To Emerson on his third birthday

Emerson, today you are three years old. It seems both yesterday and a million years ago that I was looking into your just-born yet all-knowing big blue eyes. I know you so much better now than I did then, and I feel there is still so much to know about you, so much still to come. 

You have been opening birthday presents since your party on Sunday and tonight we opened a game called Feed the Woozle from Aunt Barbara. This is the first board game you have ever played and you loved it immediately: the set-up, how the game works, playing the game and making sure we do each step just right. The game requires each player to balance little food cards on a blue spoon as they walk across the room to "feed the Woozle" by putting them through the mouth of a cardboard cut-out Woozle. For older kids (and you, because you were instantly bored with the younger kid version), there is a spinner that adds a level of difficulty in how you cross the room: march, bunny hop, spin, walk backwards, hula dance and - your favorite - "go crazy." I will need to get a video of you shimmying and shaking as you 'go crazy' to feed the woozle. Your hula dance is pretty awesome, too. I am excited that this is the beginning of a games chapter for us. A love of games may be something you and I have in common. And I will say it now: it will take everything I've got to role model being both a good winner and a good loser for you. Yet another way in which you make me a better person.

You have asked me at least five times if, now that you are three, you may drive the car. I tried to show you using both my fingers and your fingers how many years old one must be to drive the car and you said sure, that's how old other people needed to be to drive, but you will probably be ready by 4, maybe 5 on the outside. We'll see how that works out.

You are so excited to be three that you are actually kind of into time-outs now, because they are now three minutes long instead of two. "Did you set the timer for THREE minutes?" you ask repeatedly, lest you accidentally just do a two-year old's time-out.

Seeing you swim is amazing to me. You have transformed into a little fish! Today I watched you jump in from the side and then swim back to the wall with no help. Then you did it again going down the slide. I am so excited for us to swim all summer long. (You also now have freckles all across your nose and cheeks; I am ordering a sail shade for over our pool.)

You and I have great conversations. When I put you to bed, sometimes we talk for a long time before you go to sleep. We tell stories and talk about the day and I get to hear what's on your mind. You are silly, reflective, curious, and sweet. What a joy it is to have you in our family. I love you Emerson.

Swimming

We are in our fifth week of swim classes three times a week. When we started, Emerson was not so enthusiastic about putting his face in the water. He has made some amazing progress! Here he swims to the steps on his own.

Emerson's 3rd Birthday Party

Emerson's 3rd birthday party was this afternoon and I think he will remember that he loved it. The very best part was Emerson taking down his pinata (with just a little help to ensure that everything actually spilled out. It was a surprisingly and somewhat disappointingly durable pinata.) But Emerson was the happiest birthday boy in the world whacking it with his bat and bringing it down to the floor. ("I'm the whackiest whacker mom!" he told me on the car ride home.) Ethan swung the bat so fast it is barely visible in the photo.

In spite of what you might guess from this photo, Emerson was not the saddest birthday boy in the world. He's just taking it all in. (In retrospect, having 15 of his friends and their parents gather to celebrate may have been a little overwhelming, even with familiar teachers in a familiar space at MyGym.)

But, he recovered well and I think he ended up really enjoying the party. Here's the birthday boy at the end of his birthday wagon parade. Happy Third Birthday Emerson! 

Ethan Stewart, Centerfold

He's not just glamorous, though. There's substance, too. He is starting to say words other than Dada and Moo, which have so far been used quite broadly (I am trying not to take it personally). Today we had the debut of "Yoosh" which is Pig Latin for "shoe."

The Dudes

Tube time

We had a brief but exciting visit from cousins Garrett and Kendall. This should give you an idea how it went:

Emerson at major league baseball spring training game eating corn dog bites

Great day in Orlando

Emerson, Lucy and Ethan had fun at the playground and also at Lucy's house in Orlando. Of the approximately four thousand photos Dianna and I collectively took, here are the ones where at least one of the three children is looking at the camera. The day ended with Emerson borrowing some of Lucy's pajamas. He showed his gratitude by growling at her until she cried. Unnamed adults in attendance found this hilarious.