Troublesome Three Year Old.

August 6th was Noah's 3rd birthday, and we had alot of fun. When he turned two, we had braced ourselves for the terrible twos...but nothing happened. Noah was still the same easy-going toddler he has been at one. He never really threw a tantrum, and after alot of work, we got him to sleep on his own, which was a miracle. ( I have to tell you, NEVER co-sleep with your child...it's just not worth two months of bed time training when there older.) So now that he has turned three he has become a little dictator!

( Noah when he was only a day old!) He doesn't go to bed at bedtime anymore. Example would be last night. Yesterday we had played for an hour and a half at the park, then came home to play for an hour outside, playing things like chase, and basketball and t-ball. Matt came home, and we ate supper around 6. At seven Noah wanted to watch t.v. which I told him no t.v. He threw a huge fit! We are talking about screaming like he was being tortured and kicking, and about to throw things, either at us, or random furniture. After seeing the obvious signs of bedtime, I told him it was time to get ready for bed.

Our bedtime routine includes a bath every other night, a snack, three books, and usually a little cuddling in his bed, before its lights out. I got his pajamas on after a brief catch-me-if-you-can game, gave him a snack, in which he didn't eat, then gave him a sippy full of water, and tucked him into bed. I read him four books, and then cuddled with him for five mintues. As soon as I stand up, Noah rubs his tummy and says " ya-ya-ya" ( His way of saying he's hungry.) I told him that I had gave him a snack, and that I think he wsa just fibbing. He freaked out, kicking blankets, and tossing himself all over the bed like a fish flopping all over a dock. After quietly observing this he stopped himself and attempted to climb out of bed. I put him back to bed, and we repeated this several times. Finally, I laid down with him, and when I caught him staring off into space, I decided to make my escape. It sounds horrbile, but when you tell Noah " I will be back in a little bit, I have to go to the bathroom realyl quick" He will stay laying down, and usually fall asleep while he awaits your return. It sometimes the only way to get him to sleep. I miss the days where I nursed Noah and he just passed out while I rocked him.

Noah's three year appointment was last Friday. I wasn't able to make it, since I had to work, but Matt took him. Here are some highlights of that:

• Noah is in the 80th percentile for height @ 39 inches.


• Noah is in the 90th percentile for weight @ 37 lbs.


• Noah is behind on his speech, so he will be seeing a speech therapist.


• Noah will be screened and tested for A.R.V.D. when he turns 15, unless he shows other signs and symptoms of it before his 15th birthday. ( Not entirley unknown.)

He also could have a possible blood test for A.R.V.D. It isn't 100% accurate, but it could help determine his genetic predisposition for the heart disease. It isn't covered by insurance, but I think $2000 is a decent price to pay for a little insight. After all a little insight can go a long way.

Other things that are going on in our household are house hunting, and getting ready for our wedding. There are only 44 more days until the wedding, and everything is starting to really fall into place. Now I just have to bake and decorate 200 cupcakes. It should be a simple tast actually, now that I think of all the cupcakes I did when I worked at Cub Foods. I'm actually starting to have fun with the wedding planning, and my aunt, cousin, and mom have been a huge help to this last minute project. We woulddn't have been able to do it without them.

We have found a house that we like alot. It's a four bedroom, two bath house. It has around 2,000 sq. ft., a gazebo, poll barn w/ sauna, and a nice deck. The interior needs alot of cosmetic work, but otherwise is in great shape. We plan on going to the realtor in the next two weeks to see what we can get for a loan, then we will be in more of a position to look. Since we are wanting a place in Bigfork, MN, there isn't alot of other houses to choose from.

It seems like everything is really starting to fall into place in our lives right now. I cannot wait to get out of this little house. Sitting right on the highway scares me, since Noah is mobile and likes to go outside by himself. The first and only time he has done this to me, I freaked! Also, Grover is pretty good about not leaving the yard, but I still worry about the street behind our house. It's fairly busy as well, since people who don't want to take the highway, gererally take " the back way" and Grover has no qualms about running into the road after his kong, or a stray ball.

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