tim & cait: Atticus turns 3

My baby. IS THREE. THREE!

And what a three-year-old he is. He is blossoming into the most handsome and agreeable of children. He really is a great kid, spunky and smart and just pleasant. He loves his baby sister more than anything, and can make her laugh like nobody else. He is a huge fan of preschool, and on off-preschool days he constantly says "ready to go to school now!" and is really disappointed when we tell him not until tomorrow.

His vocab is booming. I was a little worried he'd always be behind, and maybe he is a little still, but the kid can say just about anything. Our favorite Atticusisms include:

- It's too dark outside. (he says that at night, every night)

- Sunny day! (he says that every morning, it's his "good morning")

- Guy's turn (he always calls himself Guy)
- Tell me a story about Apple Juice (every night, he wants a story about a boy named apple juice...?)

... so he has others I just can't think right now.

He always wants to eat yogurt, and went on a Kix phase for a week where that was all he wanted. He also loves "chicken nuggets" that are actually these broccoli-potato bites shaped like dinosaurs we found at Whole Foods. He loves carrots and tofu and edamame and buttered toast and plain butter and peaches and apples and bananas and pretty much all fruit.

His favorite games are usually make-believe type ones, everything needs a mommy and a daddy. He also likes to play Super Why! or Wonder Pets with his Buzz Lightyear doll, Curious George, Cabbage Patch Kid and Caillou. Buzz is always Wyatt and Curious George is always Alpha Pig. Sometimes Lula is "Presto". Or if we play Wonder Pets, he takes a small finger puppet and puts it in a compromising situation and we have to go save it. HIs new favorite thing ever is his Mater car that Poppy bought him at Target, and he loves to play his new Arthur Goes to the Library game I found at a garage sale.

He thinks cooking with mom is the coolest past time ever, and cleaning up with baking soda and vinegar tickles him as well. He usually ends making the biggest mess ever, but I'm trying to foster a positive association with chores and housework, so we'll see if it works.

He is used to the idea of mom going to school now, and he will often run to the fridge to get Lula milk when she is fussy.

He sleeps through the night, though he still doesn't go to sleep on his own. He still is nursing occasionally, usually only once a week or so and just for a few seconds. He recently potty-trained himself. We took off his diaper one morning and he walked into the bathroom and climbed right up, and has been doing it of his own accord ever since (ok, it's only been a week, but hey!) He is still in a diaper for school or when we go out because I'm too cheap to buy pull-ups.

He has a knack for organization, and will sort and line-up almost anything. He loves building train tracks or with blocks or Legos. He will read books by himself for hours if he gets in the right mood.

Though sometimes we gripe about the mistake it was to have kids so soon, I really am glad he exists in our life. I can't say I can't imagine life without him, because I can, and it's glorious. But in the meantime, we love him, he's great, he'll be out of the house before we know it so we might as well enjoy these days!