Turning three was not only a big deal for us, but also for Callie. She knew the exact date of her birthday and knew that she was turning three. She had no problem sharing that information with anyone who asked. And she was more than happy to select her monkey birthday cake and enjoyed opening her multitude of presents. Perhaps she wouldn't have been so enthusiastic if she realized that with age comes responsibility. We(and by we, we mean John) would like to say that Callie's annual review is occurring later than normal because she turned in her materials late. But who are we kidding. Things are a bit crazy around here, so the blame for the delayed paperwork starts with us.
We start with the official picture of the candidate in question. We are happy to report that this year's photo shoot did not involve any tears. Although she was timid and shy, she warmed up relatively quickly and we managed to get some good shots. She is getting so much older, it is kind of crazy. But we can't let emotions interfere with our objective evaluation, so let's continue.
The evaluation begins with cold, hard facts, otherwise known as the numbers from her annual check-up. Her height is 36 3/4 inches and her weight is 27 lbs. That means in the past year she has grown about 2 1/2 inches and gained 3lbs. Here's an interesting fact: this was the first year that Callie was measured standing up and not lying down. Callie was proud to show what a big girl she was. It is also important to note that no tears came with the measurements, scale, or even the finger prick. The flu shot caused some problems, but that's fully understandable. All in all, it was a very good visit. And it was great to see Dr. Warner, because Callie has been so healthy that we have only seen him twice since her two year check-up. Not too shabby.
This past year also marked Callie's first two visits to the dentist. The first visit brought many tears even though the dentist only counted her tooth and didn't bring any sharp metal objects into the room. During her second visit Callie was a star for both the hygienist and the dentist as they cleaned, flossed, and applied a fluoride treatment. However, we must admit that the dentist visits are a lot easier when they have cookie dough flavored fluoride and bubble gum flavored floss. Callie also received a prize or two for good behavior, which never hurts.
Of course, the biggest health issue covered in this particular review is Callie's ongoing good kidney health. Today marks ten months to the day since Callie had her surgery. And it is almost exactly five months since she stopped taking a daily dose of antibiotics. Looking back it is amazing how resilient she was throughout the entire process. Her parents had a lot of issues, but she was incredible. And there hasn't been a single problem or hint of a problem since January 3.
Now that we have addressed the various health updates we can get into the heart of the review process. As always we emphasize three particular categories: daycare, development, and social skills. Let the review begin.
Callie has truly grown to enjoy the time she spends at daycare. The morning drop-off remains a somewhat difficult process, but we believe that has more to do with the fact she is not much of a morning person than anything else. Over the summer and into late October she became accustomed to traveling to daycare in style, a.k.a. John pushing her in the jogging stroller. They had a fine time pointing out the bumps in the sidewalk and saying hello and good morning to everyone they passed along the way. At daycare, Callie has a good group of friends. Although she shares stories about all of them, her favorite is clearly Maddie. They are quite a pair, and the two have been together all three years. By the end of the month, Maddie and Callie will also be moving together into the next room. Slowly but surely we are making our way through all the rooms in the facility. This will in fact mark her fifth classroom. Naps remain a touch and go issue, and unfortunately when she doesn't nap the teachers, her parents, and her classmates suffer. Overall, however, Callie continues to learn a great deal from the fine folks at daycare. She sings a number of different songs, can identify her letters and numbers well, and has even started writing some letters.
Most of the key moments of Callie's development over the past year have been noted in previous posts, but it is worthwhile to highlight them again. She has been potty trained now for five months and the accidents have been very few and far between. And we have basked in the wonder of a diaper free household, happy to know that there will be no overlap with the little one due to arrive in about a month. (Yikes!) The big girl bed is still a point of pride for Callie, even though it has made bedtime a bit more challenging for her parents, who often lie down and fall asleep before she does. For the most part, the other aspects of her development are not flashy breakthroughs, but simply growing comfort with running, throwing, jumping, dancing, climbing, and playing independently. She is fun to watch.
Last, but not least, we need to address Callie's social skills. Perhaps the best way to describe her at this point is that socializing has to occur on her terms. She is usually shy at first and then warms up quickly, but there may be times when she jumps right in to social situations. She keeps us on her toes because we never know which road she'll take in any given situation. For example, she had a blast trick or treating, which was somewhat surprising. Yet, she wouldn't say trick or treat. She did say thank you every time. Then there was the night Sarah hosted one of her book clubs at our house. Callie didn't hesitate but jumped right into the mix and didn't want to leave the room full of women to go up to bed.
There is one group of folks who never catch a shy Callie. And their names are Bear, Mouse, Elephant, and Bunny. These are the imaginary friends who have become important members of our household. Callie is particularly fond of Mouse. For the most part, so are her parents, since Mouse can often be counted on to help us get Callie to brush her teeth or take a bath. It is pretty amazing how often she will talk about them or remind us that they have joined us at the restaurant.
And of course, Callie is growing very excited about the impending arrival of Baby Peanut. She loves to talk about how she is going to hold her and feed her a bottle. Hopefully the excitement will survive the initial shock of what having a newborn in the house truly means. It is quite cute that she wants to kiss Sarah's belly and tickle Baby Peanut whenever she gets the chance.
When all is said and done, Callie has had a remarkable year. She came through her surgery with flying colors and manages to thrive in our household that is always on the move. We offer our highest recommendation that she advance into the three-year class.
Our journey begins at Evan's Orchard, where every year they appear to add another layer of activities focused on kids. Here John and Callie are sitting in one of the windows of a large straw castle. It was one of many structures built of straw, plastic tubing, or old tires that kids could climb on, over, and around. 
Next up we have Callie and Sarah hanging out in what the folks at the orchard have lovingly titled, "The Rat Race." It's an activity where kids race each other in large plastic tubes - just think of a hamster on an exercise wheel. This year Sarah and Callie were able to gain some skills that will allow them to race each other in the years to come.
In the spirit of fall, we made a point of adding some autumnal flair to our front porch. If you can take your eyes off of the magnificent skull t-shirt Callie is wearing you will notice a wonderful display of pumpkins, gourds, and mums that Sarah and Callie arranged earlier that day. And such preparations are important not only for our standing in the neighborhood but also as part of our preparations for the impending visit of the Bowes, Balestracci, and Hannen families. We are crossing our fingers that everything stays alive. And with the possibility of a snowfall tonight, you just never know.
The weather was perfect, and we have a great trick-or-treating neighborhood just blocks away. It was definitely a bit surreal, however, to be trick-or-treating right across the street from Ashland, the historic home of Kentucky's own Henry Clay. Although we brought the stroller, Callie earned her night's haul by walking just about the entire time. She loved seeing all the different kids in costume and was very polite to all of those who gave her candy.
And here is the end result of all of that work. She was so excited to have all of that candy. And the best part for her parents? She had some M&Ms on the way home that night and has not had a piece or even asked for a piece of candy since. It's fantastic. Even better, every night since then John has had a bowl of vanilla ice cream with crushed candy mixed in. Night one, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Night two, Nestle Crunch Bars. Night three, Kit Kats. What will tonight bring?
