Free to be Three

Three is such a great number.

It's the number of strikes a batter gets and the number of outs a team gets in baseball each inning.  It's the number of children my parents had.  It's how many times I think you should try before deciding something isn't for you.  It's the number of times I will re-direct and remind Whit of proper behavior before stepping it up to the next level.  And it's prominent in when Kirk and I were blessed with Whit; after our third try and three days of labor, just three weeks before our third wedding anniversary.

Now that Whit is three, I've wanted to sit down and really get into what makes him three.  So, of course, three days shy of three months and three weeks after his third birthday, here it is! (did you get that math?)

What does it mean to be three?

I can't really remember but for Whit it means....

Being very entertaining running around a soccer field never touching a ball.
Giving the best hugs ever.
Being a great big brother.
Making up silly words and using them in actual conversation.
Finally understanding the rules to "Say what I say."
Not feeling weird about having soup and grilled cheese for breakfast.
Thinking its just as much fun to go down the chutes as up the ladders. 
Knowing that "W" is for Whit and "T" is for "tea" and "K" is for ketchup but not understanding that "Ckw" doesn't spell anything.
You say a lot of funny things. 
You think that everyone who is in your family must have the last name "Renegar"
That logic and reason can now be applied to most situations.

And then there's the hard stuff which is...

Being almost too old for napping which often leads to a late bedtime or a very difficult evening.
Having so many emotions you don't know what to do.
Learning how to separate your wants from your needs.
Understanding that the world isn't ending when you wants are not met.
Missing people when they aren't around.
The fact that logic and reason sometimes go out the window. 


Whit.... wait, correction, Whitfield Ian Renegar.  "W" for Whit and "R" for Renegar.  I think that's how he will be introducing himself for months.... is three.  Wow!

I've been lamenting how "big" he's been getting for over a year.  My favorite statement was that we were having another baby because he was so big and didn't need me anymore.  He barely fits in the rocker and takes up more than his fair share in bed.

But the truth is, he does still need me.  Three is a difficult time.  You definitely aren't a baby, but you are stuck somewhere in between toddler and child.  And three is a glamorous "tween" time like 12, not a child but almost a teenager and ruling the world, or 30, in between young and...not so young anymore.

Three is my greatest hope and my biggest fear. Three is when many people will tell you they began having memories that last into adulthood.  So much of what a child knows about the world is in place by three.  Three year olds just about get how the world works.  I want Whit to get that the world is a beautiful place where he can make a positive difference.  I want his memories from three to be golden.  I want three to be the foundation for a great and meaningful life.

Whitfield Ian Renegar, congrats on being three.