Miles Turns THREE!
It’s hard to believe that we are here, but I’m thrilled that we are! So much has happened in Miles’s third year of life.
Let’s start with how big he is and the skills he has mastered. At his 3-year well health check he weighed in at 33 lbs and 8 oz and measured 35 inches tall. He isn’t quite as tall as Ella at her 4-year appt, but he sure weighs more than her! Miles talks like a mini adult. I feel like most everything he wants to say, he can. We have wonderful conversations about Iron Man and bad guys and I love listening to him explain things to me. He knows all the Avengers and their human names. He can count to 20, although he skips 14, 15 and 18 quite regularly. He knows his letters, and when he accidentally writes one while coloring, shouts, “Look, I made an ‘E’ or ‘W’ or ‘Q,’ whatever it is that he has accidentally created. Miles is fully potty trained (no pull-ups at night) and it was an amazingly easy process. I was ready to put on my armor and go to battle over using the toilet with him, but to our pleasant surprise, potty training him was a piece of cake!
Ella and Miles both took separate soccer classes last Winter and Spring. Miles was in a class where the parent worked on the field with him. Although he didn’t love soccer, he certainly got better and was doing things by the end of the season that he wasn’t able (or more likely ‘willing’) to do at the beginning of the season.
There was a long period of time where Miles didn’t want to do much by himself and would whine for help. I’m hopeful that we’re at the end of that phase. When he does things (such as put his backpack away or take his shoes off) he walks out so proud of himself and whispers, “Guess what I just did?”
During the same whining phase, Miles was also incredibly defiant for the sake of being defiant. There were days that he would lose toys, get ‘time outs’ and seem to be in trouble more than he was not. Again, fingers crossed, we may have turned a corner. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I felt hopeless that his behavior would not improve, but alas here we are.
Despite Miles’s obstinate attitude, he is so wonderfully affectionate. He gives hugs and kisses freely and would climb on us and sit on our laps all day if he could. He loves to wrestle and climb and throw footballs and whack objects (or people) as he rushes by them. He loves to touch!
Miles continues to be a somewhat picky eater. Unless it’s a smoothie, edamame beans (with soy sauce), broccoli or spinach ravioli, if it has green in it, he will make it known he doesn’t like it, even before he tries it. His favorite breakfast foods are pancakes, waffles, and eggs. He loves chicken and rice for dinner and asks for yogurt and cottage cheese for snacks. He still loves his milk in his red cup (which is really pink) with a blue lid. We’re grateful he downs his fruit and veggie packed smoothie every morning because if we let him live off of dairy and grains, he would.
Miles loves all things Avengers, especially Iron Man and War Machine. His favorite TV shows are Spidey and Friends and Rescue Bots. He loves his stuffed ‘Cap’ shield and regularly uses it in our wrestling matches. Whenever we sit or lie on the ground, within seconds, Miles has climbed on top of us. He doesn’t do much for long, but he does sit down to color and look at books. He doesn’t enjoy playing by himself much, which is probably why he is always bothering Ella. He tries to play with her by knocking over whatever she is working on….his strategy is not working out very well as everyday we hear, “Miiiilllllleeeesssss!!!! Stop it!” at least 10 times.
There are countless times where they choose to hold hands (and announce it to us so we can gush over them) and play without an argument for upwards of 20 minutes. Whereas a year ago, Ella was definitely the one ‘raising’ Miles, Miles will call out Ella when she is playing during dinner or making bad decisions. I hope that 10 years from now, when bad decisions could have real consequences, that they continue to hold each other accountable for their actions.
