Alice...

I love my almost three and a half year old. Love, love, love her. I'm aware that there are plenty of documented struggles between us, but I guess that makes the loving moments even more precious. She's been my baby so long, and there's no one to take her place, so it is hard to see her grow up and change and get big. Then there's that guilty mom in me that knows that I documented every move Ruby made at Alice's age, and that I don't have as much documented about Alice. Here's to her!

Alice loves to say "I love you." She says it randomly probably 25 times a day. Literally, she will be eating lunch, and I could be in a different room, and she'll holler, "I love you, mama!" She also gives lots of unsolicited kisses, she just grabs my arm or my hand or my hip depending on if I'm sitting or standing, and she squeezes tight and gives me a kiss while saying, "mwah". She does it kind of like a parent would, when you are overcome with the need to squeeze and love on your kid, she does it like that. It's so sweet.

Alice says "bornder" for "born". I don't know why, and I hope she never stops doing it. She'll say, "Mama, before I was bornder was I in your tummy?"

Alice likes to do everything herself. She will undo anything that you manage to get done before she realizes that she needs to do it by herself. I always run late. Always, and this doesn't work for Alice. She doesn't hurry and if I force her to allow me to do something for her, she will cry like I have broken her heart, I can't do it. So either we are twenty minutes late (instead of ten) or I plan a head and get us all going early enough to accommodate her independence.

Alice would leave a TV show, her favorite playmate, you name it to be with me if I am making something in the kitchen. She wants to help me, and she's not helpful, but I like that she's curious about what I'm doing. She either sits on the counter or pushes a chair over to stand on. She is really impulsive and never asks before dunking her fingers into everything.

Alice can hear a rule fifty times a day and not internalize it. She's not usually looking over her shoulder to see if she's getting caught, it's like she just doesn't sweat the rules at all. Everyday I find remnants of food all over the house, her shoes never get taken off and put away (mine either), her toilets don't get flushed and lights don't get turned off. I love this about her.

Alice is very protective of Chris. If he and I are playing video games, she will be off playing somewhere but she'll even be upstairs, but she'll be able to tell the minute the match is over and she'll holler down, "Who won!?" and if I say, "Mommy did." She'll say, "No, daddy did!" In Alice's mind, Daddy always wins. It's very sweet. The only reason she ever picks me is if she knows it will bother Ruby...sibling rivalry will trump even her daddy loyalty.

I love my baby.