Derick turns 3 years old today!

Our little man celebrates his birthday today. This morning, at breakfast, I told him it was his birthday. He looked at me and said, "Right now?!?" I confirmed that it was indeed his birthday, right now. He said, "Oh Wow!" and followed that exclamation up with a face splitting grin. At three years old, we don't always have the greatest days together. He can push the boundaries and test the limits, just like any other three year old. But, I do enjoy those moments when his sweetness comes through. He is a tender hearted boy, who loves his friends and family very much. He adores his sister, and is constantly loving on her. If he doesn't know where she is, you can bet he is asking me, "Mom, where is Darla?" His uncles are his idols and he loves to tell stories that involve them. We also listen to stories about his cousins, Jordan, Jewel, and Cooper almost daily. His imagination has taken off the last 6 months and as his vocabulary continues to develop, the stories get more complex. They usually involve a truck of some sort and most often, there's a problem to be solved. It's so fun listening to his creativity.

Derick's first word was CAR and his love affair with all things mobile hasn't diminished. He currently is into driving his Silverado Truck that Santa brought at Christmas-time. He can spend hours playing with his hot wheels cars; they are the toy that is the hardest for him to share at play dates. He enjoys technology very much: cameras, PDA's, telephones, computers, and TV....all of these things are very interesting and cool. His newest obsession: Music! He loves to turn on the CD player in his room and crank up the tunes. He also LOVES to dance any chance he gets. Our guests are usually pulled up to his room almost immediately on arrival, and shown the, "Cool Music." And usually, he asks them to dance with him.

He has been potty trained since the end of August/early September, although he still has a few accidents when he's distracted or doesn't want to stop what he's doing to go use the potty. We are working with him on using manners; saying his please and thank you consistently is still a challenge.

I'm not sure if this is a boy thing, or more specific to Derick, but he has always loved to be outdoors. When asked how he wanted to celebrate his birthday, he said, "At the Park!" So, we had a friend party this morning at local park just down the street from our house. A few of our Renton Mom's group friends braved the rain and cold to celebrate with us. It was wet, but Derick enjoyed himself!

Cupcakes at the park

My heart is swelling with pride and love as I sit here writing about him. Since he didn't sleep during quiet time today, I'm listening to him play downstairs. It's time for mommy to go hug her boy, her three year old boy!