Dorban!! That's what I call you. I don't know where the nickname came from, but it stuck for me. I also call you "Loco" because you're a little looney...oh, in the best of ways. You are one of those kids that walks into a room confidently, with a huge smile and an attitude like, "What am I going to do first and who is going to think I'm marvelous?" You have a constant smile and everyone always comments on how absolutely adorable you are. You definitely have a twinkle in your eye and enjoy life to the fullest. Humor is big in your life. If you can make people laugh, you'll do it. You'll keep going until people are no longer laughing. You are independent and are fine playing by yourself for quite some time. You are assertive and will make it know if you are are not happy about some sort of personal infringement (mostly from your sisters) by screaming or crying. You have just begun the act of throwing yourself on the ground in some sort of fit if something isn't going your way. We're definitely not going to be responding to that outburst. You definitely have an opinion, like everyone else in our family. You are all boy. If there are other guys around you just want to hang out with the guys. Airplanes, boats and trucks are definitely a favorite. You are constantly pointing them out. Living on the lake, you act so surprised and excited every time you see a boat. You look out the window, get a surprised look on your face and then scream, "Boat," while pointing. You have this fun little point thing right now where you take your pointer finger and move it up and down while you are pointing at something. It's really cute. You have been waking lately and the first thing you say is, "I want daddy. I want boat." You have quite a vocabulary, little man. You are definitely very verbal. You are beginning to put words together too. I am going to try and list some of your words or phrases, but it's a long list, and I know I'll miss tons: ish (shoes), air boon (airplane), boat, mommy, daddy, grandpa, grandma, Abby, Julie, Jenn, Stacie, Emma, choo choo, dog, apple, please (always enthusiastically with a swipe to the chest to include the sign language), thank you (always enthusiastically with the back of your hand to your mouth and away to include the sign language), book (which you love), ball, I want..., Starbucks (yes, this was a new one just said yesterday when you saw the Starbucks symbol on a card), vroom, up, down (you often say "down me"), cup, house, monkey, juice (which means water, milk or juice), bottle, fish, truck, bear....I think I could probably go on and on. You're willing to try any word we throw at you - being successful at some and just throwing out any random letter combination for others. You say them all enthusiastically with a smile though. That's just your nature. You love to dance, and if I turn on the music you get a huge smile and start grooving. I love when I do it in the car, and you are buckled in so can only move your hips slightly and have your arms going in the air. Big smile - of course. I feel like I need to add "big smile" on every comment about you. You are bow legged, but it's straightening out as you grow. The doctor has said that is what would happen. We just did your doctor appointment yesterday. You definitely shot up recently. You were in the shorter percentile at your last appointment (34% or something like that), but now you are 64% in height, so you had a big spurt. We have all noticed that you suddenly got taller and leaner and are starting to look more like a little boy. You were only in size five shoes for about a month. It's amazing how you bounce back if you get hurt. You bit it on the sidewalk recently, and I have a picture of you with blood flowing from your nose and a huge smile. You sleep in. We keep you up late, but you have had times of sleeping until 10:30 in the morning. Once recently, you even slept until 11:30. You also continue to take a good nap in the afternoon. You love to play with books, the jack-in-the-box, wind up toys, balls, pop up toys, cars and some of your sister's stuff (the stroller, necklaces and princess shoes to be specific). You love to put on other people's shoes. You enjoy being outside and try to escape if the door is left even slightly ajar. Your nature draws people to you. I love the moments of cuddling with your right before bed. I give you the option of getting into bed right away or cuddling. You respond by putting your head on my chest. You often want to begin interacting again, and I'll say, "OK, I guess it's time to go to bed," and you'll throw your head back on my chest. You really understand most everything we're saying, and I can give you a list of things to do or simple directions, and you follow them. You like being helpful. You have an opinion. You are fun. I make you give me "misses" (kisses) often. You are all boy and like to show love physically, thinking it's fun to wrestle, push and hit. We are trying to train you to have "loving hands." We also see a sensitivity in you. If someone is crying you'll often come over and offer a hug or a kiss...always with a smile on your face, looking up for approval. You insist on saying "night, night" to your siblings. You love them both, but seem to have something special for Kenzie, wanting to hug her if she comes down from a nap or when she first wakes up. You are just a sweet, happy, fun boy, and we love having you in our lives. Can't imagine life without you.
