1-2-3! Cassidy Dawn is three!

There's something about THREE that seems so decidedly un-baby to me. She's still little, but not a baby. She's a child. A kid. Lately, out of the blue, she'll say, "Hi, Mom" or "Help me, Mom" and I feel like turning on my heels and yelling, "Who do you think you are, calling me 'Mom' like that? I am your Mama!" Mom is what older kids call their mother. I want to be Mama for a long, long time.

These days Cassidy is in love with her little brother. He's her best buddy, her sidekick. And now I know for sure that all my worrying about having Travis so soon, forcing her out of single-child-hood and into sibling-hood before she was two, all that worry was as silly as everyone said. I'm thrilled for her that she has him, and vice versa. They were meant to be together.

The kids had their annual well-baby visits with our new pediatrician last week. It was uneventful except for all the shots. Cassidy wore a hospital gown (the littlest I've ever seen!) for the first time in her life, and she loved twirling around in her "special dress" in the examining room. Dr. Nau said she was great, just who she should be at three. And exclaimed about her hair, calling it "unusually long and lustrous for such a little girl!" She's special, we know.

I wonder what this next year will bring for our pumpkin. We're in a new state, with new friends, a new church, a new home. There are more changes to come, too. I can't wait to see how her life continues to unfold. It's a little hard watching your baby turn into a kid. Maybe she can sense my emotion about this. Tonight after dinner we were playing her new fishing game. After a few minutes she put down her little red fishing pole and stood up in her chair. She hasn't tried to get up on the table in a very long time, and when she did just that I almost reprimanded her, but I'm glad I didn't. With confidence and skill, those little knees edged their way across to my side of the table and she reached out for me to put her in my lap. She hugged me for an extra long minute and kissed me right on my mouth. Then she looked me square in the eyes and said with a smile, "Thanks, Mama" like she so often does after a hug. You're welcome, Cassidy. And happy 3rd birthday, my precious dolly.

Can you imagine the excitement that this little girl experienced today when a person showed up at our front door with a bouquet of balloons just for her? Our dear friends, Uncle Scott and Aunt Kate to Cassidy, sent these for her birthday. It made her day!

Trying to see herself holding her balloons in the mirror.

A new favorite: Ants on a Log. Give her about five minutes and she'll hand you the cleanest piece of celery you've ever seen. When I tell her she's supposed to eat the celery too she just laughs like I'm crazy. I keep trying. :)