Tres!

Beck turned three years old on November 4. He finally got a party! On his first birthday, I went to get him from his crib and discovered he had thrown up. Other than some cake at his day care (which I don't think he enjoyed due to the stomach bug), we didn't really do anything to mark the day. Pauly and I left for Las Vegas the day after his second birthday. We had made tentative plans to have cake with Paul's parents (who stayed with Beck during our trip), but the timing of their arrival didn't allow for that, so again, we didn't celebrate the day. We decided that it was time for the kid to have a party.

We invited two of his playmates from day care (Cristian is his best buddy and is pictured above, wearing the striped shirt and poking Beck), and our friends with kids (some of whom Beck plays with regularly). I think there were about 8 kids, plus some younger siblings. We had the party at Little Monkey Bizness, so the kids got to run around and play for an hour, and then we quickly had pizza and cupcakes. Although the party was a success, there were some "oops" moments. Like, I thought it started at 3:30, but it actually started at 3:00, so our guests arrived 30 minutes before we did. I'm sure they were all scratching their heads, wondering where we were, and starting to worry about us. Also, the cupcakes didn't seem to be a hit. And, we came home with two huge pizzas. After several meals of pizza and cupcakes, we decided we had to throw the leftovers away. We gave the kids superhero capes and masks as party favors, which were a HUGE hit. Paul took a video with his iphone of the kids running around in circles in their capes. I'll try to post it later (along with more pictures). Beck also got some really thoughtful gifts, and has been enjoying playing with his new toys and using his new art supplies.

So, what does being three mean for Beck? We had his check-up yesterday. He weighs 28.75 pounds and is 37 inches tall. He's in about the 20% for weight (up from about the 2% at two years, so he's packed on some pounds), and about the 30% for height. He's healthy. At the PA's request, he sang his ABCs, and the cuteness of it all brought tears to everyone's eyes. The PA was also impressed with his knowledge of all the colors, and I checked "yes" on nearly all of the items on the three-year-old development check list, so I think he's right where he should be.

In addition to knowing his ABCs and being able to recognize and name most of the letters, he can count to twenty, and to ten in Spanish (along with me). He knows all of the basic colors (probably not "chartreuse" and the like yet), and lots of shapes. Several times, he's pointed out an "oxygon" (octagon) to me. He loves trucks and cars and construction. His temperament continues to be pretty easygoing. He plays a little too rough with Nolan sometimes, but in talking with our friends who have two kids, this is pretty common behavior for the older sibling. Nolan has taken a disproportionate share of our attention since he was born (even more so in the last few months), and Beck has taken it mostly in stride. He loves when we have visitors. He often tells us he loves us "so much." He doesn't like going to bed without talking about our day. "Let's talk about our day, mama" when we're together and "let's talk about your day, mama" and "let's talk about my day, mama" when he goes to day care and I go to work. We recap the day's events, and I ask him to tell me his favorite part. Last night it was "playing with my cars in the bath." He has an aversion to wearing his jacket, and he won't sleep under a blanket. We have to sneak into his room and cover him up after he falls asleep. He definitely has his quirks, but he is a very sweet, loving, energetic, and smart little guy. The other day, we were eating a snack at the kitchen table, and Nolan was reaching over toward Beck, moving his hand in a way that looked like he was signing "milk." Beck lifted his shirt and said "I only have wittle boobs, Nowan." "Only mama has milk."

He has a great vocabulary, but still mispronounces some things. For example, l = w (little = wittle, Nolan = Nowan), n = m and vice versa (need = meed, them = then), and he mixes up v and b (vacuum = bacuum).

At this age, he's not really developing any new skills. Instead, the skills he has are improving, and it's hard to pinpoint when changes take place. He's definitely starting to use his imagination more, and his drawing skills are improving. He understands how to share and take turns (but doesn't always like it). He's into the "why?" stage. I've been stumped on many occasions. He's better able to understand time (yesterday, today and tomorrow, last night and even "last morning"). He knows that he goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's interested in what time it is.

I wish I could better put into words what kind of a kid he is, and I wish I could better keep track of the cute, smart, funny things he does. But, trust me, he's a cool kid. Happy (late) birthday, Beck!