Joy is three today (Birthday interview)

Where have the years gone? It is hard to believe Joy is three. It assume it will be even harder to believe it the day she turns 6. What a spunky, feisty, imaginative, compassionate, dramatic, creative  and intelligent little blue eyed girl we have. We love you more each day Joy and are blessed to be your parents. It truly is a joy to watch you grow up. You ask mommy and daddy lots of hard questions and keep us on our toes. It is fun to see your relationship with Simon growing. We love to hear you talking to him and playing together ("come on Simon lets go play in my room"). 

 Joy's  birthday party was this weekend and she opened presents from us (a tea set and dress up jewelry). Then yesterday she got to open her present from Grammie and Grandpa Condie while on Skype with them (a baby doll set with a new baby she has named "Chrysanthemum") . Today (her actual birthday) she got to go out with daddy on a special date. She requested hash browns, orange juice, water  (so they went to "Old McDonalds as she calls it) and chocolate ice cream (from the store) for the food and  playing at the park. She even got a new Chinese New Year dress. 

We did a birthday interview with her and I can't figure out how to put up the pdf so I've put up the video. It is very cute (even though it is very long 4min) but I am her mother! 

Joy's tea party birthday

For Joy's 3rd birthday we threw her a tea party. She had five friends (Elena, Abigail, Mathis, Christian and Simon) attend and we had it up on our roof. It was a fun afternoon. 

Play time: play dough, scooters and slides before the party started 

  

Joy and her scooter (her favorite thing to do!)

Mathis giving Rudy a little love and attention 

Craft time: Making fascinators and bow ties. 

Tea Time: I made decaffeinated strawberry tea with honey

Snack Time: tea sandwiches cut in the shape of butterflies, sausage (birthday girl's request), fruit and pop corn (birthday girl request)

 Cupcake time: Joy waited very patiently all day for this part. The candles wouldn't light due to the wind but Joy still pretended to blow them out!




 

 Simon avoiding sticky fingers....

Book exchange time: the kids all loved their books and we even read a few of them. Joy got the hilarious book "Children Make Terrible Pets"

Simon is 17 months

What Simon is doing

• Simon loves to blow bubbles (baba) in his milk. 
• Gives kisses and hugs all day long to his family. 
• Points out every banana tree we pass (Brad taught him which trees are banana trees) 
• Says "Bababab) every time we pass a dog and I'm starting to think it is "Bad dog" or "no barking" the two things he hears all the time. 
• Figuring out how to use the scooter. 
• Would love to spend his whole day outside and wants to out bye bye as soon as he wakes up (I spend the next few hours convincing him it is still too early to out outside). 
• Loves to wave "bye bye" and makes sure that all the lights are off in the house before we leave. 
• He has to do WHATEVER Joy is doing...and it has to be exactly the same or there is a melt down
• Has very good fine motor skills and can undo tight twist ties and baby locks that aren't tight enough. He has patience and quick little fingers!
• Has to wipe up any spilled food on his tray/floor/or bib. I have another neat and tidy little person in my house. 
• Has started having little tantrums when he doesn't get his way. 
• Goes around the house singing the "Fallalalla "part of "Deck the halls" with Joy. 

What Simon is saying 

Simon understand everything I tell him. He can follow one step directions. He still isn't much of a talker and has very limited words.
*ga: garbage  or gross
*ma ma: Mamma and MORE food
*da da: dog and daddy
* ba ba: bye bye followed by standing by the door and saying ba ba until we leave. He actually starts to bay ba ba as soon as I put pants on him after his nap because he knows we usually go out.
*naa: NO which he says so EMPHATICALLY. 

Teeth: 10 teeth.

Eats:

Solid food: Simon is a good eater but is super slow. He will only feed himself...which is very messy. He can use a fork and spoon for the first part of a meal and then abandons it. He pretty much can start eating dinner at 5 and still be eating off and on until 6:30pm. 

• Loves: most all food. Especially bread, rice, veggies, fruit. Pizza (he is my son)
• Verdict is still out on:  he will eat beans more often than not now but still doesn't really like....chicken (which was good when we all got food poisoning from chicken and he didn't because he wouldn't eat it!) 

Sleeps:   I feel like a broken record, but Simon is not the greatest sleeper. If anything changes (sickness, teeth, visitors...unknown stuff) his sleep shifts to a bad place. Over Christmas break he was waking up at 5am. We don't go and get him until around 6am. He still is up between 5-6am, no matter what I have tried (earlier bedtimes at 6:40 has helped extend the morning sleep a bit). On the weeks that he is up early and not napping it is hard to not be very frustrated. I tend to loose sight of the big picture and all his great characteristics. Simon is such a sweet and tender little boy with lots of energy. He fills our lives with joy and laughter. 

Naps: He is at one nap and will sleep for 1 hour on bad days and 2 hours on good days. One week he will only sleep an hour, then the next 1.5 hours and then the next 2 hours...then cycle back to the one hour phase. It is kind of unpredictable and maddening to me, but I am trying to roll with the punches a bit more and not get so psychotic about it.

Weighs: 20.5 + Lbs

Likes: 

- Watching construction

-Doing or destroying whatever Joy is doing...

-Trash cans: points to and tells me about everyone we pass.

- Pushing around Joy's stroller: with his blankie in it. 

-Playing rough with daddy: being thrown around, riding on his shoulders...boy stuff. 

-Being outside (playgrounds, walks, the roof): although when out he wants to direct the walk and drags you in the direction or points to where he wants to go. No playing at the park for this guy..he wants to be on the move. 

-Taking out the dog with daddy: Sometimes I think he wakes up super early just so he won't miss taking out the dog at 6am. Simon loves the dog so much and finally is getting more gentle in petting Rudy. 


- Books: Simon's interest is growing in books. "Bigger digger" "10 little fingers" and books involving dogs/animals are his current favorites.  He always plays with is ears while we are reading to him. 

Dislikes: being far away from mommy, being told "no" (although listens better than his sister ever did) and waiting for Joy to wake up in the morning. 

   

Favorite event this month: Grammie, Grandpa and Auntie Ruthie came for Christmas and it was fantastic. We were all so happy they came and very sad when they had to go. Summer is close! Grammie brought pictures of me when I was a babby...and we think that Simon does look like his mamma!