Nick Names: Sweetness, Bud, Brother
Height: 38.5 inches
Weight: 32 pounds
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Food: Cake & ice cream
Other Favorites: Climbing, Lawnmowers, Weedwackers, Trucks, Baking, Being read to, Sesame Street, Painting/crafts
I think I have to stop calling you a toddler. You are suddenly so grown up, and I have no idea how this happened. I miss my baby a bit, but it’s also a lot of fun to watch you become who you are.
You are still my sweetness, completely. You often come up to me and tell me that you have four things for me, and then you give me a kiss, a hug, a squeeze and a cuddle. While you fight with your brother often, you are just as often sweet and caring to him as well.
You are learning new things every day that amaze me. You know most of your alphabet, can repeat many of your favorite books, and occasionally sing me songs in Spanish. You also love learning about less academic things too - how to strip and then make your own bed, how to clean up around the house, and of course how to do yard work. I watched in amazement as you dug up a dead bush in the neighbor’s yard, planted a new one, and then brought the sticks from the dead bush to their fire pit. I always need to remind myself that you can do more than I expect you can. You still love baking and cooking, and insisted on mixing up your own birthday cake.
You still love being outside, and want to climb everything and anything. We’re seriously debating getting a backyard climbing structure because your need is so high. You are constantly moving, running, jumping, experiencing everything.
You are also very sensitive and react big to the world around you. You’re a bit afraid to show that part of you at school, so it will often explode out as soon as we reach the car, and then the tears and stories will pour out about things that happened that made you sad or you thought were unfair. I love watching you get comfortable with your emotions, and will freely tell anyone that crying is a good way to get the sad out.
You still love art, but you’d just as soon take out the preschool workbook your great aunt sent you and practice counting and doing numbers. You’re becoming a big story teller, love to know what’s coming next (“That sounds like a good plan Mama!” or occasionally while crying “No! That’s not a good plan!”), and aren’t afraid to ask for what you need: “Mama look at me right now” while trying to tell me a story.
Overall you are confident, you love big, you feel big, and are a very happy kid. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have you as part of our family, and can’t wait to see you become a big brother again. Onward to 4!
I can’t decide if the past 6 months have gone quickly or not. Sometimes it felt like a never ending slog that we were sleepwalking through, but on the other hand I swear we just celebrated F’s first birthday. Either way, we have an official 18 month old on our hands. And thanks to a sleep consultant, we are back on track with sleep and everyone is feeling more like themselves lately. F is back to sleeping and happily chatting in her crib, and it feels like at least one layer of stress has evaporated.
F remains the happiest Spearson, excited to be a part of things, and loves it when we go somewhere. She mostly gets mad when we try to remind her she’s a baby and can’t always do the same things that the older two can. Oh how quickly she’s going to demand equal treatment though. Already she fights back if someone tries to push her away.