My little guy is THREE!! How can it be?! Ok that rhymed but we’re definitely in rhyming territory around here. So much has happened in the past three years so I won’t say the time has flown by {we moved, did some renovations, I was pregnant which felt like it lasted a long long time, and then of course Corinna joined the mix}. Nevertheless, it does seem like just yesterday that I was lying at home with my little bitty Augustine smelling his newborn head that smelled like brown sugar and cinnamon. Watching him grow over these past three years, and especially over this past year, has been such a joy. This little boy definitely has my heart! I wanted to share a little 3 year update for him so I can always remember this fun and precious stage! I’m also sharing some of his favorite toys that he’s been loving lately.
Augustine’s 3 Year Update
STATS
tall tall tall! I need exact measurements but he’s over half of Matthew’s 6’1″ height.
TEMPERAMENT & PERSONALITY
Augustine has such a sweet and calm temperament. As a baby, and even now, he’s a little slow to warm up to people but once he’s comfortable he’s so fun and silly. He has such a funny sense of humor and is always making us laugh! In general though, he’s very calm and collected which I think is pretty remarkable for a 3-year-old. When we go out to restaurants he is able to sit in his chair, eat his food and look around at everyone. Of course, getting him to stay seated during dinners at home is a whole other situation!
Augustine is incredibly sweet and loving and I love when he comes over to me and gives me a hug or kiss. The other day I was bending down helping him put his shoes on and he leaned down and gave me a kiss on my head. Heart meltingly sweet!! He will also tell me I look “cute” or “pretty” which is so nice.
I was talking to him about why we say please and thank you and he picked it up so fast and now he’ll say “tank ye” frequently. Yesterday I was tucking him into bed and he said “tank ye mama for the food, the truck, the underwear.” It was so cute and I tried not to both laugh and cry.
It’s so sweet seeing him with Matthew too! He loves Dada and they have a whole nighttime routine with doing knucks, shaka signs, I love you signs, and then a random TBD by Augustine sign. Matthew is so good about taking him on errands and fun outings just the two of them.
MILESTONES
Potty training is the biggest milestone lately! I was kind of feeling like he was ready a few months ago but with a newborn, I couldn’t really think about tackling potty training yet. I had heard so many stories from other moms who said that if you try too early it can be a long process so wait until they’re really ready. In our experience, I have to agree because it seemed like the right time. We know someone who had tried with her son in January and it didn’t go well, so now 6 months later, and right before his 3rd birthday, they’re trying again. Some markers of knowing he was ready were him telling me when he was going, him being able to pull up and down his pants by himself, and being in a cooperative stage. I think the cooperative stage is the only thing that might be challenging with an older child. In general, Augustine is very go with the flow but during potty training I would sometimes ask him to sit on the potty and he would say no, and then have an accident 5 minutes later. Luckily that only lasted a few days. I would say it took about 2 weeks until we really had it down and felt comfortable. Now I’m so happy that he lets me know when he needs to go and he’ll take the initiative. It’s like it all just clicked! But trust me the first two weeks, and especially the first week, were ROUGH! I felt totally trapped in the house and it was challenging taking care of Corinna while also watching him like a hawk. I didn’t want to overprompt him, but I wanted to set him up for success by having him go on the potty at least every hour and a half to 2 hours. Matthew and I said potty training was the hardest experience we’ve had so far in parenting and I would have to agree. But, like most stages, it’s over before you know it. Once we hit the 1 month mark with potty training we decided to introduce underwear {like the book said}, and I’m so so happy that underwear didn’t present us with any additional challenges. Apparently, underwear can sometimes feel like a diaper and they might forget. Knock on wood, we’ve been ok so far!
I would definitely recommend this potty training book though! So many moms mentioned it to me and I really liked her approach. I read so many different articles online but having a physical book to refer to, and read start to finish, was so helpful. I really wanted to do things the right way so that I didn’t need to correct my actions and do it again. I felt like that would be too confusing, and also discouraging for Augustine {ok, and me too!}. When it comes to naps and nighttime sleep, though, we are using pull-ups. We’ve never used pull-ups before so they definitely feel a little different to Augustine. We don’t call them diapers but they’re his “sleepy time pull-ups” that he’s using while he’s learning how to use the potty. They go on right before he gets into bed and they come off right when he wakes up. Augustine regularly wakes up dry from naps so I’ll probably try to cut them out within the month. We’re also still using the little potty, although I did buy this seat to go on our big potty. We’ll try to test that out soon. He learned how to use the potty on this royal one and I think it was helpful because it made a cute little sound every time something went inside. It was so fun for him that I think he looked forward to going, especially since we didn’t do any rewards. I will say, though, it’s kind of a small potty so if you have a big girl or guy, it might not be the most comfortable. Augustine is tall but lanky and it just barely works. The other potty we have upstairs that we love is this one! It is so much more comfortable for him because of the back support, and the seat is a little larger too. I’d definitely recommend it. For going to the bathroom on the go, I got this portable seat cover that folds up and has a small {and washable!} carrying bag. I heard a great tip too about bringing post-its with you so that you can use them to cover the automatic flush sensor when they’re sitting on the potty. That sound can startle me in a public restroom so I can only imagine it would scare Augustine as well.
LIKES
Well, just like a year ago, Augustine is still very into trucks! He still loves his construction trucks – dump trucks, cement mixers, excavators, bulldozers, but he’s also really into fire trucks, ambulances, and tow trucks. Augustine also has been loving pretending to be a gardener so he’ll push around one of his dump trucks as a lawnmower and he’ll use my Vitamix blending wand as a leaf blower. He got both for his birthday so he’s definitely stepping up his gardening game! The sounds he makes when he’s using both are so funny and realistic!
Augustine loves his baby sister Corinna and seeing them together makes me so happy! There have been a few times where she has just cracked up when he says, “A boo boo gaga!” and so he’ll frequently run over to her and say that to her. He also loves cuddling with her before his naptime. I’ll sing him a naptime song and then he’ll want to “hold my baby.” I’ll put her next to him and they both just light up with huge smiles. I’ve taken several photos of them like this because it just warms my heart so much, and now Augustine will say, “Mama, photo!”
Going to the park, flying kites, running around the baseball field, visiting Costco, going to Whole Foods Market and getting a “moco smoothie” which is a Siggis smoothie are some of his favorite outings. Matthew will also take him to Baby Beach in Dana Point and he loves that too. He enjoys going out on adventures, even running errands. When we get home though, he’ll say “FLIP!” and want to flip around in his car seat and hang out in the car. Sometimes it can be a challenge getting him back inside the house!
At home, Augustine loves to help water the plants, pretend to mow the lawn, pick tomatoes and rub them on his shirt to clean them, “front dig” which is hanging out in the front yard digging with his trucks, make a den on the couch or in our bed, and sing and dance with Matthew. He’s such a fun little boy and a sweet little helper!
EATING
This boy can eat! He grazes a lot during the day and I feel like he’s always asking for more food, even though I do give him a lot. He loves “fluffy eggs” in the morning but they’re actually fried eggs. He’ll say “no yolk” and just want the whites but if I break the yolk on some toast for him he’ll eat it and love it. He’s been loving salads lately, tomatoes, avocados, tangerines, and this butternut squash ravioli from Whole Foods. He says he doesn’t like the “salad ravioli” which is the spinach one we get at Costco. It’s a good thing I like it though! We’ve been so good about limiting his sugar but lately he’s been having a little more on special occasions {like his birthday cake}. He’s been asking for lollipops lately but they’re actually popsicles in the freezer that are made from his leftover smoothies. Oh the tricks a mother can play! lol!
SLEEP
Sleep has always been a little tough for our little guy but it’s definitely much better than it was even a few months ago! For the longest time, Augustine was waking up at 5am, no matter what! There were even a couple of days with 4:30 wakeups. Now he wakes up at 6am, takes a 1.5-2 hour nap {sometimes 3 if I’m lucky} from around 12:30/1-2:30/3, and goes to bed around 8pm. Since we’ve been potty training he’s been fighting bedtime a bit, or just trying to delay it. He’ll be in bed, lights out, songs sung, and he’ll say “Mama, potty.” Does he need to go? No! But of course, I give him the chance to go. There’s always one other thing, though. The blinds being opened just a little bit, his pillow being flipped at least 3 times, and all his ways to say goodnight. It’s cute but it can definitely get a little tiring especially after a long day. When it’s time for bed, I’m ready! I’m so happy he’s taking a nap still though because if I can align it with Corinna’s, then I can get a little time to myself during the day to work, clean, reheat my coffee for the 5th time, and decompress. I’m praying he can keep napping for as long as possible. I know it’s so good for him too. On the days that he doesn’t nap, it’s a madhouse!
FAVORITE BOOKS & TOYS
Curious George books
this truck series from Target
We recently started watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on PBS and he loves it! He calls it “Tigey Show.” I love that it’s inspired by Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and they teach such good lessons. We’ve tried to limit screentime but when I’ve needed him to stay close while I’m feeding Corinna, Daniel comes to the rescue!
These interchangeable magnet trucks are other faves! They’d make a great gift too!
My best friend Lizzie got him this ukulele for his birthday and he’s been having so much fun serenading us! Augustine is very musical and already has a band called “Sushi.”
Augustine has been really into his tools lately too! This drill makes a very realistic sound but he has fun going around the house and pretending to fix things for me.
MOM UPDATE
This past week has felt a little emotional as we’ve been preparing for Augustine’s birthday. Augustine loves to look at family videos so I’ve been looking at ones from a year ago, and also ones where he was the same age as Corinna is now. It makes me a little sad looking at these photos and videos because I miss that little boy so much. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this stage with Augustine now but I look at those photos of 6-month-old Augustine and 1-year-old Augustine and I miss him. It’s hard to imagine I’ll never be with that little Augustine again because now he’s a little bigger, saying things a little differently, and doing things in a new way. Each stage goes by faster than you think, even the hard ones, so I’m definitely trying to do my best to cherish it all.
ICYMI, I shared Corinna’s 6-month update last week! I’m getting so excited for Augustine and Corinna to be able to really play together. It’s going to be so sweet to watch!
xox
CUTE TODDLER BOY CLOTHES I HAVE MY EYE ON
