Ryder, how are you only three?! It’s hard to believe you aren’t already four. Our bathroom scale says you’re 44 pounds, I was reminded of that today when I had to carry you for about a mile back home from the park. Beyond that, your conversational skills are insane. You seem to be ahead of the curve on pretty much everything.
And I’m thankful for that, because I’m ready to get out of the baby/toddler phase.
You are a ball of energy. You literally don’t stop. I love it most of the time, but it is incredibly draining!
You are persistent as all hell. Everything is a negotiation. Everything we try to get you to stop doing (and it’s a lot) is met with a, “But I’m just…” or “How about…”. You don’t concede and it leads to a lot of threats until you do. Telling you we’re going to call the “police” or the “witch” no longer works. I’ve had to resort to putting a dab of hot sauce in your mouth (just once). Now I start counting to three and it generally works, because when I get to three the hot sauce comes out.
You are obsessed with insane scenarios that you contrive out of nowhere, always asking things like “What if I ate a house and it came out my butt and I went flying and became a robot”. Did I mention you’re obsessed with butts, poop, etc. right now? And your “What if” is condensed into your own signature one word “WAHIF”. I also loved how you called the hotel a “hometel” one our recent vacation to St. Joe. I think you’ve got something there.
You’re an extrovert, aggressive and physical, yet timid at times. We were at soccer the other night and you waited at the end for everyone to get their sticker first before receiving yours. I like that mix and think it will serve you well.
You surprise me at times because I always expect you to be fearless and ready for anything. We haven’t been able to get you to try the balance bike, for instance, and we got you a bike with training wheels for your birthday. You had a tough go of it today, but I think you were pretty tired. Did I mention you dropped your nap awhile ago? Oof.
You start half day pre-school on Monday and I’m curious how it goes. I know you’ll thrive socially, but I’m hoping it helps divert some of your energy outside the home. That would be helpful 🙂
We’ve become closer, and I’m happy about that. I put you to bed every other night, and you come to me for help or when you’re hurt almost as much as you’ll go to mom.
You are so sweet. You love your brother and you’re in a huge phase where you have to do EVERYTHING he does. If he comes to give me a kiss and hug before I walk Pippa and he has a toy in his hand, you have to have the SAME toy in your hand too. Otherwise it’s a huge fit. If he walks past a bush and touches it, you have to do the same. It’s nonstop, taxing, but also adorable.
You LOVE to be tickled. Not just a light tickle, but you’ll demand to be tickled until you pee yourself and then ask to be tickled again. You are crazy, and it’s fantastic. I’m so excited to see how you channel your energy, attitude, and creativity into something remarkable.
Keep being you, big guy. I love you. Happy birthday.