Many recent blog posts have focused on little sister as I try to document her growth/milestones while she's growing and changing rapidly (slow down, little girl!). So here's a post all about big brother (because we want to remember him at this stage in life too!) . . .
Braden is 3 1/2 (well, technically 3 7/12). It is amazing to me how much he's "grown up" these last few months.
At 3 1/2, our
• asks about 1,000 questions a day. No lie.
• loves to be outdoors, and would play outside all day if allowed; he especially enjoys riding his trike (miles and miles every day), playing t-ball, running in the sprinkler, raking rocks (around his playset in the backyard), looking at the creek, "mowing," and of course the pool
• adores baby sister "Eweese." The cutest thing ever (which I have GOT to get on video) is when he kisses her and says, " I wuv you Eweese."
• currently prefers butter bread, applesauce (sometimes referred to as simply "sauce"), freezer pops/popsicles, pizza (especially pepperoni - and sometimes just the pepperonis), and cheese (marble cheese, cheese sticks, or "little cheese"- shredded cheese) as his foods of choice, and likes to dip lots of things in "white dip" (ranch).
• has taken to repeating new words or answers to his many questions quietly in a whisper to himself as if he is trying to remember or in some way make sense of them
• is figuring out larger "spatial awareness." Whenever we get in the car to go somewhere, he wants to know where we are/going (as in the town we are in). He's getting good at identifying Iowa City and Kalona, and knows that he lives in Kalona on 10th street, and that church, Daddy's work, and Walmart are in Iowa City (he loves to go to WM).
• still has a penchant for all things on wheels (trains, cars, motorcycles)
• continues to enjoy books (current favs include If You Give a Pig a Party (aka Piggy Party book), The Happy Man and His Dump Truck (a little golden book), Freight Train, and his children's Bible (aka The Jesus Book)
• loves to visit the library (because there are books AND a train table to play with there). He's old enough to do the summer reading program for the first time this year!
• is our snuggle bug. In the mornings when he wakes up if we are still in bed (well, actually by the time he wakes up it's just me!) he will come in and say, "Mommy, I want to snuggle you" and curls up. (He's also declared the middle of our bed to be "my spot" (meaning Braden's spot)
• is wearing size 8-9 shoes, and mostly 3T/some 4T clothes
Recent conversations/one liners:
• When out on a bike ride, upon reaching the end of the block, I prompted him, saying, "What do we look for at the end of the street before we can go?" (expecting him to say cars - actually, he usually says "there are noooooooo cars) . . . B: "cookies." (Well, I guess that too!?)
• The other day we went to watch cousin Addie play softball. We had recently gone to a baseball, game, and tried to explain that boys play baseball and girls play softball. The next day he asked if Addie had another "soccerball" game we could go see
• We've worked hard on going pee pee in the potty this summer, so B is currently very aware of his penis. He was very worried to realize that E does not have one, and when going to the bathroom while Addie was at our house asked her if she has a penis (and she was horrified). He is starting to catch on that only boys have one.
• When he wants something/to do something, he'll often start a sentence with, "Mom, how 'bout we _______"(fill in the blank with his desire: get ice cream, etc.)
It's crazy how much Braden soaks in these days! He likes to try new things, but can be shy around new people (and does NOT like new people to look at/hold baby sister). His speech/verbal development has come a long way, but he still does not like to engage in much conversation with people he doesn't know very well. Braden worries/is concerned if someone is upset, and likes to be silly and make people laugh. He's a little daredevil when it comes to physical stunts, and has endless energy (but then crashes hard). Though he's sometimes a challenge (whoever said that the two's are terrible got it all wrong - we've had more difficulties with age three!), we love him to the moon and back and are so thankful to call Braden ours.
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