Three
This adorable, silly, squishy baby is now a magical, precocious, funny, three-year-old boy-child.
Can you believe it? I've been adding to this draft for a month because I keep thinking of more things I should say about him.
Three is challenging, no doubt about it. Twos did not seem all that terrible to me. 99% of the time it was easy for me to sail through his tantrums and other misbehavior because he physically could not control himself or did not understand that he was being obnoxious. Three is naughtier. He knows what he is supposed to be doing and consciously disobeys in order to test us. I understand that this is a normal developmental phase, just like tantrums were, and I'm trying (trying) to be zen about it while being firm and consistent with Henry.
But three is so, so charming. He is growing so big and is so capable in many ways. He dresses himself and slices cheese at the counter and can finally reach the light switches. He loves to act big and tough and do everything Daddy does. Sometimes I look at him and all I see is boy. But then the baby peeks out again just for a minute. He still wants to snuggle with me at quiet time and bedtime, and to hold my hand when we walk sometimes. He still wants two puppies and blankie, especially when he's feeling nervous or out of his element. He's still utterly unselfconscious. He still wants his milk in a bottle in the morning and at bedtime (more on this later). He's right on the cusp of being a big boy, but not quite there yet.
He's having a very hard time with school. After an awesome initial two weeks, he decided school was not for him at all, and it's been hysterics every morning at drop-off for the past two months. The teacher says he's fine a few minutes after I leave, so I would chalk it up to separation anxiety, but that doesn't seem explain all of it. I'm more concerned that he doesn't have anything good to say about it, even when there is no imminent threat of me leaving. The first thing out of his mouth every morning is, "Do I have to go to school today?" He has some buddies who are a year older whom he plays with at recess every day, but he hasn't made any friends in his own class (he does play really well with one kid in his class, but not when they're at school). I'm not sure if he's bored, or if it isn't a good fit, or he just wasn't ready for school, but we'll probably drop it after this month.
Henry is still mad about superheroes. We seldom go anywhere without at least one article of superhero clothing. Last week he wore his Wolverine costume to the pediatrician's office. The doctor told me, "You're lucky he didn't sleep in it." To which I truthfully replied, "He did." You can tell just looking at him that his superhero suits make him feel big and strong. He swaggers a little when he walks around the neighborhood dressed as Batman. His play is a funny mix of fantasy and simple reality. He'll chase Grandpa/Magneto in some made-up scenario, but then if you suggest Grandpa is on an airplane, Henry will look at you like you're daft and say, "No, Grandpa is on the couch."
I have utterly failed to impart any sense of deference to authority. The doctor also told my precocious child that three year olds don't drink bottles. His response: "I drink bottles." Henry, you're three; no more bottles. "Yeah bottles." No bottles. "Yeah bottles." Dr. Pullman just laughed and gave up. Incidentally, this is one of my favorite verbal quirks. The opposite of "No X" is "Yeah X."
He loves playing with the big boys, and though he will play with his girl friends on play dates, he's otherwise only interested in being one of the guys now. He plays really well with boys who are about a year older, because they also just want to tackle each other all the time; any older than that and he has a hard time keeping up because their activities have rules and storylines more elaborate than "abuse each other." There are a couple of 7 and 8 year olds that are often at the playground after school when we go out, and they're very sweet with Henry and try to include him. It's both hard and gratifying for me to stand back and watch him find his place in a social setting.
He's a boy's boy but also a Mama's boy. He tells me five hundred times a day that he loves me (and probably only one hundred times a day that I'm mean, or that he doesn't like me). He gave up napping about a month ago, so he's my sidekick all day long. He's a sweet and funny companion, curious, pretty much fully conversational, and eager to do anything I'm doing. We've had a lot of bedtime hysterics lately because he never wants me to leave. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy being loved so fiercely.
That being said, he wants to be like Daddy and do whatever Daddy is doing on the weekends. A couple of weeks ago I suggested we all go to New York on the train. He told me I should stay at home with Ingrid and just the boys would go.
He's also a wonderful big brother. One day at the park, another boy was playing in the leaves and threw some at Ingrid. Henry shouted at him, "THAT'S MY BABY SISTER" and pushed him down. I pretended to tell him not to push people but gave him a surreptitious high-five. Lately he's more into Ingrid than she is into him. He tries really hard to play with her, and since play = wrestling, she ends up crying half the time. He was also really sweet with baby Alden when they came to visit a couple of weeks ago.
I still peek in at him every night before I go to bed. I'm grateful he sleeps like a log, because I can cuddle right up to him, kiss his cheek, and stroke his hair without waking him up. I could look at him all night, trying to soak up his sweet smallness while it lasts.
I'm madly in love with this child.
Can you believe it? I've been adding to this draft for a month because I keep thinking of more things I should say about him.
Three is challenging, no doubt about it. Twos did not seem all that terrible to me. 99% of the time it was easy for me to sail through his tantrums and other misbehavior because he physically could not control himself or did not understand that he was being obnoxious. Three is naughtier. He knows what he is supposed to be doing and consciously disobeys in order to test us. I understand that this is a normal developmental phase, just like tantrums were, and I'm trying (trying) to be zen about it while being firm and consistent with Henry.
But three is so, so charming. He is growing so big and is so capable in many ways. He dresses himself and slices cheese at the counter and can finally reach the light switches. He loves to act big and tough and do everything Daddy does. Sometimes I look at him and all I see is boy. But then the baby peeks out again just for a minute. He still wants to snuggle with me at quiet time and bedtime, and to hold my hand when we walk sometimes. He still wants two puppies and blankie, especially when he's feeling nervous or out of his element. He's still utterly unselfconscious. He still wants his milk in a bottle in the morning and at bedtime (more on this later). He's right on the cusp of being a big boy, but not quite there yet.
He's having a very hard time with school. After an awesome initial two weeks, he decided school was not for him at all, and it's been hysterics every morning at drop-off for the past two months. The teacher says he's fine a few minutes after I leave, so I would chalk it up to separation anxiety, but that doesn't seem explain all of it. I'm more concerned that he doesn't have anything good to say about it, even when there is no imminent threat of me leaving. The first thing out of his mouth every morning is, "Do I have to go to school today?" He has some buddies who are a year older whom he plays with at recess every day, but he hasn't made any friends in his own class (he does play really well with one kid in his class, but not when they're at school). I'm not sure if he's bored, or if it isn't a good fit, or he just wasn't ready for school, but we'll probably drop it after this month.
Henry is still mad about superheroes. We seldom go anywhere without at least one article of superhero clothing. Last week he wore his Wolverine costume to the pediatrician's office. The doctor told me, "You're lucky he didn't sleep in it." To which I truthfully replied, "He did." You can tell just looking at him that his superhero suits make him feel big and strong. He swaggers a little when he walks around the neighborhood dressed as Batman. His play is a funny mix of fantasy and simple reality. He'll chase Grandpa/Magneto in some made-up scenario, but then if you suggest Grandpa is on an airplane, Henry will look at you like you're daft and say, "No, Grandpa is on the couch."
I have utterly failed to impart any sense of deference to authority. The doctor also told my precocious child that three year olds don't drink bottles. His response: "I drink bottles." Henry, you're three; no more bottles. "Yeah bottles." No bottles. "Yeah bottles." Dr. Pullman just laughed and gave up. Incidentally, this is one of my favorite verbal quirks. The opposite of "No X" is "Yeah X."
He loves playing with the big boys, and though he will play with his girl friends on play dates, he's otherwise only interested in being one of the guys now. He plays really well with boys who are about a year older, because they also just want to tackle each other all the time; any older than that and he has a hard time keeping up because their activities have rules and storylines more elaborate than "abuse each other." There are a couple of 7 and 8 year olds that are often at the playground after school when we go out, and they're very sweet with Henry and try to include him. It's both hard and gratifying for me to stand back and watch him find his place in a social setting.
He's a boy's boy but also a Mama's boy. He tells me five hundred times a day that he loves me (and probably only one hundred times a day that I'm mean, or that he doesn't like me). He gave up napping about a month ago, so he's my sidekick all day long. He's a sweet and funny companion, curious, pretty much fully conversational, and eager to do anything I'm doing. We've had a lot of bedtime hysterics lately because he never wants me to leave. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy being loved so fiercely.
That being said, he wants to be like Daddy and do whatever Daddy is doing on the weekends. A couple of weeks ago I suggested we all go to New York on the train. He told me I should stay at home with Ingrid and just the boys would go.
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| Loves to hold the camera remote. |
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| And drink [root] beer with Daddy. |
He's also a wonderful big brother. One day at the park, another boy was playing in the leaves and threw some at Ingrid. Henry shouted at him, "THAT'S MY BABY SISTER" and pushed him down. I pretended to tell him not to push people but gave him a surreptitious high-five. Lately he's more into Ingrid than she is into him. He tries really hard to play with her, and since play = wrestling, she ends up crying half the time. He was also really sweet with baby Alden when they came to visit a couple of weeks ago.
I still peek in at him every night before I go to bed. I'm grateful he sleeps like a log, because I can cuddle right up to him, kiss his cheek, and stroke his hair without waking him up. I could look at him all night, trying to soak up his sweet smallness while it lasts.
I'm madly in love with this child.
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