Half Birthday Boy

Mr. Ryan, it's hard to believe that you're now closer to age four than you are to age three. All I have to do is look at you in your favorite "3's a charm" shirt to see how much you've grown in only six months. How could a shirt that had room to spare last September now hit you mid-belly? I want to savor every little bit of the charming, inquisitive, smart, oh-so-wonderful (and taller!) guy you are today.

At age three and a half, your favorite food, by far, is watermelon. Anytime I go to the grocery store and ask you what I should buy, you cry out with delight, "WATERMELON!" Some of your other favorites include pickles, black olives, Hawaiian pizza (though really it's just the pineapples you like), cashews, and corn. You explore and savor your meals, rarely complaining about trying something new.

You have an amazing memory. You can recall the smallest details from things that happened months and months ago, especially if you were with your Dad at the time. Something will remind you of an experience you've had and you'll say, "Daddy, do you be-member that time we did...?" The story you'll tell will have incredible detail, right down to what you were eating or what color shirt you were wearing. This memory serves you well when it comes to retaining important facts, as you can now recite your address, including street number, name and city, and retell some of your favorite books word-for-word.

You love routine, and like to know what to expect. Every day has a meaning to you. What do we do on Tuesdays? Library day, of course. Knowing what to expect also means that you prefer games that have predictable outcomes. You might start out enjoying a chasing game with Lucie, but quickly dissolve into tears, not enjoying the possibility of her reaching out and grabbing you at any moment. That's way too unpredictable for you.

Construction trucks, garbage trucks and fire trucks continue to light up your world. You run right to the transportation section in the library, eagerly picking out new or old favorites in the light and heavy machinery genre. Our library receipt recently indicated that we'd checked out two copies of same construction book. I was sure it was a mistake, until I looked over our pile of books and discovered that Ryan had selected two of the same Giant Machines book. Why check out one copy of an amazing book about cement mixers, concrete trucks and excavators when you can check out two?

You're fascinated by letters and sounds. You've mastered a few words from I Stink! (a book for true garbage truck fans), learning to read such phrases as "YUCK!" and "You're on Mount Trash-o-rama, baby!" You also love talking about rhyming words. "Hey, Mommy!", you'll say, "ball rhymes with hall!" Or in a silly moment, "Cabinet rhymes with Babinet!"

You are a little man on the move, running, jumping, leaping and bounding everywhere you go. When it comes to quiet time, you love art projects and show incredible concentration mixing the perfect shade of orange paint, or covering your entire sheet of paper with cut-outs for a collage.

Ryan, we're all so lucky to listen to your sweet voice as we enjoy the world through your eyes. You make each and every one of my days fun because you're in it.