3 YEARS OLD…MONTH 9
APR 21, 2018 – MAY 20, 2018
TODD SAID…
- “Correct, mama”
- “It’s outside time. Let’s do this” (kick the soccer ball)
- “Forget it”; “That’s it, forget it”
- “This is pretty serious” (Eric couldn’t find his keys)
- “Wonderful”
- “Hey this is my spot” (on the couch)
- “Me is not into it” (Eric wanted him to look at something on the TV)
- “Let me read that”
DEVELOPING SKILLS
- Language:
- He’s learning to using the word “I” instead of “me” (i.e., “I want” instead of “Me want”)
- Academic:
- He likes to point out which is ‘bigger’ and which is ‘smaller’
- He counted the ridges on a Therm-a-Rest pad from 1-18 (he skipped 15) (4/22)
- He counted to 20 but skipped number 15 (4/26)
- Fine Motor/Visual-motor integration: [I’m a school-based OT so this is important to me 😉 ]
- He copies a vertical line, horizontal line, cross & circle (4/26)
- He traces within forward, diagonal and curved line mazes
- He cut across a piece of paper independently
- Able to complete 16-pc interlocking puzzles independently (end of the month)
- Self-care:
- He put on his own velcro shoe (undo velcro, pull at tongue, slid foot in, re-do velcro) (4/25)
- He initiates applying toothpaste & brushing his own teeth (5/18)
- He’s tall enough to turn on/off light switches (without a step stool)
- He likes to fling his underwear in the air with his foot when he takes them off
- He fits into 2T-3T clothing
- We started using a “1-2-3” warning system to help with unsafe behaviors of Todd not stopping when we say ‘stop’ (5/20); if he gets to ‘3’ we take a highly preferred toy/activity away for the rest of the day.
- He likes to know what the plan for each day is. He asks:
- “What us get to go to?”
INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT
- Pretending to be a doctor with a kit that I made (i.e., plastic syringe to give shots, thermometer, bulb syringe to suck out boogers, Band-Aids, medicine cream in foil pack, latex gloves, etc.)
- Playing with:
- Legos (i.e., Thor vs. Hulk Arena Clash)
- Gladiator Hulk figure
- Avengers diving toys: Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man
- He said:
- “_____ is my best superhero”
- “Me losed it” (he couldn’t find his sticky Hulk toy)
- “Let’s match up my Hulks” (he puts them together to make comparisons)
OPEN GYM (MONDAYS)
ICE RINK
- Todd’s 2nd time ice skating (5/11)
OUTDOOR FUN
- Riding our scooters/skateboard on the Apple Capital Loop Trail
- Playing at playgrounds (Walla Walla Point, Washington & East Wenatchee parks)
- Throwing rocks in the river (4/21)
Compare the riverfront pictures from 4/21 & 5/13, and you’ll see a big difference in the water levels! (See post, “Wenatchee Riverfront (5/13/18)“)
EVENING BALL PLAY
- Kicking the soccer ball or blue ball (until it popped!) & playing in the grass after dinner (9x this month)
- Eric helped him slide down the light pole
- He got his first blisters because he ran around in his boots without socks (4/27)
HIKING – SADDLE ROCK
- Todd made it to the top of Saddle Rock (4/22)
- See post, “Saddle Rock Hike (4/22/18)” for all the pictures
- 2.45 miles, according to my Runkeeper app
LEAVENWORTH
- Using the playground equipment, skate park & walking trails at Enchantment Park/Blackbird Island (4/28)
- He loves to hike!
- He went down the skate park slope on his Globber by himself 4-5x (and never crashed)
OHME GARDENS
- We walked around the gardens on 4/29 & 5/20
TRIP TO OCEAN SHORES
- We stayed with Eric’s parents for a long weekend (5/4 – 5/6)
- We splashed in the waves, rode our scooters/skateboard & played with Legos (Grammie gave Todd a Lego Friends ice rink set). We got to see Darren & Sandie, too!
- See post, “Trip to Ocean Shores (May 2018)” for more pictures/details.
PRESCHOOL
- There was a combined Mother’s Day & Father’s Day performance (5/10)
- Todd stood calmly, searching the crowd for us. No tears this time! When he spotted us, he smirked. The videos are pretty boring but I included them anyway 😉
TOUCH A TRUCK
- This was Todd’s 3rd “Touch a Truck” event (5/12)
RAINY DAY
FOOD NOTES & DINING OUT
- Pizza at Lemolo (4/21); Claudio’s Mexican restaurant (4/28); Saddle Rock Brewery (5/19); Taco Del Mar (multiple)
- He likes “corn kiff” (corn thin/crisp) with Earth Balance on it
- He tried herbed quinoa & liked it (5/1)
- He ate an entire tray of organic blueberries (5/11)
DAY TIME NAPS
This month, we started a (very short!) trial of skipping naps. It wasn’t something we pre-planned, but on 5/2 we skipped his nap because we were too busy moving the beds and furniture. We let him skip his nap again on 5/3. On the way to Ocean Shores (5/4), he napped in the car. On 5/5 we skipped his nap, but then he fell asleep at 6 pm and was ‘out’ all night. On 5/6, he napped in the car on the way home. Back home, starting 5/7, we decided that he clearly wasn’t ready to completely give up naps, but he did skip his nap to go to the ice rink (5/11). However, on the last day of this month (5/20), we started the ‘no nap’ schedule again (stay tuned…)
NIGHT TIME SLEEP
- He tends to really prolong the bedtime routine, so I started turning off the lights at 9:30 pm regardless of whether we got all 5 books read or not
- He had some nights when he was afraid at night; he wanted Eric to stay with him (4/30)
- Bedtime games:
- He likes to play the ‘owl game’ after reading the book, Night Creatures. [We use an owl that my aunt Elaine gave him to re-enact a page in the book where the owl swoops down & pounces on a field mouse.] He says, “You be the owl and I be the movement in the grass”
- He likes when we act out “a wiggle, a jiggle, and out pokes a foot” while reading Stick Man.
- He likes to learn about the digestive system; we look at a picture in the Anatomy Coloring Book & talk about the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum & how the food comes out as poo-poo; we also look at a picture for the urinary system.
- He said:
- “How it works” (This is how he refers to the ‘Perplexis’ toy. He likes to watch me do it, and he helps)
- “My teacher said be quiet at school” (when I told him to be quiet before bed)
TWIN BED
- Big day! (5/2) We moved the twin mattress into Todd’s room & took out his crib mattress. Also, no more tent enclosure in the house (it will truly be a ‘travel tent’ now)
- Todd adjusted to the change beautifully!
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