Dentist and Doctor Visits

We had some important milestones this month, so I thought an extra post was warranted (before my pregnancy-addled brain forgot all the details)!

First of all, Little Buddy had his first dentist appointment!  I was excited and nervous at the same time because I really wanted him to have a good experience.  Unfortunately, the day started off rather poorly.  He fell down and skinned his knee up before we left for My Gym in the morning, making him very upset, both about his knee and the fact he was late to one of his favorite things!  He ended up being very moody and cranky afterward, and not even the pizza we ate for lunch helped (meltdown in the restaurant).  Things were looking grim to me as I marched my VERY grumpy toddler into the dentist (which only made him grumpier because he wanted to go to the baby doctor instead).  Fearing the worst, I was pleasantly surprised when the amazing staff at the pediatric dentist's office lived up to the reputation that led me to choose them as Little Buddy's dental care:  They were awesome!  The entire staff was kid-friendly and kid-focused.  They talked directly to Little Buddy and let him take his time adjusting to everything.  And they gave him medical gloves (the quickest way to his heart)!  He ended up having a great time at the dentist and didn't want to leave and I was happy to hear that his teeth were doing great!  I'll call that a success!

Just chilling at the dentist's office!

Next up, we had Little Buddy's three-year well check yesterday.  Everything is looking great, but he is maxing out the height and weight charts still!  He is as big as an average four-year-old (or a small five-year-old!) at 41 in. and 47 lbs.  Eeek!  Anyway, our doctor (whom we love) recommended we get an x-ray of his growth plates just to make sure everything was normal.  She was confident everything was, but just wanted to make sure.  I love how thorough she is!  Anyway, since Daddy was with us we just went straight over to have it done.  Little Buddy did excellent!  He thought it was very neat that big camera was going to take a picture of the bones in his hand.  Because he did such a good job (and because it was almost dinner time by then!) we rewarded him with Grimaldi's pizza for dinner.

Waiting on x-ray.

Practicing holding his hand very still for the "bone picture."

 Little Buddy's first x-ray.  In with Daddy because pregnant Momma wasn't allowed in.

After Grimaldi's we also realized that Little Buddy had earned another reward because he had gone all day without any potty accidents!  I was so proud of him!  Six successful potty trips with four in public places.  That's a new record for him and gives us a lot of hope that he will be mostly potty trained by October.  But I had promised him that if he went an entire day without an accident, he would get Mickey and Minne stuffed animals from the Disney Store.  Off to the mall we went!  He was so happy and proud of himself!

We're proud of you too, Little Buddy!  Looking forward to relating more of your adventures next month!

Love always,

Momma


**Update:  X-rays came back normal.  We just have a giant among toddlers!**

Cousin Time!

I just couldn't resist an extra post detailing my brother and sister-in-law's visit to Texas!  We were so fortunate to have them stay with us for a day as they drove through on their way to their new home in Arizona.  Little Buddy loved having them and his cousin, T, come visit, as well as their two dogs.  We had a lovely visit with them and look forward to going to see them next year!

The Lego masters!

Little Buddy did ok with sharing, but I can see we have some work coming once Little Sister arrives!

He was so excited to hold him!

Cousin love! 

It melted my heart to watch them play patty-cake together.

Family time!

Little Buddy is going to miss his Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin!

And their dogs!

Can't wait to go see them in Arizona next year!  Next time, T might be big enough to play "kick the ball" with Little Buddy (since Little Buddy couldn't get enough of it with Uncle J).

Love our family,

Momma

July 11th

A full month as a three-year-old, where does the time go?!  We've had a lot of fun so far this summer, with Little Buddy's favorite parts being going to My Gym twice a week (Karl! Shanna!) and pool visits.  Our schedule looks something like this:

7:00 - 8:15 AM

Up, breakfast, get ready for the day, sit on the potty

 

8:15 - 8:45 AM

If Little Buddy has potty success, then he gets to watch Daniel Tiger while Momma frantically tries to get ready, get some laundry done, and get some dishes done

8:45 - 10:30 AM

Get out the door (hopefully on time, often a few minutes late) to get either to My Gym (on Mondays and Thursdays) or Baby Boot Camp

Lots of fun at My Gym!

10:30 AM - 1 PM

If it's a My Gym day, we normally head to the nearby pool for a swim and a picnic.  If it is a Baby Boot Camp day, we play with friends, run an errand or two, and get some lunch (sometimes with Daddy!)

Loving some pool time!

Special pool time with Daddy!

1:00 - 3:30 PM

If Mommy's lucky, we head home for a good nap!

Asleep in his big boy bed!

3:30 - 5:30 PM

This is our free play time.  We paint, do puzzles, play with play-doh, play outside, play in the sandbox, read books, or just play with toys.  If we have anymore potty success, Little Buddy does get another episode of Daniel Tiger.  Momma also tries to make sure dinner is ready to go!

 

Yay for play-doh!

 

Loving the new sandbox!

5:30 - 8:00 PM

Daddy gets home and we eat dinner.  Then Daddy and Little Buddy get some playtime in before bathtime.  After bath and stories (and "just two minutes" of Daddy and/or Momma laying down with him), Little Buddy normally hits the hay between 8 and 8:30 PM.  Then Momma and Daddy are free....to clean the house, work on school stuff, work on a bathroom renovation...you get the picture. ;)

We are thankful, though, that Little Buddy does go to sleep so easily.  He transitioned to his big boy bed last month and has been doing great!  We were very happy that this process went so smoothly.  Here are some other updates from the past month:

Height and Weight 

We still have over a week until his well-check, but it seems Little Buddy is getting taller based on our measurements.  Also, he is tipping the scales at about 48 lbs.  He wears 5T and is the size of an average 5 year-old.  It's crazy to have such a big toddler!  His appetite is still very healthy, and we concentrate very hard on making sure his diet is as healthy as possible.  Daddy thinks we are just growing another J.J. Watt!

Personality

Still a very careful kiddo, but he is taking on more adventures every day!  He is also very loving and polite, insisting on saying hello and good-bye to everyone he meets (sometimes this includes inanimate objects like showerheads!).  He is a favorite at the local restaurants where we eat lunch; he is always so pleasant to the wait staff and table bussers.  

Developmental Milestones

Potty training is still slowly developing.  Many times, Daddy and I have to remind ourselves how far he has come in three months.  He is improving, it is just hard for a three-year-old brain to control a five-year-old sized bladder.  We want to move out of diapers completely, but just not sure he has the control for that yet, especially at his gym classes.  

 

Proof of progress!  He overfilled his potty sticker chart as we waited for the new one to arrive!

Linguistically, his language skills are really progressing.  He takes in new words daily and is able to relate his thoughts in simple (and sometimes quite elaborate) sentences.  Often times, Daddy and I are his translators to those unfamiliar with listening to him, but he is getting better at getting his point across to others.  

Fun Tidbits

*The 4th of July was a lot of fun.  We went to our neighborhood's parade and fun day and he really enjoyed riding the fire truck "train", eating the food, and running down the slip 'n' slide.  *He is going to start swim classes again this month.  He loves the water and we want to make sure that he is safe and confident in his swimming.  *Uncle J, Aunt S, and Cousin T will be driving through in a few days and we can't wait for him to meet his baby (and only) cousin!  *He wanted a bike helmet to wear while riding his tricycle and it became some of his favorite headgear.  *First dentist appointment is coming up soon!  Keeping our fingers crossed for a good report! *Still excited about his baby sister.  He likes to say hi to my belly and give it kisses.  Not sure if he realizes that the baby will be joining us on the outside in October because he seems so content for her to stay in my belly!

 ,

Happy Birthday, USA!

Enjoying a sno cone!

Super Will, headed out for adventures with his beloved helmet!

Tricycle time!

Helping Momma show off the baby bump.

Always a fun time with a toddler in tow.  :)

Love you Little Buddy, 

Momma