I've been putting off writing this post because *drumroll please* it is my last post to you, Gabey, as a 2 year old. Just not really ready to accept that...
Last photos of G3 as a two year old...
I'm not sure where the line gets crossed between toddler and preschooler...but I think there must be some sort of definitive jump between 2 and 3. Last year you celebrated your birthday in diapers, with a binky, and spoke in halting, deliberate phrases to get your point across. This year you'll be sporting undies, the binky is long gone, and you can more or less carry on a full conversation. That's quite a few more things than either your father or I have accomplished in the past year! Well done Gabey!
As for this month, it's been a whirlwind 30 days (when is it ever not, though?) Between our trip to the beach, visits to Grammy and Grandad on the weekends, friends visiting, parties, family events and then throw in the usual week-to-week stuff like school, playdates, yardwork and more and we've barely had time to come up for air. Despite your very rigid personality, you do fairly well going with the flow, as long as we give you lots of heads up! Sometimes, of course, we give you a little bit TOO much of a warning.
Last weekend, for example, we went to my cousin Ian's graduation party. Ian is like the little kid version of the dog whisperer, and after spending an evening fishing at the pond with him you are officially over the moon about him. We told you the night before that we would be going to Ian's graduation party, and you literally talked of nothing until hours later the next day when it was finally time to go. You went to bed dreaming of Ian and cake and woke up that morning telling me you needed to pack your fork so you could eat cake with Ian.
Eating has been a challenge this month. A challenge as in, you don't eat!!!! Seriously, you are the world's pickiest eater ever, and you get this hands down from your father!! Recently both of us became fed up with making you a separate meal for dinner. We did this in part b/c I used to feed you before us (b/c we tend to eat rather late) but I think you are old enough now to hang on til 6:30 or 7. Daddy hates wasting food and I was starting to think that giving you a separate entree was only fueling your pickiness. We decided from now on you are eating what we eat, within reason. No, I don't expect you to eat a medium rare steak with blue cheese (but good God if you would just TRY it!!!) But there is no reason you can't eat chicken, vegetables, salad, baked potatoes, breakfast for dinner, pork tenderloin, eggs, coleslaw, or any of the other millions of foods we've put in front of you over the last two weeks.
Your standard response is to push your plate (violently) away, declare it "yuck" and tell us adamantly "I don't WANT it. It's YUCK! I say NO WAY!" You have thrown forks and spit on your plate to further illustrate your point. Involuntary dry heaving at the sight of a new food is common. We have tried to cajole you by telling you that you don't have to actually eat it, but for the love of God JUST FREAKING TRY IT!! We have bribed with brownies and ice cream (fail.) I do try to make sure that there is something on the table that you like but you also have taken to chewing up a former favorite food (like bread or cantelope) and then spitting the chewed wad out, and refusing to eat said food any longer. So, I'm really a bit discouraged that you are going to be one of those weird kids who only eats white foods or who lives on hot dogs and has a sallow skin color from lack of nutrition. The hard part of this is the nights when you actually ARE very hungry, and your anger and dramatics gives way to crocodile tears, a quivering lip, and seriously pathetic pleas of "Pleeease mommy? I'm hungry! I can't eat that, I can't. Please mom? Bread and butter? PLEEEAAASSEEEEEE!"
Rare archive of G3 eating food...at dinnertime...from a plate!
We've been spending a lot of time at Grammy and Grandad's, as is par for the course in the summer. You love going here of course, and summertime offers a lot of fun things that you didn't get to do so much last year because, well, you were TWO. Now you are almost three, and you can run to the pond, throw the ball for Mickey, fill buckets and dig holes. You can ride on the tractor with Grandad and help him check muskrat traps and look for turtles. You help water the garden and go into the grainery in the barn to check the kestrel nest. You sleep hard and long at Grammy's house!!!
A boy and his dog...
The final notation of the month is that this week you had your very last day of Nursery School!! School has been so much fun for you--you love going and next year you will continue, probably for a longer period of time and possibly more days. You will keep going to Miss Debi on Tuesdays in the summer for an hour (since I attend a workout class during that time)...it won't be "school" but knowing Miss Debi you will immersed into all kinds of new things! This Friday is your little "graduation" ceremony, and I am looking forward to seeing how Miss Debi plans to get 5 two-year olds to perform for a crowd! And of course, take lots and lots of pictures!
Miss Debi and your class...Jacob (he's so shy!!), Theresa, G3, Maddie and Ben
First day of school...September 2009
Last day of school...June 8th 2010
The coming month(s) will bring lots to blog about, so stay tuned! As usual, July is an insane whirlwind for us between birthdays, Dunwoody, summer concerts and more. I have your birthday weekend all planned out in my head and I can't wait to execute it. We are not a big "party" family...I personally find kids' birthday parties to be stressful (at this age anyhow), overdone, and usually involve inviting people that you don't really see on a regular basis anyhow. Last year I had a playdate party with your playgroup during the week, and it was great. I plan to do this again this year. We will probably celebrate with Grammy and Grandad (etc) at Dunwoody, and I also hope to arrange to take you see the monster truck show in Bloomsburg, which so happens to fall in your birthday weekend!! I have always been a fan of birthdays, and I feel that they should be special days of celebrating YOU and what YOU love.
Life with a 3 year old...the countdown begins....
1 comment:
Such a handsome boy! Sorry to hear of the food battles, that would be very frustrating, but it is a phase - he'll come around. Hang in there. :) I can't believe our babies are almost three. Where did the time go?
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