I'll do it myself, dad

Cora officially turned three on the 21st, but we threw her a party on Saturday. And by we, I mean that Mary organized and made all the food while I simply showed up to carry stuff.

Mary came up with another winning cake design. The brilliance of this concept was that we were able to plaster the cake with m&m's and we had to open an additional bag to get enough blue to complete the design. I took the spoils to work with me.

We invited a few families to picnic with us at Rocks Riverside Park and enjoyed ourselves in the sun.


It is hard for me to summarize how grateful I am that Cora is now three. It is just a symbolic mark in time, but it seems to coincide with fairly significant developments in her behavior and growth. We have been going on father-daughter excursions more often and she is able to verbalize her inquisitive nature.

Reason has finally entered the equation. Don't jump to conclusions just yet--our girl is still resolute in her decisions. However, she will now entertain any options we pose to her. So, we now have the tools of bribery and diversion in our parenting arsenal.
She has also been expressing gratitude, which is very sweet to see. 'Thank you' is not just a mechanical phrase we have successfully indoctrinated her with. She now says it with sincerity and at pleasantly surprising times.

Her independence isn't surprising, because she has always been determined to make her own way. "I'll do it myself" is a phrase we hear often. It is a declaration as much as it is a warning to stay out of her way, or wear the consequences.

Good bye terrible two's and say hello to thriving three's.