Paul at Three

I can't believe my little boy is three! He and Samantha had a combined present of a trampoline this year and are also having a combined birthday party in about a week so his actual birthday was pretty uneventful. We started the day with chocolate cereal and chocolate milk. After playing at the mall with his friend Alex and naps we came down to dog-sit Bailey and went to McDonalds for dinner with his friend Caeven. We finished off the day with a few small presents just so he had something to open and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (can you guess what he likes?).  So, in a nutshell here is what Paul is like at three:

•  He still loves trucks and trains.
• He LOVES swimming and would stay in the water all day if I'd let him.
• He copies anything Samantha does, which usually means he'll be found playing kitty with her.
• He is affectionate. He wants everyone in the house to tuck him in and he is very willing to give hugs and kisses to family.
• He is protective of his sister. If Adam is wrestling Samantha, Paul will run up and start kicking Adam so Sammi can get away.
•  He still naps every day and gets crazy if he doesn't get enough sleep.
•  He is ready to potty train, but hasn't yet because I am not ready to deal with it. :)
•  He is a picky eater and it's hard to get him to eat healthy foods. Usually he'll have 1 fruit/vegetable that he'll like at the moment and he'll eat that with every meal. Anything else he'll refuse.
• He is talking SO well now and we are able to understand him almost all of the time. Even if we can't get every single word, it's rare that we miss what he's trying to tell us.
• He has some good little friends. I was always worried about his social development since he has Apraxia, but he's able to speak well enough that he can play with others.
• He was attached to me for awhile and wouldn't let anyone else do anything for him. Lately that's diminished and he'll let Adam help.
• He's still really shy, but it seems to be getting better. He has a hard time leaving me and will be sad for a couple minutes, but gets over it pretty quickly. He doesn't scream at strangers in the store anymore, but will cover his eyes if they try to talk to him.  
• He is fairly good at playing independently. If I'm busy he'll get toys and play near me, but not need me to constantly interact with him.
• He doesn't like TV very much. Whenever we turn a movie on, he'll watch for a few minutes and then wander off to play something else.
•  He is getting easier to reason with. If he's upset it's getting easier to talk him down and explain why we're doing what we're doing. It doesn't always work, but it's getting better.
•  He doesn't throw temper tantrums, never has. He'll cry, but he doesn't kick and scream and throw himself on the ground.
• If he's really upset we'll send him up to his room and he'll come out 10-15 min later happy.
•  He is very determined. If there is something he wants or wants to do he will keep asking/trying/etc until it happens. I'm sure that's a big part of the reason he's been successful in speech.

He is such a wonderful son and I truly couldn't ask for a better little boy. We love you Paul!!