How We Forced Our Daughter to Turn Three

Here is what three looked like around here.

After two wild brothers, it's fun to indulge in girly things again.  Evie used her birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa T to buy a new Hello Kitty purse . . . "and I can put my stuff in it." Stuff includes keys, a phone, a Barbie--and Darth Vader.  What purse is complete without the Dark Lord?

She loves babies and pretend phones.  She spent much of the afternoon on the couch with her new purse and phone, calling Grandma and then heading to the store to buy pink candy and pumpkins.

Lily (who loves Cake Boss, if you remember) made Evie's cake.  She had a grand idea in her head of what it should look like, but it didn't turn out exactly how she planned.  By the time she's in high school, I'm sure her visions will be closer to the finished product.

Here is where the forced part of the birthday began . . .

Evie had been proud of her pink cake all day, but when it was time to sit around the cake and sing, she kept saying, "I don't WANT to! I don't WANT to!"

Brad tried to hold her down in front of it as we sang, but she escaped and ran to the mudroom for sanctuary from the evil that is birthday singing.  Uncle Hubert calmly talked her into coming back in, but she obstinately refused to eat any cake, just ice cream.  What three-year-old girl does that?  Mine, that's who.

It was a crazy busy school day with soccer practice, two piano lessons, one voice lesson, tumbling, a basketball game . . . oh, and a birthday, right?  We finally had time for presents just before bed. 

These pictures show her as happier than she actually was.  She didn't "WANT" to open presents.  After a few minutes, the kids just opened her presents and handed them to her--new bottles and dress for her baby . . .

. . . and a box full of dress ups.  This pink trunk was a private joke among me and the kids, since we had sneaked it in all of its pink and silver fuzzy glory onto the bottom of our Costco cart while Eve sat in the seat and never once even noticed it.  It was cute to see all the kids conspire in the the secret.

Maybe a new doll dress and baby bottles weren't that exciting, but who can resist dress-ups and clicky-clack shoes? Or a new princess scooter?

That would be Eve.  She wanted nothing to do with them.

Even after Lily adorned herself in princess finery, she still refused to touch any of them . . .

. . . okay, maybe just the shoes . . .

. . . and the crown, but don't even think about putting it on her head!

Just before bed, she allowed me to dress Baby in her new dress and Evie gave her a bottle to drink.  I don't think I've ever been more surprised at birthday present reactions.  A party tailored to a prissy girl--pink cake, babies, dress-ups, princesses?  Where did I go wrong? 

This was how she looked this morning . . .

I guess three just needed to grow on her for a day or so before she could face the reality that she's no longer a baby.

I can't believe it either.