The emotional rollercoaster of three is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. We missed out on Trick-or-Treating (as IF Maya needs more sweets?), but did indulge in a princess dress. Maya was in preschooler heaven. She spun in circles. She admired her sparkle shoes. She asked me to dance with her during the waltz in Cinderella.

Then it was time for bed. Uh-oh.

Oh, the drama. The torment. The evil, evil mommy who made her actually take off her princess dress to eat dinner. *GASP* And, once she realized I wasn’t taking her seriously, she started yelling at me, “NO CAMERA, MAMA!”

For what it’s worth, this happened TWO nights in a row. Two. As in, both nights that she got to wear the princess dress. I’ve warned her that if she eternally makes this so hard for me, she won’t get to wear it at all!

And, this morning, she’s a sane human being again. Or was, at least, until I asked her to wait while I finish writing a story about her.

“I DON’T WANT TO WAIT!”

Here we go again…

Maya: Apple? Apple?

Me: Sure, you can have an apple.

Maya: Whole apple!

Me: No, babe. Last time we did that, you took five bites, then threw the rest away. You can have apple slices. (Sliced apple.)

Maya: APPPPPLLLLLE! APPPPLLLLLE!

Me: Here it is. (Handing her apple slices on a cutting board.)

Maya: NO! WHOLE apple! (falls on the floor in the quiet prelude to a scream)

Me: (ignore Maya)

Maya: (Grabs apples slices and chomps them down.)

Guess it DOES still taste okay when chopped up.

Yes, yes. I’ve been quite the blog slacker, no?

Maya continues to morph into this amazing and astonishing creature. She’s funny, smart as a whip, and can charm nearly anyone she meets. That’s good, because with her current phase of yelling “NO! MINE!” at people who come near (No, Maya…that old gentleman isn’t going to steal your cookie. Relax, already.), she needs all the charm she can get. This phase passes, right?

Last night, I put Maya into some new size 3T (!) jammies for the first time, and they were so darned cute, I had to do an impromptu photo session. Rather than running around, being the moving target, Little Miss actually *posed* for me. What a character.

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This isn’t a first. Recently, she’s taken to making all sorts of faces during any given photo-op.

Off to school recently:

Given jellybeans from a care package from Grandma Collins:

Contrary to appearances, these photos were immediately followed by, “more pink jelly beans, PEEEEES!”

Eating her beloved mac-n-cheese:

Strike a pose, much?

Allison & Mike
November 24, 2006

Why yes…we did go through with it!

Thanks a million to everyone who came to celebrate with us — you made it quite a memorable evening!

After I start to get professional photos (so far, all we have are snapshots captured by family), I’ll post a link to a slideshow on Flickr.

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After struggling for months, hoping that I wouldn’t have to cut Maya’s hair into bangs, I finally did it. And you know what? It’s pretty darned cute.

And now, I don’t have to fight her each and EVERY DAY to get her hair into either a barrette or a rubber band so it’ll stay out of her eyes!

Maya explains to her new friend the secrets of the trees.

This was after greeting her friend with a kiss, of course. Maya’s in the habit of kissing statues.

From It’s Not All Mary Poppins:

Nigel has all kinds of words, and we hear them a lot. All except ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Hmm. Now, I usually have more success with ‘please’, so I’ll often start with it. (Why is please easier? It’s all in the motivation. “Want this cookie? Say ‘please’!” You can see how it’s easier to get out a ‘please’ than a ‘thank you’ - he’s got that cookie stuffed into his mouth to the tonsils: why is further communication necessary?)

Yup. Exactly. I DO hear please, all day, every day. Thank you is still rare, but we work on it. Every freakin’ day.

For those of you whom I haven’t had a chance to tell…I’m getting married!

Huh? Whaaaaa? But…but…but…you barely told us you’re dating someone!

It’s true. This has been nothing if not fast. As one friend told me, “Alli, you’re not a rash person. I’m going to have to trust you here.” He’s right. I’m not one to make decisions quite this quickly, especially since Maya’s arrival nearly two years ago. But here we are, and Mike and I will marry in November.
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(Read on …)

Lately, I’ve watched Maya’s imagination come to life. She talks to her stuffed animals, has selected a few favorites (she loves her giraffe and cow, especially — plus a bear that Mike’s housemate left for her), and she runs them around the house, clearly acting out some sort of mini-drama.

From necessity, Maya’s learned well to play alone, and I’m thankful for that. It should, I think, serve her well, even when she’s finally in a daycare/preschool situation with other kids!

Seriously snotty noses seem to be the malady du jour in our home.

As I removed Maya’s pj top for a bath, she let a big “flow” release, and it pulled the excess upward. You’ll understand that I *had* to take a photo before washing her hair for this one.

Here’s to bodily-fluid hair gel!

From Babycenter:

Your toddler may now be able to throw a ball overhand with ease, although she’ll probably miss her target most of the time. The whole-arm coordination that allows her to roll or throw a ball at something (or someone) usually comes somewhere between 18 months and 3 years.

Or someone? Uh, yeah, no kidding. I think I still have a bruise from learning that lesson. We’re working on the concept of “throw balls *to* people, not *at* them.” The word “gently!” has popped up in my everyday language with OCD-like frequency.

Only one month left until she’s two. Where has the time gone?

We will be away for the next several days, as I drive down to Arizona to take Clay back to his breeder. While we’re away, I hope to introduce Maya to some of the Anderson clan in Albuquerque who’ve yet to meet her. Photos and stories, as always, after we return.