Toddler Boy: Three Years Old

My firstborn turned three today. He's crossing the bridge from toddler to preschooler; it seems like he'll be in high school tomorrow. Already showing signs of pulling away and growing independence. Defying our directions and shouting "No!" in protest to nearly everything we say.

The last six months seem like a blur to me in regards to his growth and changing. He still talks all of the time, but now asking more questions and seeking real answers. He remembers everything we say which is sometimes troubling! He sounds like such a big boy when he talks - using bigger words, complete sentences and everything. But then he is still such a little boy emotionally. Especially before naps and bedtime, if he is just a little too tired, there is a meltdown with big tears and loud cries, reminding me that this big boy of mine still needs his rest and still needs to feel secure in his mama's arms.

His play has gotten a lot more advanced too. Did I tell you? He plays by himself now? Seemingly overnight, it just happened. One day I saw him play for five minutes by himself, the next it was 20! A big contributor that has been preschool.

Last month we registered him for a private preschool (aka daycare so I could work and take care of Stephen without loosing my mind, will write more on this later). Its everyday from 8 a.m. - noon. Then he comes home to nap and has the afternoon at home with us. He transitioned well at the beginning but now is showing some signs of testing his limits and independence.

He still loves construction. He plays with his diggers and dump trucks nearly every day. At preschool he plays in the dirt all morning long with trucks or cars or shovels and buckets. But he also likes coloring and using scissors and glue when I have my craft stuff out. We don't get to play basketball as much these days but he still likes it.  One afternoon while Stephen napped we played catch with a little football for a long time. I was surprised how long he kept at it! I have noticed overall, his attention span has increased for the things he enjoys doing. He no longer runs from one thing to the next every few minutes. He really likes water play, we don't get to do that much at home other than "doing the dishes" and bath time. But bath time has become a nice way to keep him entertained while I do some baby related things.

He loves being a big brother, but is still figuring out what that really means. His favorite thing to do is hug the baby, but sometimes there are urges to scratch or kick him. It seems like there is some sort of basic need to touch Stephen all the time . . .

He has a few really great friends who seem to play well with him. Preschool has also opened the door for making new friends which has been fun to hear about. It is a little strange to hear stories about people I don't yet know and hear about his day that I wasn't a part of.

He sleeps really well, sometimes waking up too early (before 6 a.m.) or comes out of his room at night to request some more attention, but over all, he is awesome. Naps are great too, typically 2-3 hours every afternoon if I keep him on schedule!

William is still a picky eater. As I've made some changes to our diet this summer, William has often voiced his dislike for nearly everything on his plate. But, if you read him a book while he eats, he will oblige anyway. We have kept him away from a lot of sweets up until recently. This summer he let us know that he likes cupcakes, popsicles, cookies and ice cream.

We had two birthday celebrations for him. One when Grandma came to visit a couple of weeks ago and one today at the park with just a couple friends. He had a donut cake for one and an applesauce cup cake for the other. Yes candles can go on anything!

I hope to do a real photo shoot with my big-guy someday soon. It just didn't happen today!
Update: Measurements are in! William is 39 inches tall and 35 pounds - 80% on both charts.

My firstborn turned three today. He's crossing the bridge from toddler to preschooler; it seems like he'll be in high school tomorrow. Already showing signs of pulling away and growing independence. Defying our directions and shouting "No!" in protest to nearly everything we say.

The last six months seem like a blur to me in regards to his growth and changing. He still talks all of the time, but now asking more questions and seeking real answers. He remembers everything we say which is sometimes troubling! He sounds like such a big boy when he talks - using bigger words, complete sentences and everything. But then he is still such a little boy emotionally. Especially before naps and bedtime, if he is just a little too tired, there is a meltdown with big tears and loud cries, reminding me that this big boy of mine still needs his rest and still needs to feel secure in his mama's arms.

His play has gotten a lot more advanced too. Did I tell you? He plays by himself now? Seemingly overnight, it just happened. One day I saw him play for five minutes by himself, the next it was 20! A big contributor that has been preschool.

Last month we registered him for a private preschool (aka daycare so I could work and take care of Stephen without loosing my mind, will write more on this later). Its everyday from 8 a.m. - noon. Then he comes home to nap and has the afternoon at home with us. He transitioned well at the beginning but now is showing some signs of testing his limits and independence.

He still loves construction. He plays with his diggers and dump trucks nearly every day. At preschool he plays in the dirt all morning long with trucks or cars or shovels and buckets. But he also likes coloring and using scissors and glue when I have my craft stuff out. We don't get to play basketball as much these days but he still likes it.  One afternoon while Stephen napped we played catch with a little football for a long time. I was surprised how long he kept at it! I have noticed overall, his attention span has increased for the things he enjoys doing. He no longer runs from one thing to the next every few minutes. He really likes water play, we don't get to do that much at home other than "doing the dishes" and bath time. But bath time has become a nice way to keep him entertained while I do some baby related things.

He loves being a big brother, but is still figuring out what that really means. His favorite thing to do is hug the baby, but sometimes there are urges to scratch or kick him. It seems like there is some sort of basic need to touch Stephen all the time . . .

He has a few really great friends who seem to play well with him. Preschool has also opened the door for making new friends which has been fun to hear about. It is a little strange to hear stories about people I don't yet know and hear about his day that I wasn't a part of.

He sleeps really well, sometimes waking up too early (before 6 a.m.) or comes out of his room at night to request some more attention, but over all, he is awesome. Naps are great too, typically 2-3 hours every afternoon if I keep him on schedule!

William is still a picky eater. As I've made some changes to our diet this summer, William has often voiced his dislike for nearly everything on his plate. But, if you read him a book while he eats, he will oblige anyway. We have kept him away from a lot of sweets up until recently. This summer he let us know that he likes cupcakes, popsicles, cookies and ice cream.

We had two birthday celebrations for him. One when Grandma came to visit a couple of weeks ago and one today at the park with just a couple friends. He had a donut cake for one and an applesauce cup cake for the other. Yes candles can go on anything!

I hope to do a real photo shoot with my big-guy someday soon. It just didn't happen today!
Update: Measurements are in! William is 39 inches tall and 35 pounds - 80% on both charts.