MacKenzie at 3

MacKenzie,

Yesterday we celebrated your third birthday. You have now really, really left all babyhood behind and are without a doubt moving into the classification of kid-dom. How did that happen so fast? Mommy feels like it was just yesterday that we were welcoming visitors in the hospital to come see you and now you are an independent and strong little kid. At the same time, it is hard to remember a time without you. Not that we cannot remember life events before you were born, but we find ourselves looking at pictures or reflecting on different happenings and catch ourselves thinking "Where was Mac or Keegs?" and then shake our head realizing that you tikes weren't born yet! You are such an integral part of our lives and we love all the things we share with you.

Yesterday we took you to your check up at the doctor and I could not have been more proud of you. Your height was just under 40 inches and measured in at the 95th percentile. Your weight was 36 pounds and that placed you at the 90th percentile. Daddy and I were surprised at your weight percentile because you look so skinny and lean to us! You had your very first blood pressure check and you did very well sitting still while the nurse tightened it on your arm. You also had your first eye exam and did perfectly!!! The placed letter cards in front of you so you could point to which one you saw, but instead read every one off perfectly. You did all three lines with ease and have been deemed to possess 20/20 vision!!! The doctor was pleased with all of your progress and scolded Mommy for not telling her you had an ear infection...how was I to know?!? You never complained or fussed about your ears hurting. Mommy was a little concerned about your flu shot (in the arm) and your blood draw (with a finger poke), but I think you did better than Mommy does for all of those things. You didn't flinch for either one and you were absolutely riveted by the tech squeezing your blood into the vial for testing. Daddy and I always joke about you becoming a doctor one day, but maybe that really is in the cards! We tried really hard to explain what each procedure was before hand and I think it really helped you to understand the purpose and process behind each part of your visit.

As far as your birthday celebrations go we will post about that later, but rest assured that you had a wonderful time!

For your progress and milestones it is hard to pick and choose just a few to write about. You are starting to sound out small words and do great at memorizing words we see a lot. I love to watch you track letters and words with your finger to mimic what Mommy does when getting you to identify letters or sounds in a book. You are also doing great at remembering good chunks of stories and will sit and read or replicate the story to yourself or your sister. Mommy's heart melted when you and Keegan sat on the couch and you "read" the I'm a Big Sister book by Joanna Cole. It was like your own little reassurance to her about the baby coming soon. Your new favorite books are The Magic School Bus books. We picked up a few at the library and it is so funny to watch you sit and study all the pages as someone reads to you. You will sit quietly and furrow your brow to try and listen to everything that is written. It is fun to watch you go to the library and attempt to pick out as many books as possible in one fell swoop. I hope your thirst for knowledge and reading continues for many years to come.

You really enjoy playing outside more and more and we enjoy taking you on little walks around the block. You soak in everything we say and look for some of our "landmarks" as we walk. You love the houses that have out American flags and Texas flags on display in their yards. In general, you love flags! You also like to look out for water towers on our drives around town or to College Station. You have been asking us if people go swimming in the water towers and if fish live in there too. You seemed a little disappointed when we told you no, but cheered up at the sight of birds resting on top of the water towers when we drive by.

Speaking of birds and fish, your love for animals grows every day. You love all sorts of animals and will not waste an opportunity to see a live one or fake one at every chance you get. You will hold your toy animals delicately in your cupped hands and say "Awwwww, he is sooo little, he is soooo cute." You also like to see that they are all taken care of and will either find a suitable bed for them in the cushions of a couch or chair or in various boxes, purses, and other items. We thought you were anti-doll until you received a Rapunzel baby doll from a family friend for your birthday. Apparently you don't mind dolls if they have long, yellow hair just like you! You love to take care of her and play with her.

Dee and Doc took you recently and marveled at how much you talk! They said you didn't stop talking the entire way from Houston to College Station. I told them it was a good sign of how much you like them! You don't necessarily yammer on about nothing, but you like to get your point across and you like clarification. You want to know where the sun, moon, and stars are when we are outside or in the car. You like to know what people are doing or where they are driving. You ask about our family and friends and where they are at any given time. One of the things we marvel at is your killer memory. You can remember things we did up to a year ago that we haven't talked to you about ever! When we headed to the pumpkin patch this year, you remembered the rocking chair they had last year and asked where it was and if you could sit in it. I hope you can put that memory to good use.

Baby girl, I know there is much, much more I want to report on, but I have another post dedicated for later to list some of your favorites at 3. We just wanted to make sure you know today and every day how much you are loved and how much we have cherished the past three years with you in our arms. We marvel at the amazing creature you are and feel entirely blessed to be a part of your life. Thank you for making me a Mommy and Daddy a daddy!!!

Happy birthday with love,
Mommy and Daddy