It's been a long time since I've really focused on Ryan in a blog post, and since he just turned 3 and this past weekend was pretty much all about him, I figure it's time for a Ryan post.... to document what my beloved firstborn is like at 3 years old. (warning: this is a long one - I have most of a year to catch up on, and since this is mostly for my own documentation, I won't be offended if no one reads it)
Ryan is 39 inches tall and 39 lbs - both in the 90th percentile. He's a big guy! He's also looking so old to me lately. When I look at his 2-year-old pictures, I can still see some baby face, but now he truly looks like a big boy.
Ryan has always been easy... he was an easy baby and an easy toddler. It seems like he's been saving all his mischief for the 3's, because the past month or two have definitely been challenging in our house. He is throwing more tantrums than he ever has before and testing boundaries left and right. In fact, one of his favorite things to tell me now is, "Mommy, I'm being naughty" - and he's proud of it too. Sigh. I frequently have to remind myself that this is not because I am doing anything horribly wrong (though, I know for a fact that I do plenty of things wrong as a parent) but that he is just a 3-year-old exploring his growing independence. He wants to do everything by himself that he can't/shouldn't/is just outright inconvenient for me, and he refuses to try doing things for himself that would actually be helpful to me (like, going potty or getting dressed). There are moments when he actually contradicts himself over and over without any feedback in between... example: "I want that. I don't want it. I want it." No, I'm not kidding. He is extremely sensitive to being tired or hungry, so I am trying to do better about avoiding those triggers.
All that being said, he still brings so much joy to our home every day. Now that I don't expect him to be so easy-going, it is easier for me to accept his behavior too, and that helps a lot. He is still my sweetheart and we have so many positive moments throughout the day that it usually makes up for the negative.
Ryan is a great big brother to Kaeden. He loves that baby so much that it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it. Now that Kaeden is getting more interactive, Ryan really enjoys playing with him and trying to make him smile and laugh. He's so sweet to him in the car, especially if Kaeden is upset. He'll frequently narrate to Kaeden what is going on, or sing him his favorite songs to calm him down. There are, of course, the moments of grabbing Kaeden's toys or being a little too rough with him, but in general, I am so thankful that Ryan doesn't seem to take his negative feelings out on Kaeden. It helps that Kaeden looks up to him like some sort of celebrity - it makes Ryan feel pretty special :)
Ryan has had a pretty full schedule this year. He's been in preschool Monday & Wednesday mornings, bible study Thursday mornings, and play group Friday mornings.
It has been so much fun to see him thrive in a preschool setting. He started out the year so shy, but now he talks and sings and dances and especially prays as much as any of the other kids in his class. He loves his teacher, Miss Pam, and all of his preschool friends. Every time I assist in the class, I am amazed at how well they all get along.
Play group has been the constant in Ryan's life since he was about 6 months old. He loves those friends like they're family, as do I. We are so blessed by this wonderful group of nurturing moms and kiddos, and I am so thankful that Ryan has these friends in his life.
Ryan LOVES to read. We try to make it to the library every few weeks to pick up some new books, and there is always a span of a day or two afterward when all he will do is read (which is sometimes rather hard on Mommy & Daddy's voices). He is actually not all that into toys at home these days - he would rather be reading or playing a game or interacting with someone else. He does still like his trains, and he went through a puzzle phase recently where he was able to do 100 piece puzzles with moderate help. He's moved away from that a bit now, but he can still enjoy some good puzzle time now and then. Building also comes and goes - with blocks/duplos/etc... he can get into it for a while and then have no interest later.
He has entered into the phase of pretend play, and that is a lot of fun to watch. He has a "doll house" (even though I'm not allowed to call it that around Mason) in his room, and he mostly likes to drive the people around in a car. He is also very much into monsters these days - he frequently wants to play "monsters" and doesn't seem to think they are scary, so that is okay with me. His favorite is to play "hungry monster" with Kaeden, where Kaeden (with the help of myself or Mason of course) chases him around the house and tries to eat him up. Kaeden does the eating up part all by himself :)
Ryan loves to sing and can frequently be found singing quietly to himself while he's doing any number of other activities. He knows a lot of typical kid songs, but he also makes up his own on a regular basis. He loves to listen to music & dance too, but usually only if I will do it with him.
He also loves to play outside... whether he's on a playground, playing at our sand table, riding his trike, or playing hide & seek, he is usually happy outside. He loves playing with our neighbors, Sean & Jack, who are 6 & 8. They are very sweet with Ryan and enjoy playing with him, too.
Ryan is still shy in new places/situations/with new people. He'll often cover his eyes or turn his head away if he's feeling shy. We've found, though, that if we have people over to our house, even if they are new people, it doesn't take Ryan long to start performing and playing host. It'll be interesting to see how his social personality develops as he grows up.
Ryan has become a rather picky eater. We work hard on getting him to make a "happy plate" at every meal, but there are times when he'll hardly eat anything at all. Our rule is that he has to try one bite of everything, and he's usually pretty good about that. His favorites right now are pizza, chicken nuggets, yogurt, and peanut butter & jelly - not exactly the healthiest diet in the world, but pretty typical of preschoolers :) And he still loves fruit most of the time, so at least that is healthy.
Ryan has been potty trained since the end of January, although he still struggles with it. He has been regressing a bit lately, which is definitely frustrating for Mom & Dad since his reason for not going to the potty is usually just that "he didn't want to." I keep reminding myself that he will get it eventually.
Ryan absolutely adores all of his grandparents and loves spending time with them so much. He is so lucky to have so much family around who love him and around whom he feels so comfortable. It's great for Mommy & Daddy too :)
Ryan has taken to calling me "sweetie" lately, which is a hoot. Mason really does not appreciate it when he calls him that, however. He most often uses it when he's annoyed with me or is having a hard time getting my attention otherwise, and so it is hard not to bust out laughing in the midst of what otherwise might be a tense moment. Some of my other favorite Ryanisms right now:
doing our "cavotions" (aka devotions) together
"no, I amn't" for "I am not"
"you get a high five AND a hug AND a kiss - then you'll be super super lucky"
(I'll have to come back & add more as I think of them)
All in all, I feel so blessed to be this 3-year-old's mommy, even on the hard days. I don't take his health or hugs or kisses for granted, and I know that before long, I will look back on these days and miss them.
Thank you, Ryan, for continuing to bring so much joy to my life, and for fulfilling so many of my dreams. Happy 3rd birthday, big boy! Keep on shining :-)
Ryan is 39 inches tall and 39 lbs - both in the 90th percentile. He's a big guy! He's also looking so old to me lately. When I look at his 2-year-old pictures, I can still see some baby face, but now he truly looks like a big boy.
Ryan has always been easy... he was an easy baby and an easy toddler. It seems like he's been saving all his mischief for the 3's, because the past month or two have definitely been challenging in our house. He is throwing more tantrums than he ever has before and testing boundaries left and right. In fact, one of his favorite things to tell me now is, "Mommy, I'm being naughty" - and he's proud of it too. Sigh. I frequently have to remind myself that this is not because I am doing anything horribly wrong (though, I know for a fact that I do plenty of things wrong as a parent) but that he is just a 3-year-old exploring his growing independence. He wants to do everything by himself that he can't/shouldn't/is just outright inconvenient for me, and he refuses to try doing things for himself that would actually be helpful to me (like, going potty or getting dressed). There are moments when he actually contradicts himself over and over without any feedback in between... example: "I want that. I don't want it. I want it." No, I'm not kidding. He is extremely sensitive to being tired or hungry, so I am trying to do better about avoiding those triggers.
All that being said, he still brings so much joy to our home every day. Now that I don't expect him to be so easy-going, it is easier for me to accept his behavior too, and that helps a lot. He is still my sweetheart and we have so many positive moments throughout the day that it usually makes up for the negative.
Ryan is a great big brother to Kaeden. He loves that baby so much that it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it. Now that Kaeden is getting more interactive, Ryan really enjoys playing with him and trying to make him smile and laugh. He's so sweet to him in the car, especially if Kaeden is upset. He'll frequently narrate to Kaeden what is going on, or sing him his favorite songs to calm him down. There are, of course, the moments of grabbing Kaeden's toys or being a little too rough with him, but in general, I am so thankful that Ryan doesn't seem to take his negative feelings out on Kaeden. It helps that Kaeden looks up to him like some sort of celebrity - it makes Ryan feel pretty special :)
Ryan has had a pretty full schedule this year. He's been in preschool Monday & Wednesday mornings, bible study Thursday mornings, and play group Friday mornings.
It has been so much fun to see him thrive in a preschool setting. He started out the year so shy, but now he talks and sings and dances and especially prays as much as any of the other kids in his class. He loves his teacher, Miss Pam, and all of his preschool friends. Every time I assist in the class, I am amazed at how well they all get along.
Play group has been the constant in Ryan's life since he was about 6 months old. He loves those friends like they're family, as do I. We are so blessed by this wonderful group of nurturing moms and kiddos, and I am so thankful that Ryan has these friends in his life.
Ryan LOVES to read. We try to make it to the library every few weeks to pick up some new books, and there is always a span of a day or two afterward when all he will do is read (which is sometimes rather hard on Mommy & Daddy's voices). He is actually not all that into toys at home these days - he would rather be reading or playing a game or interacting with someone else. He does still like his trains, and he went through a puzzle phase recently where he was able to do 100 piece puzzles with moderate help. He's moved away from that a bit now, but he can still enjoy some good puzzle time now and then. Building also comes and goes - with blocks/duplos/etc... he can get into it for a while and then have no interest later.
He has entered into the phase of pretend play, and that is a lot of fun to watch. He has a "doll house" (even though I'm not allowed to call it that around Mason) in his room, and he mostly likes to drive the people around in a car. He is also very much into monsters these days - he frequently wants to play "monsters" and doesn't seem to think they are scary, so that is okay with me. His favorite is to play "hungry monster" with Kaeden, where Kaeden (with the help of myself or Mason of course) chases him around the house and tries to eat him up. Kaeden does the eating up part all by himself :)
Ryan loves to sing and can frequently be found singing quietly to himself while he's doing any number of other activities. He knows a lot of typical kid songs, but he also makes up his own on a regular basis. He loves to listen to music & dance too, but usually only if I will do it with him.
He also loves to play outside... whether he's on a playground, playing at our sand table, riding his trike, or playing hide & seek, he is usually happy outside. He loves playing with our neighbors, Sean & Jack, who are 6 & 8. They are very sweet with Ryan and enjoy playing with him, too.
Ryan is still shy in new places/situations/with new people. He'll often cover his eyes or turn his head away if he's feeling shy. We've found, though, that if we have people over to our house, even if they are new people, it doesn't take Ryan long to start performing and playing host. It'll be interesting to see how his social personality develops as he grows up.
Ryan has become a rather picky eater. We work hard on getting him to make a "happy plate" at every meal, but there are times when he'll hardly eat anything at all. Our rule is that he has to try one bite of everything, and he's usually pretty good about that. His favorites right now are pizza, chicken nuggets, yogurt, and peanut butter & jelly - not exactly the healthiest diet in the world, but pretty typical of preschoolers :) And he still loves fruit most of the time, so at least that is healthy.
Ryan has been potty trained since the end of January, although he still struggles with it. He has been regressing a bit lately, which is definitely frustrating for Mom & Dad since his reason for not going to the potty is usually just that "he didn't want to." I keep reminding myself that he will get it eventually.
Ryan absolutely adores all of his grandparents and loves spending time with them so much. He is so lucky to have so much family around who love him and around whom he feels so comfortable. It's great for Mommy & Daddy too :)
Ryan has taken to calling me "sweetie" lately, which is a hoot. Mason really does not appreciate it when he calls him that, however. He most often uses it when he's annoyed with me or is having a hard time getting my attention otherwise, and so it is hard not to bust out laughing in the midst of what otherwise might be a tense moment. Some of my other favorite Ryanisms right now:
doing our "cavotions" (aka devotions) together
"no, I amn't" for "I am not"
"you get a high five AND a hug AND a kiss - then you'll be super super lucky"
(I'll have to come back & add more as I think of them)
All in all, I feel so blessed to be this 3-year-old's mommy, even on the hard days. I don't take his health or hugs or kisses for granted, and I know that before long, I will look back on these days and miss them.
Thank you, Ryan, for continuing to bring so much joy to my life, and for fulfilling so many of my dreams. Happy 3rd birthday, big boy! Keep on shining :-)
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