The boy is three. Three doesn’t sound old, but he’s so grown up now and when you have conversations with him, that’s when you realize, its been a long time since he was a baby.
Likes: Baseball, (all sports, really), gardening, helping me bake things, milk, jumping on our neighbors trampoline, sitting on the porch, running through sprinklers, puzzles, gummy snacks, ice cream cones, his baseball cleats, yiayia’s house and the Giants.
Dislikes: I don’t have enough time to list all of the things this kid doesn’t like, because he’s angry at most things. From going poop in the toilet to the idea of me going to get the shower, to pretty much anything Chloe is doing, he doesn’t like it. I’ve heard that at 3 years old children tend to show their aggression and defiance. Well, let me be the first to confirm this for you. Its a constant game of who can outsmart who around this house.
Me: Time for a bath. Let’s go.
Alex: NO! I don’t want a bath!!! (instant anger)
Me: How about if I put my feet in too?
Alex: Oh ok! That would be good! (happy again)
Parents= 1 Alex= 0
Or how about during dinner when he won’t eat HIS chicken. But as soon as you sit down to eat YOUR food, he decides he wants YOUR chicken. Disclaimer: He won’t let you eat his chicken after he’s eaten all of yours. Alex = 1 Parents = 0
Bedtime has seriously shifted from last summer. We start our routine around 8:30 and it consists of 3 books, some cuddles and lights out. Typically, he gets up a couple times and we just walk him back and tuck him in. He tries to barter with milk or he wants to chat more. He’s got some tricks for sure. So if we’re lucky, Henry and I get 2 hours to ourselves before we collapse into bed. Once he’s asleep, I pop in and take the mitt off, the baseball hat off, and take the bat out of bed. Melts my heart every time.
Aside from being bipolar, he’s very smart. He knows how to put in a DVD and work our Roku, knows his shapes, and letters. Part-time preschool is coming very shortly and I know he’s just going to flourish. Frankly, Chloe’s company just isn’t cutting it for him. He needs more 3 year old kid time. We do playdates and he plays with the neighbor girls across the street (which he LOVES) but I can definitely tell he’s ready. All the reading, flashcards, and art time we give him won’t match school. So I’m pretty excited to see how this new step goes.
Potty training has gone really well. Shockingly easy so far. He had his handful of accidents but he always tells you when its time to pee. Now poop on the other hand. We are still working on this one. He knows when he has to go. And tells us that he needs a diaper. But when it comes to actually sitting down to do the deed, he gets upset. The other night I FORCED him to try it by bribing him with watching a cartoon on my phone. That helped and after about 10 minutes we had success. Victory right?! The next night we did the same routine, but this time there was a lot more crying and he was so worked up and sweaty I decided this was more traumatizing than helpful. So we’ll come back to it. Our pediatrician gave us some tips that we are going to try and hopefully it will get us over this hump. We are so close!!!
One new thing that has been fun to watch is his understanding of emotions. He’s started saying “I’m really happy/excited/frustrated/sad……” Its interesting to see his reactions to things and I like that he can express himself like that. Makes him seem so grown up to me. He still has his 3 year old moments of rage, but it sort of shows me that he’s maturing. It also leads to having a discussion about what’s bothering him. Teachable moment! That phrase makes my brain tired.
He’s going though a phase right now where he calls me Tina. I used to think his truncated version of Mommy (Mai) was annoying because I heard it 1,000x a day, but now my own name is wearing on me. Usually, when I get out of the shower, he’s in my bed watching tv. I’ll give him and enthusiastic, “Hey, bud!” and he sleepily whispers back, “Hey, Tina.” Its pretty funny. I have absolutely no clue why it started, but I find myself missing the word Mommy. At this point, its completely possible Chloe will jump right onto the Tina Train too from hearing it so often. Another cute thing he does is ask me about my day. I get home and once the dust settles, he says, “How was your day?” I usually give the stock answer of “It was good! I went to work today, bud.” To which he sort of corrects me and says, “No, tell me what you did.” He wants to know all the nitty gritty about spreadsheets, checklists, and office supplies? Some day soon he’ll realize he should quit asking that question. Ha!
The three year old phase is by far the most mentally challenging, but its also the most fun. His growing independence is almost enough that I can breathe again and see the light at the end of the tunnel and some other cliches. I’m not quite ready to be done with the little kid phase because its all too precious, but having a kid that can slowly start to do more and more things by himself is pretty awesome.
Lek, you are loved, dude! You are still the sweetest boy I know and I am always proud of you. You make me a stronger person with each day and each tantrum that goes by. We are in this adventure together and I hope you always know that we have your back and I’d do anything for you. Including sitting on the bathroom floor with you while you try and take a dump. Now, that’s unconditional love right? Be prepared. I will use this against you when you’re a teenager. But for now, just call me Mom and we’re cool. You have my heart forever. Love, Mom
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