But for now, I have to spend some time celebrating Ely's 3rd birthday! Ely turned 3 on February 6, and as I posted on Facebook, I really feel like this is more my birthday. It was on this day in 2009 that I was born into love - one greater than I imagined ever being capable of. Motherhood has taught me more than any job, any relationship, any experience.
Enough about me though - Ely, Ely, Ely! I can't believe how much this boy has grown and changed in a year. At two (last year's birthday post), I thought he was pretty advanced and that all of that thinking and learning might taper off a little bit as progressed through the year. Boy, was I wrong! Ely has his own very independent, very precise style - he remembers virtually everything, but often truly listens to anything (we only know that he "hears" because he can repeat back the instruction we've given him, only if he's is bossing someone else around!) He talks nearly incessantly, and so well that people usually guess that he's turning 4 or 5 instead of 3. He's entered into more of a hyper stage than he's ever been in before, largely attributed to the "cooped up-ness" he experiences at daycare (something we're hoping to change in the next year).
At 3, Ely:
-- Is 38.5" tall (65th percentile) and weighs 35 pounds (80th percentile). Dr. Johnson says he has very dense muscle, just like his dad. And he seems to have inherited the 6-pack abs structure too...lucky him! :)
-- Loves his home and his family. He is very much a homebody and relishes the days where he can "hang out with you, mom and dad" instead of going to daycare. He is extremely affectionate, as he always has been, and has instituted nightly group hugs before bed.
-- Has a vocabulary that would rival some adults. And uses it. All. The. Time. :)
-- Recognizes all letters and is starting to get early reading concepts down that are indicators for kindergarten readiness (the youth development person in me talking here). Knowing we read from left to right, knowing how to identify the letter a word starts with, knowing some letter sounds, etc. He can read his name, mama, dad, and we're working on a few simple words.
-- Counts to 20, sometimes. He can get to 13 easy, gets a little confused from 14-17, and can usually finish strong from 18-20. He also recognizes numbers up to 12, and when we had the advent calendar out, he was doing good in the teens.
-- Is fully potty trained since May 2011. He was able to stop wearing pull-ups over his undies at daycare in August 2011 (they wanted to wait until they were sure he would be accident free). And as a bonus, he no longer needs anyone to accompany him to the bathroom either.
-- Loves vehicles of all kinds, but especially tractors and heavy machinery. All boy here.
-- Can name all sorts of animals, plants, and birds, and about 10 different kinds of dinosaurs - his favorite bath toys!
-- Is quite the young conservationist. Farmers near our property were cutting down a large plot of trees to put in more corn. I took Ely down the lane to see them, thinking he'd be impressed by the machinery. With absolutely no prompting or suggested opinions on the topic from his parents, he immediately asked, "Why are they cutting down trees? Trees are our friends. Where are the animals going to live?" and he actually started to tear up. Then in true Keilback fashion, he got mad and started calling them "bad farmers" and tried to yell at them across the field to stop. A few days later, we asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He replied, "A gun, so I can shoot the bad farmers." Ok, Mr. Greenpeace. Not quite the right idea, but we appreciate your passion.
-- Has an outstanding memory for detail. We tell "stories" every night before bed about past events - holidays, when we went to the zoo, the Thresheree, the aquarium, etc. He will fill in details that I have forgotten MONTHS after the event took place. He remembers how to get places too, like which turns to make to go to grandma's house, daycare, and even the doctor's office (which thankfully, we have not had to visit much this year!).
-- Is super-duper, incredibly bossy. Take it from two leadership-oriented, control-freak, know-it-all, first-born parents - this guy is referred to as the Three-Foot Dictator in our house. We always walk a fine line between letting him lead and letting him know who is really boss. We play tug-of-war over that line ALL the time.
-- Still loves to watch Mickey, but in the past year, he's also grown to love movies too. His favorites are all of the Toy Story movies, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Madagascar. He also loves his John Deere videos, Curious George episodes, but will only occasionally watch Thomas anymore. It's a little sad that we put away his trains and tracks this birthday to replace them with a Big Red John Deere barn and other farm implements. Makes Toy Story only more poignant for us as parents, watching some toys being left behind!
-- Figured out how to ride his tricycle and pedal up and down the driveway this fall. We can't wait to get back outside this spring!
There is so much more I could share, but it all leads to the same point - he's growing up too fast! And to answer all of family and friends' lingering questions, I think we would only ever entertain the thought of having another one IF, AND ONLY IF, we were guaranteed to have another just like him (minus the bossiness!). And knowing that's not biologically possible - don't hold your breath waiting for another Keilback addition! :)
A few of my favorite 3-year pictures:
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