Charlie Turns 3!!!

Wow!  Time sure does fly!  While it is hard to believe that Lauren is now 6 years old, it is even harder for me to believe that our baby boy is now 3 years old.  To say he has changed a lot in the past year is putting it mildly.

Weight:  36 lbs
Height:  38.5 inches

Daily Schedule:

7:45 am - Wake up
8:00 am - Breakfast
11:30 am - Lunch
12:30 pm - 3 pm - Nap
4:00 pm - Snack
6:30 pm - Dinner
7:30 pm - Bedtime Routine
8:00 pm - Bedtime

Of course, the schedule has changed in the summer.  Charlie and Lauren both usually sleep until 8:30 am - 9:00 am in the summer.  And many nights, they go to bed closer to 8:30 pm.

Favorite Foods:

Cheese
Fruit Gummy Snacks
Apple Sauce
Yogurt
Goldfish
Spaghetti
Blue Cheese
Chicken/Pork/Steak
Any fresh fruit
Cheeseburgers
Pizza
Chad's famous Egg Breakfast sandwiches
Pepperoni
Hummus
Pretzels
Ice cream

But my favorite thing about Charlie's love of food is the fact that when we go grocery shopping, he knows where all of the free sample displays are located in the store.  We have to go by each and every one so that he can try out the fruit, the cheese/meats, and the bakery items.  This kid loves his food!!


Favorite Toys:

Transformers (he has so many now)
Paw Patrol Characters
"Cars" (the movie) Characters
Legos
Puzzles
Dress Up (Mostly in Superhero costumes, but he does enjoy a princess dress from time to time)
Matchbox Cars and Tracks

Favorite TV Shows:

Paw Patrol
Super Wings
Planes (the movies)
Cars (the movies)
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Transformers (the cartoons)
America Ninja Warriors

Words Spoken:

Charlie's speech really picked up immediately after he had his tonsils and adenoids removed.  His pediatrician said that this is common, since the adenoids could affect his hearing.  If he couldn't hear properly, he would have had a hard time mimicking our sounds and hearing the words properly.  Now, he has become a talking machine.  Many times, we still don't know what he is trying to say, but eventually we figure it out.  And usually, his pronunciation is pretty close.

He is also pretty much speaking in short sentences now.  His favorites are:

I do myself
My turn
Didi hit me
I hit Didi  (ha ha ha.  Unfortunately, Lauren and Charlie have moved to the hitting and fighting stage of their sibling relationship.  Fingers crossed they quickly move out of this stage)
More please
Thank you
I watch Super Wings (insert favorite show here)
Hit start please (usually hear this in the car, while they are watching a movie)
I play ockey (hockey)
Want my ockey gear (see below)
I need potty
MooMaw (Charlie's personal name for Meemaw)
All done


Favorite Activities:

Now that Charlie is 3, we decided it was time to get him involved in activities of his own.  The poor guy spent the last 3 years watching all of his big sister's activities, and we wanted to make sure he got his turn.

Swimming: Charlie moved up from "Mommy & Me" classes and is now on his own in swim class.

Ice Skating: Charlie participated in a "Daddy & Me" skating class with Chad.  It did not go so well.  He was not interested in following the instructions and just wanted to sit on the ice.  So, we stopped that, and just started taking him ice skating with us.  He is doing really well, and we will be getting him into regular ice skating classes this fall.  No more mommy & daddy classes for him!!!

Charlie has become quite a funny little guy.  He loves watching other kids, and when they run around, he runs around, when they laugh, he laughs, and when they start telling a story, he starts his "charlie" talk.  At times, this is very sweet and cute.  At other times, it is frustrating and requires some parental intervention.  For example, Lauren had a Kindergarten concert and was singing with her class.  Charlie wanted to be up with the class in the worst way, and he kept inching closer and closer to the stage.  Eventually, Chad and I had to remove him from the room because he was becoming a distraction to the kids and the parents watching.  That meant that Chad and I had to take turns watching the concert, which was not fun.  But the photos were pretty cute!

But, perhaps one of my favorite recent memory of Charlie was when we were in a store together.  It was just the two of us and I had been taking quite a bit of time looking for a specific item.  Charlie did such a good job listening and following me around the store.  When it was time to check out, I didn't see him standing next to me.  I turned around and there he was...peeking up a shirt on one of the mannequins.  An old lady behind me did not find it amusing, but I just started cracking up and pulled out my camera.  He grinned at me and has continued looking up the clothing on mannequins every since.  

I know they say that strong willed children will drive you crazy as children and make you insanely proud as adults.  Well, Charlie is definitely strong willed and on those days when I am getting to the end of my rope, I remind myself that his personality will serve him well one day.  I also pray that some of our rules are sinking in during the countless timeouts, and remind myself to make my next hair appointment to cover all of the grey hair coming in.  But then he smiles at you, takes your face in his hand, and plants a big wet smooch on your face.  Hard to stay frustrated for long!  

Man, do we love this crazy and sweet kid!!!