Dear Gloria 2011

Dear Gloria,

You are three years old today!

You have grown so much this year - physically and intellectually.

You still love to read more than anything else. Your favorite thing to do is read books on the couch, in the car, by the bookcase, upstairs, downstairs, anywhere! You love visiting the library and we check-out at least 16 books at a time! We still read to you before your naps and before bedtime - two books at nap time, and three at bedtime. You read in your bed before you fall asleep at night, too. Just recently you have been setting all of your stuffed friends up around the edge of your crib to read to them. Sometimes you'll be up for an hour, or more, just reading in your crib before you fall asleep. Daddy and I will listen to you on the monitor and we are so amazed at your recollection of the stories that we have read to you. You can retell a story almost word for word. And, even if you don't remember the story, you will say your own story based on the pictures that you see.

You can write many different letters of the alphabet. You really started writing the "GLO" in your name around May and have since mastered the "RIA". You like having a little notebook to write and scribble in so you can write notes to people and help me write grocery lists.

You can say the alphabet - no problem - and recognize every capital letter. You're doing okay with the lowercase letters as well. We still sing the alphabet song together almost every night as we walk over to your bed, and sometimes we do it in silly voices.

You can count to thirty, forty, fifty, but sometimes you skip over twenty, and you need a bit of prompting once in awhile when it comes to the transitions between 29 and 30, 39 and 40, 49 and 50.

You are a whiz on the computer, pulling up the websites with your games, finding a page to type on, watching videos of yourself, and looking at pictures. You really like the Fisher-Price website with coloring pages and stories.

You have really developed an imagination this year. You play pretend with your Little People and have them do all sorts of things. We play store, restaurant, marching band, and babies. You and Daddy play "deer" and Daddy chases you around the living room with his pretend antlers.

You have also begun to occupy yourself for longer periods of time - up to an hour or more - just by reading and playing toys and pretend by yourself. I love watching you when you don't know that I am. I see you reading to your babies and animals, pointing out the words and having them pick out books, comforting them and helping them, showing them how to do things.

You are an amazing singer. You sing along to songs in the car, and do so well keeping the rhythm and the different tunes. When we get in the car you ask for "my songs." You really like Dora the Explorer songs and classic children's songs. We still sing to you before your nap and you still sing along with us before bed.

You are a great conversationalist, talking about anything and everything. Sometimes you make things up, telling Daddy we're having pizza for supper when really we're having chicken, or telling me that Daddy said you could have ice cream when he never said such a thing. You have an incredible vocabulary, using words like actually, usually and humongous in your everyday conversations and in the correct context.

We could not have asked for a more precious daughter than you, Gloria. There are great and amazing things ahead for you. You make our hearts sing with joy. You are so intelligent, so thoughtful, so beautiful, so caring, so special.

Happy birthday Gloria!

Love, Mommy


So, here's to your third birthday Gloria! May you continue to fill the hearts around you with joy and put smiles on the faces of everyone you meet! We love you Gloria Grace!