Dear Lucas (38 Months),

Yesterday you turned 38 months and I think for the first time ever I am late writing your monthly letter. Before you get all "my mommy doesn't love me as much as she used too" first let me say I have a few excuses. The first one is I was throwing your Aunt Lori a baby shower to celebrate your baby cousin that is coming very soon. (You know the one that I keep giving all your baby gear too, which makes you say things like "I'm a mad boy, that is MY baby stuff NOT my cousins!") The other excuse is that yesterday you got pretty sick, so sick that you threw up 4 times. It was so hard to hear you begging for food even though I knew I couldn't give you any because you couldn't even keep clear liquids down.

Lucky for me your Aunt Lisa sent me home from the baby shower with a pair of Buzz Lightyear "jambies." I think your exact woulds when you saw them were "WOW! COOL! THOSE ARE AWESOME!" You wanted to put them on that minute but since you were still covered in puke for the fourth time I was able to talk you into taking a bath first. Once you were fresh and clean you grabbed the "jambies" and said "I do it myself." If I had to pick a theme for the last month or so it would totally be "I do it myself" because I hear that ALL the time. I just wish you would use that phrase when it came to changing your own diaper.... or here is a crazy idea... going on the potty. That's okay though, I know you can't be in diapers forever... right?!?! Oh and for the record just because you tell us "Hey, I'm potty trained" doesn't really mean you are. That's like me saying "Hey, I'm a Super model!"

Right not the thing you love doing the most in the world is playing dress up (well unless you count trying to talk us out of making you go to bed, because you must REALLY love that because you do it all the time... even though it never works.) You have a giant dress up box that we keep under your bed full of all kinds of dress up clothes. Most of the time you want to dress up as buzz but every once in a while you want to be a cowboy, pirate, or super hero. I keep asking you want you want to be for Halloween and you always say "BUZZ." I know this is going to sound insane but I kind of hope I can get you to be something else for Halloween. We get to see you be Buzz ALL THE TIME! It would be fun to see you be something else because you always pretend you are Buzz, even when you aren't wearing the costume.

A few weeks ago you started going to soccer practice. I was so excited to sign you up for your first activity. I thought you would love making new friends and playing with other kids (which you do) but the thing you love most is getting your coach's attention. If the coach is talking to you or looking in your direction you do whatever you are supposed to do so you can show off for him. If his teenage assistant tries to come over and encourage you or talk to you then you fall on the ground and refuse to participate. It is kind of funny. This past week you got a soccer t-shirt from your coach and you put it on the very second your hands touched it. Every time I try to stick it in the dirty clothes you find it and put it back on. Speaking of which, I need to find it now and wash it for tomorrow.

I've been helping take care of your Great-Grandma lately and you've really had to learn how to be patient. Normally at home if you need something I can come right away but when I'm helping your Great-Gram sometimes you have to wait a few minutes. At first I don't think you quite understood but I think it's been a good lesson for you to learn. Also, I'm glad you get to spend more time with her because I don't have any memories of my Great-Grandparents and maybe you will.

Another thing I've really been trying to teach you is to clean up after yourself. When I was a kid I never understood what the big deal was if my room was a little messy (okay a lot.) Now that I am a Mom it drives me NUTS if your room is trashed (and you seem to be able to trash a room in 15 seconds.) To get you to clean up I can't just say "go clean up" I have to either challenge you to see how fast you can pick something up or threaten that there will be no bedtime stories (or sometimes a little bit of both.) I never thought I would end up being the "clean your room Nazi," but it keeps you from coming to me and crying, "Mommy, I can't find my toy!" Instead I get to hear "But I don't wanna cwean up my toys!"

Bugga, I love you to the moon and back,

Mama