Rory is 3

I've been meaning to do this post ever since her birthday (some 2 months ago!), but somehow never got around to it. It's mostly for my own journaling purposes, but you might get a kick out of some of it.

So, Rory at 3:

. . . cannot count to 3 (or 5 or 10) to save her life. Her current method is "1, 2, 6" but it changes frequently.

. . . says "maam" instead of "man" so we get "batmaam" and "police maam," etc. I'm not about to correct her because it's much too cute.

. . . loves Dora and Boots. She is slowly beginning to appreciate other cartoons (Max and Ruby tops the "will tolerate" list), but Dora is most definitely her favorite.

. . . loves to sing (Camden always did too - still does for that matter). She likes for me to take turns choosing a song, and when we're all 4 in the car together, she's big on "let's all sing agether." Recently, she's been asking for the "falling leaves" song (translated London Bridge is Falling).

. . . favorite book is Big Brother, Little Brother. Let me warn you, this is no literary classic, but it does have adoption themes in it and both kids love it. Rory's favorite phrase from the book is "little brother, don't you dare; hands off my underwear." I can't even tell you how many times in the last several months I've had to pretend I don't know what she's saying as she recites it to everyone she meets, including random grocers and post office workers.

. . . asks me "are you happy" at least 20 times a day. I have a feeling this is adoption/attachment related. And as far as attachment, I've very happy with where we are although there are many times a week that she tells me, "don't leave me." Sometimes, I think she's just messing with me, but there are other times that the look of sheer terror on her face convinces me she's serious.

. . . can seriously put away some food for a tiny 3 year old. It does take her, however, at least 30-45 minutes to eat every single meal. By suppertime some days, I am so sick of sitting at the kitchen table watching her eat. Her favorite meal by far is "maca-noodles" (a.k.a. ramen noodles). She doesn't like bread (if you can even imagine such a thing) and is not fond of cake. She really loves vegetables, especially if they're raw and involve ranch dip. Many times she will finish Camden's vegetables and hand over her ice cream cone to him. She's a serious fan of M&M's, however.

. . . LOVES to play with her baby and is quite the little mommy. It always amazes me how much she imitates me - sometimes good and sometimes bad. She magnifies the bad to downright mean and amplifies the good to sticky sweet (and with her voice in a pitch so high it could crack glass).

. . . is full of drama. I haven't quite figured out yet if this is her personality or simply the difference between a boy and a girl; it's probably a little of both. Her feelings get hurt easily and she can cry with big crocodile tears like you wouldn't believe. Most of the time they are genuine, but I've noticed as she gets older that she can really turn it on. She can also scream with the best of them when she gets mad at Camden.

. . . is BOSSY. Mostly with Camden (and me), although I've caught her ordering the church kids around as well.

. . . really likes lipstick and shoes, but doesn't mind to roll around in the mud.

. . . is sensitive and interested in her former life in Korea to such an extent that I would not believe it if I didn't hear it with my own ears.

. . . I may be biased, but she's the cutest, sweetest girl I've ever met, and she's all ours. :)

These are my first official photos with the new camera (and yes, I'm more than pleased with it!).