Three, going on sixteen. My tiny baby is three! I re-read his two year old post where I hoped that he would still want to cuddle and hug--boy, does he like to cuddle! He actually specifically says, "Mommy, I want to cuddle" and it melts my heart. He is a bundle of never-ending energy ninety-nine percent of the time. His sass is extreme and his bossiness rivals his momma's.
A flash to the past with a regular update!
Developmental Milestones for this Year:
- Physical/Gross Motor: Running, jump, skipping, climbing, he does it all. One of his newer favorite things is to sit "apple-sauce" style. He gallops, balances, hops on one foot, catches large balls and kicks pretty much anything. He is very into sports--football and basketball. He goes about 50 mph at all times.
- Teeth: His two year old molars finally made a presence in July (27 months) and we're good with no more on the horizon. He enjoys brushing his teeth and has learned to swoosh/spit so he gets "real" kid tooth paste.
- Cognitive/Language: I'm biased, but Andrew is pretty much the smartest kid on the planet. He remembers everything and can tell where we are going/what will happen there simply by the surroundings, he knows which streets lead to mommy's work, his school, the mall, etc. He is able to follow unrelated commands (when he feels like listening). His favorite academic skill is matching, but also loves to point out anything that he notices. He also loves singing the ABCs and puzzles are a great challenge (he does 25 piece puzzles by himself).
- Vocabulary: Talk about a Language EXPLOSION. Seriously, there isn't much this kid can't say that this point and when he's comfortable, he never stops talking and asking questions. Most of the time he talks in sentences and is very good at asking and answering questions. He has learned to count and can get up to 20 without messing up. He sings many songs and acts them out after learning the motions from school. He messes up his pronouns most of the time (them are sad, her is the sister, etc). He goes through phases when he throws in new, huge words. A few of my favorites...
- "Mommy, please stop talking, I have a story to tell you."
- "Apparently, I'm hungry."
- "Jesus loves Mommy, Daddy, Andrew, Papa, Grandma, Auntie, Grandma Kay, Papa Kay, Reese, Michael, JJ, my teachers, Mickey Mouse [insert whoever he can thinking of for 20 minutes]."
- "I love you to pluto and back."
- "Them are my best buddies."
- Potty training: We are completely diaper free during the day and have kept the night-time pull-up. He wakes up dry once a week and mommy isn't willing to do it all the way.
- Psychosocial: He continues to be a social butterfly struggling with aggression. He LOVES school and his teachers report that he is a huge helper. Playing with people is the only way he wants to play; he struggles with independent play (I guess being with 22 two-years olds all day would do that to do). He understands sharing and will almost always share upon request. At home, he enjoys making mommy and daddy happy. He actually acts shy when he is in a large group of people he doesn't know for about a minute (tries to fool you!), but doesn't seem to have many fears.
- Personality: Andrew, like most three year olds, likes his stuff, his way. If he doesn't get his way, he makes it know with his words and his actions (loud and bossy actions). He can be very silly, making silly faces and sounds, even calling himself silly. He's taken to saying, "sad David" when something doesn't go his way and we had to teach him to say "shoot" after he said "damnit" on Valentine's Day. When he doesn't know something, or is confused, he shrugs his shoulders and turns his hands up.
Sleeping: Andrew has decided that sleep is for the birds! We are battling bedtime, nap time, and morning early waking. He'd rather be with us. He usually goes to bed about 8 and wakes up anytime between 3:3-7 to climb into our bed to sleep for a few more hours.
Eating: He eats more than mommy for almost everything. He will finally try "regular" chicken that isn't ground and in the shape of a nugget.
Diapers: Only for nighttime (size 4)
Clothing: We have worn 2T for the past six months or so and will probably be in them throughout this summer. His foot has grown two sizes this year to an 8.
Favorite Toys: He jumps from thing to thing, but his go-tos are his Cars toys (Mator, Lightening, Airplane), camera, books, and puzzles. He cooks a mean wooden pizza, kicks a great field goal, colors like a maniac, and reads and reads.
Andrew seemed to know exactly how to make sugar cookies (even if he didn't want to wait for mommy to finish rolling out the dough).
