Unforgettable Dane

This one is all for Dane. It's his turn. :)

Sometimes I worry that Dane is the child who will get "lost" in the middle. Birth order research suggests that middle kids sometimes feel lost and unvalidated in the shuffle (ahhh, all the research we know about because of David's degree...mostly a blessing, but occasionally a curse). Sometimes I wonder if Elijah will feel he has a unique place because he is the first and oldest, and Haven has a unique place because she is the only girl....Kai has a unique place because he is the youngest. But Dane...what for Dane? Oh, how I hope Dane feels unique because he is Dane. He is a one-of-a-kind kid, that one. He has more personality than could ever fit inside his little four-year-old body. 

I love Dane because he exists, and he is mine. I like him (which is different than love) because he is sweet, random and hilarious, and smart. Because he is instinctively gentle with animals. Because he is the bravest and boldest sun-of-a-gun ever. He started riding his bike without training wheels last January (at 3 1/2 yrs old). We took them off, he started peddling, and he never looked back. He just rode fifty yards across a whole grassy field. Seriously. I watched him do it. It was crazy. He's ultra tough when he gets hurt, but cries when he gets in trouble or hurts someone else. He loves to help me do ANYTHING--clean toilets or windows, vacuum, sand a project, put silverware away, cook dinner--and he's totally cheerful about it. He uses phrases like "booyah!", "yeah, baby!", and "hooptie" on a regular basis. He has a great affinity for music and rhythm. He sings his own mission-impossible theme song quietly every time he builds with Legos or plays with cars (not kidding). He's awesome, that one. Quick to laugh, and quick to forgive. So easy and enjoyable to be around.

Last week I was teaching him about the sounds letters make, and we sat together and sounded out the word "hot". It was the first word he had ever "read". When he did it, he paused for a moment, then surprised me by bursting out in a genuine, involuntary giggle of pure glee. It was a true, deep, spontaneous laugh, coming all the way up from his toes. He was thrilled. And he kept laughing with delight, over and over as we read the word "hot". It was one of my favorite mama-moments ever. His laugh was contagious and he was full of life, joy, and innocence. I sat there laughing with him, marveling at him. He is such a gift. He cannot possibly understand how amazing he is or how much he is loved. I relish being his mother.

Who do you love, that needs to be noticed today? 

What do you love about them?