Gabe at 3

Gabriel,

You recently turned three years old which breaks this mama's heart. As happy as I am that you are growing up, and as much as I love what each new age brings, I hate knowing that it won't be long before you refuse to cuddle with me on the couch, or hold my hand in public, or get excited every time you see me. You are growing up too fast.

This year brought a huge change in your speech and also your mood. I can understand you about 99% of the time and others can understand you probably 2/3 of the time. You are so much happier when you are able to communicate your thoughts with others (I would be, too!) Your voice is still extremely hoarse/raspy but we're hoping this improves with treating your reflux, voice therapy, and seeing the ENT regularly.

Your best friend is your cousin Jackson. You only see him once a year but you two act like brothers. I love that you are so close with him and hope that you remain that way! Your favorite color is green (you want EVERYTHING to be green- green sippy cup, green medicine, green candy, etc.) Your favorite toys are still your trucks but you also like dinosaurs, coloring, and playing with play doh. Recently you' ve become more interested in playing pretend and you like to "cook" and run a grocery store.

You are too technology saavy already and can run my iPhone and your Leapster with minimal problems. You only get to play with them when we are running errands, but they keep you content and happy.

We try to go to the park everyday or do something physical. Overall, your behavior has improved a lot over the past six months, but we still have some rough days. You do better when you get physical activity or when daddy is here to roughhouse with you. We need to work on developing more patience and sitting still (I know, good luck, right?)

You are a good big brother to Claire, but it bugs you when she wants to play with your toys. You don't always want to share with her and sometimes get more rough than she can handle. If Claire gets hurt or is upset, though, you are the first person to her side and always let me know. You will grab her blanket and paci or a diaper, or whatever you think she needs to help her feel better. I hope that as you grow, you continue to look out for her and protect her.

One of my favorite times with you, Gabe, is reading books before bed. You love this alone time and would let me read all night. Your favorite books are from the Llama Llama series and anything from Dr. Seuss. You get so excited to have mommy read to you and laugh at all the silly stories. You have an infections laugh and it makes me so happy to hear. I am going to start introducing sight words to you so that you can 'read' with me.

I am proud of you Gabe and I hope you know how much joy you bring to our family. We may have our strong-willed battles and days that I get frustrated with you, but I wouldn't trade any of it. Your most frustrating and hard to discipline qualities are the same qualities that will allow you to be a leader and stand up for what is right when you get older... if we survive the toddler years, that is ;) I love you little man!

Mama