Shawn: (33 Months Adjusted*)
Weight: My scale says 28 pounds and 0 ounces (13th percentile
for actual age/19th percentile for adjusted age). He is still wearing size 24 month pants (he has his daddy's short legs) and size 2T shirts. He also wears a size 3T pajamas.
Length: 36.25 inches! That is the 14th percentile for a 3 year old (29th percentile for adjusted age).
Feedings: Shawn will try anything once, especially if mommy or daddy happens to be eating it first. He isn't a huge meat eater, but has come to finally eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets on occasion. He LOVES chocolate and sweets. He truly has my sweet tooth, that's for sure. :-) If I had to say what his favorite meal is, I'd say the Cheesy Potato Burrito from Taco Bell.
Favorites: The last time I posted one of these, Shawn loved to snuggle. Well, nothing has changed. He loves to snuggle on people or with his blanket and pacifier (don't judge) if no one is available. He is a big fan of music as well. We always have a radio playing in the playroom, just for him. His favorite song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider." His favorite toys right now are some magnetic letters (he is a fan of the "Q", "C", and "8") and coloring with his crayons. He also loves pots and pans and often will pretend to make things for us to eat. His favorite television show is "Yo Gabba Gabba," but he would prefer for daddy to show him YouTube videos on the computer to watching the actual television.
Least Favorites: Two things Shawn does not enjoy are: 1) being told "No!"--with the aftermath often leading to lots of time on the naughty chair--and 2) getting bath soap on him. There is something about the bubbles that sort of freak him out. He is fine in the bath before and after the actual soaping time.
Personality: Shawn is a very determined little guy. He definitely wants things his way. Sometimes, you can talk him out of what he wants, but often you can't. He has been known to try to bite if he can't have his way! (I know! My child? Bite? Lol.) He can also be very friendly and lovable. When we go out, he is the one to talk to all the strangers we see. He likes to know where everyone is, but he is content to quietly play in the playroom on his own. Shawn has started to mimic his brother's behavior. Sometimes this is good. Many times, it is not!
Strengths: Shawn is a hard worker. His determination to do whatever is at hand allows him to focus on things until he gets them. He is getting to be quite the expert on the computer. He knows the exact buttons to push to get the computer to pause, play, and stop. He also has incredible hearing (like freakishly so!). He is very social and friendly. Lastly, he is willing to try most foods.
Areas to Work On: While Shawn continues to make gains and seems to be mostly caught up to his actual age cognitively, he still has work to do in his gross motor skills. Shawn is still not walking independently. He crawls, pulls up to stand, and cruises. He loves to walk holding daddy's or mommy's hands. It may take him a bit longer, but I believe with all of my heart that he will eventually walk. It'll take him a little longer than most.
While these milestones don't seem like much, they are incredible when you take Shawn's rocky start into consideration. For those of you who don't know (and I admit that I haven't said much here on their blog about this), Shawn has had 13 surgeries in his short little life. At about the time he was 7 months old, after one of his surgeries Shawn stopped using his right arm/hand. He kept his right hand fisted and hardly used it. Frankly, it was like his arm/hand were not even there. You can imagine how something like that will affect the entire balance system of your body.
Now, I am happy to say that while he is still not as coordinated in his right arm as he is in his left, he is using his arm/hand to hold things and reach among other things. Not only that, he continues to improve each and every day. I believe it is Shawn's strong will and incredible determination that is allowing him to make such wonderful gains. :-)
New Things: Shawn has an obsession with all things computer. Oh boy does he love the computer!
Randomness: One of the cutest things Shawn is doing at the moment is that he reminds me every morning to put on my seat belt before we leave for grandma's. He is like clockwork. It
makes me smile each morning. Another thing that Shawn does is that he insists that all doors must be closed. In fact, one of the quickest ways to get him out of bed in the morning is to leave the bathroom door open. He has sonar hearing for the door knob and comes flying from his room so he can close the door. Afterward, he reminds us to thank him even!
**Don't forget to read all about Jason here!
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**Yes, I am still adjusting the boys' age. The March of Dimes states that most children catch up developmentally by three years of age. The March of Dimes also states that parents can stop adjusting a child's age when it feels most comfortable to them. My boys had a rougher start than many preemies, so I believe they deserve some extra catch up time. To me, it doesn't feel right to stop adjusting yet. I'll certainly stop before they reach adulthood! Just bear with me! :-)
