
Grayson,
You are now 3 and a half years old. Or 1,279 days . Or 30,696 hours. Yes, that would be over 1.8 million minutes that you have been a part of our lives! It is amazing how quickly those minutes have passed, but even more amazing to think about how much you have changed since the day you were born. You now weigh 33.2 pounds and are wearing size 3T clothes. Sometimes the waist of 3T paints are still too big, but with the help of a belt (your favorite accessory) we make do!
In the past three months, you took a trip to the beach (which you LOVED) and even went to your first (and last for a long while) Gator game to see your hero, Tim Tebow. You celebrated Halloween dressed as a Gator Quarterback and for the first time thoroughly enjoyed trick or treating. You helped carve your first jack-o-lantern and have fallen in love with all super heros- from Spiderman to transformers.
For a while now, you have taken pride in picking out your clothes each day. Lately we have been faced with a new problem. You insist that your clothes must match. Now by matching, you mean that if you are wearing a red shirt, you must also wear red pants. You want to be dressed in the same color from head to toe. You do not understand that you can wear blue jeans with just about anything or that you can choose a smaller color also in your shirt to coordinate with your pants. So- Coordinate. This is the new term that I have been teaching you. Now we try to “O-ordinate” your outfits rather than making them “match”.
Selecting your outfits is only one of the ways that you have chosen to express your individuality and opinions. One opinion that has recently changed over the past 3 months and that has been the hardest for me has been your new found preference for Daddy. Perhaps it is due to the amount of time Gage requires of me or maybe it’s because Daddy lets you get away with all types of things- but for some reason you have recently decided that Daddy is now your favorite parent. You will only allow him to “sweep wif” you “for five minutes” at bedtime and you prefer to sit beside him on the couch or at dinner. Now don’t get me wrong. This hasn’t been all bad. I really like the fact that I do not have to get up with you in the middle of the night and that it is Daddy who you request to help when you have had a “poopy”. And I guess that I should mention that you do still cry for me when you have fallen and have hurt yourself. So anyhow, there are times that I miss being your favorite. But let’s be honest- I guess that Daddy should get a turn too. Right? After all, we are learning to share!
Besides sharing, at three and half years old, you can spell your first name (and a few other simple words like “stop”), name all of the letters of the alphabet (although you mix up u and w), count to 20, and identify all your shapes and colors. A real strength for you is your understanding of numbers. You like to practice using numbers- especially at dinner; like when you count the number of tater-tots and then decide how many would be left if you ate two or three, etc. At your first parent-teacher conference, we learned that another one of your strengths is your ability to tell stories. Your teacher, Mrs. Wendy thinks that you are advanced in your ability to tell a story as you use great details, including the way that you can act out all of the emotions in your story. You can now form complex sentences and you are experimenting with sentence structure- saying this like “On this plate, I want grapes.” Which totally cracks me up, since you now sound like you are from another country. I think that you have a great vocabulary and you often use words that surprise me like “chrysalis”, “actually”, or “attitude”. Mrs. Wendy says that she is often surprised by the things that you tell her at your age.
Speaking of vocabulary, you have picked up some interested names to call others: Poopy head, dirty rat, wackey, goofball, etc. Now where these names come from, I am not exactly sure. I tried to expalin to you that calling names wasn’t very nice, but you quickly responded that I often call you names- like baby, peanut, honey, etc. I then, thinking quick, created a new name calling rule: It is not nice to call people a name of something you wouldn’t want to touch, see, eat, or smell. It is ok to call people name of things that people like. I gave examples like sugar, sweet pea, honey bun, baby, etc. “Cupcake?” you asked. Yes, cupcake would be an ok name. “Cookie?” Yes, cookie is fine. Since then you have decided that Cupcake is one of your favorite pet names for me- often using it at times that make others (who do not know our rule) raise their eyebrows. You think this is especially funny and often laugh and chuckle after using the name.
Grayson you are a very funny child and often use your gift of humor to entertain others or negotiate your way. You like to say things like “Are you kidding me?” Or “Are you Crazy?” You try changing words in your favorite songs to be silly (Twinkle, twinkle little dinousaur…) And you make silly faces and make up funny songs. You continue to be outgoing and fun to be around. You are quick to smile and your laugh can brighten most any room. I dare to say that most everyone enjoys being around you. Daddy and I swear that you will grow up to be a politician or a salesman with the awesome “people” skills you already have. You are great at remembering names, often reminding me when I have forgotten someone’s name.
In motor development, you have finally learned how to pedal your tricycle- although you still prefer to just push it with your feet on the ground. You can climb ladders and rock climbing walls and you have gotten better at catching balls (though this goal is still in progress). You enjoy swinging on the glider on your new swing set, but need help with using a regular swing. At school you have begun learning how to trace letters and objects- even though drawing/coloring is not your favorite activity. Instead building towers and guns, or making things with play dough is your preferred type of art creations. You are now pretty good at getting yourself dressed, putting on your shoes, and brushing your teeth- when you decide you want to! You are learning to use scissors and you enjoy using a knife at dinner.
Yes, little boy- You are growing up! I am often proud of the way you try to help others and by how smart you are. You have a kind heart and your love for life has made the world all new for me too! Three years ago I would not have found myself getting excited when I saw a fire truck or a huge bulldozer. You have inspired me to look at the world through your eyes- the eyes of a child full of wonder. Having you, I now appreciate watching tiny ants working together to carry a dead grasshopper and I take the time to stop and see how a stick might look like an “alien shootin’ gun”. You have made me slow down and appreciate the small things that went unnoticed before you were born. Thank you for all the ways you make me a better person. You are truly a miracle in my life!
Grayson, I love you more and more each day!
Love,
Mommy
Favorites According to Grayson
Color- Red
Best Friend- Allen (at school)
Movie- Chicken LIttle
Race Car Driver- Number 9- Kasey Kahne
Football team- Tim Tebow and the Gators
Food- Paskety
Cartoon- Batman
Insect- Bum Bum Bee
Song- Itsy Bitsy Spider (You finally learned how to do the finger motions!)
Stuffed Animal- Baby Ozzy, Little Chicken, and your Baby (A blue puppy that plays music)
Favorite Book- “That’s Good. That’s Bad!”
Number- 3
Latter- G (”It’s for my name!”)
Truck- Fire Engine