Last Saturday my daughter turned three years old. I still can’t believe that she is already three. It seems like just yesterday she was just a tiny screaming newborn or an adorable smiling baby. Now she is a charming, intelligent but difficult toddler, soon to be preschooler. There are days when being with her is a joy, but at the same time there are moments when I wish I had signed her up for preschool this coming fall, just to get a break.

We invited my parents, my grandmother and my sister, brother-in-law and nephew for lunch. We served pasta and meatballs, which is one of my daughter’s favorite meals. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday cake and she asked for a blueberry cake. I searched the internet and found a recipe for blueberry cake and made homemade whipped cream frosting to go with it. I modified it by making two 8 inch round cakes instead of one 13 X 9. Then I put whipped cream frosting and fresh blueberries between the layers and decorated the top of the cake with fresh blueberries as well. The look of joy on her face and the yummy noises she made while eating it, made all the hard work worthwhile.

During the party she kept pulling out old pictures of herself and talking about how she used to be a baby but now she’s three. The last six months have been especially challenging and I think the next year may be as well. But at the same time it is amazing to watch her change and grow. She loves books and enjoys “reading” along with audio CD’s. She loves big words like “disgusting” and phrases like “choking hazard” (though she thinks that it’s a choking lizard). She calls her new baby brother’s little boy parts “tickles” and calls him buddy boy and baby muffin head. I wonder what she will come up with before she turns four.