Laura is 3 Years and 3 Months Old!

Height/Weight related news: Laura weighs (maybe) 27 pounds.  The current swimsuit she wears for swimming lessons is an 18-24 month suit, because it's the only size that the bottoms won't fall off.

Likes: Her brother and being a big sister, RAPUNZEL and all other Disney Princesses and princess-related paraphernalia, Arthur and Caillou are the current favorite TV shows, playing with water outside, checking the garden with Daddy, doing "projects" at her desk, Candy Land, "Old Mc Donald's" aka McDonald's, wearing dresses, backyard bonfires with S'mores

Laura dressing up as Rapunzel at her cousin's house

Dislikes: Swimming lessons - specifically being cold in the water and anything related to her face or head getting wet, going to sleep at night, napping on certain days, anyone getting mad at her (mournfully goes off and cries either a) "My feelings are hurt!" or b) "Mom/Daddy doesn't love me")

Fun things about Laura:
I obviously know so much more about her when we are home together in the summer.  She is so funny.  This is the obnoxious part where I tell you how awesome my kid is.  Sorry.  Remember I am doing this so I have a reference to go back to further down the road!

1.  We watched this YouTube video of Jimmy Fallon & The Roots and Carly Rae Jepsen singing her song "Call Me Maybe."  Laura loves it and was amazed that it also comes on the radio in the car!  Her incessant questioning resulted in this: "Mom, what does call me maybe mean?"  "Well, it means call me if you want to or not.  Maybe means it might be yes or it might be no."  The next day she asked me if we could listen to the "call me if you want to or not " song.

2.  She is doing great with her counting but maxes out at 29, after which she exclaims "100" because I think that's the biggest number she knows.  Also I got this great free app for the iPad so she can practice writing letters, and the other day she went off somewhere with one of my Flair pens and paper, and came back with a pretty decent "D" and "S" written of her own volition.  I can only get her to do an "L" for her name.  She claims she "doesn't know" how to write the other letters.

3.  Current career aspirations: ballerina, soccer girl, or princess (specifically, she wants to be Rapunzel when she grows up).

4.  Her excuses to get out of things are becoming more creative...lately they are A) a fairy godmother and B) ballerina school.  Examples:

C: You can have fishy crackers or a cheese stick for a snack.  L: No, I want to have Skittles.  C: Laura, that's a treat, not a snack.  You can have Skittles after lunch.  L: But Mom, the Fairy Godmother says that I HAVE to have Skittles right now.

*The "Fairy Godmother" excuse is usually about permitting something that has already been shot down by me.

C: Laura, it's time to fix your hair right now, do you want a braid or a pony today?  L: Sorry, mom, I can't come right now, I'm going to ballerina school and it starts RIGHT NOW.  I have to learn how to dance.

*Ballerina school is usually about task avoidance.  Laura has also been known to have to attend ballerina school right when I want to turn off the lights and say good night at bedtime.

5.  She has developed her manners quite nicely and knows "No, thank you," but applies it all the time with refusing to do things.  Example:

C: Laura, we're going to put away the puzzles and go up and brush your teeth.  L: No, thank you.
Not sassy but still irritating to hear her so politely shoot you down.

Laura and Daddy at Minnehaha Falls on Father's Day

Not as fun:
Admittedly, our girl is a bit of a wallflower/crybaby; she is not the type to enter willingly or cheerfully into new situations.  At her friend Evan's birthday party, 4 other kids happily smacked away at a pinata while being egged/cheered on by the adults.  Laura made a timid attempt on her first turn and burst into tears on her second.  She did however rally for the gathering of the treats and probably had the largest pile of candy (what can I say, she loves her treats).

Scene of pool freakouts.  You can't see it but she clutches a rubber duck they have given her  so she won't  "be afraid."

Swimming lessons...sigh.  I signed her up for "Tadpoles" which is supposed to be for new and hesitant swimmers who feel nervous about putting their faces in the water or attending without parents.  Theoretically she is excited about it and her great teacher Miss Hannah, until she actually goes in the water.  Parents got to observe lessons on Thursday.  Mike and I watched her cry almost through the whole lesson, cling piggyback to her teacher while she tried to help the other kids through their turns, and refuse to do almost anything that involved getting her head wet.  To her credit, she did try blowing bubbles that day.  I'm trying to focus on the positives with her - Friday's goal was to not cry as much; she was successful!