Delaney at 3 and 3/4

Delaney is curious, inquisitive, outgoing, happy, and above all, full of energy.  I can't believe the way this girl attacks every day.  She bounds out of bed and is just ready to go.  She's asking me things, telling me things, wanting to make plans, and I'm hopelessly behind.  I'm still in a fog, all I can focus on is breakfast, and she's like, "What are we doing today, Mama?"  She must get it from her dad.  He says that before he had kids, he used to rise at 6 on the weekends with no alarm, and be off.  When he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, he relished being the only one up and about at 6.  He never had to wait in traffic or stand in any lines, and he'd get everything done before the rest of California woke up.  Yes, she definitely takes after him.  Good for them.  I'll never be that way.  I'm pretty sure the only time I ever happily got up early was on Christmas morning when I was little.

Go get 'em, Delaney!

She goes all day long.  Naps have long been a thing of the past for her, but she will settle down on her Elmo couch upstairs and watch TV while Annie and I take naps.  The rest of the day, I try to make sure there's something for her to do.  Now that the weather's nicer, we get out more.  But even if all I can do is send her out in the back yard, that's better than nothing.  About a month or two ago, I started letting her and her sister play out back without me there.  I tell them to stay in the back so I can see them out the window.  I do whatever I'm doing, and every minute or two, run over to the window to make sure I know what they're up to.  Having no fence still makes me nervous, but I don't feel like hovering over them out there either.  I'm trying to raise (sort of) free-range kids.

She fights a lot with Annie, but she can be so sweet with her too.  Sometimes she'll try to help her put on her shoes, saying in her 'little Mama' voice, "Annie, do you need help putting on your shoes?"  Other times, she'll "teach" her to say things.  One night at dinner, I told her, "See, you tried it and you liked it."  Delaney started saying "I tried it and I liked it," in a sing-song voice, like on Yo Gabba-Gabba (which is an awful show, rarely viewed in this house).  Soon Annie chimed in, to Delaney's delight.  She laughed and laughed, and said, "Say it again, Annie, say it again."  Sometimes I can tell she is making an effort to get along with her sister, like when she hands her the toy that they both want.  A minute later, Delaney will turn to me in tears saying, "I shared with her, but she won't share with me!"

So far I have not seen her "regressing" in any way, as I'd been warned by other Marine families might happen when Tim left.  She is still potty-trained, but since she's been for over a year now, I would be really shocked to see her start wetting her pants again.  She never was potty-trained at night, so that hasn't changed.  She sure did soak her bed the night before he left, though, right through that pull-up.  But that's been it.  As I mentioned in another post, she does get extremely moody in late afternoon.  That part of the day, when he's supposed to be home, is hard for her, I believe.  I try to remember that and bear with her, instead of becoming frustrated.

She loves to pick little wildflowers,  little rocks, and anything else she finds interesting, and show them to me.  Then she puts them in her pockets.  She sees what's beautiful and special about simple things.