Growing Up

Dear Aiston,

This past week, you have surprised us. We knew you were growing up, but we didn't realize how fast. We knew you were getting more independent, but we didn't realize how much. Here are a few things we have heard you say this past week that have hit us like a ton of bricks:

When dishing up dinner: "No, Dad, I can do it myself."

When putting on your car footsie pjs and zipping them up: "Aiston can do it."

When playing a game: "Don't do that, it's my turn."

When brushing your teeth: "I have a turn now. Then Mommy after."

When Daddy sings: "No singing Daddy. I don't like it."

You are definitely starting to do more things for yourself. You will bring your dishes to the sink, wipe your mouth and hands, pick up your toys (although this one still takes lots of encouragement and can be super frustrating and painfully slow), take off your shoes and retrieve items requested.

We visited your buddy Aaron this past week and you tore around his house on his new bike with training wheels. You were wearing Aaron's helmet and you crashed into the wall. You fell down, but there was not a peep that came out of you except: "No worry, Mom." You got right back up on that bike, crawling over the backside since the seat was too high for you to reach. Daddy and I marveled at how persistent you were. 

You are still talking about the time you went to the Alice in Wonderland play at a kids theater with your class, months ago. Your memory is amazing. You will sometimes pause to compare something you saw in the play and say, "Like Alice in Wonderland, Mommy?" Or you will ask me to sing songs from the performance, which I have to make up because I don't remember the story well enough to turn some of the ideas into song. It's a pleasure to know that you enjoyed the play so much and that you were one of the last half of the kids in your class who managed to sit through the entire performance. You couldn't sit through a whole movie about airplanes, your number one interest, but you could sit through a whole play about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole and lands in a fantasy world where everything is nonsense. We are going to try to take you to more plays in the near future. 

You have developed an appreciation for certain books over time, like these ones:

But, you also look forward to the days that I bring home books from the library - new ones, especially if they are about cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, how things work, sharing and feelings. 

You have starting showing some deep empathy for a 2.75 year old, which has melted our hearts. You have grown to love your baby and can't wait to snuggle with her during naps and at night. You give her kisses and feed her and pat her ouchies. You rock her and hand her to Mom or Dad to hold sometimes. You make a good "Aiston Daddy" and we love that you are showing this tenderness. 

Your pretend play is fascinating to watch. It gets more complex every day.  You have a big dress-up box with masks and capes and trinkets so that you can transform into a builder, a police officer, a security guard, a chef, a doctor, a swimmer, a scientist, and different animals or superheroes. At the moment, you love to play the role of a traffic cop and will put on the hat, the vest and use the whistle to motion for people to stop or cross. You say things like "Come on, sir" and "salamat!" and "It's your turn to go."

While watching you grow up is heart-warming and truly awesome, it reminds us that you are no longer this little guy, dependent on us for everything. You are growing up, little by little, before our eyes, and it makes us a little sad. You are growing out of old clothes and into new ones. Humor and goofiness have emerged as part of your personality and you are constantly testing the waters and saying things like, "That's funny Mommy/Daddy? Yes, that's funny." (even if it might not be). You are vocalizing your needs and wants more clearly and sharing your emotions more openly. We are so proud of you for managing your toddler life and for bringing such a range of emotions and experiences to ours. 

We love you, son.

Mommy

P.S. Yesterday night, you did your first ever big poo on the potty. We were so proud of you! You said, "Daddy, potty, potty!" You ran to the potty with Dad, sat down and out it came - woohoo!