Nico now

Life lately has been hectic... Between kids, work, Lola (surprise! we have a new (crazy!) dog), and school work (which I'm barely getting done right now) I haven't had time for much else.

Last month, Nico turned three -- how crazy is that? My little peanut is growing up so fast, and I love him more and more every day (even when he's driving me bonkers).

He was so thrilled and proud of his flower blooming.

He loves spending time with Grandma and looks forward to his "Grandma days" when he gets second breakfast, they go on scooter rides to the park, have late lunches, and naps on Grandma's bed.

His love for cars and trucks hasn't gone away, but he also loves to explore other toys and games. He's really into puzzles right now and building (usually trucks) with his duplos or garages (for his cars) with his magna-blocks.

Silly face

After we got Lola (and with the whole turning three thing), he went through a bit of a rebellious face of not listening, but it's gotten better. He definitely continues to push boundaries and is always trying to figure out how close to the line, he can get, but he is such a good kid. 

He enjoys listening to music (usually the same song over and over again) and is getting more comfortable singing by himself. He loves listening to Baby Beluga (by Raffi) and Trencito del Oeste (by Piero), and sings Twinkle Twinkle and ABC's all the time.

He can be a little bit shy when he first meets people, but once he gets comfortable he loves to chat. He understands everything in Spanish, but only talks in English (unless I ask him to specifically repeat a word or phrase in Spanish). I worry that I don't speak enough Spanish to him (I try to stick to it, but when everyone around us is talking in English I sometimes have a hard time with it), but the fact that he understands everything is reassuring. And he has stopped saying "I don't speak Spanish" any time I talk to him in Spanish (something that he learned from Grandma when he would ask her to read any of our Spanish books).

His vocabulary really amazes - not that I think he's more advanced than most three-year olds, it's just that it's crazy to think that just two years ago he was barely blabbing a couple of syllables. His "l"s sound like "y"s right now... so our dog's name is actually Yoya :)  but  he's very easy to understand.

Three-year-old boy

His love for Sofi continues to amaze me. It's not the fact that he loves her that amazes me, but the fact that not once have I heard him be negative about her. I kept thinking that things would change when she started moving and grabbing his things, but he just tells her no and then re-directs her. Even when she's pulling his hair (because, you know, you need to hold on to something when you're standing), he screams for help, but then turns around and gives her a hug.

He wants to cuddle with her and is always eager to help when it's time to get her dressed or change her diaper. He brings her toys and makes sure that she doesn't crawl into the dog water bowl (one of her favorite places to play). He feeds her at the table (being careful that it's only soft mushy stuff that she can have), and sings to her when she's crying.

Cuddle beans

He has his moments, but for the most part, he continues to be a great sleeper. He's been a little resistant of going to bed at night, but it's just that rebellious attempt at pushing the boundaries. We do our usual bedtime routine and (fortunately!) he still asks to cuddle with mama every night - one of my favorite parts of the day. And then after I leave, he inevitable comes out of his room a minute or two later. "I'm not tired." Well, you still need to stay in your room. Two minutes later, it's "you forgot to take all the monsters and bears out of my room." "I'm thirsty." "I need to go potty." The list of excuses is unending... eventually we end up confiscating enough toys that he decides he's not getting his way and he goes to sleep, but it's a struggle. And some nights I'm more patient than others.

Peaceful sleeper

He still smells his sleeve for comfort, loves touching fabrics (he often helps me decide what to wear based on the texture of my shirts), and always sleeps with a soft animal friend. When he was little he loves either his bunny or his monkey, but now he likes to rotate his options.

He loves taking showers and baths and playing in the water, but hates washing his hair and getting water in his face. It's been a while since we've done swim lessons, so we'll see what happens when we return (planning on re-starting later this month). He can spend hours playing with Aba on Facetime, and loves calling her so that she can show him all her cars (that she's saving for him, of course).

Loving anything with wheels that goes vroom-vroom.

Lately he doesn't like Kids' Place, but only because it means that he's not with mama and daddy. He loves his friends and teachers there, but drop-off is sometimes hard (when it's me, not Matt), because he wants me to stay. He always has to put his lunchbox next to his best friends' Malcolm's lunchbox, and then he makes sure to run to the window where he can wave and blow kisses as I leave - sometimes with a smile, sometimes with tears.

He tells me that he can't wait til Sofi goes to Kids' Place with him, and he also can't wait til they get to share a room. I'm eager for that change too, but nervous about how the transition will go.

Silly goose

He is still enjoying his balance bike, and has also started pedaling his tricycle, which is pretty exciting. He loves going on the bike trailer with Matt (especially because they try to go by some construction sites), and he still loves going in Bob, especially when we go to "the Benning Lake" (aka Bennington Lake).

He is turning into a goofball, and loves telling jokes. When he hears us laughing, he likes to join in and fake laugh, so he can be part of the group. 

Even with all his changes and growing up, he continues to be a loving, sweet boy. I love him to pieces.