3 years, 4 months

Dear Son,

Another month slipped by and you are continuing to making us laugh, drive us nuts and grow our hearts. We enjoy you so much these days. Sitting at the dinner table never was this entertaining before. The things you say during our evening family conversations makes us grin if not chuckle under our breath. You are a delightful conversationalist and jester.

You've continued to be a great big kid, going to the bathroom by yourself and staying dry most nights. It's very impressive to me how you became so grown up the minute I toilet trained you. You suddenly can totally undress and dress yourself. You can wash your hands on your own, brush your teeth and get the shoes on the right feet without our help. You are even obedient most of the time. You've recently added a "yes sir" when we ask you to do something and YOU DO IT! It's awesome how helpful you can be and, in turn, it helps Mom and Dad relax a little in the mornings and evenings.

You've been a bit demanding on some things this last month. In the mornings you demand to see your Daddy before he leaves for work. We've learned that if you sleep in and miss saying good-bye to your Dad in the morning, a full on crying fest will ensue. It's extremely sad and tender how heartbroken you are when you miss your Dad. You cry for a good 10-15 minutes and then we give him a call and you say how sad you are that you didn't get to hug or kiss him good-bye. So, the new routine is for Dad to get ready for work then come into your room and carry you downstairs for breakfast and your choice of movie. He is able to get your hugs and kisses and you are happy to say good-bye to him. So these days Mom gets an extra 30 minutes of rest thanks to Dad and we have a happy Liam in the mornings.

The other thing that you seem to expect the last week or so is a shower in the morning with a parent instead of a bath at night. This morning I sneakily said I was going to get ready for the day and I got in the shower alone. 5 minutes later you came crying and said you wanted a shower. So you hurried and stripped down and got in with me. It's common for 3-year-olds to be learning what privacy is all about, as the parents need to be enforcing it, however, I am not sure how to get around this. I can't seem to even get dressed without your company. Something we need to figure out and hopefully sooner than later.

In other "true boy" news, the big struggle this last month has been your incessant name calling. Everything is a "da da head" or any kind of something "head" and it's getting old. We put you in time out, repeatedly, and you still seem to let "cry baby" or something "head" slip out. Even after you sincerely apologize. When you don't know the answer to a question, you fill in the blanks with baby talk...da da, bo bo , etc. I am hoping this is a short stage as you are rubbing off on other kids, much to their parents' chagrin. Being the boy you are, it doesn't stop there... you are now finding it funny to stick your bum out and toot on us. We also struggle with controlling your spitting. All of which is hysterical to you, you nutty kid!


All monthly reports aside, you truly are a great kid to raise. You are extremely bright, Liam. Even the babysitter, Kate, told me that she considers you one of her big kids. You associate better with the 5-year-olds than the other kids your age. You do 50 piece puzzles, write your name, color in the lines. You are so amazing, kiddo! Granted, when you want some rough and tumble, you go to your 3-year-old buddies. You are a boy through and through. We love your energy and zest for life. You are a forgiving and loving person too. I feel so blessed to be your Mom!

Love you always,
Mom

P.S. You've been saying prayers all by yourself and also reading books to us this last month. We love it!