Third Time's the Charm

Happy, happy, happy 3rd birthday to Tate!

 

 

Tate is our rough and tumble, athletic, sweet guy with a little sparkle in his eye.

 

 

At 3 he:

• is completely potty-trained
• is sleeping in a toddler bed sometimes and in a full-size bed in a shared room with Cole sometimes
• is talking more but still missing some guttural sounds (c, k, g)
• is having surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids and clean out his ears in two days
• emulates most everything Cole says and does (it is a VERY good thing Cole is so good!)
• can have an ear-piercing scream if he thinks you are not listening, but usually talks in a quiet voice
• can drop kick a football, hit a baseball pitched to him, dribble a basketball, and drive a golf ball 50 yards - all consistently
• likes sports and balls (obviously), but also likes to play with planes, trains, and automobiles; he lines up the cars and trucks just like Cole does.  Have I mentioned that I like our little OCD family of four?! My house stays pretty neat ;)
• LOVES stuffed animals and sleeps with at least 10 every night, each in their own specific place on the bed
• is very opinionated about clothing and will only wear t-shirts with some sort of sports design on them, unless I absolutely bribe him to wear something else [see "marshmallows" below]
• is friends with the girls at school (Cole still doesn't like girls), and is very popular among all his classmates and teachers
• still will not smile on demand or at strangers, despite that fact that people approach us all the time to try to talk to him ;)
• is sweet and gives lots of hugs and kisses to Mike, Cole, and me... and his stuffed animals!
• can count to 20, knows all his colors, and most of the ABCs
• likes to watch some cartoons (Dora, Bubble Guppies, Team Oomi Zoomi), but would prefer to play with Cole or outside; the cartoons make car trips bearable now, though!
• loves marshmallows, candy, and anything sweet. did I mention he loves marshmallows?!

Tate makes us laugh every day, but he's also a typical strong-willed/opinionated three year old.  Three was the hardest year we had with Cole, but I've got my fingers crossed about Tater. ;)  We love him to the moon and back! Happy birthday to our sweet, smart, coordinated, handsome baby!