Some notes about my eldest these days:
Annabelle is my little dancer. All around the house she flutters to the sounds from the CD player, her sister playing the pint-sized piano (or Daddy’s guitar), and to the beat of her own drum. The majority of her day revolves around the make-believe world she has created for herself. She converses readily with her two favorite friends, “La” and “Yi” who take the form of whatever she happens to have in front of her: rubber duckies, baby dolls, blocks, etc. I am told that La is a 4 year old boy, Yi is a 10 year old girl, and they enjoy many privileges. For example, they are allowed to drink apple juice at night and eat candy before bed. They are also allowed to cook dinner by themselves. Annabelle would love to cook by herself. Sometimes she’ll prepare a dish or dessert for the family while I make dinner. Last night she surprised us with coconut-soup pie (acorns in a bowl) and tonight we enjoyed lollipop rings (number dice on a plate) after dinner. Thankfully, she is always quick to remind me if I have forgotten to eat one of her concoctions. I would hate to miss out on my dessert. :) She enjoys “gardening” when we’re outside and loooves to pick flowers (and leaves and blades of grass and weeds).
She is a devoted and protective big sister who often surprises me with how patient she is with Charlotte. She loves to include her in her dress-up time and often coordinates what Charlotte will wear.
She is shy around new people, but warms up very quickly. Then, once she has your ear, you’ll be lucky to get away!
Annabelle has always been on the sensitive side. She startled easily as a baby…and would subsequently scream. Nowadays her sensitivity manifests itself differently. She covers her ears when she anticipates anything bothersome, such as a loud public toilet flushing or somebody getting upset on one of her shows. She gets very anxious when there are more than a few kids around, especially if they’re running and screaming around. She also tends to be more passive around other children and will avoid confrontations as much as possible.
At 3 and a half, she is a sweet, silly, loving little girl who is truly a joy to be around.
Her current favorites:
Favorite song….She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain (frequently requested to be played very quickly on the guitar)
Favorite colors…pink, yellow, blue (and green and gray)
Favorite toy….dress-up clothes (she loves hats and skirts)
Favorite food….pizza
Favorite ways to create….she asks to play with her play dough and to draw and cut almost daily (and of course, I happily oblige)
Favorite book…right now her favorite is her children’s Bible. It’s rather thick and we’ve read through it several times now, but she still asks to read from it everyday before naps and bedtime. She also loves Curious George stories and The Adventures of Babar.
Favorite made-up word….”skaba” Mary Poppins has Supercali(etc.) and Annabelle has Skaba, to be used when one cannot think of anything else to say.
Favorite person….Gramma
Favorite movies….Sound of Music and Mary Poppins
Favorite shows….Barney and anything on Noggin
