Happy Birthday to Tyler!

So today is Tyler's 3rd birthday. Since I did a blog about Riley's, I figured it was only fair that I do the same for the boys. Tyler has been super excited about his birthday. He is at that age where he is just starting to really realize and understand what that means. He has talked about birthdays in general for several weeks now, and in fact spent some time riding around Wal-Mart singing Happy Birthday to You recently.

This has felt like a bigger birthday for him to me. I know it's just three but it feels more significant I guess because he is my youngest. A little boy in our AWANA program asked a few months ago how old Tyler was and when I told him he was two, the boy told me that he was still a baby then, since this boy's mom told him that if you are three or older you are a big boy but if you are just two, you are still a baby (this boy had only recently turned five so I'm sure his mom had said that to him at one point to encourage him to behave like a big boy). For some reason, that boy's comment has stayed with me all these weeks. Two does still have a baby feel to it. I still consider two to be a toddler. You also don't expect a two year old to be able to talk much or to even necessarily be potty trained. I even know two year olds who still sleep in a crib. But typically, those things have started changing by the time a child turns three. You expect a three year old to be able to talk at least enough to get his point across; most parents start potty training by age three; and generally most three year olds move to a regular bed to sleep. Tyler has been doing all those things for quite some time, really, so if those are the measure of who is a baby, he hasn't been one for awhile. But knowing he was only two made him still feel like one to me. I know that he is my last child and knowing that he is really, officially out of the baby stage has been something I've needed to wrap my brain around. I'm not upset or contemplating having another baby, so don't go getting all excited or anything. I completely loved and enjoyed my kids during their baby stages. There is something so sweet and special about that time and it does go by so quickly. But as much as I enjoyed that time, I am ready to be done with it as well. I'll admit to a few moments here and there of desire for another baby of our own, but those moments are few and far between. And usually when I have those thoughts, they are followed quickly by the reasons why we want to be done. This time of celebrating Tyler's third year of life makes me excited too for the things we will be able to do as our kids get older, the things that will get easier as they become more and more independent and flexible. We are planning to go camping this summer as a cheap family vacation and that is not something I would have been willing to do even last summer.

Okay, so back to Tyler and all the things he is doing right now:

-He has been potty trained pretty much entirely since early last fall. He still wears a diaper when he sleeps but I'm hopeful that he'll move out of that need soon as well. He is dry a good portion of the time when he wakes up so hopefully by the end of this year I won't have to buy diapers anymore. Hallelujah!!

-He is talking so much now and learns more every day. If you listen carefully you can understand most of what he says and most of what he is saying is being said in complete sentences. He impresses me with his sentence structure and the words that he uses sometimes. He still cannot say the 'L' sound so those words come out super cute. I love hearing him say "slippers", which comes out "yippers", and the word "love" comes out "yuv". Riley's name comes out "Wiwy" and that is also adorable.

-He loves to sing and I regularly hear him singing while he plays.

-A not so fun thing he has started is being scared of things. He is scared to go upstairs by himself unless the lights are on, even when it's daylight. He is scared nearly every night that a thunderstorm is going to come. It doesn't help that we've had a freakish number of storms in the past few months due to a warm winter. I hope that his fears will settle down soon, but I also know that part of it is just that he has a good imagination, which can turn on him, especially at this age when he doesn't know how to control it with some logic.

-He adores playing with his big brother and sister and will follow them around the house as much as they will let him. He and Jake are starting to play together a lot more and that has been fun to see. Tyler still gets on Jake's nerves a lot but I think that as Tyler gets older, they will just continue to get closer and play better together.

So, Tyler is growing up into a little boy and while this Momma is a little sad about that, I'm also happy to see him learning and growing and doing new things. Tyler, you are so much fun to be with and talk to and I love watching you play and do the things you love to do. I love you so much!