Oh, our little Andrew is the big 0-3!! I can't believe where the time has gone. The time passes by way too quickly and our little boy continues to grow and develop ever faster! Here's what Andrew's been up to this last month:
Andrew's speech is improving every month. He talks in sentences and his
intelligibility continues to improve. We couldn't be happier, but still want to continue with speech therapy to further improve his speech. Andrew says things like "hold you", but means for us to hold me. He will tell me things like "I'm comfortable" when he is on the couch under a blanket. In the morning, he will pop up and state very matter of factly "Wake up time, I go downstairs." When we ask him why he wants to go downstairs, he will reply "I play trains." He also tells us "I like green. It's my favorite." Also, he inquires to us all the time "Where are you?", "What you doing?", "Where we going next? or "Where you going?" One of my favorites is when he asks me "Mommy, where is my daddy?" where he used to ask me "Where is Daddy?"
And Andrew's talking this past month can be summed up in one word--"why?" He asks "why" all the time to everything we say...why we going this place or that place, why do we have school on a certain day, why don't we have school on other days, why does Daddy go to work, etc. And then he will ask it on his own initiative, such as "why it warmer?", "why it colder?" He is forever asking why things are happening. And unfortunately, I have to admit he sometimes stumps me!!
His logic is definitely coming along and he likes to use it to his advantage. He will still say things like "Mommy take bath, Mommy dirty" to try to get me to take a shower with him. He'll also tell me "I'm sick. I lie on couch." Sometimes, he is and sometimes, I think he's trying to get out of school or just when he wants to be lazy on the couch and watch TV.
We are still allowing Andrew about thirty minutes of computer time to play games usually on pbskids.org and nickjr.com. His favorite games to play are
Calliou,
Curious George,
Team Umizoomi,
Max & Ruby, and
Thomas & Friends. He is really getting the hang of the touchpad and Daddy has started trying to teach him the password to the laptop. When his time is over, he used to get a sticker if he didn't fuss, but now, he's pretty good about closing the computer and going upstairs for night night books without stickers.
He has been in a good phase lately about putting himself to bed. We usually read him five books and lay with him for five minutes before leaving his room, but is all about asking for more whether it be for more night night books or for more minutes. He has even tried to negotiate with us asking for no books in exchange for us letting him sleep in our room. His favorite books lately have been stories from
Curious George and
Max & Ruby.
Team Umizoomi is probably his favorite TV show; and I have to say that I am glad he likes it since it promotes learning math. I love how he will answer some of the questions out loud. His favorite songs are still
The Eyes of Texas and
Down by the Station. He will totally belt out the words too. I love it the most when he sings to himself. He is doing lots better with his alphabet and can even count to the teens depending on if he cares to or not.
Andrew still loves to play outside especially riding his tricycle. He has gotten so much better at pedalling. And he still enjoys riding the side of the shopping car pretending to be a garbageman. Drew loves playing with Duplo and Legos and is really getting better at building with them. He still loves his Thomas trains. And when we play together, he will build me short trains (composing of a few train cars) because I am forever telling him I like short trains. And sometimes when we play on the floor, he will get pillows and blankets for him and me so we can be more comfortable.
Andrew's coloring and drawing have also improved. He is able to draw with more control and also is working on trying to color inside the lines, but right now, it's more like he colors a big concentration area all over the object. He still loves playing with Play Doh and loves to use the molds to make shapes.
Drew still enjoys school, but will sometimes show some hesitation. He asks if it is going to be "short day?" meaning Monday where I pick him up at 12 noon versus 230pm. And he will ask me "no night night at school?" as well. But everyday, he tells me has fun and likes school. He absolutely enjoys the sandbox at school; I think he plays in it every single day...or so, that is what he tells me. He also says he plays on the slides with his friends too. He is really attached to his classmates always asking about them. And when we go to school or are leaving school, if there is a classmate around, he says he wants to follow them and even tries to hold their hands at times. He can even recognize the parents and nannies of the kids and even some of their cars.As for eating, the litte guy loves scrambled eggs cooked with butter as long as it's not overcooked. He usually eats in sandwich with toast along with cheese and/or ham. Other favorites are still Asian noodles, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, and chedder broccoli noodles (in a bag). His drinks of choice include milk, apple juice and freshly squeezed orange juice. Our little chef enjoys cooking including pancakes, waffles, and muffins. He will help wherever he can in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, we still don't have too much progress with potty training. Sometimes, I wonder if he ever going to come around. But one thing that he has made some improvement is that sometimes when he takes off his diaper and before we put new one on, he tells us he has to go pee and does. Also, when he goes to toilet to go pee, he will stand about 50% of the time. Another funny thing is that after Andrew brushes his teeth his morning, he will then wash his face and put water on his hair to mat it down.
In terms of other health matters, I am so proud of Andrew and his willingness to take his medicine like his pills and inhalers. He had an ear infection where his ear bled and we had to put drops in. He was really good about letting us put the drops in and then pump the ears to make sure the drops get into the canal.
Drew still grows more independent wanting to do things on his own. I hear "I do it myself" all the time!! He tries to dress and undress himself--especially taking off his diaper before bathtime. He loves getting drinks from the fridge and will get snacks out of the pantry at will. We definitely see moments that try our patience with the whining and fussing, but for the most part, he is a sweet kid. He can be disobedient, but I can't complain but it's not all the time. We may have to tell him a few times, but he will normally listen eventually. I am thinking he goes to time out maybe once a week on the average. Typically, if he isn't listening, I will ask him if he wants to get in trouble--this normally does the trick and he will obey.
He can also be very social with most people though sometimes, he will pretend he's shy at times. And Drew still loves spending time with family especially Ngoai and Papa. When he wants you to play with him, he will grab your hand and tell you "come on". He also tells me to "hurry" sometimes if I don't move fast enough! He is always asking to go to their house.
Thankfully (for me), Andrew is still very affectionate. He will give me hugs and kisses just because and not just because I asked for them. He will also say "love you" spontaneously as well. This totally melts my heart. Makes all the difficult times worth it!!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Andrew!! You have given us three amazing years and we are looking forward to many, many more! We love you so very much!!
Here's another picture of Andrew at Yogurtland from my camera phone and a video of Andrew playing with Play Doh.
