Kasper - 3.5 years

My how time has flown. Kasper, you are now 3.5 years old. You act every bit a 3.5 year old.



You are a sweet, caring, funny and smart little boy. You don't like being called a little boy, though, you insist on being called a big boy.




You are very social in familiar situations. You talk to all the parents you see at daycare: saying hello, asking names, asking how their day is going, wishing them a fine evening, etc. You have so much fun with all the kids in daycare and are very social there. On the flip side, you are NOT social in unfamiliar situations. You almost never want to stop and play at a playground because you don't know the kids. If we are somewhere where lots of kids are playing, you hang out on the side, playing by yourself, watching the group dynamic before jumping in (if you jump in at all). If there's a better description of your Mother at the same age, I'd be surprised. Your favorite playmate is your Papa and you guys do lots of fun things together. You're always pretending to be other things: ducks, dump trucks, whatever is on your mind. Your Papa is really good at keeping up with the play you're directing. Me not so much so I'm not your first choice. You and I like to do things like color and put together puzzles.



You are such a smart kid. It's incredible. You are constantly surprising us with things you say - I don't know where you get half of the things that come out of your mouth. You speak Spanish at daycare but almost refuse to speak it once you leave the classroom. Sometimes you'll tell us a word in Spanish but you will not speak Spanish and tell us not to speak it either. I hope soon you'll loosen up that policy because I would LOVE to hear you speaking Spanish. You already know everything there is to learn in pre-school - counting to 20, shapes, colors, the alphabet, writing your name. Your teachers have to do extra work to keep you challenged during the day. They say you're ready for pre-kindergarten but you're too small.



Speaking of being small, you are a pretty skinny kid! You have always been skirting the growth chart for your weight and you continue to be very long and lean. I think you just hit 30 pounds recently. You wear clothes sized 12 months - 3 years. In fact some of your shorts this summer are in their second summer in rotation.



You are very compassionate. You are concerned if someone is hurt and always want to help. You don't like when Marlo cries.




You have left babyhood behind you. You sit at the table with us, you walk instead of being pushed in a stroller, you're wearing underwear, you sleep in a bed. When you were a baby, it seemed you would be forever. Turns out 3.5 years is a blink and all of a sudden you are a boy.



Being a pre-schooler is not without its challenges. You are constantly testing boundaries which can be a struggle for your parents. There are days when I swear all you do is whine and cry over I'm not sure what. You are testing how rough you can be with Marlo which is hard to watch. You have started experimenting with lying - saying you washed your hands when you didn't and fully committing to the lie. I hate the lying but understand it all comes with learning how the world works. Most often, if you get in trouble at home or at school, it's for not listening.



You are working so hard on being 100% potty trained. You still have accidents overnight though the accidents are getting to be few and far between and almost always happen when you are really thirsty before bed and chug a bunch of water.



Likes: riding your bikes, being outside, big trucks and equipment, airplanes, listening to music, Gangnam Style, playing instruments, rhyming, making up silly words, spelling, watermelon, Big White Blanket, Marlo, zooming cars, puzzles, reading books, being tickled, drinking out of your cups with such force you are left with a big divot on your forehead

Dislikes: bugs, giving up playing for the night, getting your hands dirty, a portion of every movie ever because it's too scary, the Sesame Street video of Elmo and Andrea Bocelli singing a goodnight song, whistles, food with melted cheese

You are such a special boy and we love you like crazy.



Love Mama