3rd Birthday Letter to My Son

My Dear Bean,

Today is your official birthday, but we had your party yesterday. We went to Tumbleweed Park in Chandler and had a construction theme. Nothing else would be appropriate as you love all things construction and anything that has to do with big trucks or machines. Ten of your friends and their families came to celebrate. We played a ring toss game and used a variety of boxes as building blocks that you guys stacked on top of each other and then demolished. I think all the kids had a great time. You were so excited about your party you woke up at 4 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep.

This year has really been fun. Tata and I love watching you grow and develop. At this time last year you were speaking in simple sentences, at three years old you have a large vocabulary and use some complicated words. A lot of your vocabulary centers around construction and machines as you really like to watch "Mighty Machines" and DVD's about construction and big trucks. One of your favorite things is to watch the garbage man when the big truck uses its "garbage arms" to dump the garbage.

Another of your favorite activities is playing with trucks and digging in the sand or in a big pile of beans in the kitchen. We have spent many  hours playing with trucks. You love to pretend to be different characters and tell Tata and I which characters we should be.

You have been involved in a couple of activities this year. We have continued musikgarten classes with your teach Lyn. You were mad at me one day last week and told me you were going to go away to Ms. Lyn's house. You also did a soccer tots class with Tata. About half the time you participated, but now we see you using the skills that you learned in that class.

You really enjoy talking to grown ups and older kids and participating in cooperative activities with kids who are a bit older than you. At play dates you like to talk to the moms more than the kids sometimes. You also like to have an audience to pretend to be a character from one of your construction DVD's. You are quite a character and make us laugh everyday. You prefer a calm environment with fewer people to loud, noisy places. You are also cautious, taking your time before jumping into an activity.

Your sleeping habits have improved. Rather than waking several times during the night, you usually only wake up once, at which point you come into our room and snuggle in between me and Tata. It is usually around 3 or 4 in the morning. There are even some nights where you sleep until morning. Naps seem to be becoming a thing of the past. You haven't taken a nap in over a week. You still nurse when you are going to sleep. I have been telling you that "mama milk" is going away when you turn three. A couple days ago you asked me to lay down with you on the couch and said you wanted mama milk. I reminded you you were almost three and you told me "Mama, I only want to have two candles." The things you say make us laugh everyday. For example you put a toy on your finger and it got stuck. You hid your hand behind your back and told Tata, "Tata, some people put things on their fingers and they are not happy." Then you showed him what was stuck on your finger.

This age is fun and amusing, but also comes with some challenges. You are becoming more independent and would really like to have your own way whenever possible. When you are feeling frustrated you will smack at us and tell us you are hitting us, or make one short scream like "baaaaaa." We try to help you by labeling what you are feeling and encouraging you to use your words rather than hit or scream. You have also said "Mama, do you want me to scream at you - baaaaa." Sometimes these  situations are frustrating for us as parents, but other times, we are really holding back laughter as we watch you go through these learning periods.

Your eating habits have not changed much. You still primarily survive on a sweet potato/chicken baby food meal from a jar and mango packets. Maybe this will be the year you start trying new foods??

You have recently started using the potty. You did great the first couple weeks we started potty training. Then you went through a phase that lasted a couple weeks where you peed on the carpet on purpose! I tried having you clean it yourself, then resorted to giving you M&M's when you went in the potty rather than on the floor. That worked for awhile, then you decided to try peeing on the floor again. When Tata and I told you we would get sick if you kept peeing on the carpet and started pretending to be sick when you did it, you stopped. Some day this will be really funny to look back on, however, I was not laughing for those few weeks!  Even though there are challenges, I enjoy watching how you learn through them and I am always amazed at the wonderful little boy you are.

Next month you will start preschool two days a week. I guess I can no longer call you a baby, or even a toddler, but in my heart you will be my baby forever.

I love you dearly,

Mama