Almost 3

Savvy turns three soon. Before the cake and the balloons, we thought we’d share her latest.

· Savvy can hold a pencil like a big girl and loves to write in her own language, usually signing her name on her art work with a special squiggle.

· Through the month of February, everything was stinky. Stinky toothpaste. Stinky toastie. Stinky teddy. And when being collected at nursery, she would tell her friends a joke: “Guys! Guys! Look! Look! My mommy’s stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinky!” (followed by six toddlers rolling about on the ground in hysterics.)

· She knows the important stuff – Tilt your hands down when washing them so you don’t get your sleeves wet; hoist up your backpack to take off the weight so that you can zip it up more easily; Pour a heavy jug of milk differently than a light one, etc. It’s pretty amazing.

· Pink is out. Purple is in.

· She cannot keep a secret under any circumstances. But when she does blab that which she was suppose to keep shhhhhhh ("Want me show you where Daddy hide your presents?"), the pure joy and delight on her face is lovely.

· Favourite foods: mac&cheese (two years running), blueberries, and pistachio nuts

· Savvy is very into role play and applies rather detailed plot lines. It is important not to come out of character unless given special permission. Or, face a major Savage tantrum.

· She will often ask a question to which she has her own specific answer already prepared:

o Sav: What’s that on top of the roof?

o Mom: It’s a chimney with smoke.

o Sav: No. It’s a little boy sitting at the table at school eating lunch and playing with a jigsaw.

· Sav has a punishing memory. But it’s all about the time mom forgot her wallet and had to be rescued at the train platform (6 months ago?), the time dad let go of her blue helium balloon and now it's in the sky dancing with the birds and the stars, and the time nonno and nonna blocked the toilet with baby wipes. Never the stuff we got right!

· She still calls her blanket a "wanket".

· She persists with the wildest sense of style. She will come out of her bedroom in outfits that can still shock even me and Glen. She’ll emerge with pink pajama bottoms, sandals (forget the snow), an inside out and backwards silky party shirt, and a rainbow of hoodies. Then at the door, just as we’re about to go to school, she’ll look down: “Oh no!” – looks up at you with a concerned frown - “I forgot my skirt.” (Brown skirt gets duly pulled over the lot).

· Savvy has figured out that we need to pay some of her babysitters to look after her. The look of horror when the penny dropped that all people wouldn't simply be delighted to play tea party and swing and shop keeper with her sans payment. That one hurt.

· I am told by all that she remains a MegaDob replica. She still adores her Dad more than words can say and I dread that moment when their special bond might face change. Once in a while, I am told that she has facial expressions that are match with me. I think I can see them sometimes and when I do, they also remind me of my brother and my dad. Like when she’s pretty sure she’s convinced you to go her way, and the eyebrows are up and eyes are shiny, the smile a bit mischievous and victorious all in one.

· When she really wants something, and she has tried her usual powers of persuasion and is still making no progress, she leans right in, lips on ear, and whispers her wish. The whisper isn’t really that quiet but the small drop in volume and raspy sound that she associates with a whisper is done with all the strain in her might. So so charming and effective: "Please I have more yoghurt now". "Please 5 more minutes before bed". "Please you buy me new computer". "Please no school tomorrow".

Happy Almost Birthday Savvy – we love you!