Rocco is THREE!!

Rocco is THREE!

Three seems be a really good age for Rocco! He is so handsome, he gives the BEST bear hugs EVER, he loves to be helpful, he plays great with his sisters, he’s so strong and great at sports (Dan is always amazed by his throw!), he rides his bike SO fast around the neighborhood, he eats well, and he is funnier and more entertaining than ever. He has more facial expressions than anyone I know. Thank God for digital cameras because he'll ham it up in front of the camera giving me lots of different Rocco faces.

He is also now fully potty-trained! YAY! Can you hear my screams of joy?! I give full credit to Maria on this one, as she has been so diligent at potty training Rocco and really encouraging him during the week when I’m not able to! Rocco still wears pull-ups during the day, just in case he gets too engrossed in his play and forgets to use the potty chair. But, I have to say – he is SO GOOD at running to the potty chair whenever he has to go pee pee or poo poo. SO PROUD of him!

Rocco’s 3 year growth stats:
Height: 39inches (95%ile)
Weight: 34lbs 4oz (75%ile)


Rocco’s growth stats don’t lie - this kid is one solid muscle! Seriously. This child does not have an ounce of fat on him and he is big. He is two years younger than Gabby and weighs only 4lbs less and is only 4 inches shorter than her.

Teeth: Rocco has now been to the dentist twice and was such a good boy at both visits. He loves brushing his teeth, loves his Batman toothbrush and his Lightening McQueen toothpaste.

Favorite toys: toy guns, cars, airplanes & helicopters, his bike, his space shuttles & rockets, his mini-ATV from Santa, and trains. He is also super good at putting puzzles together and playing the memory game (he's a frequent winner playing memory!).

Favorite foods: Mac-n-cheese (will even request this for breakfast & often eats the entire package himself), hot dogs & ketchup, corn dogs, sausage, eggs, any kind of pasta dish, tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, vegetable soups, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, carrots & ranch dressing, doughnuts and of course any kind of candy bar. This child is a food machine… he can eat often and anything!

Favorite books: “The Best Word Book Ever” and “Busy, Busy Town” by Richard Scarry. He can look at the books for so long. Ok not hours… but definitely twenty minutes to a half hour and that is LONG for Rocco!

Favorite cartoons: Batman, Tom & Jerry, Team Umizoomy, Word World, Go Diego Go, Dora

Best friends: Gabby, Giuliana, Sofia & Giovanni, mommy, daddy & Maria. And, when asked, he'll often still tell you his best friend is Tato.

Favorite activities and things to do: wrestle his daddy, ride his bike (w/training wheels) superfast around our neighborhood, playing outside in the yard with Gabby and the neighbor kids, family get togethers with Sofia & Giovanni, playing with his cars and airplanes (while making the respective and very loud sound effects (RRRRRRRRR….. MMMMMM… BLAST OFF!). Rocco is constantly making LOUD sound effects throughout the day… whether it’s the punching/fighting sound effects while wrestling his daddy, or playing with all of his cars & planes, etc. We usually know exactly where he is in the house. Rocco also likes to go on walks into the forest with an adult and look for caterpillars, bugs, and animal tracks and houses.

New interests: Counting, learning the “A, B, C’s” and the sounds they make, and he now also enjoys art projects like coloring and painting. As Gabby is now learning to read and practices spelling words randomly throughout the day, you’ll often hear Rocco say things like “Buh, Buh, Bear!” Or “Buh, Buh, Rocco” to which we'll laugh and tell him, “No, it’s “Ruh, Ruh, Rocco!”










Favorite beverages: Orange juice & chocolate milk. He even drinks his beverages out of big boy cups with his meals now – no more sippy cups at the table! After 2.5 years of being best friends with his bottles, they have now been gone for 6 months! Yay! We had just started trying to wean the twins off bottles when Matteo died…so, we ended up letting him keep the bottle in his life because it was a comfort to him and we didn’t have the heart to take it away knowing everything else he had been through. So, when we arrived in Tahoe last July, we told him that we didn’t have any more bottles and he accepted it without a fight. I do have to say though… I really miss his requests for “milky mommy”, which was code for him drinking his bottle, while watching a show and snuggling me and his blanket. I really miss all the “milky mommy” time. But, Dan & I both take every opportunity to snuggle him when he allows it. Snuggle time is usually when he first wakes in the morning.

Sleep: Rocco is an awesome sleeper! He sleeps 11 hours easily at night on days he hasn’t napped. No pre-bedtime tantrums. No pre-bedtime wars or drama. This child is proof that sleep-training is magical and has proven results! He goes to bed @ 8:30pm and typically wakes up at 7 or 7:30am and occasionally in the 8 o’clock hour. Recently, he has started to outgrow his naps. We’ve learned this because on the days he naps (his naps typically last 2 hours easily) he’ll end up sneaking down stairs to join Dan and I until 10 or 11pm. The sneaking down stairs is actually a hilarious phenomenon… because he’s like a little army guy. He’ll run with his blanket, then hit the floor covered by his blanket so we supposedly can’t see him (as if his blanket is his camo). He’ll do this all the way from his bedroom upstairs to the TV room on the main floor. Run, then hit the floor covered in blanket. Dan and I will proceed to comment on how it’s so strange that this random blanket is just sitting on the floor next to us. And, maybe we should go sit on it, etc.

Bad Habits: Using his shirt as his napkin. You can always tell what Rocco ate for lunch or dinner by looking at his shoulders/sleeves. Also, Rocco has a bad habit of yelling all of his feelings at us “YOU HURT MY FEELINGS!”, “YOU MAKE ME FEEL BAD!”, “DON’T TALK TO ME!”, “I’M GOING TO SLAM THIS DOOR!”. One can never complain about Rocco not being straight up with his feelings. Sheesh!

Next up for Rocco: Swimming lessons will start again soon for him. We’re trying to enroll him in karate classes. And, he’ll start pre-school again in August!








Birthday Party Wrap-up:
Rocco was SO EXCITED this year for his birthday cake and to rip through his birthday presents! On the eve of his birthday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was a lot of fun to take all the kids out and have them bring special birthday sundaes to the table. Rocco and Giuilana LOVED having all the wait staff sing the birthday song to our table…and Rocco happile blew out his candle and dove into his sundae the instant they stopped singing. He was very, very proud that the celebration was for him.

In the weeks leading up to his birthday, I kept asking what kind of cake he wanted, and he was consistent in his request for a chocolate “Cars” cake. So, on the eve of his birthday, I found myself consumed with making his chocolate cake and decorating it with a cars theme.

On birthday morning, he found his cake, and it remained a magnet to him for the rest of the day. Constantly looking at it, constantly telling us it was HIS cake, and constantly touching it and swiping frosting to lick off his fingers at any opportunity he had when we weren’t watching.

After we sang the birthday song to Rocco, and then to Giuliana, we watched Giuilana destroy her cake. Then, Rocco and Giuilana got to open presents. Rocco ripped through his presents in less than 10 minutes. I think his favorite gift was a space shuttle from Gammy and Papa. But, he also got a cool new legos set from a friend, lots of other toys, new clothes, new PJ’s, and then two joint gifts for him & Giuilana – a table w/different colored chairs and a new kitchen/bakery that they kids love. Rocco had a GREAT day and was SO PROUD of himself on his birthday!

We love you so much, sweet Rocco! You bring smiles to our faces every day, and constantly fill our hearts with love and laughter! Happy Birthday big boy!