Ryan, A One-Shirt Kind of Guy

If only Ryan were always as happy wearing long sleeves as he is here, in matching sweaters with Tate and Lucie. Much to his mother's dismay, Ryan is not a guy known for his fashion flexibility. He knows what he likes, and likes what he knows -- and that usually involves short sleeves, the color orange, and elastic waistbands. He is not a fan of long sleeves, jeans or fitted waistbands. (Who really is — can you blame the guy?)

Ryan has had several favorite shirts, starting of course, with his fireman costume and "FDNY" shirt. That shirt, which once seemed enormous, has been so well loved it is paper thin and skin tight. Next in the shirt Hall of Fame came the "crane shirt", a shirt picturing the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, bought when we were visiting Minnesota for cousin Jayme's wedding. That shirt was worn day after day after day after day last spring, the bridge slowly peeling away with each wash.

This past summer, the favorite shirt was an orange striped shirt I bought at Old Navy for $3.99. He loved that thing, especially since Chris has a similar orange shirt and the two of them could be "matching orange shirt buddies" on casual Fridays (for Chris, not Ryan — every day is casual Friday for Ryan). When I think of this past summer, I think of that shirt. It spent very little time in his drawer, and instead was either on him or in the washing machine preparing to be on him again.

And, now more recently, the favored shirt has been Ryan's "3" shirt, declaring "3's a charm!" and announcing his third birthday. Multiple requests have already been put in for a "4" shirt. I have my eye out, though frankly, I'm not ready for that yet. I wish Ryan, and his quirky fashion tastes, could stay three forever. It is a charm.