The summer of 3

I will always remember this summer as the “summer of 3”.  It’s the last summer of just the 3 of us as our family will be expanding in November with the arrival of our daughter.  This is also the summer when our son was 3 – a stage that was challenging in ways that I had never expected.

When Cooper turned 3, I was quietly proud of myself for surviving the terrible 2’s.  And really – what was so terrible about them?  I look back at the 2’s as a really cute and fun time in my son’s life.  3 on the other hand has been the most challenging stage I’ve been through since he was a newborn. 

Nobody talks about the terrible 3’s and I really would have appreciated the warning.  It’s a time of pushing boundaries, talking back, and not listening.  The cherry on top – no more naps!  It’s been one heck of a summer!  As a parent, it's a time of pushing back, timing out, and trying not to raise your voice too often.  For me I am wound up in the additional challenge of being completely exhausted with pregnancy - and completely guilty about the fact that our last summer as 3 really hasn't turned out as I planned.

Cooper discovered the joy of being buried in the sand.  Also a quiet moment for Mom and Dad!

Sure we've had a great summer full of memories - trips to the Zoo, visits with my parents, a week at the cottage.  Hopefully for Cooper this will be where the memories stick.  For me I will always remember the sheer panic I felt at the Toronto Zoo when my defiant 3 year old refused to go into the stroller and proceeded to run through the Zoo, zig zagging the crowds of people, with Peter and I keeping pace behind him.  

It’s hard as a mom to admit to this latest challenge.  I find myself clinging to resource books like I haven’t done since Cooper was a baby.  Don’t get me wrong – he’s a great kid and I love him with all my heart.  I also carry with me the wisdom of knowing that as with all stages – this too shall pass!

My quirky little guy

It doesn't take long before you realize that no matter how young, a child's personality starts to reveal itself and if you're paying attention it can be a really wonderful and sometimes humorous thing to witness.

I think back to Cooper's grand entrance into the world - I went into labour and 4 hours later he was born - and I realize that his arrival is very in keeping with his 3 year old personality as I know it today - when he puts his mind to something, he wants it now...I guess he'd had enough of waiting around to be born!

He's also developing all sorts of funny little preferences that don't really come from Peter or I.  He loves soft fabric for example, like fleece and when he received a pair of fleece pajamas for Christmas little did I realize that these pj's would become his favourite thing to wear.  Within a month of having them I had to rush out to the store and buy a second pair because he was already wearing holes in the first pair.  If he had to change before leaving the house he would immediately disrobe at the front door upon returning home so that he could reunite with his pj's.  Sometimes he's pretend to shiver and rub his arms claiming "I'm cold mom...I need to put on my racecar pajamas."

As the summer heat came on he gave up his beloved pj's but only to trade them in for things like work gloves (mini ones that I found at the dollar store that are just like Daddy's), then garden gloves, and then there was even a 3-day period where all he would wear was a batman costume (you should have seen the attention we got during Saturday errands!) 

Through all of these quirks what I see is my little boy trying to find his way in the world and letting us know (sometimes loud and clear) what his likes and dislikes are and essentially who he is becoming as a little human being.  It's so awesome to watch!

A tale of 2 Kitty's

I don't remember the exact day that it happened but very early on in Cooper's life...he fell in love. As much as I like to think he loves me and his Daddy more than anything else in the world, the truth is that he has one true love, deeper than deep, and that would be for his best friend "Kitty".

Not only do I not remember when Cooper first became smitten with Kitty, I can't even remember when we got Kitty or who she was from - a detail that would later haunt me as I tried to find a replacement Kitty in case of emergency. I know she showed up after one of my baby showers and to be honest I didn't much care for her. We're more of a dog loving household and so I just regarded Kitty as a strange little gift from an unknown well-wisher...tossed her on the shelf and didn't give her a second thought.

Even worse - I can't remember how she ended up in Cooper's crib. What I do remember is that sometime around the point when Coop was 6 months old I realized that this silly little green cat with the sun on his belly was so much more than another stuffed animal. Cooper smiled at it when we held it in front of him, kicked wildly with glee, and then snuggled into that cat like it was the softest thing he'd ever felt. He loved this cat.

Soon Kitty and naptime became synonymous. And then there was the ritual of the tail. We'd place Cooper in his crib, hand Kitty to him, he'd snuggle in and then promptly flip kitty over and start fidgeting with her tail. Soon he began to rub the tale under his nose until he fell asleep. Super cute...super sweet and it worked like a charm!

Peter and I soon began to realize how important Kitty was in our household. We loved Kitty too because she made our precious boy so happy. With any great love comes a sense of panic and dread over the possibility of losing that love. What would happen if we lost Kitty? How would we cope? Would we ever sleep again? It was something we became committed to never discovering.

Suddenly there were Kitty rules in place - Kitty was to strictly stay in Cooper's crib. If we were going on an overnight visit or were going to be in the car during a time when Cooper might sleep we would carefully transport Kitty like she was another child. "Do you have Kitty?", "Is Kitty with us?" - these became our questions and concerns.

Another concern began to grow - greater than the fear of losing our precious Kitty. What if she fell apart? What if she fell victim to our boy's over-loving and affection? As much as we didn't want to admit it, by the time Cooper was 18 months old our dear Kitty was starting to look a little worse for wear. Her tail was no longer a full tuft of fur but was starting to look sparse and kind worn from months of "nose rubbing".

Of course I couldn't remember where Kitty came from so I was having a really hard time replacing her. Her tags had been long removed before I had an inkling of the importance she would play in our lives. So I did what any mom would do in this situation - I carried a picture of Kitty in my wallet and asked various store clerks if they could identify her. I always came up empty.

Finally I found a bizarre little website where a woman named Rosemary helped reunite people with their stuffed animals. She had a whole network of "volunteers" who searched around looking for stuffed animals that people had posted photos of on their site. As crazy as it all seemed I thought I'd give it a go. I'd already felt like I'd searched the internet far and wide but what the heck - maybe Rosemary and her army could help me. I uploaded the photo, sent a nice message and within hours I heard back from sweet Rosemary - she thought she could help and she posted my story. Not 2 hours later one of her "people" had located a Kitty on ebay. She was in Tennessee and I would pay 3 times as much to get her here but we didn't care...we finally had a back-up-Kitty!

I made the transaction and waited. Soon the new Kitty arrived in the mail. She was plumper and had a freshness to her that the other Kitty had lost. Her tail was much more substantial too but she was Kitty and we were so happy to have her.

I decided to start immediately switching out the Kitty's so that the original Kitty could have a bit of a vacation and the new Kitty could get broken in before Cooper (who was just shy of 2) would realize the difference. I made the switch and at first all seemed to be going well. Then my smart little man grew wary of the new Kitty...something was wrong with her tail...something just wasn't right. I played dumb but I could tell it wasn't going to work. Naptime clinched the deal - he couldn't be lulled to sleep with this new and improved tail. Damn!

As time went on I use Kitty number 2 as "the laundry stunt Kitty". Whenever it was time to wash the original Kitty I would make the switch. One day I got sloppy and put the laundry basket down with Kitty inside. Cooper spotted her and it was like worlds collided. He was holding one kitty but there was another in his laundry basket. What was going on? I had to come clean!

I gave in and let him have both. He promptly (and all on his own) named the original Kitty "Happy Kitty" and then he named the new kitty "Fat Kitty" because of her plumpness. From that day on he loved them both and as I sit here typing they are all together in Cooper's bed, fast asleep.

We used to be a dog household but I have to say that I really do love our 2 Kitty's.