He is working on perfecting his "I'm three!" pose, but he's finally getting his fingers to cooperate...
It's so hard to believe it's been three years since Trey and I sat in that hospital, looking at our newborn son.
We were so clueless then and had no idea what to expect. After the long road it took to get him here (complete with 140-something days of strict bedrest and a whole lot of faith and prayers that he would, in fact, make it into this world), he was here and we weren't quite sure who he would become and what we would do with him. :)
All we knew, was that we were in love.
Two weeks old
It wasn't long before he was smiling at us and laughing. I remember he laughed, in his sleep, in the first days he was home. And he smiled at a few days old too. Here's a little video from right after we got home:
Soon he was smiling all the time. And he really hasn't stopped.
1 month old.
People always ask us if he smiles all the time, and I guess he always has been a smiley baby.
7 months old
He was quick to tackle all of his physical milestones. He was crawling at seven months, pulling himself to standing shortly thereafter, cruising not long after that and walking by two weeks after his first birthday.
9 months old
He was a terrible sleeper from birth. We didn't get him to sleep through the night until, with a lot of tough love, he finally conquered that milestone in his 11 month. And then it seems we blinked and he was one.
We were worried he wouldn't start talking soon enough, but before we knew it he was Mr. Chatty. Around 18 months he started really talking, and I'm not sure he's stopped talking since.
18 months old
He has never met a stranger. Sure he will sometimes be shy for a moment, but he is always randomly talking to strangers in the store or anywhere we are out and about. If they don't respond to him he'll ask me, "Why is that person/man/woman not talking to me?" The other parents at school are always telling me that Thomas greeted them when they arrived to drop off their child. And he says the funniest things...as I know all children do.
One thing that sticks out is the past two weeks he has stayed with my parents one night a week (as I am deep in party-planning mode and need all the free time I can get!). The first time he returned I was wearing a striped shirt that I hadn't worn in quite some time. His first comment to me was, "Why are you wearing that striped shirt?" The next week, when he returned I was wearing something else and the first thing he said was, "Why are you wearing that not-striped shirt?"
He does ask "Why?" about everything, as I know many 3-year olds do. And he will ask you over and over again until you give him a silly answer and he'll say, "That's not what it is!"
Before we knew it, our little boy was two. It was to be a big year for him, because he started going to "school" and he became a big brother.
Two weeks after his second birthday, he became a big brother. And he assumed that role quite easily and with a whole lot of love.
Though sometimes, or rather, quite frequently, we have to remind Thomas to be "gentle" with Parker, he has been a great big brother. He loves Parker dearly and always wants to be where he is. It has been such a joy watching them grow together and I know it's only going to get better as the years pass by.
This year has really flown by. In August Thomas started school. He goes two mornings a week, but he loves it. It took him a short while to adjust and stop crying at drop off, but now he runs in and forgets to tell me goodbye until I ask him. He enjoys his friends and teachers and truly looks forward to school days. We are really going to miss it this summer, but look forward to next year when he will go three mornings a week!
28 months old (right before he started school!)
And he is three! Three years old! It's so hard to believe.
He is becoming more independent and wants to do everything "all by myself!!!" He loves painting and doing other art projects. I need to be better about coming up with more things for him to do here. I have to watch him though because if left alone with a crayon, he will color things that are not paper. Good thing those things are usually pretty washable!
He loves to be outside, no matter what we are doing. As for driving his Jeep, he usually does pretty well. Be when he starts driving a bit erratically and not paying attention, it's usually a sign that he needs to go take a nap. He ran into a small tree (very, very small, young tree) one time, but usually he does okay.
Speaking of naps, most days he still takes (and needs!) one. Sometimes he will not, but he will stay in his bed and be relatively quiet while he reads books and plays with his cars. He has actually been surprisingly good about staying in his bed, even though he can get out. I can't wait to get his real big boy bed (not just his converted crib) and see how he'll do with that. Hopefully he will continue to do as well.
I will say though when he does nap, I always have to wake him up because he does sleep so soundly. And when we wake him up, he is not a pleasant person to be around. It takes him a LONG time to wake up. And on nap days, even though we put him to bed by 8, he often won't fall asleep until after 9. At least he stays in his bed!
As for other things at three years... He is still not a great eater. He's pretty picky and sometimes it's quite a struggle to get him to eat a decent amount. I should say though that his eating is usually directly tied to his GI issues. Won't get into it more than that, but the more stressed he gets about that, the less he eats. We are trying hard to correct it, but it's not an easy task.
And on that note, potty training is still a no-go. He has a lot of interest in watching everyone else (his entire class is potty trained!), but he has no desire to go on his own, no matter what kind of bribery we use. He has gone a few times here and there, but he is willing to go less and less -- which seems the opposite of what it should be!
It's a good thing he is so cute.
These past three years have been an amazing blessing and I am so thankful to God that Thomas is a part of our lives. For every time that he tests me and tries my patience, there are ten times that he melts my heart and is my "sweet little boy." He is loving and kind and his smile is huge and lights up the room.
My only regret is that the time goes by too fast. I fear that I have missed something I won't get to see again, and I don't want the next three years to fly by as quickly as these have disappeared. Or at least I hope that I can soak up all the moments, all the laughter, all the smiles and not dwell too much on the few times he frustrates me so! He is such a gift in my life and for that, I cannot be more thankful.
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