No Longer a Baby, now a Child

Turning three was a big milestone at our house for our Scarlet K Nielsen. She left the things of her baby days behind and became an official kid.

We honored this special coming of age the Saturday before March 3rd with a few special peers.

Jane W., Bennett S., Scarlet, Zion M., and Blaze S.

The rite of passage included the traditional gift giving.

She received virtual preschool, transforming mind-rotting computer playtime into very useful learning time. Increases intelligence in children and decreases guilt in lazy moms. It's a winner on all sides.

Yes, the gift was from me.

The child also can now recognize her true role as princess/beauty queen.

Gifts of lip gloss, princess wear (pictured above) and makeup set were perfect for increasing the ever growing vanity of the coming of age child.

Now that she is no longer a baby, she can appreciate and even show gratitude for all she receives.

And with new baby dolls and her very own momma sling to cart them around, she truly has embraced her new phase of life.

The celebration include a traditional handmade, slaved-over feast of chicken mcnuggets, french fries, and cupcakes for dessert.

The food offering was acceptable to all participants of the festivities, especially the birthday girl.

And then, the true coming of age moment.

To really let go of her former self, Scarlet had to sacrifice the remaining symbol of her babyhood, the pacifier.

To help her along her journey, we enlisted the help of the beloved paci fairy.

Now, you may not have heard of the paci fairy. it may be because you are not a true believer in the world of fairies.

It also may be because I made her up the day before the party. One can never know.

The paci fairy serves a very special purpose.

1) she collects pacifiers from all big kids

2) she gives collected pacifiers to babies soon to be born

3) as a token for the big kid generosity, she leaves a gift

Scarlet was prepared for the fairy's coming and promptly collected her pacifier when the time had come. Then, as witnessed by family and friends, we tied her pacifier to three colored balloons. When mom saw the paci fairy fly by, we released the pacifier up to her awaiting arms.

The balloons traveled up and up, but suddenly, they changed course. Instead of floating away into the air, they were mystically shifting directions and heading for the front yard.

The birthday girl and friends followed in hot pursuit.

Upon reaching the front yard, the pacifier was gone. The fairy had done her work and rewarded Scarlet with a very special gift.

Don't look too closely or you just might see the paci fairy checking in on the festivities.

The nights to follow were difficult for the new big girl. There were tears, abandoned beds, and subsequent punishments. Once, in a moment of weakness, Scarlet confessed to her mother, "I am just sad because a new baby has my paci and I'm a big girl but I want it back!"

But the mourning was brief and now she relishes in her new phase of childhood. Her parents were so impressed with her maturity, they took her to the most magical/overpriced place on earth. Story to follow soon...