3 Years 9 Months

Okay, so he's cute and all those things, but boy, oh boy is he ever three right now.

Physical Development

Ryan hit a growth spurt recently, and he's easily fitting into most 5T clothes now. Some are a little bigger, but even his teeny tiny little waist isn't quite so teeny or tiny anymore.

I haven't been working on night time training for Ryan at all, but he wakes up probably a good 75% of the time completely dry. Honestly, he's probably going to beat Kendrick done with nighttime pull ups!

Sleep Habits

Naps are slowly phasing out, and if he takes one, it's a hot mess trying to get him to bed at night. I'm beginning to dream of the day that he stops napping just so he goes to bed by 8 each night!

He still wakes up most every night to come crawl in bed with me and play with my hair. Kinsley does the same (although not to play with my hair), so there's always some sort of disruption every night still, which is trying. Our 8pm bedtime is slowly pushing back to 9pm, which I hate, but with two napping toddlers, I suppose it should be expected. They just aren't even sort of tired by 8pm, and even by 9pm, I'm shocked they finally fall asleep. It feels like he's not getting enough sleep, but he's a happy little guy most of the time (excepting for the whole threenager thing - he's definitely got that 3-year-old attitude down).

Speech Development

Ryan is really moving along nicely as far as speech is concerned...in fact, I can't get him to STOP talking most of the time. He is really starting to just talk more throughout the day and likes to joke around and be silly and make people laugh. The little-kid-isms are slowly becoming a thing of the past, which makes me sad.

Eating

Ryan isn't always the biggest eater. I feel like he probably eats about 1-2 "meals" a day, if even. He still prefers to snack. His favorite snacks include pickles, marshmallows, mandarin oranges or clementines, applesauce pouches, Gogurts, and cheese. But his favorite of all times is pizza, especially from Godfather's, and especially the m&m streussel dessert pizza lol

School

Ryan LOVES school, and asks every day if he gets to either go to preschool or cubbies (AWANA) every morning before he determines if he feels like getting dressed lol I don't have any more recent pictures, so you get this one again. He tends to be highly distracted and struggles to stay on task, but he's also 3, so there's that. I got a note home from preschool within the first couple months about how he was difficult to redirect and wasn't listening when he was told to sit down, and it made me think: How is it that I've never gotten that note sent home with my other boys? Because seriously lol He's pretty tame compared to what they were at 3.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

I feel like it's never going to ease up, this toddler stuff. Man, it's exhausting! We're still doing 1-2-3 magic for the most part, but I'm getting lax with it, and I usually count 1-2 and then bargain at 3, so I need to be more firm. I hate to have to punish them, so I really stink at follow through at the end. But USUALLY, they are listening by 2 anymore, so that's helpful. Ryan still throws tantrums a lot and gets loud when he doesn't get what he wants, so there's that. As I've learned with my other two, I just need to continue to be firm, and these things will pass. It's just exhausting with two of them at the same time going through this general phase, from about 18 months to age 4. But then he flashes this little devious smile, and dangit - I can't stay mad at him.

Likes

• His Family!
  
• Sucking on his two fingers and playing with Mama's hair.
  
• Making some music on the keyboard at Daddy's facility.
  
• His sister. These two are tight. They certainly have their moments, but usually where you can find one, you find them both. They're going to be only a single year apart in school, which blows my mind. But they're extremely close, and it's so cute to listen to them talk to each other.
  
• Being silly and making people laugh.
• Helping Mama make supper
• Making a snowman!
  
• COOKIES! Especially the ones from Hardee's.
  
• Being the center of attention
  
• His Siblings. They are usually super loud and crazy and funny. I handle it pretty well most of the time, but every once in a while, I feel a little crazy and make them all go to their rooms just so I can have some peace and quiet!
  

Dislikes

• Being told he can't do something.
• Not having things go his way.
• Not being able to physically do things or get places that he wants to do/go.
• Not being in control of the "amote"
• Not getting to "watch a movie and eat popcorn and have milky and play with Mama's hair" every day.
• Having to actually go anywhere at any point during the morning.

:: 3.5 ::

I think of this kid and seriously just chuckle. Ryan is the funniest little kid you'll meet. And he's SO FREAKING ADORABLE most of time. I don't care if he's ready to rip your throat out, sleeping or happy, he just is the cutest thing in the world to watch. The "baby fights" between him and Kinsley are just so, so very cute.

Physical Development

Ryan moved on up to 4T clothes earlier this summer, but some of the pants still are a little loose around the waist. He has been, BY FAR, my easiest kid to potty train so far, and has been fully day trained since February, I think. We're still working on the nighttime part, but for the most part, I just always put on a pull up and am not sweating it yet.

He really enjoys getting his body adjusted when we go to the chiropractor. He gets SO excited to "ride" the table down into position each time lol

He's 45" and 38lbs now. He wears a size 10 toddler shoe and is in the S/M size for night time pullups.

Teething

Ryan now has all his teeth, although for some reason, he still likes to wake up in the night and come crawl in bed with me. He finally had his first real checkup at the dentist this month where he sat for an entire cleaning! It's so nice when they finally stop screaming and clinging to me lol

Sleep Habits

Ryan still naps at least for a short bit most days, but it isn't abnormal (although it's very frustrating) for him to skip a nap.

I can usually count on him to be put down to bed with our usual routine and stay there, basically making him the most compliant bedtime kid of all his siblings. He still wakes most nights around 3am to come crawl in bed with Mama to play with my hair, which isn't usually much of a problem, unless his baby sister has the same idea. That becomes an issue because they both want to be laying next to me, and well...that gets pretty uncomfortable.

Speech Development

Ryan is a little chatterbox, and he's just freaking hilarious most of the time. You can understand probably 98% of what he says too, although he still has issues with his "f"s, which is so cute too. I dread the day he begins to work on it and changes. Right now "shish" (fish), "strosting" (frosting), "singers" (fingers), and so many more...they just brighten my day and make me smile from the inside to hear. His little voice just melts me most of the time.

Eating

Ryan has really turned into quite the snacker these days, which makes me sad. He loves his milk, which he and Kinsley both still take at various times throughout the day in their "kitty cups" (Kinsley coined the term, and it stuck).

He is definitely really fond of "snacks" and will eat most of whatever snack it might be. He is oddly not very overly fond of sweets. If you give him a cookie, there's a good chance that the cookie will sit there with a tiny bite out of it and Cashel or Kendrick will find it and finish it for him. His favorite meal is "cheese and cocks", which means macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. I really hope he never learns to say it right, because it's so adorable when he says it lol

School

This big kid started PRESCHOOL in September! It's crazy to think about how big he is getting. He absolutely LOVES going to school, and would go every day if he could.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

Ryan has certainly amped up his tantrums, and the intensity of them leaves bystanders very concerned for his wellfare, I'm sure: Especially when I am extremely nonchallant about them. The thing is, he sounds like he is in horrendous pain or something, but I know there is a slight difference between pain and anger, and about 99.9999% of the time, he's just angry. He no longer gracefully lowers himself onto the floor to kick and scream, but rather throws himself on the ground, and the vast majority of the time, it's because he isn't getting something he wants - ESPECIALLY the ride on tractor of Kendrick's. (The kid is going to be an excellent driver by the time he's 16, right?)

I've been working with ALL the kids on following the 1-2-3 Magic program, and for the most part, it's working alright. For the big boys, it works really well, actually, and I can usually either halt the behavior or they will listen to me to "take 5" almost immediately. If we are in public, they will just ask me where they have to go for their "take 5" time. However, with Ryan, he just likes to count along with me while being deviant and watching me like a hawk, and when he ends up having to take 5, he throws the motherload of all tantrums and refuses to listen when I tell him that he has to be CALM before his 5 minutes starts, so it goes on FOREVER.

I HAVE, however, been trying extremely hard to focus on making sure his needs are met on time, however, to keep the unnecessary tantrums at bay. If he's tired or hungry, I give him a little more slack, especially if I'm an hour late getting him his lunch or supper, or he hasn't had a nap and it's 3pm or something. He's generally a really sweet kid, but he's just a typical tantrummy toddler at this point. I'm very grateful that his behaviors don't seem worse than the typical toddler in light of the hard times his first couple years of life.

Likes

• He still loves Daddy so much and asks when he gets to see him regularly. He actually said the other day that he wished Daddy could live with us in our house. He doesn't remember that Daddy once did, but that was 18 months ago when he was 2, so...
  
• Sucking on those two fingers...ALWAYS. I realized I haven't taken a picture of him doing it lately, though.
• His Family!
  
• Cheering on his big brothers playing ball!
  
• Mama. Always.
  
• "Coloring" with big brothers. It usually consists of him doing this, followed by biting the tips off all the crayons.
  
• Hanging out with his siblings
  
  
  
• Swimming
  
• Brown Bear Brown Bear. Argh. I just really hate it when my kids cling to this one. I grow weary of reading it every.single.night. The repetitiveness makes me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.
• Making everyone laugh. Ryan LOVES the spotlight!
  
• Spending time with these guys
  
• "Playing" video games.
  
• Our favorite new park!
  
• Helping Mom in the kitchen.
  
• Celebrating anything that involves cake!
  
• Candy!
  
• The County Fair!
  
• The Vikes...and also wearing clothes that are too small for him lol
  
• The carousel. He asks to ride the one at the mall in Mankato every time we go. This one was at the Zoo in Sioux falls, however.
  
  

Dislikes

• Being told he can't do something.
• Not having things go his way.
• Not being able to physically do things or get places that he wants to do/go.
• Not having his cuppy before bed.
• Not having his cuppy before Jody's.
• Not getting to "go owwwside" with the big kids.
• Any pjs but his "Pawtrolls" or Santa ones.

3 Years 3 Months

It's a catch 22 with kids at this age, if I'm being honest. I mean, they're so freaking adorable that you just wanna scoop them up and breathe them in. But they're honestly so freaking crazy that much of the time you just want to put in ear plugs and lock yourself in your room. The summer is just beginning, but the whining has been a definite thing, and if history repeats itself with Johnson kids at this age, it may be a while before that gets better. But they're so darn cute that it's hard to be mad for long, and this little guy is very, very demanding and vocal about needing Mama snuggles.

But he's bubbly and personable and a friend to everyone, and it's fun to watch him continue to grow.

Physical Development

Ryan moved on up to 4T clothes, even if they look a little big on him. There are a few pairs of pants that we had to put back in storage as they were just falling off his little tiny waist. He's now up to size 12 shoes. He is fully day trained for potty, but still wears a pull up at bedtime, which is usually full by morning. If I'm being honest, he has been by FAR the easiest of my boys to potty train.

Sleep Habits

Ryan takes pretty short naps these days, but he still naps most of the time. He usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour at daycare, and at home on the weekends, we might eek 2 hours out. I definitely prefer the days he doesn't, however, as he goes to bed MUCH easier and tends to end up staying in his own bed on those nights.

The "occasionally" snuggling in my bed thing has become more like a routine these days. If I ever heard or felt him crawl in with me, I'd definitely take him back down to his bed, but I never hear him, so I just wake up to him in bed next to me in the mornings. I'd like to get him back to sleeping through the night and not feeling the urge to come upstairs, but that may be a ways off.

Speech Development

Ryan will talk your ear off all day long. It's exhausting! He loves to talk and talk and talk, and if he isn't talking, he's usually got his fingers in his mouth and playing with either his hair or mine. He talks mostly like a big kid these days, but does still let some baby talk linger, like, "My do it" instead of "I do to it". (Basically, replaces anywhere you would say "I" with "My"). He has begun calling "Moonies" "Movies" now too, which just breaks me :( He's so cute!

Eating

Ryan has been going through a major food strike lately. I mean, he eats for sure, but it's always whatever he feels like eating, and getting him to eat the food I've actually prepared is like pulling teeth. It's exhausting! However...the one thing you KNOW he will ALWAYS eat is a cookie from Hardee's. It HAS to be from Hardee's, though, or he throws a major fit.

He does still love his snacks, though. His favorites are Gogurts and Applesauce pouches, and, as with all my kids, wants a "Kitty cup" (which is a sippy cup with milk in it) regularly.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

The whining and tantrums have not really lessened at this point, but it helps to keep busy and distracted when we're able to be outside and finding new adventures. He's just becoming much, much, much more opinionated, which makes it hard when we're trying to cater to the whole family of 5, and not just him. It's a difficult lesson to learn at any age, but especially when most of the time, he doesn't get any say in his schedule.

Likes

• I mean, between Kinsley and Ryan, I am covered in littles all day long most of the time. I don't dare sit down, or I find it extremely difficult to get up lol This kid LOVES his Mama!
  
• Sucking on those two fingers, which is now usually only when he's very tired (morning, before bed) or if he's overwhelmed or scared or needs comfort. With everything we've been going through as a family, it hasn't been a priority of mine to help it stop. He doesn't tend to do it when we're out, just at home or daycare probably (he used to at Jody's)
• Candy! With the Riverfest parade, he was ALL about collecting as much candy as he could.
  
• Roasting marshmallows over a fire.
  
• He is big into Team Umizoomi, Justin Time, Word Party, Incredibles 2 and, really, just in general being in control of the Roku remote lol
• Being "one of the boys". He LOVES his big brothers.
  
• His siblings - Kinsley too :)
  
• Parades! This kid LOVES parades, and has this huge smile on his face the ENTIRE time.
  
• Farming with Grandpa
  
  
• Exploring
  
• Playing at the park. (Also, scaling the walls lol)
  
• People in dress up costumes lol
  

Dislikes

• Not getting to do whatever he feels like doing.
• Not being in charge.
• Not being catered to.
• Cookies that are not from Hardee's
• Being told "no"
• Not getting his turn first for tractor or 4-wheeler rides