We acknowledged his birthday while in Iowa, sang him "Happy Birthday" a few times, and he was able to open his gift from Grandpa and Grandma. However, we opted to celebrate his birthday on Sunday, after we got home, mainly so we didn't have to bring along the supplies.
Our boy is one special kid. He has brought so much joy to our lives, and often provides the comic relief right when we need it (whether he meant to or not). Ethan still loves anything with wheels, playing with Kate (even if she doesn't want to play with him), and going to therapy with Anna. He can turn on the charm for adults around him, but is also a great playmate for others his age. Although Mommy is still his preferred "snuggle parent", Daddy trumps Mommy for most everything else.
Sunday morning Ethan found his 3's hidden around the house, chose waffles for breakfast, and opened gifts and cards from family.
After church he wanted macaroni and cheese and then we convinced him to take an early nap, in preparation for his party.
During the afternoon, Ethan met up with a handful of his friends at The Little Gym for his first ever "real" birthday party.
I doubt that he really knew it was all for him, but that's okay. He had a good time and so did his guests.
We ended the afternoon with chocolate cupcakes ... yum!
Then our family got some pizza for dinner and went home to celebrate our boy one more time. When Matt and I were looking back to Ethan's previous birthday celebrations on this blog, we realized that pizza and chocolate cupcakes are a theme for him. :)
With his third birthday behind him, we decided that now was the time for Ethan to give up his pacifiers. He has only been using them for naps and sleeping since he was about 1, but we knew this final step was coming. We decided that we were all finally in a stable enough place to tackle the pacifier habit. Up until now, those naps and easy bedtimes were precious to all of us; we figured that he would probably give up naps when the pacifiers went away.
On Tuesday morning, Ethan and I wrote a letter to the "babies at the hospital", sealed his pacifiers in an envelope, and put this whole package in the mailbox. Tuesdays Ethan normally skips a nap because of Anna's therapy anyway, so we thought this would be a good day to start.
Tuesday night was hard. Hearing Ethan whimper, cry, and then politely ask for the babies to give the pacifiers back brought tears to my eyes. But, as I told my dad later in the week, we've been through this before and we know that this is the right thing to do. The little boy still has his blankets and Sheepie, but it's still hard.
Wednesday was a long day. Ethan rested for about 30 minutes in his crib, but wasn't going to sleep. The poor guy was almost asleep on his feet by about 6 p.m. Needless to say, he went to sleep much more easily that night.
Thursday was a better day and he barely struggled with bedtime. I think we're over the worst of it. (Except now I have a three-year-old who probably won't nap; that can make for some long days when the girls are at school.)
I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but I think this was our easiest kid for eliminating a pacifier or stopping thumb-sucking. Perhaps it has something to do with us being older, busier, and maybe a little more experienced :)
Time for Prayers for Ethan
Please thank God that Ethan is a part of our family and all that means for each one of us.
Praise God that he has been and still is a (relatively) easy going kid.
Please thank God that Ethan is healthy and typically developing.
Please give thanks to God for all those in our lives who have contributed to who Ethan is today; our "village" played a huge role in his life while he was still quite young.
Please ask God to continue to bless our family with Ethan and his delightful personality.
Please pray that God gives us the wisdom and energy to parent this child as he grows.
Please ask God to continue to protect Ethan in his mind, his body, and his soul.
Thanks to all who continue to pray for and support Ethan!
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