Three

My dearest Meips,

Today, you are three. You raise three fingers when asked how old you are, the third finger coming up more slowly than the other two, as you get used to the idea of being a year older. "This is three, right?" you asked proudly. I think you've been waiting a long time for the day.

I sometimes wonder: has it really been only three years since you've come into our lives? You've come to fill our lives and our home with the force of your personality (and your loud voice) and we can't imagine our lives without you. No one can resist picking you up and hugging and kissing you when you are within reach. You usually struggle away, but once in a while you'll throw your arms around me and give me a kiss with a sweet "I love you Mummy", and I can assure you that, for me, that is one of the best feelings in the world. 

You've grown up so much in the past year, as evidenced by the fact that you started school this year and shed nary a tear. Never have I seen a child make a calmer entrance into school. It wasn't that you weren't afraid. In the beginning, I could sense your uncertainty, but you put on a brave front and carried on. It must have been a bit overwhelming to start, with new teachers and unfamiliar faces around you. Your English teacher is also away on maternity leave this term so your school day has been conducted primarily in Chinese, a language you are unfamiliar with. But you've adapted so well.

These days you are always singing Chinese songs at home (小手拍拍 and 早安老师 being your current favourites, 恭喜恭喜 last month) and will insist on singing grace in Chinese at every meal. You don't get all the words right but you get more accurate as the days go by. You learnt all the names of your classmates within a month and get really excited when you see them anywhere, and will quickly turn to me to tell me, "That's my friend!" And you really love school and your teacher. There hasn't been a day when you've objected to going to school. In fact, you really want to go everyday. "What are we doing tomorrow?" you asked me one Saturday. "It's Sunday tomorrow, Mei-mei, so we're going to go to church," I said in reply. "And then after that we'll go to school?" you said hopefully.

Li Laoshi told me that you're very sensible (懂事) and she never has to worry about you in class as you know how to follow along and do what is necessary. I am so proud of you and how well you're doing in this regard. Sometimes I think it's funny how well you've taken to school considering how you refuse to believe anything I say when I try to teach you something at home that is contrary to what you think you know. Perhaps it's because I'm not your teacher, just Mummy. May you always keep up that enthusiasm for school and learning as you grow up.

On the home front, you've also grown by leaps and bounds. You're completely potty trained, even at night, so we are now completely off-diapers in this household. After you got proficient with using the potty, you basically just decided that you didn't want to use diapers any more, day or night. Your Daddy believed you could do it. "At most, she can't do it and we'll put her diaper back on," he said casually, while I not-so-silently freaked out about the fact that it was my bed you were going to be wetting (since you were sleeping with me at that time) and that I was the one who always had to wake up to mop up the bed and change the sheets should there be an incident. But you were determined. "I'm not going to pee," you said. And even though you had yet to turn in a dry diaper in the morning, against my better judgment, I let you try going diaperless. Of course, I barely slept a wink that night. I was so sure you were going to wet the bed. Except that you didn't. And you continued to stay dry night after night till I realised that you really were well and truly diaper-free.

That was four months ago. Till this day, you have only wet the bed maybe three or four times. Once when you couldn't get off the bed in time to get to the potty and twice because you were probably just too tired. Thank you for making it so easy.

In other ways too, you've continued to show your independent streak. You insist on picking your on clothes and there really isn't much we can do to stop you since you can change entirely on your own. Yes, you can pull t-shirts off you own head and put them on, you can do and undo buttons, pull up and down your pants and put on your own socks. The only thing you can't do is probably reach your dresses because they are hanging too high up. It's not surprising to see you coming out of the room wearing a different outfit because you decided that you wanted to change. You are also rather adept at feeding yourself. I still can't believe you can do all that because it took your brother much longer to master those skills.

I often feel like you learnt to do things on your own because you had to. Not a day goes by that I do not feel guilty for not giving you all the attention that you need. With Gor-gor's homework and Gor-gor's piano practice and having to send Gor-gor for classes, I find that you are always patiently waiting for me to have the time to bring you to the playground or for a swim. We'll do more together this year, I promise. I too know that your childhood doesn't wait around forever.

In the meantime, do stay the funny, adventurous, independent, lively little girl that you are. We love you, sweetheart. Happy 3rd Birthday.

Love always and beyond and to the moon and back,
Mummy.