jesse's girl: Nathaniel is 3!

I can't believe my little man is a threenager. And that term really is so appropriate. He's got some sass, that boy. He is sweet, funny, smart, and so very strong-willed. He keeps us on our toes and constantly laughing. At 3, he weighs 33.8 pounds (60th %) and he is 39 inches tall (80th%). No more 10th and 25th percentiles for him. He's still the skinniest kid though. He wears some 3T but still fits quite well into 24 months and 2T. His 3T pants just fall off of him. He's up to a 9 in shoes and 5-6 in diapers. And there is no end in sight to diapers. He is stubborn about potty-training and I am not going to push it. I will let him work it out on his own.

He loves movies. His favorites are Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Big Hero 6, Tangled, Balto, An American Tale, Wreck-It Ralph, Star Wars (esp. The Empire Strikes Back), Home Alone and Home Alone 2, Tarzan, The Lion King, Frozen, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys, Mickey's Christmas Carol, and many more. He likes a few TV shows. He still loves Sesame Street and Adventure Time. He occasionally likes to watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Daniel Tiger. He also likes that animated Star Wars show.

He absolutely adores books. He brings me books constantly and asks me to read them. Sometimes when I can't, he'll sit down and "read" them to himself. He's gotten pretty good at memorizing them and I'm always impressed. Whenever we go to Target he says, "I'm gonna get a book!" And he always does. I just can't say no to that.

He is so good at playing on his own. He has this wild imagination and he can make anything fun. Whether he has all of his cool Star Wars toys or a hanger and a broken flashlight, the boy will play out scenes where all the characters carry out hilarious conversations. Lots of "oh no! I'm falling! Help me!" and "oh, that's my cousin. Hey R2D2's cousin. I'm C3PO." I just love to listen while he plays.

He is an endless ball of energy and has basically given up naps. Occasionally I can get him to sleep for a bit, but I've mostly given up trying. If I need to work on homework I'll let him watch a movie for quiet time. He fights bedtime, but he's asleep before 9 and sleeps through the night most nights.

He loves to play with other kids. He's gotten friendly now and he'll play with other kids at the park or the mall. Sometimes they're a little scared of him because he runs up and growls at them. He's constantly in character. He especially loves to play at the park with Amelia twice a week and if we miss a day, he asks about her.

He's the small t-rex. Like I said, he's constantly in character, and his most frequent is The Small T-Rex. I'll say "hey Nate," and he'll respond with "I'm the Small T-Rex!" He's occasionally a jaguar or a mongoose, but Small T-Rex almost always wins out. He even refers to himself as "it" when he's in character. He usually says Evelyn is a small t-rex too.

This boy talks non-stop. He says the funniest things and he speaks so clearly. I'm always amazed by how quickly he picks up new words and how articulate he is. He corrects himself when he misspeaks. He has gender pronouns down. He's pretty good at using the right tenses of words. It blows my mind. I try to keep track of all the great stuff he says and it's great. He also knows everything and corrects us constantly. Here are some of my favorites:

"What are you thinking about mommy? I'm thinking about poop! haahahaha! and toots!"

Me: "Why did you hit the baby?"
Nate: I'm gonna say . . . excuse me."

Nate: "Do you reneber? . . . "

Nate: "no, it's not! It's . . . "

Nate: "did you know that people can't have candles?"

Nate: "So mommy. What's your favorite animal?"
Me: "a wolf."
Nate: "oh a wolf? that sounds cool."

"Buzz, your girlfriend, Woof!"

"There was a penis in the toilet. Yeah. I saw it, but I didn't touch it."

He woke up sobbing in the middle of the night. "A dinosaur bit me! And it hurt!"

Nate: "I texted lindy on the way."
Me: "oh yeah? What did you say?"
Nate: "in a quarter mile, turn left and right."

Me: "I love you"

Nate: "I love you too"

Me: "I love you too!"

Nate: "We love us!"
Me: "finish eating and then we'll take Evelyn to the doctor." (Just for shots, no checkup)
Nate goes into the dining room where Evelyn is: "you're really sick Evelyn."

And he constantly tells us "Evelyn can't talk! Tell Daddy Evelyn can't talk!" Then turns around and says, "Evelyn, can you say 'alligator'? Can you say 'apatosaurus'?"

Also, I love the words he mispronounces. He calls one leaf a "leave." He calls oatmeal "open meal." And so do we now.

Anyway, I love this silly, funny, sweet boy of mine. I can't wait until he stops taking every opportunity to hit/kick/push/sit on/drag/pull on Evelyn and they can be best friends. They'll get there.