Happy THREE Decky!

Dear Decky,

I just don't know what to make of you turning three. On the one hand you seem like such a big boy already, part of me thinks you've been three for months now. On the other hand you're my little baby, and you always will be. Still, we've noticed a few definite changes as you head into threenager territory. Up until now you've been a very go with the flow baby. Happy to go where we go, do what we do, and entertain yourself if we're busy. Now, suddenly, you're your own little person, you've got your own agenda and needs, and you're not afraid to yank my arm off dragging me from one place to another if your needs aren't being met. NOW.

It was bound to happen, it's part of growing up, and I promise we'll take your opinion into consideration from now on, my sweet little Decks.

We've also noticed what I can only describe as growing pains. Possibly physical as you're definitely looking taller and leaner lately, but definitely emotional. A couple weeks ago I actually took you to Urgent Care because you were silently weeping throughout the day like you were in pain, and then you passed out face down on the floor and completely freaked me out. It was so unlike you. Of course, as soon as we got to Urgent Care you were running around like you owned the place, practically climbing over all the legitimately sick people in the waiting room and fighting off three nurses at a time as they tried to take your vitals, like the baby Hulk you are. Physically you were fine, but those weepy moments have come on several times a week and I wish so badly you could tell me exactly what's wrong. Since you can't tell me, my best guess is that it's a mixture of needing more attention than you've gotten lately, having more to say than you're able to express with your limited vocabulary, and being completely worn out from all the summer fun we've been having.

It's ok baby, we've all got days like that. I promise you can always come cry on my lap, no matter how old you are.

On the topic of vocabulary, we've recently had you assessed by a speech therapist and you're currently at a twelve to eighteen month level. You were happy to show off your beautifully intricate jibberish, that I will forever believe is an actual language that exists somewhere, but when it comes to learning our plain English words you just haven't shown much interest. Until she put you in the 12-18 month range. Then you were like, GAME ON, and you've suddenly been learning several new words and phrases a day. I can't tell you what a relief that's been, and I am so, SO excited to learn all the crazy, hilarious, insightful thoughts running through that beautiful mind of yours.

I promise you that although English may not be as fun to speak as your own language, you will find it far more useful.

I hope you've had as much fun turning three as we've had fun celebrating you. We were wracking our brains trying to come up with the perfect day for you, and we were having the hardest time because you love the simplest things. In the end simple is what we went for and it turned out being amazing. We made sure to splash in some water (at the river), we got you your very own mini ball pit, which you and your brother are obsessed with, we took you to the toy store where you picked out a Cars Dinoco semi truck, to go with the Cars Mack truck you got on your second birthday, and you immediately came home to play with the two of them together. You know what you like and you're loyal to those things, and I can appreciate that. We also had a barbecue with family (where you ate a pb&j) and we've got plans for some water balloons and a trip to Wacky Tacky to cap off your three day three year old celebration.

Though I hope I tell you this every day, I want to make especially sure you know today, on the day that you quite literally came crashing into our lives three years ago, that you complete our little family. You give the best kisses, the best snuggles, the best infectious giggles, the best spontaneous dance moves, and the best "are you insane?" looks. Your happy spots are burrowed under a blanket flipping through a board book, hiding in a self-made fort beneath the recliner, ransacking your brother's room, splashing in water, or sitting on my lap. You've brought infinitely more balloons, bubbles, and bouncy balls into our lives, and I'm not sure how we got along without those necessities all this time. We love you to infinity and beyond baby boy and we're so excited to see how three unfolds for you.

Declan Lately

The other day we went to a tiny little park in Berkeley that is mostly famous for a giant climbing rock and the most beautiful views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. We were thinking we'd climb to the top, enjoy the views for a bit, climb down and move on with our day. Declan though, he had other plans. He absolutely could not leave that place until he'd climbed to the very top of all the major rocks. In the pictures below it may look like we're helping him climb. We're not. We're actually holding him back because he was climbing way too fast for us to keep up. There's not many times Decky puts his foot down and absolutely insists on doing something, so we let him have his way, and once he'd climbed the biggest rock there (and nearly given me several heart attacks) he stood at the top cheering and celebrating and basically letting all of Berkeley know he had conquered that rock.

Declan is my daredevil, my brawler, and (some may say) my troublemaker. The very same traits that make him a handful to parent are also his biggest strengths. He's persistent, a firm believer in justice, and he does not give up on a mission once he's set his mind to it - no matter how many scrapes and bruises he picks up along the way. Recently he fell flying squirrel style off the ladder at the playground, got the wind knocked out of him, and after a few tears he climbed right back up.

Summertime for Decky is one giant pool dance Puppy Dog Pals party. Any body of water and that kid is there. Puddle, pool, river, lake filled with threatening geese... it doesn't matter, he wants in. And his dance skills just get better and better. In addition to hip swaying, foot stomping, and shoulder shimmying, spinning in circles until he falls down is his new fave. We're leaving the Mickey Mouse era behind (and trust me, I never thought I'd say this, but it's making me a teensy bit nostalgic) and entering a new one filled with Puppy Dog Pals and Monster Trucks. Watching TV for Declan is a full blown high impact aerobic, scream-your-head-off, run circles through the house affair.

Decky still speaks a very complex dialect of jibberish, but every now and then he says certain words or phrases with such clarity that it makes me think he could break out in full blown dignified British English at any moment. Some new words he's added to his repertoire include "Deckadeckadeckadeck!" (basically an exuberant version of his nickname - Decka-doos), "Heyyyy!" (complete with waving rapidly) and "okayyyy!" He also still does his bulldog face, which he's been doing since birth, where he juts out his lower jaw and looks at you all grimacing and defiant. That pretty much sums up his personality in a nutshell.

Declan is currently into having his own space, whether that be locking himself into any unoccupied room in the house (including the laundry room), burrowing deep under the blankets, or hiding in the bushes in the backyard. He doesn't really have a room of his own at the moment, but we're getting him his own big boy bed soon and I have a feeling he's gonna make that space his own in no time.

Lately Declan has been the giddiest, giggliest, silliest little boy. He'll catch a case of the giggles and anything and everything will set him off for hours. It never fails to crack me up. Climbing stuff, pouring out water, and falling off things (like our bed and the ladder at the playground), are just a few of the ways he's added to my gray hair tally lately. That being said, he is the most fearless, stoic 2 year old boy ever, and when he does cry I know he's REALLY hurt, because normally he'll bounce face-first off the sidewalk and get right up like nothing happened.

To my Deckadoos, I just want you to know that every gray hair is worth it a hundred times over, but as I've told you many, many times, you only get one head, so please take care of it. You fill our lives with the happiest angst imaginable (your Daddy's words). We love your quirky, little old man, LOUD ways, and we wouldn't change a thing about you.

Happy 2 Declan!

I know the usual thing to say is that these past two years flew by, but to be honest Declan has been acting like a three year old since he was one, so part of me is like, "he's only two??" and the rest of me feels like he's been here forever. Seriously, what did I ever do with my time before I was removing Declan from things he's climbed on, cleaning up things he's broken, and mopping up the water he loves to pour on the table? Your guess is as good as mine.

To my dear little Decky,
You have a reputation for being more handfuls than I have hands. Our life was bland and boring before you came along and spiced it up. Whenever we go out you like to pick a new family to adopt and try to go home with them. Anytime we leave the bathroom doors open we can be sure to find you splashing in the toilet and obliterating all the toilet paper. You're a climber and a daredevil and no puddle of water is too small for you to stop and splash in. You give the sloppiest, wettest kisses and I absolutely live for them. They always arrive out of nowhere, which makes them all the more special. Every once in a blue moon you actually sit down for a snuggle and because I know how brief and fleeting those moments are I soak them right up. At night you're my snuggly little koala bear, cuddling right up to my arm and not letting go. I'm going to be so sad when we move you to your own bed (very, very soon). If I've learned one thing from you, it's that anytime and anywhere is a good time for a dance party. I hope you never, ever forget that. You're independent, practically self sufficient, and extremely passionate about your likes (and dislikes). You're a little performer, complete with dancing, singing, and dramatic hand gestures. Sleeping is serious business and God help anyone who wakes you (which I can totally relate to). Picky eater doesn't even begin to describe you - yet you'll happily lick an anthill, a door handle, and every single germy piece of playground equipment - you little weirdo! You're fairly quiet and go with the flow but every now and then you turn into a chatterbox and crack us all up. You're methodical, precise, determined, and observant and I know one day you'll go far and you'll do and be exactly what you want to be. We're already so proud of you baby boy, and we love you more than you'll ever know.

Likes:

• Dancing (check out the video below for 2 years worth of Declan dances)
• Family time
• Water - in any and all forms
• BUBBLES!!!
• Trains (or choo choos, as they're properly called)
• Mickey Mouse, Monsters Inc, Nemo, & Cars
• Disneyland
• Basketball
• Monster Trucks
• Capes and super heroes
• Books
• Climbing
• Graham crackers

Dislikes:

• Wrestling with your brother
• Being woken up
• Pretty much any and all food

A Moment in Time

Every now and then Joe gives me a list of things I should record in this little ol' blog here so we don't forget it, which is usually my not so subtle reminder that it's been a while since I've done a life lately post. Like the way Ez is obsessed with reciting both Little Blue Truck books by heart or how Declan has to get down and dance anytime there is a snippet of music playing. They both seem like completely different people compared to even just a few months ago and I want to remember every crazy little thing they do. Declan is developing into a little jokester goofball who will do pretty much anything for a laugh. Ez is getting to that (mostly) fun age where he says crazy things out of nowhere and cracks Joe and me up. They're each at the perfect age to interact and play with each other and they're really starting to get the hang of this whole "having a brother" thing.

Family Life Lately

We are so, so, so blessed that Joe gets to work from home now. It's been the best thing for our family and Ez and Declan are on cloud 9 having Daddy time all throughout the day. Ez has switched over to becoming a total daddy's boy in the last few weeks and I'm basically chopped liver now. He just shadows Joe all day saying, "look at this Daddy," and when I try to chime in he'll repeat again, "look at this, Daddy." Ok, point taken kid. That being said, Joe working from home goes a little something like this:

Sitting on toys with a basketball bouncing off his head while on his laptop pretty much sums it up. Not sure how he pulls it off, but somehow he does.

In the evening we're all about family walks, or just running laps through the house over and over and over till everyone passes out from exhaustion. Well, when we don't all have a nasty flu, anyway. It's becoming very apparent that I live in a house full of boys because roughhousing is pretty much everyone's favorite pastime. Except mine. Apparently I don't have that gene that likes wrestling. Thankfully that's where daddy comes in.

Ez Lately

Moving to a house with a backyard is basically like Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one. Ez wakes up and the first thing he says is, "Wanna play in the backyard?" Clearly we've been depriving him and he's making up for lost time. Laying face down, elbow deep in the dirt is his happy place. He's my little earth worm. And after a nice long digging and rock collecting session he'll come in with his mud-streaked face and say "that was so much fun!" which makes all the extra laundry so worth it.

When he's not outside he's either asking if he can use "his" ipad, or eating. Seriously, that kid wants to eat every 30 minutes like clockwork. Apples are still the snack of choice and I have to cut him off or he'd eat a tree's worth every day. Also, it's a pretty good sign that my kid has seen one too many Youtube videos when he starts telling us, "Thanks for watching! Please subscribe." We've pretty much got a locked in subscription for the next 15 years or so... ;) Also thanks to Youtube Ez is basically a nonstop jukebox of nursery rhymes and songs. "Brother finger brother finger where are you? Here I am, here I am, how do you do?" is the current soundtrack of my life.

Despite the great upsides of our new place, there was definitely a turbulent little period when all the recent change caught up with Ez and he was basically a storm of emotions all throughout the day. When he's happy and excited he's the most bouncy exuberant little being you've ever met, but when he's pissed he's PISSED. Not sure if it's the move, a growth spurt, his age, or what...but it's a little hard to keep up with. I could do a whole post on "reasons my son is crying" and it would go something along the lines of: he asked to watch monster trucks so I turned on monster trucks; he asked for pink yogurt but all we had was blue yogurt; he wanted the yellow (box) mac & cheese not the blue one I gave him; he wants to play with the one missing toy instead of the 3,574 toys already strewn across the floor; the apple I gave him was "too big".... I think you get the idea.

Declan Lately

Declan is in that adorable gibberish stage and I really really wish I knew what he was trying to say. His made up language sounds like a cross between Arabic and Russian and there are certain sounds he'll repeat daily but I have no idea what they could possible mean. If anyone can translate Ah Shaka Doh for me, that'd be great, thanks. He likes to yell that at me periodically and for now I can only assume it means something along the lines of "bring me food, woman!" His English vocabulary has also grown a lot lately. "Doh!" (go or no), "Ca-kwa" (crackers), "wawawa" (water), "ba" (milk/bottle), "Ga doh?" (get down), Toooo!!! (Tootles - usually followed by a piercing scream) "dadada" (Dada). No mama yet though :(

He's forever my rambunctious troublemaker and whenever he gets caught redhanded doing something he shouldn't be he tilts his head to one side and sidles away without making eye contact, like if he can't see you, you can't see him. Some of his trouble making specialties include: dumping any glass of water he can find all over the floor. Splashing in the toilet. Typing on Joe's laptop the second it's unattended. Turning off the wifi. Storing bits of food in his toy garbage truck and then pulling them out for a snack later.

He does this wonky back and forth run like a little drunken sailor when he's trying to be silly and get a laugh out of us. His favorite perch is on the stairs landing where he can look down on the family room and watch whatever's on TV from his own private viewing box. Joe and I will be sitting at the table and all of a sudden this little blur of a boy goes running past full speed on his way to the stairs like he's on a mission. And speaking of running, running off and leaving us in the dust is becoming a pattern with him. Like that time he ran behind the bar at Outback and scared the crap out of me. He has the opposite of survival skills. If there's danger within a four mile radius he's automatically drawn to it. He just can't help himself. Gives whole new meaning to this meme:

Except there's a good chance I haven't showered...

Brothers

Ez and Declan are at the stage where they actually share a few common interests and watching them interact is my favorite parenting experience. Declan is loving monster trucks and motorcycles and all things with wheels and he'll roll them all over the house (like literally, up the walls and everything) and then when he's done he'll walk over and hand them to his brother and stand there gesturing and talking his rapid jibberish. Ez has no idea how to react and usually stares at me baffled until I cue him to say "thank you Declan" which he repeats in his little voice and Declan seems satisfies and wanders off to find another toy to share with his brother. Cutest thing ever. Bath time is another bonding experience for them. Splashing water within a 12 foot radius never fails to get laughs out of both of them. Chasing each other in circles around the house. Building, and more importantly, destroying block towers. Ransacking and hiding in mommy's closet. I was shocked that they were able to sit quietly side by side in my closet trying not to get caught. Who knew they could be silent for minutes at a time?? Stealing each other's toys and then tattling on each other... All the normal brotherly stuff ;)

And in case you're not convinced, here are several more glimpses into the crazy I deal with on a daily basis. (Thank you YouTube for turning one of my clips upside down...):

 

Declanisms - 15 Months

Declan's distinct personality has been shining bright since he was a tiny little baby. He's bubbly and cuddly and sweet, but he's also my little daredevil. If there is unseen trouble lurking anywhere nearby he will find it in 2 seconds flat. Last month we spent an afternoon at my sister's pool and he walked up to me with a black widow in his hair. Several hours in the ER, and a day and a half of fussiness later, we realized just how lucky we were that he hadn't been bit, but oh my God, that was a rough day and a half just waiting to see if any symptoms showed up. This week he dove teeth first into our metal bed frame and now one of his front teeth is slightly shorter than the other. Again, we're lucky that he didn't knock the whole thing out, but if I had to nominate which one of my kids was gonna give me a heart attack, I'd choose Declan. I love you baby boy, but you gotta give your mama a break.

Yeah right.

Here are a few more classic 15 month old Declanisms:

"GET down!" He either screams this at us right before he knows we're about to yell it at him, or he politely asks us "get down?" when he wants out of his high chair. He also says get down when he wants to be picked up, so apparently it's just a universal phrase for him.

"Goooo!!!" when he's playing race cars/motorcycles/planes, or when he's being carried and wants us to go faster.

Vroom vroom engine sounds, also when he's racing cars.

"Deh-ckles!!" when he's doing something he knows he shouldn't, especially messing with the remote control. 

"Goo ja" (good job) followed by clapping, usually also when he's doing something bad. I think he's trying reverse psychology on us.

We've officially removed the child safety gate from the stairs because Declan figured he can just lay down on his stomach and rapidly slide down the stairs, screaming like the house is on fire the entire time.

If there's music playing within a five mile radius you can bet Deckles is dancing. He LOVES dancing. Especially if we join in with him. The hotdog dance practically turns into a riot in our house. Lots of screaming and stomping and running and yelling.

"Baaahhh!!" followed by a charge to the kitchen whenever he's demanding milk.

This kid has mastered the playground. I was still helping Ez climb stairs and slide slides when he was two, but my little fifteen month old doesn't even need me anymore.

He's a biter. I don't remember Ez doing this, but he grabs the comforter, or pillows, or my knee with his teeth and shakes his head back and forth like a little bulldog.

He's also a barfer. Ez has barfed once in his entire life, and that was when the stomach flu swept through our house about a month ago. Declan barfs once a week. And almost always on me. The doctor says some kids just throw up a lot, and have sensitive gag reflexes, and lucky us, we've got one of those kids ;)

If we happen to feed him anything he doesn't like (which is basically everything) he'll spit and shake his head no for the next 10 minutes like an angry little camel.

When he has too much pent up energy that he doesn't know what to do with he'll run in circles with his head tilted to one side like he's literally gone haywire.

His classic running form is to swing one arm really fast with his head bowed forward while his little feet move as quickly as possible.

Blowing spit bubbles is his new favorite thing.

Bath time continues to be a favorite, and he comes running in the bathroom to pound on the sides of the tub while screaming like a little frat boy as soon as I turn on the water. He's been doing this since he could walk at 9 months, and apparently it never gets old.

"Caaaattt!!!" whenever he sees a cat. Obviously this makes cats love him. <sarcasm>

He says "ba" and waves, whether he's saying hi or bye.

He blows me kisses and it's pretty much the sweetest thing ever and instantly negates whatever craziness he's already gotten into that day.

And just for fun, here's a better glimpse at Declan's craziness, condensed into a three minute highlight reel:

Declan's 1st Haircut

This past weekend we checked off a pretty big milestone: Declan's first haircut. His hair had reached full on mullet status with some pretty gnarly sideburns. If anyone could pull off that crazy hairstyle it's Deckles, but it finally got a little too crazy. Especially since mommy barely even likes to brush it, let alone style it. So to the barbershop we went.

prehaircut, in all its wild glory

I did the whole kid's barbershop experience for Ez, where he got to sit in a Lightning McQueen car and pick out a toy afterward, and you know what? He hated it. He still hates having his haircut. So in true second child fashion we skipped all that and Grampa took him to Great Clips instead. Grampa is our secret weapon when it comes to haircuts and he has the highest success rate of getting Ez's haircut with no injuries for anyone involved. No small feat, trust me.

Here they are, precut:

So far, so good...

Oh wait, is she spraying water on my head??? Uh uh. NO.

Are you seeing this?? Call social services immediately. 

A sucker?? You think you can bribe me with a sucker???

UNACCEPTABLE.

Mmmm...sugar.

At least big bro prepared us for this moment. Not sure why they hate haircuts so, but fingers crossed Declan grows out of it sooner than Ez. And can we just take a moment and talk about how this kid grew like six months in ten minutes? I kinda miss my baby with the three inch sideburns. This new older kid is pretty cute too though. Also, immediately after his haircut he took his climbing skills to new heights and climbed onto the kitchen table. Clearly he actually did grow and it's not just in my head.

Declan's 1 Year Update

I already gave some insight into Declan's 1 year old personality but I realize I didn't do much in the way of a traditional update. And since twelve months is pretty much the end of these monthly updates I don't want to let this one slip by.

A whole year of firsts has pretty much flown by, and I'm not sure if it's because Declan is a sly little fox, or because he's the second child, but it really feels like I blink and suddenly he's mastered some new skill. With Ez there was a lot of prodding to get him to the "next level". We wanted him to crawl, and he didn't want to till he was ten months old. Then we immediately wanted him to walk and that took another two months, plus an additional month of using his lawn mower walker before he felt really confident. He didn't get teeth till he was one, he didn't say real words till he was one, and with all of those milestones I feel like we were waiting and watching with our cameras ready. 

Declan, on the other hand, did everything so much sooner than I was expecting that I've been caught of guard each time. Especially with the talking. It still amazes me that he's saying not only words, but phrases. He's my little chatterbox and he's always been a star at mimicking words and sounds. I'll never forget when we were hanging out with family and my brother sneezed. Declan immediately did the most perfect sounding sneeze, it was like he was mocking him. And he was only about six months old!

Here's a little rundown of some of my most favorite milestones:

• First tooth: 5 months - bottom two teeth. 7 months - top two teeth. 12 months - 2 more bottom teeth (current total: 6 teeth).
• Crawling: 7 months.
• Standing: 7 months.
• Walking: 9 months minus 1 day. He was the tiniest little walker, it was so funny thing to watch. And it only took about a week of stumbling around like a little drunken cowboy before he mastered it. 
• Talking: I feel bad admitting this, but I don't remember exactly when he said his first words. Mostly because I thought it was just babbling. It took me awhile to realize he was consistently using the same words for certain things. And he's also really good at understanding what we're saying and following directions. Like he'll go throw stuff away for us. He'll find his shoes if we ask him to. He'll hand us whatever's in his hand. He runs to the stairs if I say it's time to change his diaper. And he definitely knows what no means. He just chooses to ignore us ;) I'm going to guess it was right around 9 months when he started saying his first words: "go" "goo ja!/good job" (usually accompanied by clapping), and "baba" (bottle). Other words and phrases he currently says:

• Get down!
• Kah!! (Car)
• Put down
• Dada

Current stats: 29 inches tall, 22 lbs.

Sleep: Still waking up about twice a night. He usually drinks from a bottle for a few minutes then goes right back to sleep. I'm trying really hard to increase daytime food and get rid of nighttime feedings altogether, but he's only recently shown any interest in eating, and he still spits out a lot of his food. He spends about three to four hours a night in his crib, and then I bring him to bed with us when he wakes up the first or second time. Ez slept in bed with us till after Declan was born (a little over two years old), so I'm hoping to get Declan in his own bed a tad bit earlier than that. We've also recently dropped his morning nap and now he's doing a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.

Eats: Even though we tried baby led weaning, and we tried purees, in the end, Declan really only enjoyed tasting his food then spitting it out. In the past few weeks he has started to actually eat a select few foods, and he'll taste quite a bit of things, chew it to mush, and then spit it back out. This isn't something I remember Ez doing, and we always joke that Declan will put anything inedible in his mouth, but we try to feed him actual food and he acts like we're poisoning him. I try to give him a sampling of whatever we're eating, but that generally winds up right on the floor. I nursed Declan until he was 7 months, and then he started biting me. On purpose. And laughing about it. So I weaned him to formula real quick after that. I applaud all moms that have stuck with pumping, but the amount of milk I got for the effort I put in wasn't worth it. Now we're weaning him from formula to whole milk. His current favorite foods include:

• yogurt
• apples
• melon
• animal crackers
• tortillas with avocado, beans, or almond butter
• ice cream

Likes:

• climbing the furniture
• shaking the floor lamps
• messing with the TV remote
• and the cable box
• giving kisses
• kicking his ball around
• shooting hoops
• eating shoes
• baths
• throwing stuff in the trash
• taking stuff out of the trash
• climbing the stairs
• the playground
• scavenging for food
• swiping anything he can reach off the table
• sports
• Family Feud
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
• drinking water from a straw
• music and dancing.

Dislikes:

• staying still
• being strapped down
• when brother naps
• sleeping through the night
• when anyone eats in front of him

Overall I think Declan is a very good natured, happy baby, but that boy sure does love getting into trouble. He basically goes from one thing he knows he shouldn't be doing to the next and cycles through all of those and then starts the whole process over again. Testing boundaries, pushing boundaries, breaking boundaries. That's his life mission. I know that he's a little leader at heart, and he'll go far in life, but parenting him as a toddler is exhausting, to say the least. There's definitely never a dull moment here, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. It's impossible to stay mad at him when he looks at you with those big, smiling doe eyes or his exaggerated bull snorting face. His expressions are priceless. His need to figure things out and do everything himself makes me so proud and so anxious all at once. It's not enough that he started climbing the stairs at 8 months, but now he already thinks he needs to walk - not crawl, walk - up the stairs. Nevermind that each step is about half his height, he's gonna get his foot up there one way or another. I really do admire his determination though, and I have no doubt that he'll continue setting high goals for himself and then knocking them out of the park. We love you to the moon and back baby boy!

And, just because I apparently felt the need to make myself cry, I made a rather long compilation of my favorite Declan video clips. I don't really expect anyone else to sit through 11 minutes of Declan growing up, but I thought I should make one all the same. In case I feel the need to get nostalgic and weepy in the future. Like maybe after he pulls a carton of egg shells out of the trash and smashes them all on the kitchen floor. In other words, ten minutes ago ;)

Happy 1st Birthday Declan!

Dear Declan,

I'm sitting here on the eve of your first birthday thinking back to one year ago when I was alone in the living room watching Law & Order reruns while your brother and daddy slept, reading birth stories on my phone, and wondering if tonight would be the night you made your appearance. I finally fell asleep around 1am only to be awoken three hours later with a contraction that I just knew it was the real deal. What I didn't know was just what a hurry you were in to be born. With your brother I really had to labor hard just to get him to leave my comfy belly and join us in the real world, but you were exactly the opposite. There was no keeping you inside, and trust me, several nurses tried. You were gonna do things on your own time in your own way and everyone else better get on board or get out of your way. I remember holding you in my arms afterwards and looking at your serious, sleepy little face and wondering if that labor and your birth would be indicative of your personality. Now, one year later, I can say wholeheartedly YES, that is you to a T. 

You are headstrong and determined. You see an obstacle and your eyes light up because you have to overcome it. You don't require an audience or applause or any prodding, you just get a personal satisfaction from overcoming every obstacle you see whether anyone else notices or not. (But don't worry, mommy always notices and mommy's always cheering you on.) Just today we went to the playground but everything was too hot to touch. Did you give up and walk away? No. You touched the stairs from several different angles just to make sure it really was unpleasantly hot. Then you touched the railing and decided that was ok to touch. And then you taught yourself how to walk up the stairs using the handrail instead of crawling up like you normally do. You never once cried for us to help you or thought about giving up. You were going to make it to the top of that playground, the only question was how.

You are playful and serious, loud, but also quietly calculating and scheming, you're sweet and stubborn, you love to follow your brother around but deep down you're a leader. You are so intelligent. Too intelligent. I think the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" was coined specifically for you. Everyday you make me laugh with your funny little facial expressions, the way you snort like a bull when you're frustrated, or do a long, wound up fake cry to make your point. You love to joke around with us and you're always the first to laugh at anything daddy says. You understand so much but you choose to listen only half the time. We know it's a calculated choice and not ignorance because you give us a pointed look that says I know you want me to stop but I'm not gonna. You keep us all on our toes and if there is an escape route open or a child proof lock that isn't fastened correctly you instinctively know it and head straight there.

Everyday I marvel at the world as you see it and I feel so proud and blessed that I'm on this journey with you. One year is short but at the same time it feels like you've always been a part of our family. I am so excited to see what the future has in store for you. Or, perhaps more accurately, what you have in store for the future. Your daddy, brother, and I love you more than you'll ever know. Happy birthday sweet boy.

Happy 11 Months Declan!

Dear Declan,

We are rapidly approaching your birthday month and it's got my mind swirling. I look back at pictures from a year ago and you were still nestled safely in my belly, which seems like such a short while ago. But you've already accomplished so much in eleven short months that in some ways it's hard to believe you've been with us less than a year. You've been walking for two - yes, two - months. You're extremely talented at mimicking sounds and you communicate pretty well for such a young baby. Your personality is about ten times too big for your body and you like to think that you're the alpha dog wherever you go, no matter that everyone else is 3-4 times bigger than you. You're my little Napoleon conqueror. Anything off limits immediately has to be broken into and ransacked. We may have thought we had this parenting thing down by the time you were born, but you quickly proved that you're your own person and our old tricks weren't gonna work on you. We had to quadruple our child proofing efforts this time around. You're a wanderer that would gladly follow another family home if we aren't a step behind you at all times. You're quick to laugh, quick to scream, quick to cry loud, sobbing, dramatic tears, and then you go right back to laughing. You give the distinct impression that even you don't know what you have in store for us, but it's most likely a whole lotta trouble. 

Bedtime is your nemesis and you fight a good battle against sleep every single night. Several times a night even. The toy battles have begun in earnest with your brother and even though he's got you beat in size you're wiley and you're loud so I think you guys are pretty evenly matched. Anytime anyone walks upstairs without you your whole world ends. Ez always makes sure to tell you, "don't worry Deckles, we'll be right back," which you don't find the least bit comforting. But as soon as we walk back down the stairs your face lights right up and you give us the warmest welcome as if we've been gone weeks. You have a habit of loudly and angrily chattering at us whenever your grievances aren't being answered fast enough. It makes me a little scared to know what you're going to say when you know real words.

On the flip side, nothing makes you happier than the sound of bath water running. You run right to the tub and bang on the side while screaming excitedly. You love following your brother around and doing whatever he does. I've even caught you trying to do his puzzles and you're actually pretty good at them. You skipped right over baby toys and went straight to cars, which you now drive through the air while making vroom vroom sounds. Every Saturday at your brother's soccer practice you swipe a ball for yourself and kick it all over the field. It's crazy to think you weren't even walking when Ez first started soccer and now you're nearly as good as the three year olds at kicking a ball around. Seriously. I know I'm a little biased, but all the other parents comment on it too. You also love shooting baskets in our little kitchen basketball court. Anytime daddy picks the ball up you run right over all giddy with excitement. 

As far as food goes, you demand samples from anything anyone else eats, but you're still a fan of chewing the food to mush and spitting it back out. Cheerios, yogurt, avocado on tortilla, and plum organics pouches are your favorites. Whatever you're eating seems to be working though because you're now wearing size 12 months. 

Some of my favorite current traits are when you snort at me like an angry little bull, walk around with one arm straight in front of you like Frankenstein, squeal every time someone gets points on family feud, clap for yourself, and you give us the biggest smile right before you do something mischievous, like rolling up one of my magazines and chewing on it like a bad little puppy. My least favorite quirk is your habit to bite, especially my toes and legs. 

Everyday with you is an adventure and your daddy, brother, and I are so happy to be along on this ride with you. We love you more than you'll ever know.