Hellobee

Fun in the snow a week ago.

Oh my gosh, where did the time go? The day our little Panda was born is such a prominent memory (much more so than Lion’s entry into the world, even though he is the one who made us parents), likely due to the drama leading up to his birth. He was born a preemie, but quickly flourished into a fun-loving, happy, silly and crazy three-year-old.

Enjoying a day in Aruba.

At three, Panda is no longer the super-easygoing child we had from 0-2, but he is still a pretty happy child. He throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way and I’m hoping that phase passes quickly. Still, he’s happy more than he’s not, and will randomly burst into song or bop his head around to internal music while he’s eating or playing. He loves being funny and making people laugh. He is also still super cuddly and I adore the daily moments where he leaps into me, wraps his arms around my neck and nuzzles his head against my shoulder.

“Mama, can you tape this box closed?”

In most respects, Panda continues to be extremely independent, for better or worse. He brushes his teeth on his own, sometimes when I’m not even aware he’s in the bathroom on his stepstool after a meal. He is able to fully dress and undress himself, but thankfully we are out of the two month stage in which every night after bedtime he would sneak out and change his clothes a dozen times.

Always up for some exploring.

He likes to climb play structures that even Lion sometimes seems reticent to tackle, the only problem being that he hates slides and will get himself stuck at the top. He loves to practice new skills and rarely gets frustrated. He can unscrew jars and water bottles, open doors, and get himself into all types of mischief because he just keeps at it until he gets what he wants. Sometimes he even admits it: when I ask what he’s up to, I hear a tiny voice call out, “Making mischief…” He is definitely our little explorer.

Combining his love of Batman with football.

This past year, Panda saw some big changes and milestones. He potty-trained quickly, thanks to the efforts of our daycare who basically took charge when they saw readiness signs and potty-trained him within two weeks. In the last year, he picked up the alphabet and can easily recognize all the letters and can usually tell us what sound they make. Whenever he picks books out to read, he’ll point to the letters on the cover and announce what they are. He is now working on tracing letters and refining his pencil grip. He moved into the pre-K3 early because he was ready to tackle new skills, likely trying to keep up with his big brother. He took soccer and karate and seems to really enjoy the latter, again just like his brother.

BFFs.

Speaking of his brother, there is no doubt in my mind that Panda’s favorite thing in the whole world is Lion. Whenever he sees his brother, he shouts out, “Lion!” and you can just hear the happiness radiating. While they certainly have their share of disagreements, they continue to play together more than I ever expected and love each other fiercely. While Lion has taken the traditional role of protecting his little brother, I’ve seen Panda start to defend his big brother, too. If Lion says something and we ignore it or don’t respond right away, Panda (the more vocal of the two) will start yelling “Excuse me! Excuse me!” until we answer. Panda will then say, “Lion is trying to tell you something.”

Loving books.

And the splash park…

As far as Panda’s other favorite things, he has recently fallen in love with all things Star Wars, but particularly storm troopers. He still loves superheroes, with Batman and Captain America topping the list. For the past year, he has also been into knights and horses (instead of throwing him a birthday party last year, we took him to Medieval Times and he and Lion have been obsessed ever since). He is also intrigued by sports and I’m looking forward to the day we have a home with a backyard so he can run out some of his energy and throw balls around. He also still likes firefighters and requested a fire station birthday, like the one Lion had when he turned three. In fact, he tells me he’s going to be a firefighter and a knight when he grows up.

Feeding apples to his horses.

He’s an adventurous eater and enjoys a surprising amount of spice for a toddler. His favorite foods, though, are sushi (particularly sake maki), watermelon, grapes, apples (okay, pretty much any fruit), avocado, tomato soup, hummus, and all forms of salmon.

Love this little Panda.

We are so lucky to have Panda in our family, this child who brightens not only our day, but Lion’s as well. This child who wakes up on the right side of the bed 362 days of the year and charms everyone he meets with big goofy grins. Happy third birthday, little Panda. We love you forever.

Practicing his writing.

Sleeping soundly after a hard day of play.