Princess Party for our little princess

All Delia wanted for her 3rd birthday was a princess party.  She didn't give any other specifics, just "Mommy, I want princess party for my birfday."  Ask child, and you shall receive because we through one heck of a princes party (if I do say so myself).  I ordered all sorts of princess goodies (crowns, wants, jewelry) from Oriental Trading Company and found someone in town to create the perfect princess cake (my friend who usually makes the kid's cakes had just had a baby and wasn't up to baking yet).  When brainstorming, I thought it would be cute and fun for the girls to have some time to dress up with costume jewelry.  I assigned John the task of finding inexpensive costume jewelry, and he set off putting his internet searching capabilities to great use.  He found GIANT bags of costume jewelry on ebay, and after some cleaning (i.e., spraying with lots of Lysol) they were perfect.  For food, we had finger sandwiches (PB&J shaped like crowns, stars and shoes), fruit kebabs (strawberries, pineapple, grapes and marshmallows) and cheese.

And of course, we told all the girls to dress up.  Not to be left out, I searched around (aka, asked on Facebook) to see if anyone knew where I could find a cheap old prom dress.  As luck would have it, a friend from the gym still had her prom dress from the '80s and told me I could borrow it.  Perfect does not begin to describe this dress.  I looked like a big dollop of yellow frosting, but Princess Delia loved it (and I enjoyed seeing the moms' reactions when they dropped their daughters off at the party).

Everyone had a wonderful time, especially Princess Dee-Dee :-)

Here are some photos from her special day:

New Year's Resolution

Once again, I've neglected the blog. However, now that we're through the craziness of the holidays and Delia's birthday, I'm ready to redirect my focus back to the blog. Step 1, catch up from the second half of 2011. Step 2, stay up to date in 2012.

I can do this! At least for a few months ;-)

Delia is 3!

Wow, it's so hard to believe that Delia is 3 years old!!  In so many ways she's still our "baby" but then there are moments when she shows us that she is growing up.

At 3 years old, Delia:

• Is 37 inches tall (50th percentile) and weighs 30 pounds (50th percentile).  I think the weight was a bit inflated (possibly due to heavy winter clothes and a belly full of breakfast) because she's never weighed that much at our house.  She's usually much closer to 29 pounds.
• Is quite the princess.  Delia loves to play dress up and have tea parties.  She never needs an excuse to wear a princess dress in public and does well in high heels (better than her Mommy!)  
• Loves books.  Just like her brother, Delia sleeps with a pile of books in her bed.  She'll stay "up late" to read and has been found on numerous occasions sleeping on an open book.
• Loves to color and do crafts.  Delia loves to color and draw pictures.  She'll tell you "stories" about them too.  She especially loves using stickers to decorate anything and everything.  We usually have to remind her that stickers go on paper, but her enthusiasm is cute.
• Runs, jumps and bounces.  Delia is always on the go!  She and John Grayson are always playing chase around the house and she loves to run after him on the playground.  The girl has some speed too!
• Has a best friend.  It's very interesting to see the differences between Delia and John Grayson.  JGray is our boy of many friends.  He has never really had a "best friend".  But Delia is entirely different.  For almost a year now, Delia has had a best friend, Darby.  Oh, are these two girls are ridiculously cute together! They are two peas in a pod and when they play together, it's like no one else is there.  It's fun to watch this relationship develop and grow.
• Is feisty.  Yes, this girl has an attitude!  I cannot even begin to imagine what we'll experience in another 10 years, or maybe Delia is just letting us practice now.  She's been known to say things like "No talk a me, Mommy!" (with a finger point), "Shhh Mommy, be quiet!", and has recently started locking her bedroom door "for privacy".  Seriously, what 3 year old needs privacy?!
• Still loves to snuggle, especially right after she wakes up.  She's taken over JGray's Mommy snuggle spot on the couch and is very particular about how we sit, where arms go, etc (but she's pretty particular about most things).  She gives kisses and hugs quite freely and with lots of love. As soon as she's said something like "I no like you, Mommy", she will run over and say something adorable like "You are my favorite Mommy".  
• Is still a very good sleeper.  She's given up her naps, for the most part, but will still nap 2-3 days a week.  She sleeps ~12 hours at night (7:30-7:00), but if it's a day that she napped, then we'll still hear her bouncing around upstairs until almost 9pm.  
• Loves her "Bobby."  Yes, she still calls JGray "Bobby".  Although he has given her very specific instructions that she is not to call him that at school :-)  The way she looks at him is full of love, admiration and awe.  It's pretty apparent that she wants to be just like him.  Actually, there have been a few times she's told me that she's going to grow up to be a big boy just like Bobby.  
• Enjoys school.  It took her a little time to warm up to the new environment, but now Delia is thriving.  She loves her teachers, Ms. Sarah and Ms. Anna, and has fun playing with the friends in her class.  Currently she only plays with the girls ("Mommy, I no play with the boys.")  
• Said farewell to her pacifier!!!  This is a truly exciting development in our house because Delia loved her paci.  Lucky for us, the Paci Fairy concept worked quite well and she handed it over like a very big girl.  No tears, no drama.

Delia, you continue to amaze us with her infectious personality and larger-than-life personality.  You play, laugh, and love with such enthusiasm.  Everyone you meet can't help but smile. Happy Birthday to our sweet, silly, sassy girl!!!

Here's a picture of our little lady at 3 years old: