For me, the difference between two consecutive years is hardly noticeable (although I do admit I stumbled reluctantly from thirty nine into forty). My daughter, on the other hand, has blossomed into a mini person over the last year, complete with her own independent thoughts, opinions, and ideas about exactly how things should be, sometimes regardless of her momma's opposition. The difference between the ages of three and four is absolutely astounding.

She is at the age where she is mimicking sentences she hears us say, broadening her love of the verse, as we like to put it, although the verses are not always repeated appropriately. The other morning she climbed into bed with me, her arms laden with stuffed animals and her nighttime sippie cup, tossing Bunny onto my resting head as she wiggled her body under the covers. Although I was sound asleep at the time, she was just too awake to rest. Turning to me excitedly she exclaims, "Momma, I've got a great idea! We can set up my tent ON the bed!" Before I had time to open an eye or even think about a response she was dragging her pink fold able fairy tent from its secret hideaway behind the door and tossing it over my head and onto the bed. In seconds I had it opened up with our heads tucked away inside the tent as we laid snugly under the covers.

At that moment I was still under the illusion that if I kept my eyes closed I may possibly get some more sleep, while she was running back and forth between our bedrooms collecting more stuffed animals and shoving them into the tent. After several trips, our tent was overflowing and several tricked out the loosened velcro of the side flap. Shocked by the tent's sudden demise she turned to me and passionately pleaded, "Momma, zip up your tits!" although I think she meant to say zip up your tent!

This morning she came into my room deep in thought. Anyone who knows me knows that I can hardly function before my first cup of coffee, so when she crossed the threshold babbling in her pitched prose, my virtually deaf ears paid little attention, secretly yearning for five more minutes of solitude. Since it was becoming apparent that my wish was going to remain just that, merely a wish, I sat up and peered over at my daughter as she crossed her arms over her chest matter-of-factly.

"Mommy, today my little sister is going to be born..we have to get to the hospital." Sometimes she speaks with such authority and assurance that her words are very believable and it took me a moment to process exactly what she was saying. "What?" was the only word I could mutter out as I rubbed my head, squinting my eyes as I struggled to understand. "My little sister is in your belly" she said as she pointed to my midriff "and she is going to be born today at the hospital. Come on we have got to get out of here." Grabbing my hand she attempted to pull me out of the bed.

"What is this all about?" I said as I helped her onto my lap. "Did someone at school get a little sister lately?" She shook her head up and down with a huge grin. "Yep, Madison got one yesterday. So we are going to have one today. We're going to have to hurry up..."