Tiny Man is Three!

Noah may still be tiny, but he's quite the grown up little guy now. We celebrated his third birthday this year with a firetruck-themed party (more about that soon!) for friends and family on Saturday, and on Monday, he officially turned 3!

Here's a fun look back at each of his birthdays! His Hungry Caterpillar party for his 1st birthday, his fish party for his 2nd birthday, and now 3! Wow. He's grown so much, but he still has that sweet little face, gorgeous blond locks, and beautiful blue eyes!

On Monday, I took Noah to his pediatrician for his 3-year well-check. Everything went great and he appears to be right on track with his peers. He actually was able to complete all but one item on the developmental milestones checklist (which went up to age 4), so that's good! He weighed in at 29 pounds (up 4 pounds, 6 ounces from his 2-year check, and 1.5 pounds from his 2.5-year check), and measured up at 38 3/4 inches (up 4.5 inches from his 2-year check, and 1.75 inches from his 2.5-year check). This puts him right at the 80th percentile for height and 24th percentile for weight. Looking at both figures, he's down to below the 3rd percentile for height-to-weight ratio, with a BMI of just 13.5! He was up-to-date with all of his vaccinations, so no shots for that visit. Yay!

Noah still sleeps around 10-11 hours a night and is still taking one nap a day, anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours, in the afternoon. We've recently moved the boys' schedule a bit with Ethan starting kindergarten last week. He shares a room with big brother, Ethan, and it works well, as they enjoy talking and laughing in their beds (when they should be sleeping!! Haha!). They now go to bed no later than 9, but preferably by 8 pm. Wake-up time is between 6:45 and 7 am on school days! Before school started, they were going to bed between 9 and 10 pm and sleeping until 8 am normally.

Noah still has a pretty good appetite and is willing to at least sample most foods. He'd live on pasta and dessert alone, if we'd let him. How in the world does he stay so skinny?!? Pancakes and ice cream are two of his favorites. Pizza is another one he can normally tear through quickly. He always has room in his tummy for those! ;)

Highlights of the past year:

• Teeth 17-20 made their appearance
• Moved to a big boy bed
• First movie in the theater
• Became a big brother
• First putt-putt golf game, minor league baseball game & bowling experiences
• First barbershop haircut
• First sled ride in the snow
• Completed his first year of preschool

I don't really remember the rest of the teething process being bad for Noah. I think I remember at some point thinking he was a little crankier than normal, then realizing later that he was getting his molars in. So thankful he made that easy!

Not long after his 2nd birthday, the boys moved into a room together, to get the nursery ready for Amos's arrival. They love sharing the bunk beds and the move went very well. He still doesn't like to get out of bed himself when he wakes up, so he calls for me to come get him. :) Last summer we also went to the theater for the first time so that the boys could see Disney's Planes. It actually went much better than I expected, and it's something we need to do again soon!

I wasn't sure how Noah would do with the arrival of little brother, Amos, but he actually loved him from the beginning. Giving him kisses 24/7 on his head and wanting to hug and hold him was a much different reaction than Ethan had to Noah! Haha!

Now that he is getting bigger, we've been able to enjoy some fun things like putt-putt golf, baseball games and bowling! Noah seems so big, I think in part because he wants to do everything that big brother does. He can hold his own, and keeps up well, so it works!

Daddy used to give Noah his haircuts, but he has now started going to the barber like big brother. He looks so handsome, even though we're now cutting off those sweet curls he gets when his hair gets longer in the back. :'(

Other fun things Noah was able to experience this past year included his first sled ride down the hill in our backyard and his first year of preschool! He had a great year with his little buddies and is excited to go back this year!

Noah had another good year overall. Not long after his birthday, he lost his status as the baby, and became the middle brother. I think he took this kind of hard. That, paired with starting preschool twice a week and being away from me for the first time, made for a kind of rough time for him. I think he also struggled a bit with wanting to be more independent, but wanting the attention that comes with being more dependent. Fortunately, after a few months, he seemed to settle into his new position in the family and has been doing well since.

Noah adores his big brother, Ethan. He wants to do and say everything that he does. It's adorable. Fortunately, for now, Ethan doesn't seem to mind, and actually usually likes having a little guy that listens to him and does whatever he says! Haha! Noah also loves his little brother, Amos. He could give him hugs and kisses all day long. For real. He is always wanting me to take pics of him giving him hugs. He does a great job of playing with both of his brothers!

Noah's personality is really showing now. He can be quite the funny man like his big brother, and has no shortage of orneriness in him! He can also be quite the "cool" little guy, loving to listen and dance to rock music like his Daddy. He's also creative, like his Mommy, enjoying art. He likes putting together puzzles and playing Legos with Ethan.

We sure love our fun little middle!

Like I did last year on his birthday, I asked Noah some questions that I'm going to ask every year now, to see how his responses change over the years. Here they are, in case you can't read them in the picture:

1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Legos and dogs
3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberries and oranges
4. What is your favorite tv show/movie? Frozen
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? peanut butter and honey
6. What is your favorite outfit? light blue shirt with excavator on it
7. What is your favorite game? Hide and Seek
8. What is your favorite snack? fruit snacks
9. What is your favorite animal? giraffe
10. What is your favorite song? Awesome God
11. What is your favorite book? Little Pink Pup
12. Who is your best friend? Ethan and Amos
13. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Mini Wheats
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play with chalk
15. What is your favorite drink? water with ice and apple juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? dog
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pumpkin pancakes
19. What is your favorite dinner? mac 'n cheese, pork and squash
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Daddy, or Darth Vader

Noah continues to keep us on our toes, as his own little person. The twos were tougher with him than they were with Ethan, so I hope that trend doesn't continue with the threes! Haha! He amazes us daily with the things that he says and does and we look forward to what this year will bring with it. Happy 3rd birthday, Noah. We love you!