Declan is Five

Dec's teacher sent out a request today to send in a baby picture of your preschooler. They are doing a unit about caterpillars/butterflies and are going to compare their lifecycle to the baby to big kid change. In order to find one quickly, I had to go back to the blog archive ... which meant I just spent the last hour reading the monthly updates from D's first year. It was very interesting to see how many of the things we observed about that developing human are still true at five. 

Most notable are the monthly comments about 1) the level of volume and number of words that can come out of this boy, 2) the intense love of music and desire to always be singing and dancing, 3) love of balls, and 4) professional snuggler status and charismatic smile. 

Mike and I did an informal Facebook quiz a few weeks ago where we answered questions about our kids. One question was "which kid talks the most?" and without hesitation, Mike answered "Declan." And then added that it was an impressive feat because Fiona has set that bar very high. Quinn is still the loudest of the three, but Dec can come close in decibel level when he wants to. Or is standing in the shower. Usually right next to my ear.

Dec spends as much time singing as he can and is always looking to expand his repertoire. He recently taught himself "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by asking Alexa to sing it and then singing along with her. It was super cute for the first 400 odd times he did it. The next 947 times got a little less adorable. But he now knows the song by heart and will happily sing it at any hour of the day. Unless you ask him to do it. Then he will not. 

Soccer just ended (we had horrible luck this season for weather and he only got to play in one game) and he's already asked to register for fall soccer. T-ball started last Thursday and after week one, he says it's pretty fun. He got a lacrosse stick for his birthday that he's anxious to master. And hockey starts back up in October. He's also quite unhappy that he's not registered for summer gymnastics with Quinn. So ... I think it's safe to say that he's currently very happy to explore the sports options at his disposal to see what flutters his little 5-year-old heart.

Every day, I ask him for a "sparkle" - which is my name for his smile. It's a pretty accurate name. When D is happy, he makes everyone around him happy. And even though all other Vs were relocated off my lap during the bedtime routine around age 2, this 5yo still claims his lap position every single night. Even if it's just him, he climbs on up and snuggles himself in. You know I'm not complaining about that at all. 

At his annual well check last week, he was 42 inches tall (32%) and 34.5 lbs (7%). 32% height!!! That's basically legendary in this house! He dropped percentage in weight. But since he eats two breakfasts, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner, our pediatrician feels confident he's been fed. The dude never stops moving, eats [mostly] healthy, and is blessed with solid metabolism. His favorite food continues to be fruit, but we are working ever so slowly on better incorporating vegetables into his food choices. 

Finally, his birthday question answers are:

   Favorite color: Red

   Favorite friend: Riley

   Favorite show: Blaze and the Monster Machines

   Favorite book: Lightning McQueen

   Favorite food: Pizza

   Favorite thing to do: Play outside

   Be when you grow up: Firefighter