26 | March | 2014 | A dad going off the track(s)

It was only three short years ago that Miss E. was born.

That is a typical sentiment from a parent…”Oh where did the time go?”

When Miss E. was born, someone told me “The nights are long, but the years are short.” But looking back, was the time really that short? No quicker than any other set of three years. I think it would be more accurate to say, “The growth is slow, but the changes are quick,” or something akin to that.

I am amazed by the small changes we see, but mostly because we don’t seem to see them happening; more so, they just suddenly are there. Nearly every week I realize Miss E. can suddenly do something she couldn’t before, or is more a kid, and less a toddler.

She has always been a bit short, and up until recently was still wearing 24-month clothes. And then yesterday we realized she could reach the top of the table.
She engages in plenty of imaginary play and role-playing. This morning she was telling me about her imaginary friends, and a few weeks ago she re-enacted an animal show she watched at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG).
She moved from being potty trained to telling us not to come into the washroom because she could do it. Of course this level of independence still needs some adult supervision, lest an entire roll of toilet paper disappear somewhere.
She didn’t get jealous with the arrival of Mr. J. Instead, she has taken to feeding “her babies”, carrying them slings and role-playing as a mom, making sure everyone holds hands when “going shopping”, even if those people are her teachers at daycare.

The development of her personality is most amazing. She is a kid who loves pink, and dancing, and was very excited about ice dancing during the Olympics. But one of her favourite places is the RBG, where she likes to pet the reptiles, she thinks snakes are “so cute”, and she loves dinosaurs and trains. In fact, when we asked her, she wanted a “Dinosaur-Train-Princess” birthday party, so that’s what we gave her.

So, basically, she’s a kid. She’s curious, and she likes a mix of things we might consider weird, but to her all make sense. She likes them not because we say she should, but just because she likes them.

And it makes you wonder about the development of her personality. Is it developing, or is it just beginning to show in ways we actually notice? I’ll think about that more.

But for now, here are some pictures of the cake Jenn made for Miss. E.