iñigo at mischievous three

it's an everyday challenge for us now to keep up with iñigo. it's because he's a typical three-year-old: zesty, active, curious, energetic, demanding, assertive and i hate to say this but he really is, naughty. ;-) he easily gets bored in the house so it's a must that i have some activities for him under my sleeve. his assertiveness (read: matigas ang ulo :))  is quite striking and i often find my voice on a high pitch... but he knows my rules, and these are to minimize his mess in the house as much as possible, to listen and follow mommy's orders, and not to play rough with his baby brother. he abide sometimes, but most of the time a lot of reminders and follow-ups are needed. many people though, including his teachers in school, say that he is a well-mannered boy. they have probably compared him with other kids as i have also observed that most kids of iñigo's age are already rude and extremely rowdy. am glad that iñigo is far from being as such.

he also loves his school and has shown improvement in his socialization skills since he first attended preschool as he now interacts with his classmates, with the initiative sometimes coming from him, unlike before when other kids seem to be alien for him.

...and just like the other kids, iñigo never runs out of energy and we always find him running and jumping, even inside the house. he loves to play ball games and is good at them, which only shows that his gross motor skill is already fully developed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

playing soccer on the grounds of don bosco mandaluyong

but what we really love about our eldest son is he remains a happy kid. he loves to laugh, mostly on mundane things, and crack a joke. he can be quite silly though, which jude and i just find normal for his age.

"what's so funny, iñigo?" :)

one time while we were strolling inside greenbelt 5, iñigo saw a young boy who looks exactly like russell of the movie "up". i knew it would happen since he already did it before. he called on to us and pointed to the direction of the kid and said "look dad, it's the chubby boy". it wasn't enough for him this time. he even followed the boy and chanted "chubby boy... chubby boy..." i thought i would faint because it's the daddy of the kid who took notice and glared at him. hahaha.

i still let him watch the tv but i try to limit it to 2-3 hours a day. he also knows my rule in terms of tube viewing, i.e. when the scene is becoming violent, he must turn off the tv. he faithfully abides and is more strict than us as he would remind me or jude when we're watching boxing matches or santino (may bukas pa for him) that "it's not good..." :)

quite surprisingly, iñigo is very heavy even if he looks slim to some. now weighing 18.5 kilos, he is actually at the borderline of becoming overweight.  he still has a good appetite and even hearty sometimes especially when his favorite sinigang is served. he also eats two snacks in the afternoon. growth spurt, maybe. :) am also happy that he is still fond of eating veggies, especially the fiber-rich leafy and green ones. this is something am really thankful for because i know that feeding the little ones is usually difficult.

we're also happy that he is very eager to learn. as of this date, he knows how to count one to 20 and can identify these numbers correctly... thanks to the elevators, remote controls, and other gadgets.  he also knows to tell time in hours, even before it was taught to him in school. he got the concept of time from me since i always give him deadlines and i use the clock for him for reference. he also know phonics by now. his teacher and i were really amazed that he learned it easily since he only goes to school 2-3x a week. we're expecting that he can read simple words when he turns four. though am really not in a hurry when it comes to his reading skill but if it he will show any interests to read early then why not... iñigo loves to read, i mean he loves me to read his books for him and it's a must that i read 2-3 books for him before bedtime. there are even some books that he had already memorized the lines per page. :D

he is also becoming more independent. aside from feeding and bathing himself, he also insists to put on his own clothes (except for those with buttons) and shoes and he does it right.

one of his milestones last month is sleeping at night without wearing any diaper and am proud to say that he is really good on this as he only made two accidents in our first week of trying and after, no more wet sheets! :D i look forward to the days that size XXL diapers will no longer be part of my grocery list. iñigo still refuse to use the toilet bowl when pooping. *sighs* he's still scared until now...

 

...and since we're on the topic of his fears, he is back to his old self who's scared of pools and seas. whenever when we're on the beach he just keeps himself busy by making sandcastles. but it's not only that... to our dismay, iñigo is also now afraid of riding an airplane! even a visit to disneyland would not convince him of going to hong kong if it would require him to ride a plane.