Three

Charlotte is three years old today!

When I was looking at pictures and videos to create her third year video, I was stunned to see how much she has changed in a year.  A year ago today, I thought Charlotte was talking and doing so much, but it's absolutely nothing compared with today.  Charlotte talks and sings and dances and jumps and so much more.  When Charlotte talks, she doesn't just talk, she uses adjectives to explain exactly what she's talking about.  She has an amazing memory and can remember events from months ago in intricate detail.  In the past year, Charlotte has gone from sleeping in a crib to sleeping in a big girl bed without rails (she's only fallen out twice, and one of those times was when the rails were still up!).  She has gone from diapers to big girl underwear.  She has lost her baby fat and looks more and more like the girl she will become.  Charlotte has embraced her role as a big sister and gives her little sister hugs and kisses all the time.  She has a best friend, Ava, and can play with her for hours with little notice of anyone else.  She sings songs from movies like The Muppets, Annie, and Beauty and the Beast (her rendition of the song "Tomorrow" from Annie is priceless).  She can swim with water wings on and throws tantrums when you take her out of the pool. She can play games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders and remembers exactly where the cards are in her Memory game.  She shows empathy toward people and animals. She loves coloring, painting, and playing with Play-Doh. She has an amazing appetite for cookies, cakes, and all other desserts, but will only eat two bites of dinner if anything plant-based is on it.  She is sweet and funny, but also has a shocking dose of attitude.

She is definitely our rainbow.