caleb in a nutshell

Caleb recently learned to say his "L"s. Well, one "L," anyway -- the one in his name. He still struggles with his "C"s, which come out sounding like "D"s (though in his mind he believes that he pronounces them perfectly), so now he says his name like this: "Dayyyy-llllleB," slowly, so as to get it right, with his tongue touching his upper lip as he pronounces the "L" for added emphasis. (I've been trying to get in touch with someone at the district office to see about getting his speech evaluated; unless you live with him, and not even then sometimes, he's pretty unintelligible.)

Here are a few more quirks and tidbits about my charming three-and-a-half-year-old middle child.

• You will rarely find him without his bean-filled doggy, who has most recently been re-christened Bones Hundley Doggy Anderson or any one of this three dolls, Little Baby, Bigger Baby, and White Dolly.
• His two favorite shows are Super Why! and Angelina Ballerina. (Super Why! I understand, but Angelina Ballerina?! Caleb is the LAST person I would have paired with that one.)
• His favorite part of Cars is when Mater takes Lightning McQueen out tractor tipping.
• He wants to be a doctor when he grows up. (And I think that, with the combination of his quick wit and intelligence, keen observation skills, and nurturing nature, he'd make a most excellent one.)
• He loves to be read to. Our 15 minutes of daily reading are his 15 favorite minutes of the day. His favorite books are the I Spy series and Where's Waldo. (And if you ask him, yes, he's got very sharp eyes!)
• One of things his sharp eyes love to spot are Box Tops at the grocery store. "Pencil, Mom! I see pencil!" he'll shout.
• He needs to have his comforter tucked in just so every night, and if it comes undone as he sleeps, he'll wake up and pull me out of bed to fix it. Several times a night. (This needs to stop.)
• He also is easily irritated if his socks are slightly askew.
• He puts on his own shoes and coat, but needs help with the zipper.
• His favorite colors are pink and red.
• He used to like deli ham, but he changed his mind.
• He LOVES M&Ms, especially around Valentine's Day when you can find whole bags of pink and red ones.
• He likes to help me wash the dishes, and is particularly good about putting the breakable (or "glass") dishes into the sink gently.
• Everything is a competition for him, as evidenced by how often we hear him shouting, "My win! You missed!" (Translation: "I win! You lose!")
• He rocks a pair of goggles.

• He also rocks clothes in size 5, thanks to his long torso and inherited tall genes. (He and Garrett can almost share wardrobes!)
• Even though he's getting bigger, he's still very much my little boy. He loves to hold my hand when we go out and sit on my lap when we stay in. And I really like that.