Three and a half

Dear Maya,

So, mommy kind of forgot that you turned three and a half Monday. I knew it was coming up, but then on the actual day I forgot about it. It's not like a full birthday or anything, but it made me stop and think about how I want to treasure our last few weeks (maybe?) with you as our only child. So, here are some Maya-isms I've been collecting for a while, mixed with some things we love about you and don't want to forget. I'm going to try for 42 since that's how many months old you are. Wow, 42 already?!?!?! Well, here goes:

1. "No beans tomorrow, beans today!" (you love beans!)
2. "What is that this?" (though you don't really say that anymore)
3. "There's two dems." (I think you may have outgrown this, too)
4. "It's just a little pisser." (when showing off a new picture you drew)
5. "Is that cool?" (we'll enjoy it now before you become more opinionated!)
6. "This is my favorite song." (applies to everything from Beethoven to "Tequila")
7. Your rendition of "The Farmer in the Dell" is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!
8. When counting objects in a book, you often sing the numbers in ascending scales. Perfectly in tune!
9. "I don't like two books. I like three books and four books and..." (your bedtime story negotiations)
10. And when mommy tried to teach you "negotiation" you said "neko nation" ('neko'=Japanese for 'cat').
11. Even though you used to say "octopus" correctly, you usually say "apple-pus" now.
12. Mommy's not writing this on a "computer" but rather an "umputer" according to you.
13. For a while you kept confusing the words "sour" and "sauerkraut" to mommy's amusement.
14. You also use the word "now" when you mean "then." It can get a little confusing sometimes...
15. You pick up songs SO quickly. We can be anywhere and you hear a song that you've heard even just once before and your eyes light up and you tell us that you remember it and sometimes start singing.
16. You've been picking up phrases from books really quickly, too. Sometimes you can finish the sentences for me after only hearing them a time or two.
17. You can write your capital letters and are usually right when we ask you the first letter of a word.
18. Your pronunciation of the letters "J" and "L" sound more like "D" and "W" respectively, but sometimes you get them right so we're not too worried.
19. You still hate bathing but will usually take a shower with mommy without too much fuss. 
20. Not much really scares you aside from the bathroom drain. Thunderstorms are no big deal, even some of the doozies we've had the last few weeks. You're not crazy about strong winds at night, though.
21. You can be pretty shy, like when we went to the clown show at the library on Tuesday. You wouldn't even clap your hands, but you did say "thank you" when the clown gave you a duck toy at the end.
22. But you can also be pretty crazy. You still love to spin in circles, jump on furniture, and run, run, run!
23. You love to put things back where they belong...in stores anyway. If you find a pack of berries in the veggie aisle you take it back to where the berries were. At home you go through phases of cleaning up after yourself or resisting, though, especially things with lots of pieces. Ugh.
24. We've still never cut the back of your hair. Mommy used to trim your bangs but we're growing them for the summer to keep them off your sweaty forehead. And there was the time you cut the side of your hair, but the back is still untouched. I guess that's why it kinda comes to a point in the middle...
25. Mommy and daddy were feeling a little guilty the other night that, because we're always so good about keeping your bedtime schedule, you've never seen fireflies (or fireworks, etc.). We went into your room that night and roused you for a minute to look out the window to see all the twinkling bugs, but you said you didn't want to and rolled back over to go to sleep. Oh, well...
26. You've been making up stories a lot lately, usually featuring a dinosaur at some point.
27. Aunt Rhi brought you home a copy of the book "Yoko's Paper Cranes" which has a map of the world on the inside cover. You can point out where we are and where your grandparents in Japan live. 
28. That story talks about mailing a gift to Yoko's grandparents in Japan via airplane, so lately almost every time you see a plane in the sky you say it's going to Japan to your grandparents' house.
29. When we Skype with your grandparents in Japan you are always super hyperactive. I think it's just excitement and showing off for them, but my goodness they must think you are a nut!
30. You never want to talk to loved ones on the phone, but you have the most adorable pretend conversations with them on the old cell phone we let you play with.
31. You've started watching "My Little Pony" on Netflix. Mommy will take out her old My Little Pony toys for you one of these days...
32. You can use daddy's Ipod better than mommy can. You know how to get to Netflix and Google Earth and how to use them. 
33. You still ask mommy to change the volume, though, or to use Pandora to turn on some tunes for you.
34. You say at least once a day, "I want to dance with somebody." It puts Whitney Houston in mommy's head every time!
35. You've been sitting on mommy's lap more in the last month than you have most of the last year. It's so sweet, even though it's hard for you to fit around my big belly.
36. You point out babies whenever you see them lately and seem excited that we'll have one soon. You keep asking if she's here yet.
37. But you are not at all interested in watching or feeling the movements in mommy's belly. 
38. You chose your sister's name. We had a few in mind and were debating them, but you refused to even say any of them but one, so that's what we're planning to go with!
39. "The baby's getting bigger. And I'm getting bigger, too!" (as though mommy needs reminding of either)
40. "You're so pretty!" you've told mommy as I was throwing my hair into a ponytail or putting on some comfy clothes that just happened to have flowers on them or were flowy. You remind me to look for the good even when I'm not feeling it!
41. "Mama, I want to keep you." (swoon!)
42. While hugging you through a cranky moment on Monday in the late afternoon light, mommy noticed and fell in love all over again with the tiny soft downy hairs still on your nose and the rest of your face.

Well, that's it for this week. Love you!