garrett's big day

Yesterday was all about Garrett, and so we spent the day doing things that made him happy. He had a speech therapy session in the morning, but as soon as it was over, we were out the door and on a train bound for the new Lego store that just opened in Rockefeller Center. As a part of their grand opening festivities, they were building a giant apple on the promenade. Anyone who wanted to could build big bricks out of tiny Legos to contribute to the construction. Of course Garrett wanted to do some building and now his Lego brick is firmly inserted somewhere in the Big Apple.



The inside of the Lego store is decorated with replicas of familiar statues and scenes, some nearly life-size, of both Rockefeller Center and New York City in general, all of which were pretty cool. But the store was super crowded, so we weren't inside for long. Back out on the promenade, we admired the green kid-built cityscape, then went to go build our own contribution. Unlike the boys standing near us at our table, neither Garrett or I currently have any remarkable talents in the fields of architecture or construction, but we had fun just the same.


After a quick picnic lunch near a water fountain a block away from Rockefeller Center, we hopped back on a train bound for home, tired, but still excited for more fun to come.

Blake was able to leave work a little early, and once he was home, Garrett and I walked over to Bagel Boy to pick up for dinner what is currently his favorite meal: bagels with cream cheese. While we waited for our order to be completed, Garrett sat on his special tiny bench, which he just recently discovered. I think it was made just for him, don't you?


A surprise was waiting for Garrett when we got home -- a brand new Radio Flyer scooter! After dinner we took it outside to try it out. He's got the right idea, but it is hilarious how slow he is (for more visuals, see this video). He definitely needs some practice, which he is more than okay with, so long as he can ring that little bell.


One laborious ride down the block later, it was time to come in to open a few more presents. My mom sent him a dolly (to replace his blanket-turned-baby), and it was a HUGE hit. It turns out that Garrett is quite the nurturer. The first thing he did as he cradled it was pull out the accompanying bottles (which he has decided need to be kept in the fridge next to Caleb's) to feed it. Throughout the rest of the evening, he made sure that baby was well taken care of: he propped it up on the couch to watch TV while we were in the kitchen eating dessert, tucked it into bed (with all of the toys he himself likes to sleep with), rocked and cradled it, and fed it several more times. It was pretty much the most adorable thing I've seen in a long time.


Just before bed we headed to the kitchen to blow out birthday candles. He was a pro, of course, which was only to be expected since this was his third 3rd birthday party. For this particular celebration, we opted for brownies and ice cream, since the only thing he likes about cake is the frosting.


As I tucked Garrett in for bed last night (with his dolly tucked in next to him, of course), I asked him if he'd had a good day. His reply? "It was great."

Mission accomplished.

While on the one hand, he's done a lot of growing up lately, on the other it's hard for me to believe my first baby boy is already three years old. I took him to the doctor this morning for his 3-year well check-up, and he was a star. He didn't even flinch at the surprise vaccination he received. As far as stats go, here's how he's measuring up:

Height: 37 inches (average)
Weight: 30 1/4 lbs (less than average)

He's a skinny one, my boy, but there's enough of him there still to squeeze and tickle, which I do often because I know that one day (hopefully not too soon) he'll have decided he's too grown up for things like that. But for now, despite his three years, he is still my sweet little boy.