At 34 months...

I realize that I have done a terrible job at keeping this blog updated. Call it lack of interest. Lack of time. Lack of desire to spend my free moments hunched over a computer trying to find witty words or pretty pictures to post. But a friend recently asked me if Swee'Pea was ever potty-trained (yes, yes he was... like, 8 months ago...) and I realized I had done little to update everyone on this incredible little person I have come to know and love over the nearly (gasp!) 3 years that he has been in my life. So I figured I'd take the time now to document the wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) things that make this little man who he is right now. The good, the bad, the awkward, and even the sometimes unlikeable.

Swee'Pea... at 34 months you...

... are extremely addicted to your Daddy. You beg for him when he leaves in the morning for work, and are always concerned about where he is. Your standard answer when asked where Daddy is? "He's at work!"

... recently got tested for allergies. The results came back grim. You are allergic to all dairy, wheat, and eggs. The specialist said we should cease giving you all these products immediately. This lasted for about an hour before I got too overwhelmed and gave it a target date of August 1st to figure out how we were going to feed you. That date is quickly approaching and I still have no clue what to do with you!

... love milk, cheese, yogurt, crackers, bread, "apples" (plums), water, chicken strips and fries (aka "chicken fries), oatmeal, chips and salsa, and fruit snacks. As most of these items fall under the "do not eat" categories because of your allergies, I have serious anxiety over how life will be when we ban these items from your menu.

... hate most meats, vegetables, or food from restaurants or other peoples' houses. You are so stubborn and refuse to eat. If we get you to try something, you almost immediately gag and throw it up. You remind me of your uncles in this way. It is beyond frustrating.

... talk non-stop. Most of the time we can understand you, but you do seem to have a language all your own. You have started repeating things we say... some phrases are not so amusing, and get you into trouble. You particularly like to talk about the members of our family, especially cousin Henry and Uncle Scott, who seem to be at the top of your list of favorite people in the world.

... are very into pretend. You are always running away from dinosaurs, working at a car wash or drive-thru, or sipping on a cup of coffee (aka a can of soup or our Mag flash lite). At Mama2's your favorite thing to do is to bring everyone in the house a cup of coffee and then have them sit and sip it.

... love trains, airplanes, and dinosaurs.

... want to watch The Bee Movie every day, all day long. It is annoying. And I want to throw that movie away, like, yesterday.

... hate having your hair touched, washed, or done. Haircuts are still torture. Thus, your head usually looks messy and unkept. We now give you an option... wear a hat, or get your hair done. You usually choose the hat.

... want to do almost everything yourself. You can pretty much get your clothes out and get yourself dressed. You can get your own dishes and get snacks and water. You can get out your toys and books and crayons and keep yourself busy. The one thing you REFUSE TO DO is go to the bathroom by yourself. You refuse to aim into the toilet. You refuse to do anything but stand there and scream at me or your daddy to HELP! HELP! as you pee all over the floor, walls, toilet, etc. This has become a huge sore spot for Mommy, as I am the one who has to scrub the bathroom after every encounter with you.

... have no particular interest in stuffed animals, but do love your "night night." You have four brown blankets and one quilt. You like every.single.one. stacked on top of you every night. Even when it is sweltering hot.

... must keep the same bedtime routine to settle down properly. This includes pajamas, teeth brushing, a few bedtime stories (always the same ones!), prayers, tucking in, drink of water, water placed on dresser, lamp on, kisses goodnight, shut the door. If you escape your room and come out for something, we pretty much have to do the whole thing over again. You are SO your mother's child.

... enjoy coloring and painting, playing in the backyard, building with Legos, using your counting bears and tanograms and lacing shapes, and watching TV. I try to limit the TV. But sometimes it is the only way I can get laundry done or pay the bills or get my quiet time in without you popping in every 3 minutes to inspect what I'm doing and begging me to come do, see, play, etc.

... have grown leaps and bounds in the past 6 weeks when it comes to discipline. You understand why you have time-outs, you stay in time-outs until asked to come out, and you can discuss what choices you made and why they were not good choices. You don't like time-outs, but you have had them in our house, family members' houses, parks, stores, and zoos and you really are learning to accept your punishment for your choices without too much drama.

... are becoming more and more stubborn. And hard to take places. And overly dramatic when you are upset. This is such a change from when you were an easy-going infant. Sometimes I think it is because you are just bored and decide to liven up our lives with some action. Or that you just want to keep mommy on her toes. Or that, like mommy, you are just a sinful person needing love and grace just as much as anyone else. You are teaching me oodles and oodles about myself and about Jesus through your little stubborn streak. But that is for a whole other post.

... know that Jesus is in your heart and that Jesus loves you. Unfortunately, you also seem to think that your heart is in your shirt. So if we ask you where Jesus is when you are shirtless, you will go find a shirt, pick through it until you "find" your heart, and then point to Jesus. It is all kinds of hilarious and adorable.

... love dancing. You have killer moves.

... can count to 20 with no help, can sing your ABC's (although it isn't completely recognizable towards the middle...), and can identify so much of the world around you. But for the LIFE OF ME I cannot get you to learn your colors. Everything is "green, yellow, blue." I'm trying to be patient and just continue pointing out things that are certain colors and try to associate them to other things you already know. I figure you'll have to get it... eventually.

... act as silly as a goose in front of people when you see them out of context. For example, you always see your Uncle Jay at your MamaD and Papa's house. When he comes over to our house, you suddenly act like a total dweeb in front of him... bouncing off the walls, telling silly jokes, dancing, and being all kinds of crazy. It cracks me up what a ham you can be when you want to be.

... melt my heart when you come out of nowhere to give me a hug and a kiss and say, "I love you, mommy."

... have become Daddy's side-kick. You mow the law together, run errands, and like to hang out with him whenever possible. He is by far your most favorite person in the whole universe.

... insist on putting ice-packs on any microscopic injury you receive. You hate band-aids and rarely cry when you are hurt, but you love those ice-packs!

... are more loved than you will ever, ever know. You fill my life with such joy that I often think my heart will burst. My love for you makes me smother you with adoration, but also causes me to discipline you when I know it is best. You make me laugh, you make me cry, and you make me wish for a million more babies because you are so darn perfect. You make me appreciate MamaD and Mama2 in a whole new way as I learn to be a mother from them and understand the love they have for you Daddy and me. You make me strive to be a better wife and mother. You help me to learn all about God's love, patience, forgiveness, and selflessness. You are an incredible little person who has forever changed me in a million-and-one positive ways. I adore, adore, ADORE you. You are my precious boy, and I love you so!