My Little Baby

(Kate in the cool new skirt that Bunk made for her:)

In about two weeks, Kate NaNa will be three years old. Which means that she has been a part of our family for almost a whole year. Sometimes I can't believe how fast it has gone. Other times it feels like she has always been with us.

Three years old is a big deal for her for several reasons. First, it will be the first time she understands what this birthday thing is all about. We had cake and ice cream for her last year, but I didn't want to overwhelm her with a party. This year, all she can talk about is her Mickey Mouse birthday cake. She is so excited.

Second, on her birthday she will age out of the First Steps program that offers her speech therapy to her. At that point she transitions to the local county preschool, where she will attend two mornings a week, receiving speech on one of those days. (She will only be at school 6 hours a week, but Will is at school those same 6 hours, so who know what trouble Mommy may get into:) We have met her teacher, and Kate and Will have tested out the classroom, and it has met with our approval. Kate is so excited, and she keeps asking when she will see "Miss Wo-ahh" again. (No, that's not her real name, but that's how Kate says it.)

That is the very grown up side of this little girl. On the flip side, she has recently started wanting to be a baby. She isn't whiny about it. In fact, she is very straight forward. She comes over and says, "I'm a baby. Hold me." So I (or Tim) pick her up and hold her like she is a tiny baby. She has this little babbly voice she uses, and she sometimes pretends to cry. It is very different from her normal babble and crying. It is all in her baby voice. We act like she really is a little baby, rocking her and talking to her like she is an infant. Today she even wanted a sippy cup to enhance the experience.

Again, please don't think we have lost our minds. The thing is, we have no idea how much of this kind of attention she got when she really was a baby. We don't know if her caretakers held her or sung to her or anything. She needs this time. And so do we. Tim said that he has gotten more eye contact in lately than he has in months, just because she is willing to lay in his arms and look up at him. (FYI, eye contact is very important for attachment, which is a constant process.) I am so thankful that she is asking for this "baby time" with us. I mean, who doesn't need more cuddling in their life?