The Bear at Just Over Three Years Old

Always in Motion

Enjoys Playing with his Little Sister

He Likes Taking Photos with my Cell

After a Blue Ring Pop

A. His Schedule – Ted is an active kid – the easiest days are when he gets a lot of stimulation (via sports or interacting with people) followed by a power nap. On the days when he doesn’t get enough activity, whether he naps or not, he is difficult. These days he pretty much gets up when the sun rises, and gets sleepy once the sun has gone down.

B. His Size – Bear is 31 lbs. 2 oz. (38th percentile), and 40 ¾ inches tall (96th percentile).

C. His Personality – Bear is a fun-loving guy. He loves being the center of attention. He’s affectionate with his sister, and his pet dog. He seems to experience higher highs and lower lows, mood-wise, than most people.

D. His Favorite Things

• Colors: He likes all colors, especially when something is what he calls “rainbow” (which I’d call “multi-colored”) – he seems to like red, green, and yellow best and seems to have high color acuity
• Shows: His current favorite thing to watch is what he calls “makeup show” on YouTube, which YouTube classifies as DIY shows – he’ll watch cooking, craft, or Play Doh DIYs, but he likes makeup most of all – he also likes what he calls “slime show” which is when makeup and candy are mixing together with slime (these videos are popular, I think because people find them oddly satisfying)
• Toys: He has a large stuffed dog that he calls “Zoie,” and he is also found of his fireman Halloween costume and his kiddie makeup – he now uses a large tote to haul his most prized possessions around the house with him
• Time of Day: Any time that he’s outside
• Bedding: He still loves his white-and-blue fleece moose blanket and his multi-colored throw pillow
• Foods: He still likes meat, yogurt, fruit (like bananas and strawberries), and cheese, particularly American cheese
• Activities: These days he enjoys his swimming class, gardening with his dad, and going places – he really likes getting out of the house
• Animals: He seems to like all animals, but particularly his pet dog
• Heroes: He likes Spiderman and Batman; he also enjoyed meeting some real firefighters at a recent firefighters open house we went to

E. Things He Does Not Like

• Chocolate
• When his older brother doesn’t share a toy with him (to be fair, Bear is pretty good about sharing his own toys with his brother)
• Being told what to do, even if it’s a reasonable request, like his teacher making him wash his hands
• Sleeping alone (he prefers to sleep in our bed, but we don’t let him do it every night)

F. What He’s Thinking About

• He is already looking forward to his birthday, which isn’t until the summertime, and he likes to look at and curate his Amazon Wish List
• He’s enrolled in karate through his school and he seems to like that – he showed me a board he broke with his foot with great pride
• He told me a story recently about how his classmates didn’t want to play with him, so he resorted to hitting them – I hope they learn to get along and play together

G. Surprises – The better Bear gets at expressing himself with his words, the better my relationship with him gets, although it’s still a bit of a struggle as he and I don’t have a lot in common as far as our personalities.

H. The Best Things – I’d say the best times with him are either when he’s calm, such as right before bedtime when he’ll perch on my or my husband’s lap, or when he’s trying to be helpful to others – he will always jump up to get something for his baby sister, for example.

I. Family and Friends – He is finally able to remember some of his family members who he doesn’t see often, like his cousin Tyler.

J. What I’m Doing Differently This Time Around – I don’t think I’m doing anything differently with Bear than I did with Serious Kiddo. I will say that Bear is an easier three-year-old than he was a two-year-old.