Caeden: 3.5 years old!

Oh. My. Goodness.  The NEXT post I'll be writing about Caeden will be when he turns four - I don't like this - I don't like it at all!  Can't they just stay small forever???

Caeden just turned 3.5 years old earlier in Feburary, so I want to document what things he's doing right now.  A LOT has happened in the last 6 months!

EATING
Caeden is still a pretty "picky" eater - I keep wondering if this will ever end!  We still don't give him choices when it comes to meals, but there are many nights he goes without eating much dinner.  He loves to watch mommy cook and help me cook when he can!

His favorite and least favorite foods seem to change on a weekly basis.  But at the time of this post, his favorite foods are: apples & cinnamon oatmeal, macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, strawberries, RANCH, chicken nuggets, and Gogurt.  Things he consistently does not like are: ground beef & soups.

SLEEPING
His nighttime sleep is still great.  He generally sleeps from 8:30-7:00ish the next morning.  He's had trouble falling asleep the last few weeks - just laying in bed for a long time.  He doesn't talk and play - and he doesn't ever get out of bed - he just lays there.  And Daylight Savings Time is coming in a few weeks - that's definitely not going to help!!

His naps vary - he still takes one every day.  But sometimes they're 45 minutes and sometimes they're 1.5 hours. I'm wondering if he's starting to phase them out - and maybe that's why he's having trouble falling asleep at night??  Several of his friends that are this age no longer nap, but luckily he still does!!

PLAYING
This is what we do most of our days...PLAY!  And since Callie was born, we don't get out as much (especially since it's been winter) - so we just play at home a lot!  If it's warmer than the mid-40s outside, and especially if it's sunny - we're outside burning some energy!

Currently, Caeden's favorite toys are: his trucks & tractors, his basketball goal, and Woody & Buzz Lightyear!  His favorite movies are still Dora & Diego.  He likes all varieties of books - we read a different one every naptime and bedtime.

LEARNING
Caeden is always learning so much!  His speech is wonderful, and very understandable.  Whenever he goes to the doctor, she always comments on how he is verbally on the level of a 4/5 year old - and we believe it - he talks all. the. time. (Not sure who he gets that from....)  He has become very creative lately, both in the stories he tells and in his imaginative play. He can count to 20, identify all the letters, name about 2/3 of the letters, and tell the sounds of about 1/3 of the letters. His weakness is in his drawing/writing skills.  He's great at almost all fine motor skills - but just really shows no interest in writing or drawing.  He can draw a "C" for his name and can draw a line, a cross, and a circle.  But that's about it.  We recently found an app on our iPad called "Letter School" which I highly recommend - it works on tracing and writing all numbers and letters - so that's good....and he loves it!  Maybe we can improve this skill through that app!!

DISCIPLINE
Caeden's behavior has improved greatly in the last six months!  His fit-throwing has gotten much better.  The two biggest things we're working on now is obeying mommy & daddy quickly (when we ask him to), and not hitting.  The only people he hits are mommy & daddy, and most of the time it's because he's playing or trying to get our attention - but it hurts when he hits!  And we don't want him using that to get our attention - so we have been much more strict about this rule.  We are also working on "interrupting" - since he is such a talker, we're trying to model and teach him how to wait your turn when you have something to say.  I know it's hard for me as an adult - so we're being patient with him, but still trying to teach him.

SOCIAL
Caeden & Ella are still BFF!  But it's funny to see how their interests have changed the last few months.  She always wants to play "babies" and Caeden wants to play either basketball OR trucks.  We have the hardest time agreeing all day every day what to play.  It's just interesting to see how the difference in their gender is now becoming more obvious.  Caeden has many friends at "school" (Mothers Day Out) that he tells me about, and has lots of friends through our play group.  However, the only person he really plays "with" is Ella.

 

BIG BROTHER
Since the last time I posted, Callie was born and Caeden became a big brother!  He has done amazingly wonderful with this transition and truly is a great big brother!  He did not regress in potty training or sleep or behavior, so that's great!  Yes, there are times he wants our attention and he makes it obvious - but that's very normal.  And he's usually justified in wanting our attention.  But he loves her so much!  He gets so excited when she wakes up - he loves to hug & kiss on her - and likes to help us take care of her.  Although we recognize they are still young, we are so thankful for this bond!

GROWTH STATS
Weight: 31 pounds
Height: 38 inches
Shirts & Pants: 3T
Shoe Size: 9

Caeden, My heart is so full watching you grow and learn.  I love you more than words can ever express!  And seeing you love on your baby sister creates a whole new love for you!  You are so big and so smart!  We thank God every day for you - please don't grow too fast!  We love you!!!