Grayson - 3 1/2 years old

My sweet boy! It's been a little over a year since I last posted an update for him. So much has changed. An old video popped up on my Timehop and even just his voice and the way he speaks has changed SO much! You don't realize it while it's happening. He will be 4 at the end of July. Crazy.

Grayson at {a bit over} 3 1/2 years.....

• He is officially over 40 inches and can get on a lot of rides at Disneyland that he couldn't before! We were so excited for that milestone. 

• He is a great big brother, always helping with Cora. The other day he helped her put her shoes on for school. He still has a great deal of energy, so getting outside often and working on projects that help him focus make a world of difference in the kind of day he has. He doesn't stop moving except to sleep, so toys sometimes go flying and he needs to be reminded to be careful. He seems to have the most trouble/crying episodes when he is frustrated with an activity not going the way that he wants or when something in his routine is thrown off, which I do my best to avoid. We work hard to stay patient and encourage him to work through the problem. I make sure to acknowledge his feelings every time. The other difficult times are pottying and brushing teeth, and sometimes getting ready in the morning altogether. We all have our bad days ;) He can be very resistant to these daily activities. I read a lot about innovative ideas on helping children at this age and it helps give me new perspective.

• He is very independent and we encourage him to do almost everything himself if he wants to. He has even started helping with dishes, his favorite right now. He is VERY curious about everything. He asks a lot of questions about all subjects. He even asked me the other day where babies come from!!! I wasn't expecting that this early, ha! We tell him all the details and information, as he wants to know and understand all of it. His vocabulary expands almost daily and he cracks us up with the things he says. I have a little book from my Mom called "Quotable Kid" that I write the best things down in :) His teacher told us he is the class clown, always making others laugh.

• Legos have become a huge part of his life. He is building things with Legos every day, just like his Dad did as a kid. He builds things completely on his own that blow us away. They are so creative and the symmetry of his designs are incredible. I think it helps him learn to be patient as well, while he searches for each piece that fits just where he wants. We have Legoland passes so we visit there often. He does a great deal of imaginative play now too - that is my favorite to just observe from the sidelines. He is very good at entertaining himself. We don't turn any TV on all week, and reserve weekends for a movie or two. We also do not let the kids play on the iPad or our phones. I know I am pretty old-school with that, but we spend time doing everything else together, including eating our meals, talking about our day, reading books and enjoying each other's company without distractions and technology.  We started swim again this month, and he has moved to semi-private lessons with an instructor. He learned a lot last summer with just us in our pool, but after a winter of not much swimming, he needs to refresh and get his confidence back. 

• He is doing very well at his Montessori school! He is still in the Ladybug class and has made some great friends. His favorite thing to do at school are the art projects and the practical life jobs, like spooning, tonging, pouring, as well as the cylinder blocks and matching/sorting jobs. At the last parent-teacher conferences, his teacher suggested art classes when he gets a little older and his dexterity improves. 

• Potty training... WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been about 6 weeks now that it's been official. The peeing was easy and he has been peeing on the potty for quite some time, with accidents happening about once a week. But now he is pooping on the toilet, and has been consistently for the last six weeks! It honestly felt like it would never happen and we would soon have THREE kids in diapers/pull-ups. What a relief! I'm so proud of him. Sometimes it just takes more time, but we made it through.

• He is a good sleeper and we are so thankful for that. He is still napping, about 2 hours in length. He does skip them on the weekends sometimes. He continues to eat well too, and we feed him a huge variety of foods just like we eat. He even joins us for all-you-can-eat sushi and eats as much as we do, raw fish and all!

I just love this little man so much and we are having so much fun watching him grow up. He is super excited to be a big brother to another little one. He is CERTAIN that baby #3 is going to be a girl. He never changes his answer or hesitates when I ask him. It will be fun to see if he's right!