Dear Lucas (35 Months),

In exactly a month you will turn 3, and I'm just not ready for it yet. Turning 3 means you are have way to 6 and then that means 13 is just around the corner and boy if you are this mischievous at 2, how am I ever going to survive the teenage years? Then before we know it you'll be 16 and wanting to drive and then you'll be 18 voting and going to college (I hope) and then a few years after that you'' most likely be married and have your own kids and I'm just not ready to be a grandma yet. Besides, who wants to turn 3 anyway? I hear it's all downhill from there!

The other day you asked to look at pictures so I pulled out one of our photo albums from before you were born. You were having a lot of fun looking at pictures of your older cousins when they were toddlers and babies. On the very last pages of the photo album were your ultrasound pictures. I told you that they were the very first pictures we had of you and that you were in my belly growing when you were a little baby. You looked at them and them looked up at me and said "I want to go back in your belly mommy."

You are such a social butterfly. You absolutely HATE if we stay at home and do not go anywhere. You are constantly asking "go see my friends?" or "go see my cousins?" After the second egg incident you were VERY upset that because you got in "big trouble" you couldn't go play with your friends the next day. The next morning you were such a grump when you woke up and realized we were not going to go play with your friends. You kept saying "I want my friends back NOW!" Making you stay at home was more of a punishment then timeout, spanking, taking your favorite toy away or locking you in a closet and only giving you bread and water. I totally understand though. I still remember the day that I got in trouble and your Grandma wouldn't let me go see The Little Mermaid at the movies with my friend. I remember that punishment more clearly than any other punishment I got as a kid. I had to wait and watch The Little Mermaid on VHS, now that is punishment.

You've never really been one of those kids that went through the whole separation anxiety stage. You usually have no problem giving us hugs and kisses and waving to us as we leave. I usually can't even use the whole "if you don't come on right now I'm going home without you and leaving you here" excuse. Instead of having the desired effect you usually just look at me and wave and give me this look like "Hurry up and go, you are totally cramping my style mom." Lately however you have started standing in front of the door when you notice that I am getting ready to leave to go somewhere. I don't think even an ounce of it is because you will miss me. I think you just can't stand the thought that I am going somewhere with out you and you might just miss out on something fun.

One of the biggest problems I've been having with you the last few months is getting you to keep your room clean and getting you to pick up your toys from the living room when you are done playing with them. I understand that you are just a toddler and keeping your room spotless may be an unreasonable expectation but I am so tired of you dumping EVERY toy you own in the floor. I'm also tired of fighting with you over picking up your train and from the living room (I always win by the way.) I ended up finding the perfect solution. I set up your train in your room and now you don't pour out all your toys in the floor and I have my living room back.

The only reason why we've never put your train in your room before is because we were worried that you wouldn't nap because you'd be too busy playing. This really hasn't been a problem so far. Honestly though, for all I know you could be playing trains quietly without us knowing but I don't really have a problem with that. You are no longer banging at the door yelling "I don't wanna take a nap!" or my favorite toddler logic "The Sun's still up, I don't have to sleep!"

I love you to the moon and back!

Mommy