Ethan's 3rd Birthday

This post is a little long in coming, but finally, here are pics of our little man as he turns 3.

He is 39" tall and weighs 31 lbs. This puts him in the 42nd percentile for weight, and 94th percentile for height. So, long and lean is the phrase to describe Ethan! He's gained about 20 lbs and 17" since he was born. He describes himself in a very fierce voice with the phrase "I'm a Big Boy!"

He is potty trained during the day, but is wet most mornings. He loves to climb and run and dance and sing. He enjoys playing with water. He is starting to make up stories and engage in imaginative play.

I asked him the other day what he wanted to be when he grew up. His reply?

"I'm gonna be a superhero when I grow up"
"And what are you going to do?" I ask.
"I'm gonna climb a ladder... a really big ladder - and you can watch me Mom!"
"Sounds good hon', I'll watch you"

I LOVE that being a superhero seems like a viable career option to him!

Ethan loves to be a helper and is right by my side whenever I need to fix, install, or build anything. At the grocery store, he takes huge pride in carrying a bag out to the car. He'll state to the cashier and bagger "I can carry a bag because I'm a Big Boy" Often this comment is made with his hands on his hips and a fierce and determined scowl on his face. It's like he's daring them to disagree with his assertion that he's big enough to carry a bag. When is snows (yes, we've had several snowfalls this year, though the temps have been very mild) he loves to shovel the walkway. Unfortunately, his idea of shovelling involves moving snow ONTO the cement rather than OFF of it. He also likes to help me take the garbage to the curb.







His toolbox is one of his favorite toys, along with Hotwheels, Transformers, Toy Story, Dora, Wonderpets, and Little Einstein figures are also favorites. He has started to look at the underside of his cars to check if they have a 'Hotwheels' logo brand or not. He'll exclaim "This is a Hotwheels" or "This is not a Hotwheels" and then continue on playing. He loves to dress up as Batman or Spiderman and run around the house with his cape flapping behind him. He'll jump to a halt, and strike a karate-style pose and exclaim "I'm Batman" or "I'm Spiderman!"

Ethan is also a cuddle bunny. He loves to snuggle on the couch, asks to have his back scratched, and begs for cuddles at bedtime. His favorite song is "Baby's Boat" (a lullaby I learned when we bought a matching board book from the library discard pile) and he requests it every night. I love listening to him sing it with me.




His favorite object is a blue knitted blanket named "Hank". Hank was made by his Grandma Marilee and has silently endured a lot of abuse over the years. Most recently, Hank has had two HUGE holes torn in him. I am not sure I can fix him this time. Ethan still, determinedly, pulls the remnants of his favorite friend over himself each night and gathers the loose threads to his face. I really should take Hank away, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.

Ethan moved to a twin size bed about a month ago. It was a smooth transition for him. Now, his favorite place to hide is between his bed and the wall. It is sort of like a fort for him.

His favorite foods are Yogurt, toast with butter and jam, and tuna sandwiches. He does not seem to like chocolate that much. When given the choice of a little chocolate bar and a gummy candy, he will always choose the candy, and when given chocolate milk as a treat, he'll ask for normal milk instead.

Every school day, I have to hold him back when the School Bus stops. He will scoot on board in a flash if I'm not quick enough. He climbs on and walks down the aisle greeting each child with an enthusiastic "Good Morning!" Each day, when Evelyn comes home, he greets her with an equally energetic "Hi Ella! How was your day?" Usually followed by the statement "You're my sister!" and a repetition of the first question "How was school?"

Ethan is a little less outgoing than Evelyn was at this age, but he is still very extroverted, and loves social situations. He is eager to give out hugs and has a way of making people feel happy to see him. He has a stubborn streak, but it is less intense than his sister, and he throws fewer tantrums than she did too. When he gets excited, he will stutter a little. It's always the first word he's trying to say like "We wwe we we get to go to the big mall!" This is happening less often in the last 3 months. I've had comments from others that he speaks very clearly and is very easy to understand (when he's not stuttering) . His language skills have become much more sophisticated lately. He pretty much speaks like an adult now. He loves to talk on the phone, though he will often point to things like the other person can see what he's talking about. He'll happily chat your ear off if you give him a chance!





For his birthday, we had two little friends over and several adult friends as well. The girls were both named Lauren. They all had a lot of fun playing in Evelyn's room with her big girl toys. We had a car themed party. I worked a lot that week, and was not able to make him a cake, so one of my neighbors made it for me. I liked that it turned out almost exactly as I planned to do it




.


The only thing I can think of that he's afraid of is Dogs. He'll act brave when they're at a distance, but as soon as they get close, he usually squeals and runs away.

So, now I have a 3 year old and a 4 year old for a couple more months.

Happy Birthday Little Man!