Ander turns 3!

May I please preface this post by saying that although Ander suddenly looks "special" with his crossed eyes, he has been seen by both a Chinese and American opthamologist and we've been assured that he is fine. Supposedly as he flexes the muscles to focus his eyes he is flexing one harder than the other. It changes which one he pulls. It started 6 months ago, went away after a month but is suddenly back again. Why? So that he could look so memorable for his 3 year old birthday pictures, obviously.

 We had been prepping Ander for more than a week about his upcoming birthday and he was super excited when we came into his room singing happy birthday to him. I will spare you the video since A: He is locked in his tent when we come in (awkward) B: His eyes are crazy crossed and the whole scene is just comical. What matters is that he appreciated the songs, right?

 What is noteworthy here? That he had a cake. Seriously, I wasn't sure it was going to happen!

 And finally, after more than 3 years, we have located a place to blow up helium balloons. If you only knew the lengths we've gone to acquire balloons, and finally, to actually find the place that supposedly does it. Can't even count the wasted hours. But finally, SUCCESS!

 Ander has been 100% uninterested in toys until 6 months ago. I was convinced that he was going to be my only child who didn't really do imaginative play. Then suddenly, like a light switch, he started playing with Kohen's toys. He loves all things Imaginext, so he was excited to get some of his own.

The big hit of his birthday was noise makers that Nathan found. We had a noise maker war where we tried to get the thing to unroll right into someones face, while laughing really hard, and avoiding their horn in your face. It was a noisy but fabulous time.

At 3yrs Ander has finally potty trained. I had attempted once about 6 months ago but he refused even though it was clear he could do it. A few days after we got home this summer he walked up to me one day holding a pair of underwear and asked to have them on. And that was that. It was truly just a matter of things being on his terms.
He is still my cuddliest child which I take advantage of on a daily basis. There is nothing quite like an Ander snug. He has started speaking a lot more and he loves to dance, especially when we have dance parties, he always grabs whatever is near (a water bottle, spoon, shoe) and plays air guitar like a rockstar.
Ander remains a natural problem solver. In example, when Nathan took him to the eye Dr. in the U.S. and there was a projector putting images on the wall and Ander had to say what they were, like, tree, car, horse etc. The images continued to get smaller and eventually it got so small that Ander turned around and looked at the projector to see what the image was. The Dr. chuckled and said, "I think your problem is that he's just smart."
He's your typical boy as far as being active and physical, and he freaks everyone out when he jumps in a pool without hesitation. He calls himself Nemo. He is also a big eater, his favorite food since he was about 11 months old is a spicy Thai Curry. And last but not least, he is surprisingly gentle with Scarlett, helping her keep her balance as she learns to walk and always stopping to give her kisses.
Seriously, this boy is one of a kind. We love the dynamic he brings to our family. Cutest cross eyed 3 year old EVER. Love him!