Hi sweet sleeping princess, and happy 34-month birthday! Tonight, as I write, you are not cuddled down in your crib, but rather you’re sleeping peacefully in your big girl bed. How exciting!

You really didn’t seem to mind your crib, so we were in no hurry to make the change, but Boo helped nudge us in that direction. Your Daddy and I went on a trip this month and you took a vacation to Boo’s house. You slept in a twin bed there for the first time in your life, and did just fine. So when we got back, it seemed perfect timing for removing the outside rail on your crib and converting it into a toddler bed. So far, so good. You treat it much like you did your crib, still calling for us in the morning when you’re awake instead of getting out of bed yourself.

However, you have fallen out of the bed once. It was during your naptime, and I was downstairs and heard a sickening thud against the hardwoods, followed by your cry. I raced up the stairs, yelling, “It’s okay!” the whole way, hoping I was right. And it was ok. You were shaken, but not hurt.

I blame your Princess Unicorn for the fall. Let me explain.

You have never seemed terribly attached to any one toy – you are an equal opportunity toy lover. You have favorites, but not one “lovie” that cannot leave your sight. Well, last month Nana let you pick out a toy at the toy store, and you chose a molded plastic unicorn with a glittery pink mane and tail. Right away, you wanted that to be your bedtime toy, which unfortunately, seems an uncomfortable choice. The pony is large, rigid and not snuggly in the least. We’ve tried to suggest other bedtime toys, but you insist on sleeping with your “Princess Unicorn.” And not only must she be with you, she has to lay in a very particular way with a bit of your covers over her legs.

Because she’s so large, and because you have her positioned to take up half the bed, you have to scoot almost to the edge to make room for her on your small mattress. Therefore, I blame her squarely for your fall.

Your Princess Unicorn is just one of the things you’ve grown so particular about this month. You’ve liked princesses for a while, but lately your desire to dress up like one has increased a thousand fold. Every day for the past several days, you’ve woken up and nearly immediately requested three things: your crown, your tutu, and that we call you Cinderella. We can’t even call you Princess Camille. “No! I’m Cinderella!” you scold us.

And your crown is not some ordinary, bejeweled accessory. Oh no – it is none other than a BURGER KING CROWN. You picked this up on an outing with Boo, and if you had it your way, it would never part from your head. You ask to wear it everywhere, and we give in sometimes. Last Sunday you even wore it to church, and by the end of the day had “crown hair” instead of hat hair.

I snapped this photo of you tonight, looking quite happy because your outfit was complete.

Now if only all this princess business would make you more eager for a visit from the Paci Fairy…

Even before you got your burger king, er, I mean “Cinderella” crown, you loved to wear dresses, and still do. If you had it your way, you’d wear your Sunday best on any day that ended with the letter “y.” You really are such a cutie that I’m tempted to let you stay dressed up, except that I don’t want the dresses to get in the way of playing on the playground, etc. But just look at what a doll you are!

This has also been a month of music for you. Your Daddy recently discovered the ukulele, and you wanted to play too. Turns out a ukulele is just the right size for a little girl’s arms, and you were delighted when you received your very own (pink, of course) ukulele.

I put together a video of some of your musical moments from this month. In it are a few shots of you twirling around our living room, which is one of your favorite things to do, and one of my favorite things to watch.

A Musical Month from Ginger on Vimeo.

This has also been a very beachy month for us. The weather got warm enough for us to suit up and head out several times. I’m very happy to report that – so far – you really seem to be enjoying the beach and we’re certainly enjoying it through you.

This year, you’re much more willing to play in the sand, and we don’t have to remind you not to eat it nearly so often. I’m looking forward to a summer full of beach outings with you and your Daddy. I think you are too.

This month you also wrote your first book! As part of a school assignment, you chose a picture from a stack and had to come up with a written story (with parental assistance, of course) based on the picture. You chose a picture of a baby doll, and we did a sort of “mad libs” to help you come up with a storyline. We’d provide the basic sentence structure and let you fill in the details. It was great fun, and here’s what you came up with:

“Once upon a time, there was a doll and a butterfly. The doll’s name was Dolly Dolly, and the butterfly’s name was Butterfly Butterfly. They were best friends.

Dolly Dolly lived in a very colorful world inside a book. Her favorite thing to do was play with a toy baby doll with her friend Butterfly Butterfly.

After they played, the two friends had a snack of biscuits and honey.

One day, Dolly Dolly was sad because her dress was wrinkled. Butterfly Butterfly got her a new pink dress with purple polka dots, which made Dolly Dolly so happy!”

I feel so lucky to get these little glimpses inside your imagination. I love your creativity – whether it’s directed toward your first book, your musical interests, or even assembling the perfect princess outfit. I think you are such a fascinating, beautiful person, and I’m so glad I get to come along for the ride. I love you so much.