Boyd - 3 years

Our tiny little baby has grown and blossomed into an awesome 3 year old. Boyd is overall still very sweet and good-natured. The only time we have major problems is during sickness - then all bets are off and our kiddo turns into a little demon!

• He is fully potty trained during the day. At night he wears pull ups because he sleeps too deeply for a visit to the bathroom. He has started to wake at night after a poop, so I go in and change him and we lay down in his bed until he falls asleep again. 
• In the mornings he will pop out of bed between 7 and 8 a.m., open his bedroom door and walk right out into the hallway! That just started a few weeks ago - prior to that he would wait in his room for one of us to get him. 
• Our nighttime routine usually consists of me giving him a bath around 7:30 or so, and then Darin reading books starting at 8 and bedtime at 8:30 p.m. 
• No more consistent naps during the day! If he is totally wiped we'll let him sleep for 30-45 minutes but otherwise the daytime sleep cuts into his evening bedtime. 
• We initiated a huge room makeover to celebrate his 3rd birthday. Gone are the crib, rocker and old changing table/long dresser. I found an Ikea convertible toddler/bunk bed on Craigslist for $80 (a total steal since retail is $250!) so we set that up and moved his bookcase around. Darin re-stained an antique dresser I also found on Craigslist for $40 to add to the room, plus a train table and toys. Boyd seems to enjoy the new setup. 
• One of his favorite activities is to have us chase him around. He says "I'm gonna get you Boyd!" and that is our cue to say it back to him and then commence the chasing. 
• He can sit for longer periods of time and watch movies - some of his favorites are Finding Nemo, Toy Story and the Lego Movie (thanks Grandma Mim and Papa Don for that one - the parents like it too!). 
• Much more talking and singing. 
• School ends on May 20th and we aren't doing the summer program so Boyd won't be back in school until the end of August. He'll still attend from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m. but we're bumping him up to 5 days a week, so a big change! The Montessori method has been a great introduction education-wise for our quieter, more introspective child. The instructors really embrace his temperament and personality, and I love how this school focuses on individual work and hands-on learning instead of the traditional classroom style of teacher at front and really structured learning.  
• My mom was in a car accident last December so Risha was Boyd's nanny for about 5 months. Thankfully Mom pretty much recovered and got her neck brace off in late April.