Happy Birthday Calen!

Our Cal is officially 3 today! Another year flew by and it's amazing to see how much little Cal grew emotionally, physically and intellectually since turning 2 -- we can only imagine what this next year will bring. Happy Birthday Calen Cake Mix! Milestones at 3 years:

• 34.5 lbs., 38 inches


• Cal loves to move - jumping, running, dancing, etc. We try to do something active every day to get the energy out. Gymboree (as he says, the REAL Gymboree, after he felt tricked after I took him to the Conestoga open play gym) is a favorite as is Pump it Up Jr. or any park. He can really throw a ball, or football and is awesome at hitting balls with his baseball bat or tennis racquet. This Winter we start soccer lessons, which we're looking forward to!


• Cal just finished another session of swim lessons. He's a fish! His favorite thing is to jump in from the side. He yells, "1,2,3 Blastoff!" or "To infinity and beyond" before taking the plunge. Cal is comfortable putting his entire face in the water while blowing bubbles. We're working on "reach and pull" strokes and floating on his back. The slide at Conestoga is also a fun favorite.


• Cal's imagination is growing every day. He loves to pretend play with figures including Buzz, Woody, Transformers, cars, trucks or his animals. We play doctor and restaurant. He tells funny stories about imaginary things he sees, and he's even started to tell "tall tales" to my dismay. All are harmless, most are funny. Some recent ones include:

- "I work over the mountain. I work with my friends downtown. We make bicycles."
- "I got you that jacket Mommy. Yes I did. I bought that for you at the store. You like it?"

- "When I was younger, I rode that bicycle. But when I was a baby, I didn't like binkys."

• With his growing imagination, comes fears. Cal has expressed that he's afraid in a variety of situations but mainly at night in his bedroom. He's been afraid of the dark, spiders, monsters, Raja, being alone, lions, dinosaurs, etc.


• We're working on sleeping in his own bed. Since Ben arrived, Cal wakes up in the middle of the night and walks down the hall to visit our bedroom. We'll take him back, but often let him sleep with us, so we can catch some ZZZs too. Bedtime is a battle - Cal wants to stay up and hang out with Mom and Dad. He is napping about every other day.


• He still loves Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and movies. Favorites include Kung Fu Panda, Little Einsteins and Finding Nemo. We watch a little in the morning, while Mom gets ready and a little at night right before bed.

• Favorite foods include Mac and Cheese, hummus, pizza, broccoli, green beans, chocolate milk, apples, eggs, noodles, and burritos.

• Cal can count to 20+, say his ABCs, is good with matching patterns, colors, shapes, etc. He can recognize a few numbers and letters, but that is something we're working on. He is also learning to hold a pencil and scissors correctly. He isn't too into art projects; coloring typically lasts 3 minutes or less.