Z 3

Big Boy Z is three years old today! Weird to think back to that surprise Sunday when Z came one month early. We had NO idea what we were in for... in so many delightful and challenging ways.

Z is really growing up in so many ways. We can see how he has changed even in the last six months. He's talking up a storm and likes to point out things he sees- Mixer, mama! Struck-shun site not working, mama! After seeing a big wall built around the Storybook ride at Disneyland he is obsessed with construction and building things. Every morning he moves all of his trucks and big toys onto Mama and Papa's bed and builds a wall around the "whale." We've taught him to be a good foreman, putting safety first (watching the edge of the bed) and giving his construction workers breaks (for lunch and naps). At the end of the day he moves the construction site to another location in the house (since Mama and Papa need our bed to sleep). He is super excited to go to Disneyland tonight because last time we were there they told us the Storybook ride would be open today.

Z is starting to really enjoy music and singing now. They have a music time at preschool on Thursdays and he comes home wanting to play his guitar (his lawnmower turned sideways). He can sing two songs with all of the words, the Alphabet song and the Wonder Pets song, and a few others with some humming mixed in. When Harper cries I taught Z to sing to her rather than making loud roaring sounds. He very sweetly sings A, B, C, D...like it's a lullaby. It is so cute.

Z still loves gardeners, construction trucks, garbage trucks, dinosaurs and trains. And Curious George. He has learned to ask to watch George rather than just turning the TV on: "Okay watch some George now, Mama?" I also still really enjoy Curious George. The things that make him laugh the most are: jumpy squirrel on Curious George, getting tickled, the "hot-hot-hot" game with Uncle David and playing crash with Papa.

Z's potty training is still a bit of a challenge, but he has come a long way. We've gotten into a routine of when he goes and he has no problem going pee. We still struggle pretty much every time with the poo. We still use a kid potty for poops because he is more comfortable on them and can do it all on his own with some privacy in his room. He still gets dinosaur treats ("fruit" snacks shaped like dinosaurs) for going poo in the potty.

Z's sleep at night is about the same. He still wakes up once or twice on most nights. Just this last week he woke up really upset because he said he needed to brush his teeth. I shuffled back to bed and John helped him through it by taking him to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once John flipped the light on, Z realized he didn't have a clue why he wanted to brush his teeth and he went back to bed.

Besides the waking up in the middle of the night, there has been a huge improvement in his going to bed and staying in bed. We had been disciplining him over and over for months and months about getting out of bed when we put him to bed at night. It really seemed like nothing would ever work. I guess consistency and time won the day. We told him one night that he could have a treat if he stayed in bed (a tactic we tried before that didn't work). This time it worked! He worked really hard to stay in bed even though he didn't fall asleep right away. And he got a treat. He has been doing it pretty much every night for a couple of weeks now. What a huge difference for John and I! Praise the Lord!

Overall Z is super imaginative and creative. Almost any toy can be turned into something he likes (lawnmower, edger, router, etc.). He'll take one small thing from something like a book or a Curious George episode and build a whole world out of it. We have spent an hour on a walk looking for the Rankins' silo (farmers on Curious George). If I didn't watch the show with him, I would have no idea what he was saying when he said, "It's the wrong siwo!" Or the other day in the bath when he told me he had found the satewite (satellite). Yes, another Curious George episode. Hilarious!

Z is a really sweet, fun-loving kid. We are so thankful for his health and growth over the last three years.
Happy Birthday, big Z!