Landon is Three!

Happy Birthday, L.J.!

L.J. at Three Years

It’s been neat to watch L.J.’s personality continue to develop over the past year. He has a blend of mine and Mike’s personalities. He gets his even-keeled and sunny disposition from Mike, whereas his curiosity and inquisitive nature come from me. He is very social in familiar settings (Mike), but takes a while to warm up to new groups or faces (me). His impatience is more Mike; his bossiness is definitely me. From both of us, he’s inherited a need for order, routine and “everything in its place.”

L.J. communicates very well. He speaks in sentences, can carry on a conversation and is easy to understand. He talks constantly and asks lots and lots of questions. We get many comments on the volume of questions he asks!

He is one of the most perceptive toddlers/preschoolers I’ve ever met. He hears and processes everything and has a very sharp memory. He can recall, in detail, things that happened weeks or months ago.

We are finally starting to see some independent play, which seems to have developed alongside imaginative play. It’s now not uncommon for him to play quietly for 20 minutes or so, creating scenarios and dialogue for whatever he’s playing with.

It is very interesting to listen to his dialogue, because it will often revolve around something he’s learning at school or something that’s happened at home. “Going to the doctor” has been a theme since my recent surgery.

His favorite toys are his matchbox cars (he loves to line them all up) and his bin of Little People and the Little People bus. He likes to line all of his cars up in various configurations, always with very specific instructions at the outset. He loves for me to sit down with him and load his “peoples” on and off the bus. With Mike, his favorite activity is cars and his car track.

He absolutely loves books. He prefers to sort/collect/organize them more than slowly reading through each one, but books are a part of each day. Puzzles are another favorite.

He is very much a daddy’s boy at this point, preferring that Mike help him with all tasks. He is slowly starting to warm back up to me, but if Mike is home it’s usually, “Daddy do it!”

He can say his ABCs from start to finish and likes to sing songs he learns at school. It’s usually a mashup of lyrics from several different songs. We’re still working on counting in chronological order.

He is working hard at dressing himself and has been making great progress. Shirts and socks are still frustrating, but he keeps at it and is so proud when he is successful.

L.J. is starting to grasp time, often asking when school is closed/open or when Mike will be home. He understands Monday not so much as a day of the week as when school starts back after the weekend. And he does well with descriptors like “after bedtime” or “when you wake up in the morning.”

One of his very favorite things to do is to help us around the house! Taking out the trash or helping with the yard are much-cherished activities to be done with daddy; whereas he delights in being able to help me cook in the kitchen. He is a great helper and I love that he likes to be in the kitchen with me.

We have finally moved past the Bubble Guppies-or-bust phase! Putting our spare iPad in a kid-friendly case and giving it to L.J. was key to this transition. He is amazingly adept at using it, and knows where all his shows are located. (We have Amazon Video, the PBS app and then we help him with YouTube) He still watches Bubble Guppies, but now prefers Peppa Pig, Caillou and sometimes Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Baba, now also referred to as ‘Blankie’, is still his preferred comfort object. It goes everywhere and heaven forbid you go into a store and leave it in the car – instant meltdown.

L.J. is a big fan of Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Train and (off and on) Elmo as characters, yet interestingly has little to no interest in watching shows with those characters. For example, not interested in Thomas on TV but loves his Thomas jammies.

His favorite activity is going to the park/playground and his favorite store is Home Depot. His favorite song is "Country Roads" - he and Daddy sing it in the car. His favorite color appears to be orange.

L.J.'s Likes:

Baba
Going to School
Books & Puzzles
Fire Trucks & School Buses
Being helpful
Cooking with Mommy
Playing with Daddy
His iPad (“iPewter”)
Playing outside
Cheese & Bread of any kind
Fruit Snacks
Going to the beach
Being in control

L.J.'s Dislikes:

Being told no
Most meats, fruits and vegetables
Getting dressed and/or having his diaper changed

Challenges at Three Years:

Our biggest struggle right now is with defiance. L.J. wants to do things when/how/where he wants to do them. Any attempt to change his agenda results in a hot mess. Screaming, crying, throwing, hitting, kicking. Mike and I are struggling mightily with his defiance and how to appropriately discipline it.

We are also struggling with a new, less-disciplined school environment and the effects it is having on his behavior. We’ve seen some not-so-positive changes in his demeanor and behavior in the past six months and, again, aren’t sure what to do about it.

Mealtime and healthy nutrition are another challenge. L.J. would happily subsist on yogurt, cheese, rolls and fruit snacks. He won’t eat most meat, and refuses almost all vegetables and fruits. The only meats he will voluntarily eat are Costco rotisserie chicken and popcorn shrimp. The one and only vegetable he will eat is peas and the only fruit he will eat is grapes. (I’ve been told he eats better at school, but this is what we are seeing at home.)