Parenting Month 36: I am Three!

There are three candles on this cake

We did it!  We made it through the not-so-terrible-twos.  Actually, the two year was very tame.  We continued to experience a generally happy and agreeable toddler over the past year.And while he does play with toys, mommy and daddy are still far and away the favorite playthings with grandma and grandpa right behind.

Some things are the same.  He still is not very social, although he is getting more interactive at day care, but that may be because he is now one of the oldest (before they move him to the three's room).

He does play with toys more.  Legos are fun, he mostly just stacks blocks for now.  But he also acts out stories.  Normally of animals falling and needing help.  Or wanting to get something to eat.

He is starting to get started in creative play.  On the iPad he likes Adobe Ideas, a drawing app.  He generally scribbles, but he also likes to make circles, fill them in, and put in little colored circles that he calls pepperoni pizza.  Also, after a summer of watching daddy and grandpa make woodworking projects, we have started going to Home Depot and Lowes for their kids workshops (Build and Grow at Lowes).  He finds it fun to hammer away in making cars or other things.

Home Depot truck picking up a pig that fell and got lost

No jealousy of daddy.  Actually, a cute thing is that he always wants mommy and daddy to kiss, especially saying goodnight at night.  The one expression of jealousy is when we have kids over for piano lessons.  Whenever that happens he says he wants to play piano (with mommy).

This past month he has been very resistant to the idea of getting older (i.e. turning three). This actually is not a philosophical objection to getting older, but a realization that when kids turn three at his daycare, they get moved from the twos room to the threes room, and that seems to be a slightly traumatic event for them.

While he has been generally agreeable, these past few months have him starting to try to impose his will, as toddlers are expected to do.  More with grandpa, grandma, and mommy.  We think that he does not act up quite so much with daddy since daddy has a habit of scooping him up in whatever position he happens to be in.

Looking to the future, since we have a pre-schooler, we have been thinking about what school will be like in two years time, and what that means in a state which is not exactly known for its good schools, even though we live in one of the better school districts.

Favorites:

Movie and songs to dance to: The past two weeks has been dominated by Les Mis, and especially One Day More.

Book: Book of Sleep, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  He actually has memorized these by now and does most of the 'reading'

Song to sing: Habanera from Carmen.  He would break out into this at random times.  He can't really sing the words, but he sets any sound to the tune.  Recently he has gone on a "One Day More" from Les Miserables kick.

Toy: Legos and building blocks.  He also plays Bananagrams (called 'letters') often.


Candy: He knows what candy is, but does not seek to eat it.  Funny:  for his birthday cake he scraped off the frosting.

Food: Bananas and Cherios are constants. No change here.

TV: Ni hao Kai Lan! is still the top when he is somewhat upset.  Handy Manny had a very good run for a while.