Skadi's Party

We finally got around to holding Skadi's third birthday party.



She had repeatedly requested a Coach Brett birthday party. And I entertained the notion a bit. But then we opted to vacation to Silver Mountain for our anniversary with the kids and Skadi's party got the shaft. Ok, yes, I could have done the big party and I know she would have liked it. But I just had trouble bringing myself to forking out that dough for a 3 year old party. It was different when Leif was three and we did a joint party there for he and Cate. Next year Skadi.



We did a princess dress up party for her and five of her closest friends from school. I wanted to keep it small and it worked well for her. Leif had two older siblings over to play and they pretty much did their own thing.

Skadi enjoyed hosting her friends:

Olivia

Raquel

Best friend, Lexi

as well as Maddie and Sophia (pictured below).

We started with dress up in the play room.

Then we went outside and released butterflies.

Remember those days when it was cool to wear the same clothes as your best buddy?

Then the bubble machine came out.

Finally snacks and cake.

This pictures scared me a bit... Skadi and Maddie were bickering a bit about something, I am pretty sure it was the cake. And Skadi was looking a touch possessive about the cake. And all I could think about was the story my mom used to tell me about how she got a bit possessive of her cake at age 2 or 3 towards her cousin and put her dress over it. I was a bit worried...

But nothing like that happened!

And last presents.

Shrimp anyone?

Skadi had her well child visit the other day. It was actually last week. I normally post stats and such quickly and do a comparison.

Comparing didn't require me going to my blog this time. I know who is bigger/heavier.

Not my daughter.

I am not terribly tall, but I am not short either. Just a touch under average at 5'5". AB is just over average at just over 6' tall. So one would reason that our children should fall in there somewhere.

Leif at three was pretty normal to slightly tall: 32 lbs and 55th percentile, 39.25" and 85th percentile. Makes sense.

Skadi started out big... but if you project her adult height based off her current 3yo well child stats she should hit about 5'3".

It caused a bit of pause from her doctor. 30.25 lbs (gained 2.25 lbs since age 2) and 36.25" (grew 1.25"). She is just under 50th percentile for weight and hitting in at 29th percentile for height.

Not that big of a deal - she could be between spurts... she could be leveling out on the charts and being where she should be and will thus just not be a tall girl (the short genes do run on my side with my mom and grandma).

We have noted that she is the smallest among her peers. AB is the one who recently started commenting on it prior to the doctor's appointment. I keep buying size 3T for summer clothes and occasionally 4T for next fall. But her 2T's fit her best still. And the size 9 Keens I bought on clearance at a great price in pink for this summer? They should fit her next summer I expect...

The bigger concerns lie with her constant complaining of back aches. I have taken her to the doctor before with no path forward and a feeling she is just latching onto something to complain about. This time I pushed it because she cries, "mommy, my back hurts" and bends over or grasps her back. It just seems real.

And sure enough when her doctor pushed on her back - at her kidneys, Skadi jumped and said "oww!"

That earned her a quick referral for an ultrasound this week.

Not a great well child visit for age three.

My son is the best

So we have been having a few minor issues at daycare with behavior. Nothing major really. Well magnitude depends on which of the four teachers you talk to. There is the "alarmist" who catches me on the way out and cites "disturbing behavior", there is the "annoyed one" who is warming up, but I get the feeling my son just annoys her - and well, I know my husband does. The other two are just "warm fuzzy one" and "tell it like it is" - and they both say my son is a typical three year old boy.

Even given the later, when someone says there is a problem, we strive to address it and take it seriously.

As incentive to correct his behavior I have told him that if he naps, follows the rules (no spitting, no growling, no yelling and no taking his penis out of his pants at dinner) he will get a special reward. I don't say what the reward is, but last night it was an extra 10 minutes of Marble Race action with daddy while mommy and Skadi watched intently. Today while getting milk at Safeway I decided it was a small bag of Oreo cookies.

I got the word from the teachers in form of secret note that he had a great day and pulled out the reward. Leif was thrilled. He ate the cookies on the way home and thanked me twice for the special cookies. We were nearly home when he told me:

"Mommy, I liked those cookies, but I like the pumpkin bread you baked a lot better."

Aww!

What every three year old wants for his birthday

I asked Leif what he wanted to buy A for his birthday on Saturday?

He gave it some good, long thought...

"I want to buy A cheese for his birthday," Leif told me.

Gifts for a three year old

How awful is it that it is 5 weeks from my son's third birthday and I haven't any idea what to get him?

Ok, so I have a couple ideas, and as of today, I ordered them. Toy Story the double DVD Deluxe set and a metal Tonka tractor thing for $15 each.

He is all about transportation vehicles right now. And if they haul something (dirt, lots of people or a bed full of nearly anything), all the better. He has a dump truck that is about the freakiest thing ever. My dad sent it to him with the caveat that if he didn't like it, to give it away, no offense taken. The little boy who had it before was scared to bits by it. Truth be told, it scares me. It is a yellow dump truck with a head on top and glowing red eyes, and it speaks. And it is very nearly Leif's favorite toy right now. I might like it a little more if Leif quit bringing it into the house full of dirt.

I perused the toys the other day at Walmart where I went to pick up AB's Father's Day present. Nothing jumped out at me. Partly because everything looked so flimsy. Partly because I have this ideal in my head that Leif will tell us what he wants (so far he tells us he wants a birthday cake for his birthday). And partly because Leif was with me and the few things he did want... I just bought (a trio of gardening tools for $1.97, a squirt gun for $1 and a Matchbox fire truck), which AB later chastized me for.

The best score this week was a wooden rocking horse at a garage sale I drove by for $15. After K made one for C, AB kept talking about doing the same. Not surprisingly it hasn't happened due to the huge number of other projects I have had AB tackling over the last year or so. Leif loves it. AB says we should have saved it for his birthday, and he might be right, except that he will so quickly grow out of it at this point that I want to maximize his use. (Not like we won't have another little being who will grow into it far too soon.)

I am trying to resist the urge to go overboard for his birthday. To take advantage of this year when all he wants is a tractor that digs in the dirt. Yet, I can't help but think he "needs" more. I will squash that urge... after all, he is getting a big, not so inexpensive birthday party.