Wow! It has 2 months since I have done any kind of remotely comprehensive update. I don’t know why it has been so hard to find time to blog. I have to chalk it up to life gliding along in a really lovely normal way right now. There is a certain ease that life with Aidan has fallen into and it is nothing short of beautiful.
Brace yourself for the mother of all updates. And I’m sure I will still forget some really cool stuff!
Aidan just finished up his school year and will be on break from his preschool for the summer. These last few months have been amazing for him and I am so glad we decided to go ahead and get him going on preschool. Pretty much all of the 16 kids in his “3’s” class are coming back next year to do the “4’s” class together. The moms have organized summer outings once a week with the kids so they don’t miss each other too terribly. He has made some really good friends there and his social skills are booming!
The preschool year finished up with some neat events including baby ducks hatching in the classroom (the 4’s class brings them on their overnight to Pioneer Farm and gives them to the farm…Aidan will get to do this next year). The kids got to see the baby ducks swim each class day and they all got their turns holding the ducklings.
The kids also had a “Teddy Bear Picnic” on the last official day of class. A few days later his class gathered at the Pea Patch at Mercer Community Center to plant their pumpkin starts. In the fall they get to go up in October and pick the pumpkins they planted. I LOVE the wonderful continuity these teachers bring to the children. I couldn’t possibly have found a better place for my boy. 
We spent Memorial Day weekend with my brother and his family. My brother’s kids are 12 (girl) and 9 (boy). Aidan ADORES them and he always rises to the occasion around older kids. I couldn’t believe all of the things Aidan learned to do over that weekend. He built marble runs with cousin Gavin, played stomp rockets with cousin Morgan, learned to ride a scooter, took part in a water fight and got Daddy, and got his first bike! This child is really coming into his own and figuring out how his body works. It is nice to see him take chances and not be afraid to try new things. It was a glorious weekend. When I saw him riding his bike, I actually had tears come to my eyes. So many times I had really never dared to dream of this day. A day when I wouldn’t be thinking of oxygen tanks, damaged lungs, and all of the other things that came with his prematurity. I was just watching my little boy growing up before my eyes…racing a scooter down the street and fearlessly pedaling his very first bike. It was almost surreal. I basked in it. It felt….good, right, and overdue.
The weather in Seattle has also been almost too good to be true. We had a couple of 95 degree days last week and I have been taking full advantage. I think Aidan and I have fallen just short of living outside the last few weeks. We have gone on outings to the zoo, out to new parks, out to the Town Center fountains, to a new splash park, many neighborhood parks, and gotten him his first supersoaker.
His brain is growing every day too. He is currently amazing me with how much his intellectual curiosity is ramping up. He has started asking LOTS of questions. Some examples recently range from “Mom, do you think it will rain today?”, “My favorite engine is Thomas, what is your favorite engine?”, “What does THAT sign say?”, “Why is Daphne’s (our cat) tongue so much rougher than mine?” It is amazing to see his mind start to function in different ways and start to show lots of curiosity about the world.
Oh…and thanks to Daddy, Aidan finally totally potty trained in the snap of a finger. They were out and about with underwear on and Aidan wanted a pull-up to do “#2″ in and they didn’t have one. So Aidan didn’t have much choice but to go on the potty. And once he did that, he was totally trained. He has also stayed dry overnight better than 90% of the time. Just goes to show you that with a lot of things, when your child is really ready then it will be easier to do it than when they aren’t.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a ton, but let’s just say life is GOOD. It’s better than good. It’s amazing and I swear I am the luckiest woman on the planet to get to be part of this wonderful life with my son and my husband. I am truly humbled and grateful.
To close out the post, what would summertime with a 3 year old be without his first real summer scrapes? (courtesy of the new bike)
