Andrew Update

It's 2013 and Andrew is 3 years old. He is fun, talkative and inquisitive. He loves cars - big monster trucks. He loves watching Toy Story - the third one is his favorite. He loves his momma in the mornings and wants me to do everything for him the morning. He does not play well with Sam. He wants Sam to be around but only if he doesn't touch anything. Andrew asks me daily if Sam learned how to walk yet. He has very few things he likes to eat. He loves yogurt, cheese, hot dogs, mac n cheese, fruit, corn, & lima beans. It is very hard to incorporate new things into his diet. At school he eats a good breakfast but doesn't eat much lunch anymore. He likes to pick out his plate, spoon, fork and cup for meals at home. He is great at washing his hands and throwing away trash.

Recent picture of Andrew - looking more like a per-schooler and not a baby

Potty training is not going well. He refuses to sit and have a bowel movement on the potty. Absolutely refuses. He is decent at teeteeing in the potty. Now we are working on him telling us he has to go. We are giving potty prizes for this and it is working well. If he goes #2 then he gets a prize too and if he is consistent he gets a football helmet that he wants. I have bought the helmet so he can stare at it and that does not even work. I personally feel like I am failing as parent when it comes to potty training.

He is very smart. One funny thing he says is "I have an idea" - but doesn't really tell us an idea. He is pretty good at telling us what happened during his day and what he learned. He is also starting to give us directions. For example "Look at Walmart on Sam's side" (telling us there is a Walmart out the window on the side of the car that Sam sits).  He has started picking an animal or toy that becomes his prize possession. The toy or animal changes frequently.

Night time has become a little different lately. He goes to bed around 7. The routine is the same - brush teeth, potty, read 2 books and rock a little bit. Then Owen comes in and sings a song to him. Lately what has changed is Andrew gets up and turns on his lamp. Then plays in his bed until he falls asleep. We try to catch him before he falls asleep so we can turn off the lamp. He is quiet so we know he is winding down, but we don't want the light to wake him up in the middle of the night. Now we turn on a light that is on his sound machine. He calls it his dream light (a commercial he sees on Sprout). But last night he got up after we told him to go back to bed. When we went into his room this morning the lamp was on and he was asleep. So our theory of the lamp waking him up was wrong.

We took a picture of him one night with his light on and Andrew sound asleep. He has so many things in his bed. 

I am discovering that this is the age where Owen and I are in charge of really parenting. I thought I had been parenting before, but really I was just making sure he was safe and healthy. Now I have to teach him things. Not just teaching manners like please and thank you but right and wrong. The kids in his class (Andrew included) get caught up in the moment and hit and bite each other. I do think Andrew has only done this on one or two occasions b/c I have only been told about a few of them from the teachers. I am teaching him about the Golden Rule. I know a little of it is sinking in but now as a parent I have to be so consistent. It's hard and overwhelming.

Sharing with Sam isn't going well. Andrew usually wants what Sam has and we talk about trading with Sam but I know this is going to backfire and haunt us. Sam will eventually say "No, I am playing with it". I pray all the time I fostering a friendship between them. It is so important to me that they are close.

Three is a new ballgame. Andrew is a little boy now. He is very sweet and even though he doesn't share perfectly with Sam he cares about him. He has to give Sam a hug before Sam goes to sleep. And Sam's face lights up when this happens. If Sam isn't in the room he asks about him. I knew being Andrew's mom was going to amazing and that feeling hasn't changed. I adore watching him and being the one who has a front seat into his learning and discover life.

Andrew in front of his birthday sign at day care

Andrew at his 3rd birthday party