Rylan turns 3-years old!

Rylan is officially turning three tomorrow, but we have been celebrating his birthday all week. I am also happy to report that Rylan will now eat birthday cupcakes! Except for his first birthday cupcake smashing, he has refused all cake, including last year. He wouldn't eat his Thomas birthday cake, but he has realized the wonders of cupcakes. I think he has eaten four in the last two days! Our food pyramid is a little unbalanced, but hey, we are making up for lost time and birthdays only come once a year.
Rylan weighs 33 lbs. and is 38 in. tall, the 60% percentile for both measurements. He has grown 3 in. since last year! He no longer looks like a roly-poly, chubby toddler, but a tall, lean pre-schooler. We still have days that my patience runs thin with his behavior (and I don't even think all those days are his fault), but I am loving that most days we have moved past the "terrible two's." Most of the time, Charlton and I just look at him and marvel at how much we love him and enjoy being around him.
At MOPS a few weeks ago, our speaker talked about love languages applying to our children also. I am pretty certain Rylan's are physical touch and quality time. He loves to hold his bear-bear and snuggle almost any time. I treasure those moments when he says, "Mama, I need some cuddle time." Usually he just hangs out for a few moments to "refill his tank" and then he hops off to play again. He also loves for us to get down on the floor and play with him. I feel bad because so often he asks when I am trying to cook dinner or otherwise occupied, but when I do carve out time for him, it is always worthwhile. He likes role-playing games, where we will each hold one of his toys and make them talk or act in an adventure. We get some pretty interesting combinations of Pixar characters playing together; Cars, Buzz Lightyear, and a little batman thrown in for good measure. Thanks to Charlton's influence, batman is a new favorite.
Rylan can say his ABC's, count to 10, identify most shapes and about 5-10 letters. He amazes me by remembering the titles of new library books we have just read once, and has almost memorized some of his favorite rhyming books. He can sing simple songs, and we have learned to be careful what we say, because we may just hear it repeated again from Rylan! Thanks to Nana, he is learning to cut with scissors which he thinks is great fun. I think he is going to be right-handed. He likes to color sometimes, but pretty soon gets bored and wants to move on to something more active. The same applies to working simple puzzles, but his attention span and patience for solving those problems is improving.
One of the biggest changes over this past year is that Rylan is now potty-trained. We started at the beginning of September and now we rarely have pee accidents. He is still inconsistent with going #2, so we make a really big deal with lots of praise when he actually makes it into the potty on that one. He isn't scared any more to go potty when we are out in public, although the loud flushing of some toilets scares him.
Here are some things Rylan loves: playgroup with his friends Jimmy and Dain, M&M's, wrestling with Dad, cinnamon toast, splashing in puddles or any water, playing shadow puppets with his flashlight, reading books, jumping on mom's bed, eating anything sweet with sprinkles, "washing" dishes in the sink, "driving" my car, exploring "his" trail by himself at Garden of the Gods, climbing rocks, investigating red ants, playing peek-a-boo with Caroline...
Here are some things Rylan hates: Caroline's puke (it totally grosses him out, he can smell it a mile away and is the first to alert me when it happens), unfamiliar crowded places full of strange, people (can you blame him?), getting his toenails clipped or hair cut (although he is getting better about both), un-crispy chicken nuggets, having to hold still to get dressed, snow, water balloons...
Funny things Rylan does: Opens his door each morning and says loudly, "Here I am!" Asks Daddy frequently, "How are your clients doing?", Asks mommy, "How are your patients doing?" Dancing and practicing karate moves; Whenever we drive somewhere, he asks me, "Mom do you have your purse, do you have the diaper bag, do you have our drinks, etc.. demanding "privacy" in the bathroom....
Ways Rylan likes to help mom and dad: Wiping Caroline's spit-up, telling us when she is about to climb stairs, or do something dangerous; setting the table; making his bed; picking up toys; putting his shoes away; watering things with the hose....
Some big changes from last year: learning how to open doors, including the refrigerator door; the ability to sit and participate through an entire 20-minute story time at library; walking beside me most of the time when we shop; pulling zippers and almost getting himself dressed; he rarely hits people now, a huge improvement from last year when it was a major problem..
Things that Rylan does that try my patience: asking the same question a dozen times even though I have already answered it; asking me every minute "Are we all done yet?" at the grocery; yelling, "Don't look at me or Go away" to me or total strangers when he is hurt or angry; taking an hour to walk the half-mile to the park; saying "no" when he really means yes, then throwing a tantrum about it...
Things that Rylan does that make me melt: giving me hugs and kisses, cuddling, giving Caroline kisses, telling me, "I like your hair, shirt, etc..., saying "Mom, you are the best cookie maker!"; his sweet prayers for people to get better or to ask Jesus to help us find something; his tender concern when someone gets hurt, talking to our adopted grandmother neighbor, Miss Yvonne through their special hole in the wooden fence....

There are so many more things I know I could say about this precious blessing in my life, but it is getting way too late and my brain is fuzzy. Happy 3rd Birthday Rylan! I love you more than word can say. Thank you Jesus for giving me the gift of being your mama. I pray He will give me unconditional love, wisdom, selflessness, and patience to be the best mom I can be to you in the coming year.