3.25

The wonderful world of 3.25 - or 3 years and 4 months.

This stage has new feats as well as challenges...and the pros and cons are both curious and frustrating.

INDEPENDENCE
Pro: Drew now wakes in the morning, uses the potty, and returns to his bedroom - without ANY assistance from us. It's a dream come true! When I hear that door creak open at 6:30am I remain silent...fearing that the very sound of my breath will lure him through my bedroom door. When I hear the sound of him peeing in the potty, I exhale. As he returns to his room and closes his door, a gigantic smile expands across my face as I enjoy another 30 minutes of peace.

Con: Drew insists on doing everything FOR himself and BY himself. No assistance, no "watch me do it, Drew, as I model for you" - and if he can do it, great. If he can't, well, a tantrum of frustration will ensue. This is followed by my persistant coaching & support...which eventually turns into my own tantrum of frustration. He does not want to follow my suggestions!

SMARTS
Pro: Drew knows every letter in the alphabet (upper and lower case) as well as the sounds each make. He can tell you the first letter of every word; and share a list of words beginning with each letter. He loves trying to read and spell. He has a few words under his belt (like Drew, Mommy, Daddy). He also finds it incredibly entertaining to rhyme. Every day he takes words and throws out all the rhymes like Dean-Bean-Mean-Clean-Seen-Ween-Lean-Teen...and he giggles throughout! And he sometimes raps too!

And aside from things he knows, it's the things he says that really impress me!
It's fabulous to hear Drew's questions:
"Is it a half moon or a crescent moon tonight?"
"What do you think Santa will bring you, Daddy?"
"How about...if I finished eating we can watch two shows?"
And along with that, he makes interesting comments and observations:
"Mommy, I love your pajamas!"
"Daddy has to go to work so we can have money to buy nice things."
"I want to leave some seeds on the snowman so the chickadees will come just like in Stranger In The Woods!"

Con: Well, let's start by saying his negotiation skills are top notch. So, bribary doesn't work as well as it once did...and the "distraction technique" is completely useless. He remembers everything you say -for better or worse- and reminds you of your promises, repeats your slanderous remarks, and even makes threats! ("Mommy, if you're not good Santa won't bring YOU any presents!") He is also NO fool! He's not gullable (which is surprising since Mommy is). When grandma said she heard Santa's sleigh and secretly rang some bells, he didn't jump up or run to look. He casually walked over and rang bells himself...knowing that SHE must've rang them and it didn't mean much.

I think what I like most about 3.25yrs. are the conversations we have. I love reading books with Drew (almost always encyclopedia style books with lots of cool facts about animals, dinosaurs, outer space, habitats, etc.). I love seeing him engage with others. I love his social, playful personality. I love his love for people and animals.

My biggest frustration is that he often acts like a baby. I understand that this is probably quite bright of him...babies get lots of attention and acting like one certainly gets us to pay attention (albeit in a negative way), but I wish he could ALWAYS be the engaging, fun toddler that I enjoy so much. If he could tone down his competitiveness and turn up his cooperation life would be a bit easier.

I know these days will fly by like those of the past...so it's my responsibility to enjoy him & love him and help him grow. That is all I can do.