Currently, Peanut is... {3 years old}

And just like that, my baby boy isn't a baby anymore.  He's changed so much in just a year, and it was fun comparing him to his sister at this age as I wrote this post. 

Catching 'em all as Ash on Halloween

Growing tall and handsome every day!  His big sister, who is almost four years older than him, is only a head taller than him- and she's pretty tall herself.  He's been wearing size 4T since about Easter, which is apparently on par with his sister, but it's a little bizarre seeing him in some of her hand-me-down T-shirts that it seems she just outgrew recently.  For example, we bought Miss Chief a souvenir T-shirt from Animal Kingdom on our family Disney trip, which coincided with her 4th birthday; she was able to wear it for about a year and a half.  He wears it now, and it's one of his favorites- and it fits perfectly.

Eating a fairly varied diet, all things considering.  Neither kid could necessarily be described as "picky" at the moment, but they definitely both have a go-to dish depending on what type of cuisine we're having.  Of course, if you left it up to him, he'd eat a PB&J for every meal- but at least he would switch up the jelly each time, between grape, strawberry, and blackberry.  As far as the dairy allergy is concerned, I'm not confident enough to say we've beaten it, because we still try to avoid it as much as we can.  At the beginning of this past school year, we moved him to an in-home daycare, and one of the MANY benefits is that the care provider is very careful about meal preparation, so he's never eaten something he shouldn't have.  He does enjoy the occasional homemade ice cream, but he doesn't really ask for cheese on his food anymore, even if his sister is eating some, so we haven't quite thoroughly tested whether milk protein is still a problem for him.

Not very excited about Baby Jesus on Christmas

Talking like a big kid!  Truth be told, quarantine has been great for him.  Not only has he been immensely happy to have our whole family together almost all the time, but his language abilities have benefited greatly from spending most of his time with his older sister, rather than peers or younger children.  He does still have a little bit of a lisp, but overall, his pronunciation, not to mention his vocabulary, have improved by leaps and bounds since March.

Making facial expressions that crack me up every time.  This kid has mastered the art of physical comedy- a well-timed eyebrow raise or smirk  or nose-crinkle turns "oops, I didn't mean to do that" into slapstick worthy of Mr Bean. 

At-home Easter

Listening to all sorts of music, and singing along.  He asks me to turn on the radio the moment we get in the car, and then immediately asks, "What's this song called?"  (Even if it's a commercial jingle!)  He won't go to sleep without a song- not necessarily a lullaby, though.  Most of the time, he requests a theme song to one of his favorite shows (like Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, or Pokemon) and then sings along with me.  And he really loves to dance- he has a natural rhythm and can remember short combinations of basic steps.  He loves watching his sister in ballet class; hopefully we can enroll him, too, when things are safer.

Sleeping better than his sister ever did at this age, to be honest.  Nap time comes immediately after lunch, and there's never any argument about it- sometimes he'll even race you up the stairs.  Sometimes he's not quite ready to have a nap and will extend lunch as long as possible by asking for a refill on his water, or for another helping of fruit, and then taking long, slow, exaggerated bites, but once you get him away from the table, he accepts his fate.  Bedtime on the other hand...bedtime is where we struggle.  There is a never-ending list of things we must do before he is ready to lay down- and if we miss something (or if we didn't do it properly), he'll say, "We didn't do all the things."  These things include going to the bathroom one last time, drinking an entire cup of water and then refilling it to set on his nightstand, just in case, singing the aforementioned lullaby (or three), deciding on a color for his LED nightlight (and changing his mind about it several times), and of course, one more hug and one more kiss and one more hug and one more kiss and one more...

Opening presents at a joint birthday party for Aunt Helen, Mommy, and Peanut

Loving Ahsoka Tano (or Soka, as he calls her); puzzles; cars; the color green; playing with his sister; doing things all by himself with no help (even if it means you have to leave the room so you're not tempted to offer suggestions for how he should be putting on his shirt); the Berenstain Bears; helping Mommy cook; singing and dancing; turning everything into a race.

Hating losing the aforementioned races; bedtime; offers of help when he's getting dressed; being separated from Mommy for even a moment; when his sister picks the TV show (even if it's one he likes); sharing his toys with his sister (even if he wasn't playing with them).

Here's to age three!

Much love,

The Geeks