Three year stats ... and, an interview

Three-year well baby visit, check! (It was combined with Wesley's one-month visit, which allowed both Tim and I to be there with both kids.) Here are the stats:

Weight: 36.6 pounds (92 percentile)

Height: 39 inches (88 percentile)

And here is what Elle is up to in general these days:

Sleep: Sleeps 9 p.m. to 8:30 or 9 a.m., takes a nap almost every day unless we're doing something crazy exciting and/or fun - usually lasts 1.5-2.5 hours, although she definitely seems to nap more at home than at daycare. She definitely hasn't dropped her daily nap, but there are some days when she skips it ... and I can definitely tell, eek. She has this habit of covering her head at bed and naptime, with her blankie, with a sheet, with a quilt, which results in a super sweaty head, tangled hair and smelly sheets. She sucks her thumb when she has her blankie/when she's tired.

Sweaty thumbsucker.

Eats: Well - not a big fan of veggies, a lover of almost all fruits, hit or miss on almost everything else. Doesn't drink milk but loves cheese and yogurt and pudding. Drinks water and some juice. Meals can be a battle of bargaining with her, but overall, she's not the pickiest eater, and we can usually get her to eat a fairly balanced and healthy meal.

Eating out with her? Not as easy as it used to be. I feel like I have to steal the kid's menu from her quickly and return it for coloring, which lasts only a few minutes. Then the dropping of crayons starts. Sometimes the whining starts now, too. Then I just hope she'll actually eat whatever we decided to order. All of this is usually interrupted several times by requests to go to the bathroom. (Sometimes Tim just suggests that she goes to the bathroom, which is awesome because then she's like "Yes! I do have to go potty! Mommy, will you take me?"). This is a meal-ruiner for me.

Random: Potty trained, hates to poop, loves Halloween and anything spooky/scary, big fan of sea creatures, books and pop music. Wearing mostly 4T clothes  (some 3T depending on the brand) and size 8.5 or 9 shoes (depending on the brand/shoe). Loves Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Sesame Street and Caillou. Master of the iPad. Hates swimming in the pool, loves bath time. Attends daycare four days a week for a total of approximately 20 hours (aside from only going two days a week during my maternity leave) - has been going to the same licensed, in-home daycare since December .

I don't know how to fully capture her likes/dislikes, habits, personality, etc. at this age. She's extremely smart and extremely maddening. I think we missed the Terrible Twos and she just stockpiled it for her third year. We're all learning how to deal with the mood swings and learning curve of a strong-willed, emotional toddler. I don't think she could have handled Wesley's arrival better than she has, and I am extremely grateful that she's old enough that she can play independently, be trusted and understands (keeping in mind that all of these things are relative to the fact she is only three - I don't leave her alone with a pair of scissors or anything). I'm in awe at how much she's grown and changed even since Christmas, and when I look at Wesley or look back at Elle's first few months, I just can't get over how fast time has gone.

Anyway, enough babbling before I start bawling. Here's something fun: We decided to start a tradition this year of "interviewing" Elle - asking her the same questions each year. This year's video is an extremely good representation of what she's like, and I love it. I've included a rough transcript of the video, too:

1. What is your favorite color? Pink

2. What is your favorite toy? Fire truck 

3. What is your favorite fruit? Juice

4. What is your favorite TV show? Caillou 

5. What is your favorite thing to eat? Oranges

6. What is your favorite shirt? Cupcake

7. What is your favorite game? Balling 

8. What is your favorite snack? Daniel (the kid from her daycare - um?). Apples.

9. What is your favorite animal? "Yion." 

10. What is your favorite song? "E.T." and "Trouble" (by Katy Perry and Taylor Swift, respectively)

11. What is your favorite book? "Halloween Sky Ride" by Elizabeth Spurr and "The Donut Chef" by Bob Staake. 

12. Who is your best friend? Mommy, and Wesley, and Daddy, and Mario and Sidney (pauses for cute loving on Wesley)

13. What is your favorite dinner? "Lots of tings!" - Scribble scrabbles, birthday cakes, blow out candles, sing guitars, and no going in fire, and coloring.  

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play chalk. And climb up the stairs.

15. What is your favorite drink? "Yemonade."

16. What is your favourite place to go? In the airport.

17. What do you like to sleep with at night? "You!" (to Mommy)

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Ride a scooter, and ride a bicycle. (Obviously losing focus ...) Crackers. And take a picture with cameras.

19. What is your favorite sports team? Random babbling, including "baseball, and tennis ... and play with Daddy." End answer: "Go winners!" 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? (She didn't really understand what this meant, but I gave her some options ...) "A chef. And a worker."