Parenthood - 2021-07-10 Michael is 3.5

July 10, 2021

At three and a half, Michael is finally out of diapers!!! How it happened: we'd been discussing how when we ran out of diapers we were not going to get anymore and he'd be a big boy. Michael kept saying he wanted to wear them, but then one day I just suggested that he might want to wear underwear instead. So he did, and basically from that moment on was toilet trained. We got him to wear diapers overnight for the first three nights but since he was dry after that when he didn't want to wear a diaper we let it go.

He did have a few pee accidents where he forgot he wasn't wearing a diaper and didn't get to the bathroom in time to avoid dampening his clothes but nothing particularly noteworthy. On one hand we were ecstatic to find toilet training wasn't a huge ordeal, but on the other hand we wonder how long ago was he essentially ready to ditch the diapers? A big milestone here anyway.

Michael is in a definite boundary testing phase and likes to point out that he is big. He might have a tendency to pull down his pants to show off his underwear to prove it! He thinks therefore that he should get to do everything that big kids do. Unfortunately we haven't gotten him to believe that big boys do NOT colour on the walls. Or the floor. Or the iPad cover. Or our siblings' special drawings, journals and other random surfaces that should NOT be drawn on.

His favourite food is granola bars ("fibre bars"). He's not fond of pasta but does like apple sauce, cucumber, beans, cherries, any kind of berries and sweet potato. He's not the world's best eater although he definitely likes his peanut butter chex and mini wheats in the morning for breakfast. He loves chocolate milk, plain milk and smoothies to drink. His favourite dessert is currently ice cream bars. He has learned how to open the freezer to help himself and is not amused that we don't let him get away with this.

He's very imaginative and still likes to act out things. "Te-tend I am a robot and there is a monster chasing you and you are a titty tat and I am saving you" He doesn't always like to explain what the game is - he just plays by himself while making sound effects and refusing to talk if it isn't part of the game.

He loves having books read to him. He especially likes Curious George and Paw Patrol. He likes having people make him things and then destroying it a few minutes later. This drives his siblings insane. He likes to spread toys all over. He likes to play with cars.

He likes playing with his siblings. They mostly get along. Michael likes to sing, especially when he's riding along in the Chariot.

He has definite clothing preferences. His favourite colour is red and he adores his rainboots and wears them at every opportunity, except when he wants to "go barefooting". He does like to take off his socks and shoes and leave them outside, but if the grass is too long then he wants to be carried.