Three. in 2015

You’re three years old! It’s so cliche to say time is flying by but it’s so true. Every day is a new adventure, and you make me laugh so, so much. You’re pushing the limits as you always have, but I feel like there is so much purpose behind your actions, now. You are: stubborn, creative, empathetic, determined, sensitive, funny, silly, clever, thoughtful and adorable.

You’re sweet. You feel deeply, and your feelings get hurt rather easily. But you bounce back quickly and you want to make everyone happy, including yourself. You’re very in touch with what you are feeling and are so aware of how others are feeling; but sometimes you’re in your head too much to notice that you might be inadvertently hurting someone’s feelings. But when you’re ‘on,’ you’re the most charming kid in the universe, and your affection and attention can turn anyone into mush.

You’re excited about the idea of your baby sister’s upcoming arrival. You’ll randomly give my belly and bear hug and a huge smooch, and a simple “I love you, baby.” It melts my heart so much and I cannot wait until you get to meet her, and her you. You can’t wait to teach her things and you are so curious about what she will be like (me too!)

You’re already turning into a three-nager! The other day I was so excited about your upcoming birthday party and I was chatting excitedly about it, when you turned to me and said “calm down, mom. that’s enough.” I almost hurt myself from laughing so hard. You also need “space” and you need me to let you do things “all by yourself.” I love it, but it also reminds me that you won’t always “need” me like you do now, and I am grateful for the reminder to stay present in all these moments that go by so fast.

Your athletic abilities continue to impress us; you’re fearless in the water and your swimming instructors are so impressed. You confidently jump off the diving board now and you’re so full of pride because you thought that was something only “really big boys” did. But you are a “really big boy!” and we are so proud of you. You’re also still loving gymnastics, and you’re getting more and more confident each week. It’s a joy to see you try to do new things, and it’s awesome when you can see how your hard work pays off when you master a new skill. You get discouraged easily, but we are working on pushing through so that you are OK if you don’t get it the first time. Trust me, it’s something I still struggle with today, but I’m learning through you to get outside of my comfort zone to learn and grow.

You love your new school. It suits you so well, and the teachers, kids and parents seem so much more aligned with our life approach. We regularly get amazing feedback from the teachers about how much of a joy you are, and it’s been fun getting to know some of your friends this past week as we endeavored into a ‘care share’ program that was organized for kids who didn’t have coverage during the teacher ‘in-service’ week. I love that you are using all your energy to play and learn, and it’s massively helpful that you are now in a full-day program. I miss you though, and try to be much more present when I do see you before and after school.

You did get in a bit of trouble because you were saying ‘potty words’ at the lunch table, but we seemed to have squash that, and now you are hanging out with the kids that DON’T say potty words at the table. Which is hilarious on so many levels. Also, you have a crush on your friend Maya. It’s pretty damn cute how you chase her around.

Right now you are obsessed with Scooby Doo, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Star Wars and Paw Patrol. We’ve decided to go with a Scooby Doo Halloween theme per your request, so Papa just ordered some awesome costumes. You’ve also just decided that you can’t leave the house or go to bed unless the house is clean, which is amazing. And now you are actually helpful when it comes to clean-up time. We’ve been doing a lot of playdates lately, and your favorite friends these days are Micah, Nash and Curtis. You are also crushing a bit on Kenzie, and older woman who just recently turned the big 4. She doesn’t go to your school, so it’s not as important of a crush as Maya. Hehe.

You were totally down to play with girlie toys up until a few weeks ago - and now you are starting to put parameters on ‘girl’ vs. ‘boy’ toys. I have to imagine you’re learning that from someone at school, because it’s definitely not coming from your parents. No judgement, just an observation.

You’re wearing underwear and staying dry in the day, but are still in a pull-up at night. Your brain / body connection regarding urgency to pee doesn’t seem to be fully functional when you sleep, so we’ve been having a lot of wetness during sleep times (especially nap time at school). At our doctor’s appointment this past week the pediatrician said it’s totally normal and don’t feel like we can do anything about it. So we aren’t worried. Just washing a lot of sheets…

You’re in the 60-ish percentile for height and weight. Pretty damn normal in that area. But you’re DEFINITELY more chatty and more inquisitive than other kids that are your exact age. It’s fun to have conversations with you, but you do tend to ask WHY more than I can really handle…;)

It’s so much FUN to be with you, for the most part. While you can throw tantrums with the best of them, you truly feel bad about it afterwards and we’ve had some amazing post-tantrum snuggle sessions where we both reflect on things we could have done differently. I love learning patience through you; I love making myself figure out creative negotiation strategies even when sometimes my mind is just under so much pressure. You’re making me a better human being, and I thank you. I can’t wait to see you become a big brother. You’re my special #1 little boy and you always will be. I’m so happy and proud to be your mama.