Has anybody seen my baby?

He used to look like this:



But now all I can find is this big kid.

---

He can recognize all the capital letters and the numbers 0-9. He can count to 18 unassisted. He can sing ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all by himself, and a lot more songs along with someone. He makes up his own songs sometimes. And he asks me to sing William Tell Overture, by name. He knows 15 states on the US map, and can point out the stigma, style, petals, anther and filament on a tiger lily. If I don't know the answer to something he asks me, he says, "Let's look it up!" and sits on my lap with the laptop so we can find it out.

He's currently in love with Toy Story (both 1 and 2), and for his birthday he kept asking for "the Woody with a string that talks, because my Woody doesn't have a string." He got him, and has barely put him down since his party yesterday; they're currently taking a nap together in MommyDaddy's bed. I love that he was happy with the Toy Story books the Easter Bunny left him this morning, too.

He also has a fondness for The Incredibles (though we've pared down his watching time on that one, due to his obsession with guns), and due to a certain youtube video he often tells us, "I ate too much, I can't put my belt on." He also hasn't let the lack of a "red suit" stop him from putting on an imaginary red suit, complete with imaginary gloves, mask, and boots, several times a day, and announcing, "I'm a superhero!"

Speaking of movies, he can turn on the TV, put a DVD in the DVD player, and turn it on, all by himself. He can also take out the DVD, and turn everything off. He's shown both of his grandmas and two of our friends how it all works, when they didn't know.

My favorite things about him right now, are that he likes to wake me up by caressing my face and saying, "Mommy, open your eyes," and that he often asks in the morning or when we get home from work, "You're happy to see me?" He's very aware of others' feelings, and is good about expressing his own. Last night I turned off the water before he was done washing hands, and he told me "You hurt my feelings, I wasn't done yet."

He's a good eater - eats plenty of healthy foods, with his favorites including stir fried broccoli, apples and peanut butter, and "cold toast" (a.k.a. bread). He'll try anything new, and has loved a lot of the vegan recipes we've made recently. Sure, he loves hot dogs and mac & cheese like any other kid, but he definitely doesn't limit himself to them. The other night I asked what he wanted for dinner, and he answered, "Miso soup, and sushi, and rice, and broccoli." He stuffs himself silly at the Indian buffet. And candy? He'll take a few bites, then proclaim himself "All done."

He still doesn't sleep all night, but I'm used to it and have become fond of it. It won't be that many more years he'll want to snuggle Mommy at night, and I think I'd miss it if he stopped asking. Daddy, I'm sure, feels differently :). He does fall asleep in his own bed by himself now, though, and that's a huge improvement.

I brag about him often.

I really, really love this kid, and I'm glad he chose me to be his mommy.

Happy third birthday, buddy.