Just Adam

I thought it would be a good time to give an update on the Monster.  He turned three in August and is currently obsessed with anything Toy Story.  He got the chance to meet Woody & Buzz Lightyear at Disney World in October and was completely star-struck.  He can narrate the entire Toy Story and Toy Story 2 plots and is waiting with excitement for Toy Story 3 to come out this summer.  The other day I went and picked up his 3-year pictures.  To be honest, this was the first year I was really worried about having pictures made.  In the past, he's been fun and photogenic and I always knew I would walk away happy, despite having spent way too much money because the decisions were just too hard.  This year...not so much.  He's three, after all.  I wasn't sure which child would wake up that morning and, even if it was the angel version of him, which child he would morph into just in time for the photo session.  Thank God, we were once again able to fool everyone who only knows him by photograph and here were the results:

They're all adorable and, of course, I got them all in some form or fashion.  You'll notice Doo-doo is there (the bear), which has made an appearance in nearly all of his portraits.  Picture #4 is especially funny to me because it has Rex (the dinosaur from Toy Story) in it, too.  It's funny because he's not particularly attached to Rex in general, he just went through a phase that week.  If you've read previous blogs, he was also in a picture with Adam at Cape Zanpa, by the lighthouse - which was about the same time these were taken.  I'm glad I'm one of those people who has pictures made regularly, because they really are worth a thousand words.  Looking back at his monthly, then yearly photos, I am flushed with so many memories.

 

6 Months old and just sitting up!  I think this was actually the first time it was captured on film.  Also just getting attached to that bear...

9 Months old - he was kissing a picture of a brown-eyed girl in that book, which he did every time he saw her.  I hopped in some of these pictures with him because I was about to lose my hair...

One!  He loved animals and could make most animal sounds, and this tractor made animal sounds.  He loved pushing it around, ramming it into things.

Christmas 2007 - He literally stopped screaming for 3 seconds and they snapped the picture

Two!  Still attached to that bear and this time he wanted to take Cookie Monster with him.  Another phase, but that one actually lasted a while.  Also, this was before he got the handbook on "How to be a Terrible Two-Year-Old" (don't worry - he got it!  But it was nothing compared to the one on being a three-year-old).

There was no Christmas 2008 picture...there was no chance in hell he was going near enough to Santa to get a picture of them together.

Christmas 2009 had two phases - the first time he would stand near Santa and tell Santa everything he wanted, but would not sit on his lap.  The second time he went ahead and hopped up on his lap, but I have a feeling that had to do with the fact that Santa was actually handing out gifts...

Obviously, he's growing up.  And despite what the calendar may say, it has taken a lot less than 3 1/2 years.  It goes fast.  Last week he started preschool and I had a little breakdown.  He has spent every day of the past few years with me and now he won't.  If I wasn't pregnant with the twins, I would wonder how on earth I was going to fill my days.  Because he always filled my days.  Soon enough, though, I know he'll have replacements in that department and, don't get me wrong - I did learn pretty quickly how to enjoy the free days.  Even recognizing the freedom it gives me and the positive effect it's having on him, it's hard to do.  On his very first day at school, they started correcting his pronunciation of "yellow," which is "lellow," and I happen to think it's cute.  After his first two days at school, he no longer lumped "L-M-N-O-P" into one while singing his "ABCs" - he actually enunciated each one.  That's great!  But the lump is so cute...I can only hope they don't soon correct the fact that he calls hangnails "snails."  I'll miss that when it's gone.  However, I don't miss that he generally uses manners and nice words now when asking for things (I say "generally" because he is still three and still has plenty of "three" moments).  On Friday he came home with his first craft - a noodle wreath - and now it proudly graces our front door - Okay, I couldn't find anything better at the BX, but it's actually pretty cute:

I could write and write about Adam.  What can I say?  He's our first-born.  But since he has politely asked me about 15 times now to read Fly Away Peter to him (which we just got yesterday and have already read about 10 times), I guess I should go be a Mommy and read it.  He also just told me that Al McWhiggin stole Woody again so we have to go rescue him.  Toy Story...