Happy Birthday My Little Dinosuar

3 years ago at 5:30 pm on the 8th of September you came into this world, and our lives...

I can't believe you turned 3 today! I just went back to my blog post 6 months ago and read what I had written on your half birthday. If I hadn't written that all down, I would have sworn all that was going at least a year ago. You have changed so much in the last six months!

Cars, trucks, trains, and construction equipment are long-standing favorites of yours, but you finally have a new interest. Dinosaurs! Which is so funny because this time last year we took you to see a dinosaur exhibit and you did. not. like them! You love to growl and roar like a dinosaur and try to scare people by being a dinosaur.

You still love music and sing a lot. You love to make up songs...you just sing words that pertain to what you're doing or what you're thinking about and you usually sing them to the tune of one of your favorite songs. You finally started singing along in music class last semester. Up until now, you've always just done you own thing on the outside (of the circle) or participated without singing along. You also love to play your guitar and always want me to "make a video" when you do. You love to watch yourself on the TV/computer/camera...and not only when you're performing...you love to make videos of anything you're doing.

You've gone through quite a few stages in the last six months...clingy, sleep problems, terrible twos. The clingy stage was quite odd and fairly short, but you did go through a month or two of wanting mom for everything and crying when I wasn't around. The sleep problems came, I think, with the little imagination of yours that is developing. It lasted about a month a half, but we are now back on track and just two nights ago you moved to your new room into a twin bed. And oh, the terrible twos! You really started coming into this...defiance, some aggression, not listening, generally testing to see what you could get by with...around two and a half, but I already feel like we're getting past a lot of it. You're no longer telling people you don't like them (thank goodness!) and you've recently become very interested in "minding". I think we're starting to see a new side of you...one that wants to please others instead of one who is only concerned about yourself. Along with wanting to "mind", and pointing out when you are "minding", you like to show us when you've done something we've asked you to do...like cleaning up your playroom before dinner...you call everyone in to see what you've done.

Our biggest challenges these days is just trying to stop you before you get into big messes...you're VERY mischievous, adventurous, and creative in the trouble you get yourself into. Unfortunately, much of it involves being destructive. Not destructive because you're angry and want to destroy something, it just happens that way...tearing plants out of the ground to look for worms was one of the best examples of this recently. And when you do something like this, you usually have a logical explanation (in your mind) for doing what you've done. Nana told me the other day that while your aunts and I had a lot of energy, we didn't get into near as much stuff while expending that energy. You are a very tiring little boy, but I wouldn't want it any other way. You are all boy and are enjoying life being a boy. Daddy and I usually just have to look at each other, chuckle, nod our heads, and then clean up your messes while trying to explain why what you've done is dangerous or destructive, and why you can't do it again.

Talking to you now is so much fun...just like talking to a little person. You understand and can communicate with us about anything and everything. I don't think there's much you don't understand, and if you don't, you usually ask for an explanation.

You are very excited about baby brother coming at Christmas. You already like to hold him, you catch him when he's falling, you take him with you places and to do things with you, you tell me when he's crying. I'm sure the fun and games will be over when he does actually arrive, but it's fun to see you pretending with him now.

You and Tucker are really great buddies...he looks for you and you for him because the two of you just like to be together (and like to get in trouble together). He does a fair amount of entertaining you when I'm cooking or doing other house chores. One of your favorite things to do together this summer has been playing in the water hose! Tucker still doesn't listen to you. You try to tell him to do things like daddy and I do, but he doesn't even act like he hears you...he knows very well that you're no "Alpha" in this house.

You're still a very good eater. For the most part, you eat whatever we put down in front of you. I usually let you pick what you want for breakfast (after giving you a few choices) and also for lunch, out or leftovers at home. Then for dinner, you eat whatever I've cooked for the night. You're very favorite food right now is pancakes. You would eat them for every meal if we let you. You're favorite kind of egg for breakfast right now is "like Jack & Kate's egg"...a boiled one. You're favorite dessert is anything chocolate...especially ice cream. You're favorite fruit is Israel melon. You're favorite meat/fish is rainbow trout. And vegetables, well, you eat them but I wouldn't say you have a favorite. Although, you have started eating spinach again...you didn't for a long time, but now you love it.

You love our new house and practically live outside in the backyard...and it shows. You never have fewer than 10 bug bites and boo boos, fresh ones or healing ones, on you at any time. Just tonight dad said it looks like you sleep outside because of all the bug bites and sores on you. If you're not playing with a ball or swinging on the air pogo, you're just as happy to be lying in the grass, just being outside. The backyard is definitely your favorite part of the new house and the days you have to spend all indoors are very long ones.

Some fun things you know and say and do:
-You know our address...house number and street name, and the main road at the end of our street.
-You count to 13 and then start saying numbers with "teen" on the end of them...my favorite is eleventeen.
-You still don't say the ABCs correctly...it's always, "A B C D Q R S H I J K L....". Yes, "Q R S" comes twice and there's no "E F G".
(Mom's not great about "working" on these things with you...I'm pretty sure you'll get it by the time you start kindergarten.)
-You read the first number on the clock to know that it's time to get up in the mornings.
-Mommy is very proud of the good manners you have...please , thank you, excuse me, may I.
-You are very helpful with chores and doing things to help me.
-You have gotten much better about cleaning up after yourself (see the "pleasing" others comment above)...you help us clear the table by taking your dishes to the sink after dinner, you will help clean the table and floor, and you've been known to pick up your playroom after being asked only 1 time to do it...a HUGE accomplishment!

You are such a fun little boy and bring such joy to our lives. We love you. Happy Birthday!