My baby boy turned three years old on May 7th! I am CRAZY about 3 year olds - it is one of my very favorite ages! I feel like 3 is when they get really funny. I love the way that they communicate their observations about the world, too. 3 year olds are still sweet and snuggly, but are able to do some things for themselves. I love everything about this age! So, as sad as I am to know that my sweet babe is another year older, I am super excited about spending the next 365 days with the 3 year old version of Owen Thomas Carpenter. :)
At 3 years old:
* Owen weighs 31 pounds (42%) and his 39 inches tall (83%). He is a tall, skinny little thing. :)
* He wears 3T tops and 2T bottoms. Getting rid of his diaper sure made fitting this skinny boy in clothes more difficult. 3T shorts slip right off of him, but the 2T are borderline too short. :-/ He wears a size 8 1/2 shoe.
* He has 20 teeth (counting his 2 year molars that are still coming through the gums, but are almost completely in).
* Owen is sleeping in a toddler bed, and did great transitioning from his crib! He still naps for 2-3 hours every afternoon. May 6th was the very first time in his life that he didn't get his nap. He ended up falling asleep on the floor at 5:20pm. He was playing happily one minute, and passed out on the floor the next. Bless his heart. He definitely still needs a good afternoon nap.
He still looks like a baby when he sleeps. :)
* Owen still sleeps with his "nanny" and LOTS of stuffed animals. He also still sleeps in his sleepsack. I didn't put it on him one night, just to see if he even noticed. As soon as I sat down to rock him, he said, "I need my sleepsack." Ha! I guess we'll hang onto it for a bit longer.
* Owen learned how to whistle last Fall. He is REALLY good at it, and Clayton thinks it is a great party trick. He has been known to hold up carline so that he can show off his baby brother's talent to his friends and teacher. Ha! I think that O is such a good whistler because of his half tooth in the front. That extra air flow is bound to help matters. ;)
* O's voice goes up about 4 octives when he I remind him to say "please." Pretty cute.
* I keep notes in my phone about milestones and funny things that my kids say so that I will remember to blog them in their yearly birthday post. That's totally normal, right? Don't answer that. Anyway, back in November, Owen sang along with the "Nationwide is on your side" jingle when the commercial came on TV. Wade and I laughed so hard!
* Owen has a freckle on his right upper arm. For the last few months, he has called it his "sprinkle." It is probably my very favorite mispronunciation of his. I'll be so sad when he corrects himself! He also says "Buzz Story" instead of "Toy Story," "jungle" instead of "juggle," "biff-rent" instead of "different," and "steering wheel" instead of "ferris wheel." I love listening to him talk. :)
* He talked about his first imaginary friends back in February. They were squirrels named Squad and Squadon. They only lasted for a day or two, but he was very emphatic when he talked to them or about them.
* He calls his brothers "Drewy" and "Clayte" (rhymes with plate).
* He can chew gum without swallowing it. That's a legit milestone, right?
* You can definitely tell that Owen has big brothers by his speech. He says big kid things on a fairly frequent basis. I doubt that most brand new 3 year olds use the phrases "pinky promise" and "double dare." But, Owen sure does. In March when we were potty training, he tee-tee'd on the toilet and then he stood up, threw his hands in the air, and said, "Boom!" I have never laughed so hard! In April, we went to a bounce house party. I was trying to be "cool mom" and went through an obstacle course. I completely wiped out and tumbled down the last slide. Owen looked at me, dead serious, and said, "Epic fail." Ha!
* When he doesn't hear you or doesn't understand what you are saying, Owen says, "What now?" My in-laws were quick to point out that he learned that from me. I guess you pick up those kinds of phrases when your mother is half deaf. ;)
* It took Owen a sweet forever to learn his colors. I was convinced that he was color blind (I still think he has a mild degree of red/green color blindness). He finally mastered all of his colors in December. He knew all of his shapes months before he learned his colors. It was so odd to me.
* He can count to 10 consistently and knows his ABC's.
* He loves books. His favorites are Goodnight Moon, Wide Awake Jake, and Runaway Bunny. We read those three almost every night.
* His favorite shows are Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.
* He is still not a great eater. His favorite foods are yogurt, pizza, tacos, burritos, Lunchables, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, teddy grahams, and goldfish. He likes salad, but will fight me tooth and nail about eating any other vegetable. Sigh. I'm hoping his appetite will improve with time.
* I would say that Owen is still super sweet the vast majority of the time, but he still has his stubborn/strong willed/feisty side. He is still sensitive to correction and doesn't require discipline very often, so I am very thankful for that. However, there are times when I can tell by the look in his eyes that he is not going to do something that I am asking him to do (it usually involves eating).
* He loves playing baseball and loves when we pitch balls to him. He is a pretty good batter, too! Every time that he hits the ball, he says, "Can I throw down the bat?" He has been at the ball fields enough to know that when you hit the ball, you throw your bat down, and then run the bases. It is funny that that is his code phrase, though.
* Owen is still very healthy, praise God! His one major health issue is his skin. Poor guy has terrible eczema! It makes me crazy! His hands, wrists, elbows, knees, feet, and ankles are always red and inflamed. He will scratch until his skin bleeds. It is just awful. I am praying that we can get it under control soon.
Dear Owen,
Happy Birthday, my Precious Boy! I know that I tell you this all of the time, but I am so glad that you are mine! I can't imagine my life without you in it. You are a precious gift, Child of mine. Don't ever think for one minute that your Mama doesn't know that. I am 100% sure that the Lord chose to let me be your mother out of His sheer love and His desire to bless me. You'll never know how deep my adoration is for you!
You sure do make life fun, Owie! I hope that I always remember that little glimmer in your 3 year old eyes when you know that you are being funny. You are hysterical, and you know it! You bring heaps of laughter and tons of smiles to our household. What a treasure you are!
You are quick to want to right a wrong, and I love that about you. You say, "I'm soooo sorry. I'm soooo sorry," whenver you cause someone harm or do something that you know is wrong. "Please forgive you? Please forgive you?" You mix up the pronouns when you ask for forgiveness, but I love that that is your heart. I hope that you are always quick to reconcile. That will get you far in life, Dear One. When you do something wrong, try to make it right as fast as you can.
You love to pray and end most prayers with "Thank you for Jesus." Yes, yes, yes! I hope that the magnitude of the Father's gift will grow in your little heart over time. I pray that you will recognize your need for a Savior at an early age, my Child. Please, God, let it be so! The older that I get, the more that I realize what a true gift it is to be saved early in life. This life is hard. So, so, so hard. And I truly do not know how people make it through the dark parts without Jesus by their side. I pray that for you, Owen. I pray that you won't have to suffer through the painful seasons without knowing that you have Heaven to look forward to.
Your brothers are so very different from each other - night and day. They truly could not be more opposite. I remember being pregnant with you and thinking that they were such polar opposites, that you must fit in somewhere in the middle. As it turns out, you are completely different from both of them, too! I'm so glad that God didn't make us all the same! That would make life very boring, wouldn't it? You are brave, strong, fast, handsome, kindhearted, stubborn, sometimes quick to anger, loving, and happy. God made you, you - and I am so glad! You are fearfully and wonderfully made, Son!
In the Fall, you will be going to preschool for the first time. Wow! I know that you are going to love it, but I am going to miss you so very badly! You have been my little sidekick on the days when your brothers were at school for the last two years. We have had some really fun times together, you and me! We will still have Mondays together while your brothers are at school this year. I plan on soaking in every minute of that one-on-one time each week. Mommy/Owen days are pretty fun! I'm excited for your first school experience, too, though. I know that you will do well and make lots of friends. I hope that you always remember to be a good friend and obey your teacher. Those are two of the most important things to learn at school.
I'm so happy to have a 3 year old again! This is going to be a great year for you and our family!
I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy
1 comments:
Sweet Owen. You are blessed to be your mother's child.
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