Aiden Paul - 3 Years Old

Our baby boy turns three today.  I'm usually not overly emotional about our kids reaching milestones, but this one has me choked up a bit.  Recently, I've just stared at him and wondered how we got to this point.  Like the other night at dinner, he got up out of his chair, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a spoon out of the drawer, sat back down and kept eating.  Andrew and I both watched and afterward were like - when did he become a real kid?!  He still has his "baby" moments.  Like crying for me in the middle of the night and asking, "Mommy, I hold you!" meaning, please pick me up.  He loves to snuggle, especially in the evening and at bedtime and I am just fine with that.  I hate to be cliche, but he will ALWAYS be my baby.

Aiden's three year appointment isn't until March, so I'm not exactly sure on his height and weight.  He seems about average to me though, based on his little classmates.  Speaking of class, he loves school!  This is such a relief, if you remember how the year started.  We had major tears until November but now he runs in and can't wait to go.  He has learned so much, is always singing songs from school and talking about his teachers and friends.  It has been great for him!

Aiden's favorites at the moment - Still anything with wheels (trains, trucks, tractors, cars, etc.), Paw Patrol, reading "What Does the Fox Say?" at bedtime (much to my dismay), playing outside, walking to the playground, Tractor Mac n' Cheese (aka Annie's brand Farm mac n' cheese), ice cream, Elmo pouches, milk, painting, and trying to get Audrey to do what he wants :).   He says cute things all of the time now.  Like, "Well, why not?" instead of just "why."

We are still working on Aiden's sleep.  That could be a post on its own, but let's just say it's not great. It is WAY better than a year ago, especially since he stays in his own bed, but this kid just can't put himself to sleep.  Some day :).  And we are also still waiting on the right time for potty training.  He's gone on both a little one and a regular one, but he really has zero interest.  Again, some day... hopefully some day SOON!

The other day, Aiden's teacher told me she loves how he sticks up for himself.  If he starts playing with a toy and another kid tries to take it from him, he doesn't allow it.  At first, I thought she was saying this as a negative characteristic but no, she thought it was great. He is strong willed and becoming more independent.  While we are working on sharing and social skills, we are proud of him for standing up for himself.

I could go on about our boy, but he keeps me busy and I am out of time ;).  Here are some of my favorite pictures of Aiden from the past year.  Happy 3rd birthday sweet boy!