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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

at age 3 . . .

This is so I can always remember what Holden was like when he turned 3. He is a ball of energy! Going from the moment he wakes up. Since moving him to the big boy bed, he normally wakes at 7am. He has a special light that turns from blue to orange at 7:30am. That is his cue that he can get out of bed. He wakes ready to play, talk and nibble on some breakfast. I say nibble because he's not the hungriest boy these days. I feel like he never finishes a meal anymore. But I'm trying not to succumb to the "clean your plate" theory. He loves cheeseburgers, pizza, spagetti, most fruits and many other things. He's warming up to the idea of fresh veggies dipped in hummus. He's still kind of picky. But I just give healthy options and know that he'll eat when he's hungry.This year has been a year of major transitions for Holden. And I have to say that he has handled growing up better than I have handled watching him. He gave up the paci, not long after turning 2 and he never looked back. For 2 weeks, I stood there with my jaw on the floor. Never would I have imagined him making this change so simple for all of us. But in this instance, I was so proud of my little boy! Another big transition that he made so easy, was going from a baby bed to a big boy bed. He did this around 2 1/2. He did amazingly well. Yet, another situation where he completely blew us away. And lastly, I haven't posted about this . . . but we have been POTTY TRAINING! For the past year, Holden has been very hesitant and so I have tried to not push. And then on April 21st, a light bulb came on in his little brain. He was suddenly wanting to wear his Thomas the Train undies and sit on the potty. He has had less than 5 accidents since that day. He naps in undies and is completely capable of sleeping 12 hours at night in undies without an accident. He did it just last night. He might have the largest bladder of any 3 year old I know. We are still working on #2 and I'm really torn on how to handle it. But he has been a potty rock star and this mommy is beaming with pride! These were the transitions I had hoped he would make on his way from 2 to 3. And in some ways I dreaded them, thinking the changes would be alot of work and stress. But my little boy has breezed through the changes and has made it look as easy as pie. Reflecting back on the past year of his growth and accomplishments, my heart swells. He's an amazing little boy, if you ask me. :)
Speaking of growth, we went to the doctor today for his 3 year exam. He weighed 37lbs (90%) and was 40.5inches tall (95%). I'm not surprised by this, as it has been the pattern since he was only a few months old. He moved into 4T pants around the age of 2 1/2. He's long legged!
Holden loves to play with cars, trains and trucks. Rolling his little vehicles around on the floor, table or couch is right up his alley. I'm amazed at how he is daily entertained by this. But he is.
Holden loves his little brother. They love to make one another laugh across the dinner table. He loves to play chase with Pax as they both giggle hysterically. I cherish those moments when I hear the laughter of my boys. And I imagine their closeness will continue to develop through the years.
Holden's teachers at school and church are always so complimentary. He is a well behaved and sweet little boy in these settings. Well, with the exception of swim lessons. I have my fingers crossed that he doesn't get expelled. :) If you read about day 1, just know that things didn't improve on day 2. This afternoon will be lesson #3, so we'll see. But it's always good to know that in a normal classroom setting (where there isn't an abundance of water) :) he does well to participate and follow instructions. Some other things about Holden: He knows all of the Fruits of the Spirit and we talk about these weekly at our house. It's so wonderful when there are opportunities for application. And I constantly see evidence that he is beginning to comprehend these ideas and put them into practice. Thanks to his school, he can count to 10 in Spanish. He loves to sing and dance. He loves to be my helper and feed the dog, get the mail and help clean up messes. He is quite the conversationalist. We never have to wonder what he is trying to communicate. He can pretty much tell us anything and I LOVE this part of his age. I just love having conversations with my boy. I love hearing his thoughts and getting to see that little brain at work discovering new things.
I already have a hunch that raising a 3 year-old is going to have it's challenges. I've been warned by plenty of mommys that are ahead of me in this game. And our doctor (a father of 2 older boys) made the comment today that "3 year old boys are difficult" with a huge emphasis of the word difficult. But I'll take the challenges any day because I already know the joy of raising these boys. And for a small taste of that joy, the day to day challenges are completely worth facing. Here's to a fabulous year ahead. And for the record, I can't believe he's 3!!!

1 comment:

~The Neaves Nest~ said...

2 has been a good year!:) im sure 3 will be even better! Y'all will have to come to our neighborhood pool this summer and Holden can show off what he's learned!

Love that you're using your good camera!