HK at 3 & 1/2

FYI: This is a really long post

Hannah Kate turned three and a half last month. She's changed so much since her 3rd birthday it's crazy. She's not a baby anymore for sure. She's a "big gurl." And she lets us know it. Three is a very challenging age at times. While she's showing her independence she's also talking back more and testing all the boundaries.

She is very smart but sometimes too smart for her own good. She's also very dramatic and cannot be forced into any situation she's uncomfortable with. She's just figuring life out right now.

Hannah is so funny and makes us laugh all the time. She also has a serious and shy side to her too.

Hannah has been so great with Hudson. She loves him so much and is really helpful when it comes to him. Sometimes she doesn't want to share her toys with him, but other times she's quick to get him a toy if she thinks it'll make him happy. She always tells him to "Stop crying Hudson" "Its okay." They are really starting to interact with each other and I know that bond will only grow stronger in the next coming months and year.

Hannah also loves her cousin Harlan. We talk about Harlan at least twice a day. I hope they'll always be close. 

Hannah finally is potty trained!!! I think I deserve a gold medal for this one. I've been trying to potty train her for a year now without any success. I tried everything to get her to use the toilet. We used little potties, the toilet with a special seat, dvds, books, games, songs, bribes and I paid for two different online e-books on how to potty train. In July I put her in panties and didn't look back. No more diapers during the day. She went to school and held it all day til nap time and she would then go in her pullup. That's how we rolled for over two months. She wasn't having many accidents, but she wasn't going in the toilet either. She was moved into a new class that has kids that were mostly all potty trained and I felt so embarrassed that she wasn't yet. Then one week she started having accidents every day. It was terrible. She was peeing all over my house. The world was her toilet and she could care less. One Sunday she was on our couch watching a movie when she announced "I went pee pee." Sure enough she had peed all over my couch. I was livid. I couldn't believe the mess. It was awful and I didn't handle the situation very well. I went out into the garage and cried. I could tell she felt sorry for me. She said, "Mom, you okay?" "No baby I'm not okay. Next time please go to the potty to pee."

That Thursday night I was at a baby shower when I got a text message that Hannah had peed in the potty. Apparently she was playing outside and came in the house and without prompting peed in her potty. She came into the kitchen an announced to my mom, "I went pee pee." My mom's first response was "Where?" "In the potty!" And sure enough she had. From then on every day she's been going poop and pee in the potty. She still has the occasional accident, but for the most part she's potty trained. I could not be happier.

Here are some other things about Hannah at 3 1/2: 

• She wears mostly 3T but moving into 4T clothes
• She wears a size 8.5 - 9 shoe size
• She hates having her curly blonde hair brushed
• She hates brushing her teeth
• She loves playing outside 
  
• She loves to talk and make up stories
• Her favorite Disney Princesses is Rapunzel & Bell and she doesn't like Ariel or Sleeping Beauty
• She loves to be read to. Some of her favorite books are The Little Engine That Could, Pout Pout Fish and The Big Big Dark, The Cat In The Hat, All Sandra Boynton Books, Clifford, The Jolly Barnyard, Duncan and Dolores, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Amelia Bedelia.
  
• Her favorite TV shows right now are Doc McStuffins, Caillou, Dora, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,  Sid the Science Kid, Clifford, Curious George, and Jake and The Never Land Pirates
• She can identify most letters but has little interest in writing or coloring. She's too much of a busy body. Maybe at age 4 she'll like to do that more.
  
• She loves to play with dolls and her kitchen. 
• She still sings and is learning new songs at school
• She's in Early Preschool now so she has more of a structured learning environment. She likes school.
• Going from one place to the next is a challenge. She never wants to get into the bathtub and never wants to get out. 
• She's still a pretty picky eater. She loves pancakes and waffles the most. She doesn't care for many veggies.
  
• She doesn't drink milk. She prefers water.
• She loves going on adventures with her daddy. She loves going to the grocery store and to Costco. 

I can't believe Hannah will be 4 in March. That seems so old. I'm trying to soak her up at this stage of her life. The holidays will be so fun this year. Can't wait to spend them with her.