Before another month goes by, I need to write about what is going on with little Clark man at 3 years old.
3 Year Well Check:
39.8 inches (93rd percentile for height)
37.1 lbs (91st percentile for weight)
Likes:
Reading and library trips
Playing outside
Anything related to the Revolutionary War. No kidding--the kid is obsessed. 'Mommy, you be General George Washington and I will be a Colonist! Let's go look for some Redcoats!' He knows the full story of Washington crossing the Delaware for a surprise attack against the Hessians (yes, he even calls them Hessians and can identify them by their hats) and he loves to 'talk about' the story.
Much to my dismay he loves anything that is war like. 'Mommy, check out the bayonet on that musket!'. He loves cannons, bows and arrows and anything else that shoots. Yikes.
Knights and knight stories
Puzzles
Playing with friends
Adventures to aquarium, Please Touch, historical sites--anything new and interesting he loves.
Nature hikes 'Mommy, we sure went on a great hike this afternoon! I loved seeing all that deer poop' (hysterical laughter).
Playing with friends
Food and desserts (favorites--any protein (salmon, chicken, beef etc), breakfast for dinner, pasta, cucumbers, pears, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon). If given the option, he will always pick chocolate.
Dislikes:
He isn't into coloring or drawing
Consequences (his least favorite is having a toy taken away--he would take a time out or even a spanking any day over that)
New social situations--he loves his friends and people he knows, but is slow to warm up in new situations
Being dirty--the kid isn't a fan of having anything on his hands, even if it is fun! (i.e. fingerpaint, salt dough etc)
Personality:
Clark is very sweet and concerned about others. While reading 'National Geographic' the other day, he became obsessed about the article about Tsunamis. 'Mommy, I feel really sad about all of those people whose houses and cars got washed away in the Tsunami'. I was telling him about animal shelters and he said, 'Lets take all of those puppies and kitties food, and water and maybe we could take them little jackets in case they are cold'.
Clark is so excited to be a big brother. Almost daily he has something new he is going to teach the babies. 'Mommy, when the babies come out, I am going to teach them how to eat', 'I am going to read the babies stories, sing them songs, and tuck them into their beds', 'I am going to teach the babies how to talk!'.
He is full of questions and likes to TALK about EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME. Really--it is a marvel to me when I sit in the car with other peoples children and they contently look out the window. That never happens with Clark--we are always having some discussion. Some of the latest questions--'Mommy, how did you get pregnant?' Really? He is 3! Thankfully, he was happy with a very basic (yet honest) answer.' 'Mommy, where do the clouds go when they move across the sky? Do they go back to heaven?', 'Mommy, where is Heaven? Is it between the earth and the sun or on another planet?', 'Mommy, what are the guys who put on the knights armor? Oh, I remember--they are Dukes. You be the duke and I will be the knight'. And on....and on. Sometimes his questions make me laugh and sometimes I am really stumped and have to turn to Google.
I am working with him on not giving up--he gets frustrated quickly if something doesn't come easily to him. We have been doing some little learning activities together most days, and because he knows exactly what all of his letters SHOULD look like, he won't really try to write them because he can't make his hand create the shape he knows the letter should make.
As a side note, we got him bunk beds and he is in heaven! He sleeps on the top bunk at night and for naps and LOVES it. He goes to bed around 7:30, wakes up between 6-6:30 and takes about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. I was worried he was dropping his nap earlier in the week, because he didn't sleep two days in a row, but he is back on schedule napping every day.
We are in love with this little boy. He is such a joy and a gift to our family.