Globe-trotting Grovers: Our 3 year old Peanut

Our Peanut is 3. And he is still the size of a peanut….. definitely sprouting up, he's long and lean, but not as hefty as Taj was at this age. His picky eating has improved….. and that depends on the day. His new thing is chewing the same thing for an hour. He has the hardest time chewing up beef, chicken, fish, shrimp…. you know, all the healthy protein stuff. He can chew up the hardest stickiest candy in a millisecond though. Hmmm.

I can officially say that Peanut is a stinker, and ever since he turned 3, the tantrums and stubborn streak has worsened. He is so indecisive, and will change his mind several times when given choices which usually leads to a meltdown. He even bangs his head on the floor when he doesn't get his way. Definitely a stinker these days, and an emotional puddle that can be very difficult to mop up sometimes. I have read that at the 3 year old stage, Jax wants to be independent in everything, even call the shots. He wants it to be his idea, not yours. He wants to control the situation, just like with the eating…. its all about control. He is Taj's little shadow and copies EVERYTHING. Taj is his hero. Usually, its good habits he picks up from him, but sometimes its the negative too and it ends up sticking the longest. Peanut is excellent in his toileting, holding his bladder all night and staying dry, and dressing himself. His signature fashion style is wearing his pants backwards and wearing his hats to the side (like in many pictures… he's our little Vanilla Ice rapper.)

Of the 2 brothers, Jax is the ringleader when it comes to mischief. He thinks of it, plans it, orchestrates it, and even somehow gets Taj to help him. They have gotten in huge trouble drawing with crayons on furniture, throwing all cushions off the sofa and chaise, making massive messes…. the kind only a tornado could accomplish. But don't let his new emerging attitude, mischief, and tough exterior fool you, he's all jello and mush on the inside. Hence the meltdowns. He's so sensitive and emotional, and just craves attention. He still has a soft spot for Frozen though!

IMG 3169 from jana grover on Vimeo.

In January, we took Jax to see the Frozen Disney on Ice show in Cleveland,

and he was dancing and grinning from ear to ear the whole show.

Peanut has stopped napping. Officially. Prior to his 3rd birthday we got him to stay in his room (via tying his doorknob to another doorknob so he couldn't escape…. don't tell CPS on us LOL) His door does not latch so its not like we could lock it, and he is so strong that he would often pull so hard on the door and squeeze in through the crack…. so the tying of the doorknob wasn't very successful. I finally gave up and gave him the choice to either nap or read quietly during nap time (we began calling it quiet time.) Once given this choice, he took took it to another level and decided he wanted to take his quiet time in Taj's room. Well, ok. So now both boys sit in the same room and look at books or play quietly. They usually take their "quiet" time downstairs after a few minutes, and it turns into just "play" time! How did this happen? Stinkers. Boys are happy. Mommy is exhausted. Mommy misses her quiet time. Just didn't think Jax would drop his nap so soon, I thought I had another year!!! The great news is that now nap time quiet time does not restrict our day events or activities, and when we are out playing during the time we are usually stuck at home for the quiet time, the boys fall asleep and technically nap in the car when we are driving home from somewhere.

Both boys are also sharing a room now. Taj has graduated to the top bunk, and Jax is on the lower bunk with an inflatable bed rail. No more babies in the house…. or toddler beds! The boys are inseparable in that way. They play, shower, eat, go to school together, and now they sleep together all night long. They were so attached when we got back from our CA (Feb/March) travels and got very used to sharing a room that upon returning Taj really missed Jax…. so they bunked up! I need to take a photo of this because I don't know how long this will last before they get annoyed with each other.

In school news, Jax goes to his own 3 year old preschool in Lakewood, Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11:30am. He started going just after his birthday at the beginning of the year! He loves it. Especially all the art and crafts they get to do…. its a very sensory hands-on classroom.

On Tuesdays, he accompanies me to our weekly Story times that we put on for our little friends at the Ashville Library. Its something special him and I do together, and I just love it. He loves the library, and the fun craft we always manage to pull together thanks to Pinterest. We will continue with our Tuesday story times next school year, and Jax will go to the same preschool 3 days a week. When he starts UPK like Taji at the public elementary school, Jax will already be 5 only because the cut-off for birthdays is December 1st. We are hopeful that Jax will catch up in size…. he's just a bit smaller than kids his age…. must be in the genes! Having that extra year will also help in his emotional development and maturity. The boys will end up 2 grades apart.

Jax loves our story times so much, that sometimes he practices at home with his buddies during his quiet time: