AJ is Three.

AJ, Adam Jay, you are three today. My little man... my baby. It's hard to believe it's here and I know you are excited about it. You have been talking about how you will be three for a while now. It's very cute how you hold up three fingers... by pinching you pointer & thumb together and keeping your other three up.

You are getting so big, and yet, maybe as a gift to me, you are very happy in the role of 'baby of the family'. You are all about snuggling and rocking still and I love that. Yet, at the same time, you are a very busy active boy who does everything in his power to keep up with his five-year-old brother.

• You could live on peanut butter & apples... not necessarily together. Peanut butter sandwiches are your mainstay. I seriously think you could eat them every meal without tiring off them. And you love almost any fruit, but apples are your favorite. Just recently, at Grandma's, you were given a whole apple and sat there pretty much eating the entire thing. (by that, I mean, there were really not too many seeds left even.)
  
• On that same note – you are a sneaky snitch as well with that sweet tooth of yours. If there is anything sweet in sight, I must now monitor it closely, or you will find a way to get your little paws on it.
  
• Your favorite toys are still mostly cars & trucks. The current favorite is a toy “Mack” (from CARS the movie) that you recently got. Although, during our trip to Iowa, you spent a very large portion of your time putting a couple puzzles together over and over and over. Really, anything your brother is playing with is what you want to be playing with.
  
• Lately you have this obsession with vacation. I'm not sure where it's coming from since it's not been a topic of discussion among the rest of us at all. But somehow you are able to turn everything, from the food we are eating, to the clothes we are wearing, into a conversation about vacation. “Can we eat these cookies on vacation?”
  
• You are so very affectionate. You will rub our backs out of the blue, or come give kisses. You will tell us you love us and randomly ask for a hug. I love it!
  
• Your favorite movie is still CARS. (I can totally see myself writing these updates for the boys 5 years from now and still writing this same bullet point). You know the words and the songs and rather than really watch the movie at this point, it's like you narrate it to everyone else... just in case there is possibly someone new in the room who has never seen it before and might be having trouble following the storyline. You also love Word World, Little Einsteins, & Funniest Home Videos.
  
• You love tubs & showers. In fact, the current favorite is what you call a “ShowerTub”. You and your brother take a shower, but plug the drain during it. It's really the best of both world and you don't get in trouble for standing up in the tub.
  
• It's fun watching you around music... watching you sing along or start dancing. Favorite's are still “Life is Highway” & “Can't get away”. You also really like “Rock-a-by Baby” for some reason. And of course, I hear you singing “Jesus Loves Me” often.
  
• You are starting to grasp humor a bit. You know when you do something funny because afterward you tell us that you are funny. Or sometimes you do something silly on purpose and tell us it's funny.... all the while fake laughing in order to get us laughing for real. It usually works.
  
• You love your paci and B's (tag blankets). You have been told for the last year that your third birthday is your last paci night. And while you know this and you tell us that your paci will be no more, I'm not sure you really get it. You are SO attached to that thing. In fact, when you are upset and stick it in... I can feel your whole body relax. I'm really not sure how it's going to go. At least you get to keep your B's. And the current count is 4 of them. Your original and back-up (that is no longer back-up, just another one you use) and Andrew's two B's. Andrew decided on his own that when he turned five he was too big for B's and gave them to you. It was very sweet of him, but now you feel like you need your little army of B's when you sleep.
  
• You are really not interested in potty training. This is a bummer for me as I always think the pack of diapers I am buying is my last. But you seem content in them... even the cloth ones. You do obey and sit on the potty when we make you, but you have no desire of your own. And while, I wish you did... I know that forcing you when you are not ready only causes frustration for the both of us. But I am hoping soon.
  
• You are also not too interested in riding in a stroller anymore. And I can't blame you. The hard part is that you want to just walk or run, which is fine, except that often your brother is way ahead of us riding his bike and if we want to keep up what-so-ever, I need you to ride. So we try to compromise... which means a lot of in and out of the stroller. I know it's short term. Once you learn to ride, you will be off chasing after him as fast as you can.

AJ, you are just a sweet boy with such a soft heart. I'm so thankful for you and your energy, your deep dark eyes, your contagious giggle, and the way your pronounce your words in such a three year old endearing way. You are such a fun, snuggly part of our family. I love you. Happy birthday, kiddo.