Walker turns Four!

Wow, what a year!!  And what a difference six months can make.  The change between 3 and a half and four is huge!  Walker's little devil horns are starting to come out. He went from rarely getting into trouble to now getting into trouble every time I turn around.  He gets into everything!  But in spite of his michevious ways he's still a sweet, loving, cuddly, mama's boy.  

 A few milestones since last year: 

~ he moved out of his crib and into his bunk bed in May.  His crib was still in his room up until September and it was a very sad day for us both when it was gone.  Every now and then he will ask for his baby bed and get teary-eyed because it's gone.  Savannah now sleeps on a toddler mattress in the corner of his room because she gets scared sleeping on the top bunk.  Most nights Walker still wakes up and comes into my room to sleep in the toddler bed next to me.

~he's still not a great eater.  He's a great snacker though.  He loves his cliff bars and applesauce but not much else.  His favorite meal is still pizza and he loves bologna, waffles, and pancakes.  And he's a major chocoholic.  

~as far as school goes, he could take it or leave it.  I think he has fun when he gets there but getting there is a battle every morning.  And he sometimes stays for lunch bunch which is another battle.  

~he became completely potty trained at the end of July just before we left for Texas.  We only recently stopped wearing pull ups at night only because he's never woke up wet.  In fact, he's always come to wake me up whenever he needs to go during the night.

~we are still working with Ms. Ann on his speech.  He has a large vocabulary and he talks constantly but it's often difficult to understand his words which leads to him getting frustrated because he thinks we're not listening to him.  I often hear him say "you're not listening to my words!!".  

~he has quite the temper like his sister but instead of yelling and screaming, he tends to act out by hitting and scratching.  

~he loves to roughhouse with his friends.  There have been several visits to Mrs. Stickley's office for fighting in class and on the playground.  It's mostly between the same little boys and they're not being mean to each other; it's just how they play.  We witnessed this a lot during his birthday party.  

~he's been fairly healthy this past year.  After getting the tubes and removing his adenoids in May, he's been snotty free.  

So now let's get to the birthday festivities.  His last day of school before break was on December 16th so he participated in the musical program and then had a little party in his classroom.  Later that evening while I was getting ready for a Christmas party, he took it upon himself to give himself a big boy haircut.  I nearly died! So my innocent looking 3 year old became a rebel looking 4 year old overnight.      

S came to watch the musical and enjoy the party

he sang all the songs and smiled the whole time

his version of a haircut

Sunday morning started before the sunrise.  He and Savannah rushed downstairs and immediately wanted to open presents.  There were more trains and a couple of superhero items to add to his collection.  After a couple of hours playing, it was off to get his free birthday donut at Dunkin on the way to set up for his party at the country club.

yay of birthday donuts! 

 He wanted to have a superhero theme this year so I decided to have it at the club and I'm glad that I did.  Three and four year old boys are WILD! They ran all around, tackled everyone, and basically looked like they were trying to kill each other.  We had a couple of bounce houses and a table to play-doh for the more hesitant party goers.  I also set up a couple of tables to decorate capes and masks.  

another amazing cake from Baker's Cakes

It was such a fun day and I think the birthday boy was thrilled with everything.  I can't believe he's four!  I'm not ready to lose my toddler! Thankfully he still loves to be babied and he often wants me to hold him; however, at 44 pounds I can't hold him for long.  Gosh, I sure love this sweet, loving, fun little boy! 

All About 4 Year-Old Walker

1. Favorite color: blue, red, pink
2. Favorite song: Over the River, Deck the Halls, Up on the Housetop
3. Favorite toy: Dinosaur eggs, trucks
4. Favorite food: chicken rolls
5. Favorite drink: smoothie
6. Best friends: Waite, Colin, William
7. Favorite game: MouseTrap
8. Favorite book: lots of books
9. Favorite place to visit: Noosie's house
10. Favorite place to eat out: Jason's Deli
11. What do you want to be when you grow up?: a cook
12. Favorite Holiday: Christmas and Easter
13. Favorite dress up costume: Buzz Lightyear
14. Favorite movie: Toy Story
15. Favorite tv show: Paw Patrol

Height: 41.6 inches

Weight: 44.6 lbs

Clothing size: 4t-5

Shoe size: 11-12

Walker at 3 and a half

Three is such a fun age! He's still a toddler right in the midst of his terrible threes but he's also becoming a little boy.  Some times I look at him and I still see my sweet baby boy and other times I will see him playing with his friends and I think "wow, he's gotten so big!".  It's funny how quickly he can go from one to the other.  

I can't believe he's halfway to four.  Here are a few of his favorite things right now: 

1. Favorite color: blue

2. Favorite song: Puff the Magic Dragon

3. Favorite toy: choo choo trains

4. Favorite food: chocolate

5. Favorite drink: water

6. Best friends: Wynn and William

7. Favorite game: Don't Break the Ice 

8. Favorite book: Puff the Magic Dragon

9. Favorite place to visit: Grams' and Grandaddy's house

10. Favorite place to eat out: CPK

11. Favorite movie: Finding Dori

12. Favorite tv show: Floogals

working on his jaw strength with Ms. Ann

loving crafts right now

still not potty trained

pizza by the pool

his prize for reaching 50 on the Potty Chart

first day of summer camp

I sure love this sweet little boy! I really feel so blessed to be his mom.  Every day he wraps me a little more around his finger.  Next update comes at 4!

Walker turns THREE

I can't believe my baby boy turned three!  My sweet, calm, laid back little man is now a holy terror.  He sailed right past the terrible twos and dove head first into the tumultuous threes.  It actually started the week before his birthday.  He broke things left and right, fought more than usual with his sister, and acquired a few more bumps and bruises.  It was like the little boy that I used to have had been replaced with a little devilish child.  I'm hoping this is just a temporary phase that will pass faster than any previous phase.  Otherwise my house and my sanity may not survive.

Walker's 3 year milestones:
~ he is still an amazing sleeper.  Normally takes a nap every afternoon.  Still loves sleeping in his crib and has never tried to climb out of it.  We have ordered his big boy bunk bed but I'm in no rush to move him into it just yet.
~he is still a terrible eater.  Actually I worded that wrong.  He eats a lot, he just doesn't eat a variety of foods especially healthy foods.  He loves snacks and pizza and waffles/pancakes and yogurt.  And that's about it.  Except for sweets.  He definitely inherited his mama's sweet tooth so he loves anything chocolate.
~he is still obsessed with trains.  He also has a newfound interest in Toy Story.  And of course he loves anything his sister likes.
~he really enjoys school.  He may not like going but once he is there and I leave, he has a great time. About two months into the school year, he started getting really shy and clingy to me at drop off but his teachers say that he quickly warms up and the tears stop once I'm out of sight.
~I thought his speech was on par with his peers but the pediatrician has suggested that he have a formal speech evaluation so it's back to Mrs. Anne we go.
~also the pediatrician suggested we go in for an eye exam.  I'll update on that once we actually go.
~his grose motor skills are right on track.  He can run, jump, walk backwards (his new favorite), kick, throw, climb, and pretty much get into any and every thing.
~he had his first ear infection since the tubes were put in back in November.  Let's hope we're not back to having those regularly.
~he's still working on potty training.  He does very well at school and will go when the teachers prompt him but at home he is much too busy to stop and go potty.  I may have to start intervening soon.
~he still fights, bites, pinches, and hits his sister but I think he's mostly defending himself from her.  She has a way of antagonizing him and pushes his buttons to the point where he has to fight her off.  Thankfully he's gotten much better at school and I haven't gotten a bad report in a couple of months.
~his current favorites: food--Clif jr bars; drink--chocolate milk; tv show--PJ Masks; movie--Planes Fire and Rescue; toys--trains; color--blue; place to eat out--Chick-fil-a (aka Chickalay); way to waste time--watching Youtube videos
~at 3 years old he weighs 35 pounds and is 34 and 7/8 inches tall.  He wears a size 3t-4t in clothes and a size 8 1/2-9 in shoes.

I can't believe how much he has changed in one short year.  The following pictures show him as a newly turned two year old all the way to his third birthday.  He has lost so much of his babyness and is really starting to look like a little boy.  I don't know what I'll do when he loses those squishy cheeks!

at first dentist appointment

he loves wearing Savannah's purple princess dresses

last day of PMO 

he could eat an entire pizza by the pool every day all summer long

we found a local train that he loves to hang out near

first days of 2-year preschool

I love receiving text pics like these from his teacher

my little boy witch

fire truck school costume

celebrating his birthday at school

He had already celebrated his birthday twice at both preschools with 2 different cookie cakes before his actual birthday on Friday.  And on his real birthday he woke up before the sunrise and couldn't wait to open his gifts.  There had been Christmas presents had been under the tree for a couple of weeks taunting him and he couldn't quite understand why he was allowed to open some presents but not others.  I spent the next week before Christmas fighting him off the other gifts.  

cake #3 was his favorite

His party was held the following day at Chapel Hill Gymnastics, the same place Savannah had her third birthday party.  The decorations were based around a construction zone theme because other than trains, diggers are his favorite things.  We had about 12 kids attend and considering the time of year, that was a great turnout.  He had such a wonderful time playing with his friends on the trampoline and in the foam pit.  

I really can't believe it's been three years since this little man came into our lives.  He has been my baby boy and my special little guy every since I first held him.  Yes, I probably carry him too much even today and yes, I'm sure I baby him more than I ever did Savannah in every possible way.  And I'm sure he gets away with more than I ever thought I would allow, but he is my baby still.  And "I'll love (him) forever. I'll like (him) for always. As long as I'm living, my baby (he'll) be." Happy 3rd birthday my little Walker-man!