ashford at 3
it's been quite a while since i've done an update on ashford's development. birthdays and their corresponding well check-ups are a natural time to do it, so here we go! i spend 99% of my time with this boy, so you would think i could spout off a novel about him, but it's amazing how the details start to blur together when you have more than 1 kid. let's start with his stats from his 3 year old check up:
weight = 32 lbs (54th percentile)
height = 37 inches (37th percentile)
i was curious what azalea's stats were at the same age, so i checked and it turns out she weighed 3 pounds less and was the exact same height. interesting! the doctor said ashford is a healthy boy, very socialable, and developing perfectly. i am so thankful for "boring" check ups. i feel so lucky to have 2 healthy kids and i try my hardest not to take it for granted.
i have to admit, i've sort of been dreading age 3 arriving. it was a rough year for azalea (her hardest age so far), and i fear that will be the same for you. of course we are early into the year, but so far things seem to be going okay. you have your moments (and dare i say they are more strong-willed than when you were 2), but for the most part you are a happy, agreeable boy, which makes spending time with you pleasant. i may be singing a different tune in 6 months. we shall see :) you go back and forth between being fiercely independent ("i do it!!!!") and crying for "mama mama mama" all the live long day. you test the boundaries all the time and it results in a lot of time-outs for you somedays. you also still love to run away from me/want me to carry you everywhere - it's killing my back, dude! you seem clingier to mama than ever. always needing to be touching me (especially my hair) and whining for me when i'm merely a few feet away from you. i love it, but some days i am so drained and touched out by bedtime.
you:
are wearing mostly 3t clothes, though many of your 3t pants are still too big in the waist, so there's still a couple 2t in the mix. you wear a size 6 diaper (more on this later), size 7 shoes (tiny feet just like your sister). you don't have too many opinions when it comes to clothes. the comfier the better (see: sweatpants, or no pants when at home). and sometimes you will demand a shirt with stripes, just to feel like you are in control :) you hate getting dressed in general and sometimes i have to wrestle you out of your pajamas 5 minutes before we need to walk out the door in the morning. you get a hair cut about every 3 months and you always really need it by then! you hate wearing socks and almost always go without.
eating:
you are still the king of snacks. you would just eat those and not a single meal all day if we let you. you ask for them all day long, even if we are going to eat a meal in 5 minutes. "i have something while i'm waiting?" you often try to skip breakfast so you can sneakily ask for a snack 30 minutes later. not happening! while we are on the subject of snacks, some of your favs are: granola bars, fruit/veggie pouches, apple sauce, goldfish, etc. i let you have snack-like lunches because you are more willing to eat them: bananas or crackers with peanut butter, fruit, pickles, carrots and hummus, etc. you love mac and cheese, burgers, and pizza. we make you eat whatever we are having for dinner and you whiiiiine about it every.single.night. some nights you barely eat 2 bites of dinner and we do not let you snack after dinner. you've never met a sweet you didn't like. you love the granny smith apples in the "free fruit for kids bin" at the grocery store. you eat all your meals at the big table in your tripp trapp chair. you mostly drink water, but sometimes you have milk, chocolate milk, or juice for a treat. you use all open-top cups now.
sleeping:
i've talked about your less than desirable sleep habits since day 1. it is truly part of who you are and i don't know if it'll ever change. you aren't too challenging to get to sleep (ie. you can fall asleep on your own), but you never sleep through the night. it's been months since you've stayed in your bed the whole night. and by bed, i mean crib. don't tell the ladies you are still sleeping in one, you are kinda old. it's just because you never climb in or out and i like knowing you are secure in your room at night. someday we will take the side bars off. you cry out for mama every single night and then end up in our bed for the rest of the night. sometimes it's as early as 11:30pm, sometimes as late as 4:45am (and anywhere in between). sure we could let you cry it out, but you share a room with azalea and we have a unit above us, so it's not really an option. plus i have a love-hate relationship with you sleeping in our bed. i love the snuggles and i know you will eventually grow out of the need, but i hate that we only have a queen size bed so it's squishy and you are often like an octopus. you go to bed around 8pm and wake up somewhere between 6:15-7 most days. that's actually a little later than you used to sleep, so thank you! you've also gotten more chill about laying in bed while mama and dada sleep a little longer. as for naps, they are starting to phase out, ever so slightly. you probably nap 5-6 times a week. on the days you don't nap it is because you refuse to fall asleep after laying down for a long period of time. you also get a bit meltdowny around 5pm if you haven't napped that day, so that is not my favorite scenario ;) you still hate going to sleep with blankets on, but we make sure you are covered up when we go to bed, so you don't get cold.
playing:
some days you are great about playing independently (you'll lay on the floor and push a truck back and forth or line up vehicles along the window sill) and other days you want mama to play with you non-stop. you love to play with your sister, but that comes with a lot of spats between you two. you love board games (uno, old maid, candy land, matching game), puzzles, legos, play doh, trains, duplos, "make believe restaurant" and your new cash register you got for your birthday. good old fashioned balls are always a hit as well. you love to have dance parties with dada and azalea and just like her at this age, you've started to develop strong music opinions. your favorite song right now is "don't wanna know" by maroon 5. it's so cute to hear you sing along. you and azalea have a set tv schedule of about an hour in the morning and about an hour before dada gets home from work. you love to watch bubble guppies, curious george, super annoying rhyming songs on youtube, and thomas the train. sometimes i feel guilty that you watch too much tv, but i have roughly 14 hours to fill with you each day, so it's inevitable. we read lots of books to even it out ;) elsa and anna from frozen are still at the top of your favorite characters list and you talk about them daily.
talking:
you are such a chatterbox and talk non-stop. you are not shy at all and love to talk to strangers when we are out. you say so many things that make you sound older than you are (probably things you hear us say). for example when i was going to take you to a coffee shop and asked what kind of treat you wanted to get you replied "i gotta see what the options are." when anyone asks you how you are, you answer "pret-ty good". you have 1001 observations and questions an hour. you are always thinking about how and why things are the way they are. grandma jan calls you "the little engineer". you and your sister could talk about potty stuff all day. poop, pee, and toots work their way into most conversations. you get angry if anyone interrupts you ("i'm talking!!") but of course you interrupt your sister and parents like it's your job ;) your questions are usually things that you hear azalea ask about. you loooove to make annoying sounds just to be - you guessed it, annoying! such a little boy.
potty:
ok, here we go with the potty training update. as i mentioned, we started potty training on tuesday (undies, stickers, and m&ms). it started off amazingly well - a couple successes in the potty, no accidents, lots of cheering and one proud little boy. by the time afternoon rolled around he had done a complete 180. no interest in sitting on the potty and a paralyzing fear of letting his "waste" out, period. over the past 3 days he has gone 8 hours, 10 hours, and even 15 hours in a desperate attempt to not let it leave his body (not even into a diaper). it has resulted in some very stressful parenting. he gets himself so worked up because he is so uncomfortable from not going that he spends a couple hours doing a potty dance/crying/melting down before he can't physically hold it in anymore. he is absolutely traumatized and we can't quite figure out why. clearly he isn't ready emotionally, so we've decided to back off. i talked to the doctor at his appointment and he said to put him back in diapers for a week and then try again. hopefully it will be enough of a "reset" and he will forget about his fear of going. i'm worried it won't be enough time. i have to admit, i was more upset about the whole thing than i should be. i've always been in the "take the diapers away and just deal with the mess, etc until it clicks for them" camp, but that simply is not going to work in this situation. it's been a good learning experience for me, as well as him. i'm hoping next week will go better, but i can't get my hopes up too much. he may not be trained for months, which is okay. i selfishly want him to be trained so he can start his preschool class, but this isn't about me and i need to remember that.
other:
your relationship with your sister is one of my favorite things to watch. you guys fight hard, but also love hard. i'm so glad you have each other and i pray you will value your relationship and nourish it as the years pass. you still love baths (minus hair washing) and almost always start climbing in with some article of clothing on (ha!), you are obsessed with azalea's school and know most of the kids names in her class and her routines, you love "helping" with everything: cooking, cleaning, getting things down from high cabinets, you keep me on my toes! you are forward facing in your car seat and recently got a new one - a high back booster. you have always loved brushing your teeth, but especially since getting a battery operated tooth brush. you are a huge backseat driver and it cracks me up (and sometimes frustrates me). you know a lot of the street and bridge names near us and our usual routes and if we stray from them. you don't know most of your letters or numbers by sight yet, so we really should work on that. you hate riding in the car and often ask me "when are we getting there?" as soon as we pull away from the curb.
you are such a fun little boy and we could not love you more!
weight = 32 lbs (54th percentile)
height = 37 inches (37th percentile)
i was curious what azalea's stats were at the same age, so i checked and it turns out she weighed 3 pounds less and was the exact same height. interesting! the doctor said ashford is a healthy boy, very socialable, and developing perfectly. i am so thankful for "boring" check ups. i feel so lucky to have 2 healthy kids and i try my hardest not to take it for granted.
i have to admit, i've sort of been dreading age 3 arriving. it was a rough year for azalea (her hardest age so far), and i fear that will be the same for you. of course we are early into the year, but so far things seem to be going okay. you have your moments (and dare i say they are more strong-willed than when you were 2), but for the most part you are a happy, agreeable boy, which makes spending time with you pleasant. i may be singing a different tune in 6 months. we shall see :) you go back and forth between being fiercely independent ("i do it!!!!") and crying for "mama mama mama" all the live long day. you test the boundaries all the time and it results in a lot of time-outs for you somedays. you also still love to run away from me/want me to carry you everywhere - it's killing my back, dude! you seem clingier to mama than ever. always needing to be touching me (especially my hair) and whining for me when i'm merely a few feet away from you. i love it, but some days i am so drained and touched out by bedtime.
you:
are wearing mostly 3t clothes, though many of your 3t pants are still too big in the waist, so there's still a couple 2t in the mix. you wear a size 6 diaper (more on this later), size 7 shoes (tiny feet just like your sister). you don't have too many opinions when it comes to clothes. the comfier the better (see: sweatpants, or no pants when at home). and sometimes you will demand a shirt with stripes, just to feel like you are in control :) you hate getting dressed in general and sometimes i have to wrestle you out of your pajamas 5 minutes before we need to walk out the door in the morning. you get a hair cut about every 3 months and you always really need it by then! you hate wearing socks and almost always go without.
eating:
you are still the king of snacks. you would just eat those and not a single meal all day if we let you. you ask for them all day long, even if we are going to eat a meal in 5 minutes. "i have something while i'm waiting?" you often try to skip breakfast so you can sneakily ask for a snack 30 minutes later. not happening! while we are on the subject of snacks, some of your favs are: granola bars, fruit/veggie pouches, apple sauce, goldfish, etc. i let you have snack-like lunches because you are more willing to eat them: bananas or crackers with peanut butter, fruit, pickles, carrots and hummus, etc. you love mac and cheese, burgers, and pizza. we make you eat whatever we are having for dinner and you whiiiiine about it every.single.night. some nights you barely eat 2 bites of dinner and we do not let you snack after dinner. you've never met a sweet you didn't like. you love the granny smith apples in the "free fruit for kids bin" at the grocery store. you eat all your meals at the big table in your tripp trapp chair. you mostly drink water, but sometimes you have milk, chocolate milk, or juice for a treat. you use all open-top cups now.
sleeping:
i've talked about your less than desirable sleep habits since day 1. it is truly part of who you are and i don't know if it'll ever change. you aren't too challenging to get to sleep (ie. you can fall asleep on your own), but you never sleep through the night. it's been months since you've stayed in your bed the whole night. and by bed, i mean crib. don't tell the ladies you are still sleeping in one, you are kinda old. it's just because you never climb in or out and i like knowing you are secure in your room at night. someday we will take the side bars off. you cry out for mama every single night and then end up in our bed for the rest of the night. sometimes it's as early as 11:30pm, sometimes as late as 4:45am (and anywhere in between). sure we could let you cry it out, but you share a room with azalea and we have a unit above us, so it's not really an option. plus i have a love-hate relationship with you sleeping in our bed. i love the snuggles and i know you will eventually grow out of the need, but i hate that we only have a queen size bed so it's squishy and you are often like an octopus. you go to bed around 8pm and wake up somewhere between 6:15-7 most days. that's actually a little later than you used to sleep, so thank you! you've also gotten more chill about laying in bed while mama and dada sleep a little longer. as for naps, they are starting to phase out, ever so slightly. you probably nap 5-6 times a week. on the days you don't nap it is because you refuse to fall asleep after laying down for a long period of time. you also get a bit meltdowny around 5pm if you haven't napped that day, so that is not my favorite scenario ;) you still hate going to sleep with blankets on, but we make sure you are covered up when we go to bed, so you don't get cold.
playing:
some days you are great about playing independently (you'll lay on the floor and push a truck back and forth or line up vehicles along the window sill) and other days you want mama to play with you non-stop. you love to play with your sister, but that comes with a lot of spats between you two. you love board games (uno, old maid, candy land, matching game), puzzles, legos, play doh, trains, duplos, "make believe restaurant" and your new cash register you got for your birthday. good old fashioned balls are always a hit as well. you love to have dance parties with dada and azalea and just like her at this age, you've started to develop strong music opinions. your favorite song right now is "don't wanna know" by maroon 5. it's so cute to hear you sing along. you and azalea have a set tv schedule of about an hour in the morning and about an hour before dada gets home from work. you love to watch bubble guppies, curious george, super annoying rhyming songs on youtube, and thomas the train. sometimes i feel guilty that you watch too much tv, but i have roughly 14 hours to fill with you each day, so it's inevitable. we read lots of books to even it out ;) elsa and anna from frozen are still at the top of your favorite characters list and you talk about them daily.
talking:
you are such a chatterbox and talk non-stop. you are not shy at all and love to talk to strangers when we are out. you say so many things that make you sound older than you are (probably things you hear us say). for example when i was going to take you to a coffee shop and asked what kind of treat you wanted to get you replied "i gotta see what the options are." when anyone asks you how you are, you answer "pret-ty good". you have 1001 observations and questions an hour. you are always thinking about how and why things are the way they are. grandma jan calls you "the little engineer". you and your sister could talk about potty stuff all day. poop, pee, and toots work their way into most conversations. you get angry if anyone interrupts you ("i'm talking!!") but of course you interrupt your sister and parents like it's your job ;) your questions are usually things that you hear azalea ask about. you loooove to make annoying sounds just to be - you guessed it, annoying! such a little boy.
potty:
ok, here we go with the potty training update. as i mentioned, we started potty training on tuesday (undies, stickers, and m&ms). it started off amazingly well - a couple successes in the potty, no accidents, lots of cheering and one proud little boy. by the time afternoon rolled around he had done a complete 180. no interest in sitting on the potty and a paralyzing fear of letting his "waste" out, period. over the past 3 days he has gone 8 hours, 10 hours, and even 15 hours in a desperate attempt to not let it leave his body (not even into a diaper). it has resulted in some very stressful parenting. he gets himself so worked up because he is so uncomfortable from not going that he spends a couple hours doing a potty dance/crying/melting down before he can't physically hold it in anymore. he is absolutely traumatized and we can't quite figure out why. clearly he isn't ready emotionally, so we've decided to back off. i talked to the doctor at his appointment and he said to put him back in diapers for a week and then try again. hopefully it will be enough of a "reset" and he will forget about his fear of going. i'm worried it won't be enough time. i have to admit, i was more upset about the whole thing than i should be. i've always been in the "take the diapers away and just deal with the mess, etc until it clicks for them" camp, but that simply is not going to work in this situation. it's been a good learning experience for me, as well as him. i'm hoping next week will go better, but i can't get my hopes up too much. he may not be trained for months, which is okay. i selfishly want him to be trained so he can start his preschool class, but this isn't about me and i need to remember that.
other:
your relationship with your sister is one of my favorite things to watch. you guys fight hard, but also love hard. i'm so glad you have each other and i pray you will value your relationship and nourish it as the years pass. you still love baths (minus hair washing) and almost always start climbing in with some article of clothing on (ha!), you are obsessed with azalea's school and know most of the kids names in her class and her routines, you love "helping" with everything: cooking, cleaning, getting things down from high cabinets, you keep me on my toes! you are forward facing in your car seat and recently got a new one - a high back booster. you have always loved brushing your teeth, but especially since getting a battery operated tooth brush. you are a huge backseat driver and it cracks me up (and sometimes frustrates me). you know a lot of the street and bridge names near us and our usual routes and if we stray from them. you don't know most of your letters or numbers by sight yet, so we really should work on that. you hate riding in the car and often ask me "when are we getting there?" as soon as we pull away from the curb.
you are such a fun little boy and we could not love you more!
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