Brandon 3 Year Summary

Brandon 3 Year Summary 2

It’s official, we have a 3 year old. Is it shocking that him turning 3 makes me feel older than the fact that I’m turning 30 in a few months? Three is most decidedly not a baby. Brandon talks in full sentences, voices his own opinions (loudly), drinks from a big cup without spilling, has friends of his own choosing, picks out his clothes, and can actually remember (and retell) what he did on a given day. It’s not like he’s off to college next week or anything, but I do feel like we’ve made a pretty big jump.

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Brandon 2.75 Year Summary

Brandon 33 Months 2

These last few months have been a mixed bag with Brandon. It’s been surreal to watch his personality develop and how he really has grown into a little person. He will make jokes, sing out loud, crack himself up, comfort you when he thinks you’re sad, and even play with his little brother and friends. Being able to interact with him and actually have fun with him has made my life as a mother more fulfilling and interesting. I now have a little sidekick. At the same time, they don’t call it the terrible twos for nothing. We have our share of tantrums and upset moments, and Brandon has become all too familiar with “time out.” Learning how to control his emotions is something we work on daily, as I suspect most toddlers do, and it’s encouraging to see him make progress, however slow that might be.

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Brandon 2.5 Year Summary

Brandon 2.5 Summary 2

The highlight of the last couple of months with Brandon, was definitely Christmas time. Granted he had like 4 different Christmas celebrations since we were visiting different family members, but he simply couldn’t get enough of “open presents!” As parents, I think it’s even more fun for us. Brad spent hours making sure Brandon’s train was set up just right for Christmas morning. And of course, we patted ourselves on the back for being the ultimate gift givers when he proceeded to play with it all day. He even got a special table to keep it on in his room, which turned out to be a smart move since it keeps the trains and tracks somewhat out of Rylan’s reach. He could not possibly have been happier when we were visiting family and had tons of playmates at all hours of the day. He was one tuckered out kiddo by the end of it all. We even had to go back to him taking 3 hour naps for a while, and even then it was sometimes hard to get him up.

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Brandon 2.25 Years Summary

Brandon has grown by leaps and bounds these past few months. I feel like he’s turned into a little boy and has truly left his baby days behind. We are so proud of the little man he is becoming. Many of the struggles I mentioned in his last summary have worked themselves out, mainly due to his major increase in vocabulary. His talking has increased 10 fold. We love being able to actually communicate with him and are constantly amused at the things he says. One of the first real sentences he ever said took place after dinner when I was asking him if he wanted a cookie. He quickly and enthusiastically replied, “I LOVE COOKIES!” It was a major turning point for him and now the words just won’t stop coming.

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Brandon 2 Year Summary

I know Brandon has been 2 for a while now, but I’m finally getting around to writing about his great 2-year old self. I’m in a bit of denial, I feel like we were just celebrating his first birthday. Guess time flies when you add a pregnancy and newborn to the mix! I’m really trying to live in the moment with him, as I’m sure with school and activities increasing in the coming years we won’t have as much quality time (also trying not to daydream about the bazillion things I’ll be able to do with him in school all day!).

Brandon has really come out of his shell this past year. He always erred on the timid side, but has become much more assertive with adults and children and has also gotten more involved in the classes and playdates that we go to. This summer we’ve done soccer and music classes in the park, and he really loves both. At the end of soccer he is dog tired and dirty, so if nothing else, it’s a great way for him to run out some of his energy. Music has always been one of his favorite things (he must get this from Brad) and currently, he can often be found walking the house with his mini guitar in hand. There’s always some kind of kiddie music playing here. Mickey hotdog song is the most requested. :)

Our biggest struggles recently have been with whining and eating. He babbles constantly and his word know-how is growing every day, but he gets really frustrated when we don’t understand him, which usually leads to whining. He’s only had a handful of what I would call temper tantrums, and we generally put him in his crib to cool off when he does. Hopefully as his vocabulary increases and he learns other ways of asking for what he wants the whining will subside. As for eating, Brandon is a skinny kid who does not like to eat, so we naturally have problems. Normally, I would say that he will eat when he’s hungry and not to worry about it, but weight actually is a bit of an issue for him so we’ve tried nearly everything to get him additional calories. Dessert at every meal, creative & fun presentation, serving something I know he likes, etc. Not too much has worked and I am certainly open to ideas! Lately, I’ve been serving his meals in muffin tins and not letting him leave the table without at least trying something from every section. This has cut down on some of our battles, but we are still giving him pediasure after dinner to make sure he gets at least those calories before bed.

Goal!

On a positive note with regards to the usual toddler struggles, sleeping is great! He still does nearly 12 hours at night and takes a 2 1/2 – 3 hour nap every day. I am so glad we did sleep training with him early on, it has paid dividends at this point. He’s still in a crib, but before Rylan came, we bought him a new one that converts to an adorable toddler bed, so we can switch whenever he seems to be ready for it. He’s totally content in the crib right now so I don’t think we will switch for a while. Independent play has also been amazing. While the Ipad is currently his favorite toy, he will play beautifully by himself in his room for up to an hour at a time. I love it!

One of the biggest changes for Brandon this year was that he became a big brother. For the most part, Brandon thinks of Rylan in a similar capacity to the dog. He likes him and is often amused by the funny baby things he does, but he still wants to know that he can have Mommy & Daddy’s attention when desired. He’s been incredibly gentle thus far. He really enjoys bringing out all the baby toys and piling them on top of Rylan. He is also Daddy’s helper at bath time and will use a cup to rinse off the baby. Rylan doesn’t seem to mind, and is almost always entertained and enthralled with his big brother.

This has been an amazing time for me as a mother, as I feel like you can practically see the wheels turning and the connections being made in that little 2-year old mind. He’s starting school in a month and I can only imagine what he is going to come home with to show us.

Here’s a typical day in the life of Brandon:

7:15 – wake-up, get dressed, drink juice/eat cheerios/play in nursery while Mom feeds Rylan
7:45 – breakfast
8:15 – chores (clear table, brush teeth, feed Suki)
8:30 – room time (independent play)
9-11 – outside for class/run/gym/playground
11 – free play
11:30 – dvd or Ipad
12 – lunch
12:45-3:30 – nap
3:30 – snack & play!
4:30 – learning/crafts with Mom
5 – room time (independent play)
5:30 – dvd or Ipad
6 – Dad comes home (highlight of his day!) and dinner
7 – bath with Dad and bottle of pediasure, family reading time
7:30 – Bed!!

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