Oh to be Three....

Will is very much in full swing of the Three Year Old "Testing of the Limits" and "I Want to Be Independent but I can't Do It Myself" stage. He can do many more things than I sometimes give him credit for and he gets frustrated that I try to help him. But then when I don't try to help him with something, he gets frustrated that he can't do it himself. Either way, he usually ends up angry, screaming, crying, and/or having a tantrum. Add to the mix that we still have a hard time understanding some of his speech and that only multiplies his frustration. Poor kid...I reassure him daily that we really are doing the best job that we can. I'm not sure if he believes me!

He can be one of the most tender and loving little boys I've ever known. He can be so gentle to Catherine and Anna, will hold the door open for all of us and anyone within a 1/4 mile radius, will share licks of his lollipop if you ask. And he's a great Dad to his baby that he totes around so that he and Catherine can pretend they're married and have kids together. (People keep reassuring me this is normal and good.)
He loves fire trucks, sports, and tractors. He loves to be outside, even in the cold or rain. He frequently falls down outside (hence the huge scab above his lip) because he wants to run and jump and climb on everything. He only wants to wear polo shirts and those crazy camo pants. He loves orange juice and blueberry oatmeal.
He is a little man and a big boy all at the same time. He's learning. We're trying to be patient.

Today when I picked him from preschool, his teacher told me he had a hard time following some of the rules today. (Last week he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself and hit a few kids.) I asked him tonight if he got put in time-out today. He said, "yeah, actually two times" (well, at least he's being honest here.) I asked him why he got put in time out. He said, "I threw the hammer. And I not remember why else the other time." "Will, did you disobey the rules?" "Oh yeah, I stand on the Lego table and jump off." They're seemingly "little" things, but he knows when he does these things that he's testing his limits. He turns to see if you're watching and what you're going to do about it. So we're trying to be consistent and enforce the limits--lovingly yet firmly. Perseverance and Patience are my friends.