Jay - Three Years Old!

Jay turned three years old on Halloween.  Three!  Our first baby has grown into a smart, sweet and funny preschooler. 

He moved to the preschool room in the beginning of September.  It was a bit of an adjustment, going from 8 kids in the class to 20, but he’s done great.  He’s making some new friends now and is really starting to come out of his shell.  He especially likes playing on the computer in the classroom, which is really not a surprise.  They’re learning their letters using the Handwriting without Tears program, which teaches the letters in a specialized format and not in alphabetical order.  Jay knows his alphabet and can recognize all the letters, but this is helping him learn to form and write them.  Jay also does very well with counting and can get up to about 20.  His counting skills help him negotiate the number of books we’ll read to him each night before bed.  They do a great variety of activities in school and Jay really seems to enjoy everything he’s learning and doing.

Jay is becoming very independent and opinionated.  He often tells us he wants to do something “by my own self,” which is great and we are very encouraging.  He has specific ideas in his head on how he wants things to go, which can sometimes be problematic.  For instance, if he says he wants a certain number of cantaloupe chunks and he’s not given that number, it can result in a meltdown.  Not so fun, but we’re all working through it and it does seem there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  Jay has started expressing his opinion on the music Justin plays in the car on the way to and from school.  That is kind of cute, but also a bit annoying…especially when he insists on Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” on repeat.  

In addition to being smart and independent, Jay is also incredibly sweet.  He’s been very cuddly with Justin and me lately, which has been the best.  He’s also a great big brother to Brody.  Sure there are squabbles about toys, but Jay is very good about sharing with Brody.  They’re affectionate and they rough house.  It’s a great mix.  Recently we were at the library and Jay heard a child crying and wanted to make sure it wasn’t Brody (Brody was with Grandma in a different section).  Also at the library an older child was trying to take a stuffed animal away from Brody, so Jay stepped in and gave Brody a different stuffed animal to play with.  It was so sweet.  He really looks out for him.  

Jay is always surprising us with things he knows and funny things he says.  Here are some anecdotes from the past year:

May 2014 – I was putting Brody to bed and Jay was downstairs, supposedly watching The Land Before Time.  I could hear him pitter-pattering around downstairs while I was sitting in Brody’s room, giving Brody a bottle.  Jay was making a lot of noise and I started worrying about what he was getting into.  The next thing I know, I hear him push open the gate at the top of the stairs and come down the hall.  Then he dropped something really heavy right outside Brody’s door.  He opened the door and came over to me holding something.  He said “I need help, Mommy” and dropped the thing in my lap.  It was a bag of frozen chicken thighs!

May 2014 – Jay went into Brody’s room before I was up and ready to get them.  I was watching and listening to them on the monitor.  Jay was putting on a show for Brody with his little cars.  Then I heard Jay saying to Brody “One, Two, Three, Jump!” 

May/June 2014 – Any time Jay bumped into any of us, we were accused of hitting him. 

Sept 2014 – Jay and I were talking about brothers and sisters.  I explained how Becky and Lisa are my sisters and Serena is Justin’s sister.  Jay’s response was “Oh man, mommy!  Oh man!”

September 2014 – Jay sneezed in my face while I was helping him get dressed.  I was wiping off my face and Jay asked me what I was doing.  I told him I was wiping my face because he had sneezed all over me.  He asked me “Why?”  I said “Why, indeed.”  Later at breakfast I said “Why” to him for something and his response was “Why indeed, mommy. Why indeed.” 

October 2014 – I asked Jay if he liked his new pajamas.  He said “yes, it’s magical!” 

October 2014 – While driving home from school, we saw an airplane.  I asked Jay if he’d like to go in an airplane someday.  He said “Yes.  I want to go to Seattle.  But I don’t want to get stuck in Minneapolis.”   (Justin got stuck overnight in Minneapolis the last time he went to Seattle for work). 

November 2014 – While filling out a questionnaire at the doctor’s office, Justin asked Jay if he was a boy or a girl (one of the questions).  Jay said he was a girl.  Justin’s response was something like, Hmm.  Then Jay said, “Just kidding!  I’m a boy.”

Some facts about Jay as he turned three years old:

Weight: 33 lbs 9.6 oz.
Height: 37.75 in.  
Number of Teeth: 20
Clothing Size: 3T and 4T
Diaper Size: Pampers Easy-Ups 3T/4T – We’re working on the potty training.  It’s a slow process, but he is starting to use the potty more and more frequently.  His pull-ups are also dry more often.  Progress! 
Favorite Things: reading books, stickers, playing with his toys, especially cars and trucks, playing on the iPad, watching movies, especially Cars, singing (he likes to sing Let it Go from Frozen), jumping and climbing, playing on the playground 

Now for some pictures of Jay throughout his third year: