to give you my money." Life lessons are hard.

Enjoy our little Jill. All photos are from December.