My blogging consistency has slowed down lately, so excuse this megapost, but I want to make sure and document/remember as much as I can about this stage. We officially have a 3-year-old on our hands. So how do I describe Tate at 3? The word I hear the most by others describing him is “energetic.” That definitely describes our little man. He is full of energy and enthusiasm.
He wastes no time when he wakes up ready to conquer the day. If we are headed to a relative or friend’s house or if they are coming to our house, the second he hears the doorbell, he is running full speed to the door excitedly yelling that person’s name. He loves his family and friends and gets SO excited to see them. I try to remind him to take it down a notch, because that much excitement can be a little overwhelming.
But that is who he is: full of excitement, energy, questions, curiosity, and words. We still crack up at what seems to be the self-fulfilling prophecy of his name…“he who talks too much.” He has a lot to say, and this stage is pretty fun to be able to have a little glimpse into how he thinks. It has also showed us that he's got a pretty good memory. Soon, we may not even need a navigation system, because he remembers a lot of the places we've been and who we were with. Right now he likes to say it’s “my turn to talk.” We’re working on being patient and waiting while others are talking.
His interests are also pretty funny to me. Probably because I still feel somewhat clueless in the realm of boy stuff. But I’m learning. He LOVES any kind of car, truck, or moving object with wheels. He can spot a Mustang or a Hummer from a mile away. And last summer he got to go watch a monster truck rally and that may have (scary enough) turned into a defining moment of his little life. He’s a tad obsessed. If he ever sees a truck with the big raised wheels, he loudly proclaims “MONSTER TRUCK!” in this raspy, deep voice.
He could watch pretty much any sport out there and thinks it’s fun to “watch sports” with Daddy in the morning on ESPN. For his birthday, he got his first baseball glove and requests to play with it every single day. Again I’m pretty clueless about most sports, but he seems to have a decent arm, so that may be what our future Saturdays include in years to come. Although, he is also just as excited about throwing a football or kicking a soccer ball. I have had to remind him lately that girls play these sports too. He often tells me that “boys play football, baseball, and basketball…girls play volleyball.” Not sure where that came from.
A big highlight of this year for all of us was his graduation from all of the therapies for low muscle tone. I wrote more about it HERE, and then in December we got the official discharge. Hard to believe that was such a big part of the last 2+ years of his life. We are all so thankful for the progress he made and the amazing people around him (and us) that helped.
Now we have had to switch our health concerns to something else, unfortunately. In late November, he got his first ride in an ambulance. Not what a parent wants to see at only 3 years old. After being admitted briefly into the local children’s hospital for breathing issues, we’ve since started what looks to be treatment for allergy-induced asthma. We’re in the trial period of testing out a treatment, but it seems to be working. It appears to be a mild case and hopefully as long as we can keep his allergies from flaring up (airborne), he appears to be fine. Scary stuff, but I’m glad we’re able to address it.
Tate has thoroughly enjoyed going to preschool this year two days a week and bounds into the classroom with barely a goodbye for me. He’s a pretty social kid, so I think in many ways it’s much more exciting than being home. He has a hard time being quiet at rest time, but I think we’ve made a little progress.
Eating has become somewhat better and doesn’t seem quite as frustrating as maybe a year ago. He is still quite a picky eater but has also added a couple of items to his repertoire. His favorites right now are: peanut butter sandwiches, milk, chicken nuggets, yogurt, applesauce, pizza, Chipotle black beans/rice/guacamole, pancakes, bagels, corn dogs, Pei Wei noodles, grapes, apples, cheese quesadillas, donuts, and any and every dessert or “zer-ert” as he calls it.
He continues to be a great sleeper, which I’m very thankful for. If I let him, he could still take a 3-hour nap most days, but I’m trying to shorten it a little. He transitioned great into his big boy bed. There are still nights (usually after the days with a long nap) that we find him out of bed hiding behind the curtains and blinds trying to read a book. I use the stern Mommy voice telling him to get back in bed, but when I close the door I do get a pretty good laugh out of it.
He loves: being read to, playing trains/cars, playing outside, swimming at the indoor pool all year, listening to music on Wade’s iPod (Beatles, Neil Diamond, and The Eagles are favorites), playing with his friends, anything to do with our dog, Macy, watching Sesame Street , Barney, Little Einsteins, CARS, going to his grandparent’s homes, nighttime Bible stories, paying games on the iPhone, and going to church.
Potty training is still on the radar. I’m of the mindset to wait until it’s obvious that he’s ready. We gave it a try in late summer with not much success at all. So I’m not stressing and will wait a little longer so that the efforts are hopefully not in vain and actually stick for good. We’ll see how it goes.
And then there’s discipline. There’s so much about this stage that is relatively easy and fun, but then you have a rough day of him not listening or obeying and it all feels so exhausting and defeating. We’re trying so hard to be consistent and make sure Tate knows the expectations. There’s definitely been progress, but you realize it’s as tiring for the parents as it is for the kid.
I love this little guy more than I could ever imagine. I get frustrated with him more than I could ever imagine. I remind myself daily that he is not me. As I learn more about him and the personality and unique traits he was created with, I want so bad to bring those good characteristics out rather than form him into the image I have. That’s much easier said than done.
Even though I don’t have it all figured out, I’m enjoying this time as much as possible and find myself so thankful for his uniqueness, his joyfulness, and his enthusiasm. Here’s to year 4!
And here's the annual birthday video that Wade made:
