May 17, 2013
Dear Nicky,
3 and a half. Finally. We’re all breathing a sigh of relief because the last couple of weeks have been SO much better than the last couple of months. When you grow up and have kids and people tell you that the Terrible Threes are wose than the Terrible Twos, believe them. Three for you has been a very difficult year. You have pushed every boundary you’ve come across, and have spent more time than I can count crying or mad or on time out or all of the above. We’re all exhausted by the raw emotion of being three. But we’ve heard many times that something happens around three and a half and suddenly it all gets better. I may be jinxing us by writing about it, but I think we’re finally there. You still make mistakes but you often catch yourself right away and say (genuinely) “oh, sorry mom” or when you’re starting to get too wild you now realize that and can course correct before you get in trouble for driving mommy nuts. Bravo!
Well, Nicky, you certainly think you’re getting to be a big boy, and I have to agree with you. We hear about all the things you’re going to do when you “get five” no less than a dozen times a day. “Mom, when I get five I will be a big boy. Mom, when I get five I’ll go to kindergarten. Mom, when I get five I can ride my bike on the street. Mom, when I get five I can drive a car.” You’re also always proclaiming that the things you’re doing–like sounding out words or using scissors–are “pre-k”, which must be some kind of distinction thy make at school. You mostly hang out with older kids at school, and they’ll all be leaving for kindergarten in just a couple months. School is going to be a much different place for you when they leave–I think you’re going to be shocked when all your buddies suddenly disappear.
You’ve been doing really well in school lately though. You’ve made such big mental leaps in the last couple of months. You’ve started learning addition and subtraction and you almost know more spanish words tan i do. You are really getting the concept of sounding out words and you love to break words down into their sounds when you say them, like “t-r-u-ck, truck!” And you are good at sounding out words with help. You’re working hard to pronounce words correctly and it’s killing me to help you lose you baby-ish pronunciation. You really want to say ambulance (ambliance) right, and you’re so proud when you remember to say she instead of her. You still don’t know that you say waterlemon (watermelon) the wrong way and that’s how I want to keep it. You ‘re just growing up too fast.
One of your big obsessions lately is to ask who made you, and who made Kate, and who made Hugo. You were really distressed to learn that Hugo doesn’t live with his mommy and daddy anymore and it was so hard for me to describe to you that when kitties (and little boys) grow up they don’t live with their mommies and daddies anymore. But you always assure me that Hugo goes back and visits his mommy and daddy all the time, which makes me feel a lot better when I’m feeling sad that one day you’ll move out too. I’m so glad you live at home and I hope you always come back to visit all the time, just like Hugo.
love, Mommy