Addie

What is Addison like at 3 years old? 

She is affectionate and enthusiastic. She is athletic and driven. She is independent. Her imagination is growing by leaps and bounds. 

She is our most sensitive child. Despite her furrowed brow, Addie is very rarely angry. Addie gets hurt. She is still learning to articulate her feelings and crumbles to tears if she is frustrated or upset. 

Addie is trying to make her own way in our family. While Lexi wants to shape and mold her, Addie sometimes rejects these notions and eventually erupts with a "NOOOOO, Lex!". Other times, she willingly goes along with the whims of her older sister.

At present, her relationship with her younger sibling is far more complex. They are together almost endlessly. They are neck and neck in many ways, including the desire to play with the same toys. At the same time. All of the time. And neither Addie or Emily remembers to use words as turf battles ensue. 

In the same token, Addie is a doting older sister. She comforts Emmy. She encourages Emmy. She nurtures her and always wants to include her. 

To say Addie is smart is an understatement. She is savvy. Addie is complex in her humor but still embodies the innocence of the toddler. 

Addie is so easy to be around. She plays contently for hours. She sleeps like a champ. She travels for hours without complaint. She will sit through a movie. She is reverent at church and willingly obedient. 

But, when she isn't agreeable, everyone knows about it. There's no guessing about what she's feeling. When she's tired, she has zero patience. She cries at every suggestion. 

She also manipulates her Dad. Oh man, does she have his number. 

Addie is great at giving hugs. She spontaneously says, "I love you, Mom" several times a day. But she doesn't just give it away. Addie is guarded with her affections until she feels comfortable with a person. Once you've earned her acceptance, she's very generous, but you've got to earn it. 

She's adept at cutting, coloring, and her fine motor skills. She is learning the alphabet, but doesn't have it down pat yet. She is very good at puzzles. She loves pretend play. And sports. She's been riding her scooter for over a year and now rides her bike anywhere she wants to go too. She almost never falls down. She can dribble a soccer ball across the field. She has a heck of an overhand throw. Oh, and she's left handed. 

She's your normal toddler going on preschooler in many ways. She challenges our patience. She talks too loud. She wiggles. She cries at silly things. She's surviving on, like, five different types of food and isn't even considering trying something new. She's stubborn about random and inconsequential things. 

But she's so much more than that to our family. She binds her sisters together and bridges their developmental gaps. She heals the heart with her comfort. She is undeniably sweet and demure behind that scowl. I've had many people I know whisper "she's my favorite" with a wink. Of course, she's no more or less loved than her sisters, but boy does she have charm. Such charm. 

Three years have gone by so fast for us with Addie. It really does feel like she was just this happy little baby yesterday. We just love our Addison so much and feel so blessed to have her in our family.