I think every year I say it was the best year, but 3 was definitely my favorite so far. We are looking forward to another adventurous year with our big girl!
Maya, we had such an exciting year with you. Some highlights - Being the best big sister by sharing your playtime, toys, movies and food with Kaden, 1st trip to Disney World, playing with your very own iPad, experimenting with preschool, horse riding/therapy, getting potty trained, getting into make up and doing nails, taking pictures on mommy's cameras, dancing, cooking with mommy, going on rhino rides at the deer lease, the biggest year yet we've seen from the drama queen. You started talking SO MUCH. And singing all day long. To every song in the whole wide world (I am repeating what I hear her saying). Your favorite color is RED.
You mastered driving your first powerchair in about 6 months. We didn't get the lift for our car until you had the chair for about 4-5 months, so once you were going out and about to restaurants, ball parks, and shopping places, you just got better and better at maneauvering everywhere. You can get through some amazing spaces, you learned how to go up and down, you even gave some rides out (I think Hailey was your first passenger at a Sam's Club!). You love your powerchair so much and feel so independent with it! You don't get upset when we don't bring it in the house because you like using your manual chair in the there, but everytime we go out, you are so excited to be able drive on your own. I bet you also love hearing us tell you to "come back here, Maya!" or "Maya don't go too far". Every time you went down a ramp, everyone had to stop and chant for you, "Go, Maya, Go! Go, Maya, Go!" Every.Time. Looking back on it, I don't know why we didn't get it for you earlier. I think your ability to "run around" really opened up a big part of your personality. We are so happy that you are so happy in your powerchair.
Maya, you had the busiest schedule of any 3 yr-old I ever knew. Mondays you would go to PT, Tuesday mornings to horse riding, then back for OT at home and then home school. Wednesdays you would go to preschool, Thursdays you would go to PT in the morning, then home for OT and then home school. Fridays you would go to preschool. The only thing that changed when you turned 4 is the preschool thing, but you will be right back next August! Somewhere in all that, you would fit in some swimming here in there, doing about 3 hours of standing time per day, and taking naps.
Your favorite activities and toys when you were 3 were: painting, cutting things with your cool scissors, getting your nails done with mommy, doing everyone's nails at home, putting on gobs and gobs of lip gloss (doing your makeup next to me in the bathroom!), watching movies like Tangled, Little Mermaid and Cindereilla. You loved books (finally) this year and asked to be read every night. Your favorite books were Cinderella and Little Mermaid. You love driving a play Escalade car around the neighborhood and scored your very own for your 4th birthday. Playing teacup/coffee and kitchen, the doctor set, cash registers, castles and houses, playdoh, all princesses and Barbie things, and you very much enjoyed playing with all your old baby toys that we brought out for Kaden! You got your first baseball bat and loved playing baseball outside in your stander. We got a swing set in our backyard after seeing how much you love to swing. But, you also hate bugs SO much that you hardly wanted to go in our backyard after 5 pm!
Your eating habits got a little bit better. I don't recall having to make quesadillas three times a week! You still love Spinach. The only other green vegetables you will eat are broccoli (with cheese) and okra (fried). You would eat lasagna and taco salad (with all the lettuce, too!). You tried more and more vegetables and different meats, vbut you were still very much against eating any kind of fruit (except Gerber Pears), ice cream, or candy. You would tell everyone that asked you to eat any of these "banned" foods of yours that you did not like them, but thanked them for offering.
During your 3rd year of life, you proved just how brave you are. We would go to the doctor, therapist, get new bracing, etc and you don't cry anymore! Now, you still cry alot when there is a needle involved, but you are getting SO much better at it. In fact, you cry right before, but during the finger pokes and bloodtests, you are such a big girl and hardly ever cry anymore! And there were so many more ways that you have proved your bravity. We are so proud of you, Maya, for many reasons, but for putting up with all the "stuff" we have to do with you is amazing.
