10 Things to Know (and Love) About Dylan

I just couldn't post a tribute to Logan without posting one for Dylan as well. Fair is fair after all!

1) Dylan has a green chenille blanket that he looooves. Green Blanket (yup, we got very creative in naming his lovey) is in his crib for every "night-night" and every nap. Lately Green Blanket has even started making very Linus-esque appearances outside of the crib as well, as can be seen here.

2) He loves the outside. Any outside. Whether it's our front yard or the playground, it's all exciting to Dylan. He brings me his shoes at least three times a day and then points at the door to go outside.

3) Water is like crack to Dylan. He just can't resist it. The bath, the pool, a puddle, or the always-accessible dog water dish are all targets. Two days ago I found him standing with both feet in the water dish, his pajama bottoms soaked. I would've taken a picture, but time-out was callin' his name. Yesterday I caught him doing an experiment on whether daddy's calculator could float. (For the record, it does not!)

4) Dylan is the only kid I know that will put himself down for naps and bedtime. If he's sleepy and you ask him if he's ready for "night-night" he nods very solemnly, then turns around and races to his crib. He'll actually try to climb up and into it if you're lagging too far behind him.

5) Dylan's favorite foods are bananas and Gram's gumbo. Yup, he's a Louisiana boy all right! For the record, the bananas must be eaten straight from the peel. He turns his nose up at them in any other form except baby food. (And yup, he still likes baby food.)

6) Dylan loves, loves, loves his doggie. Poor Nola, our black lab, is an 80-pound living toddler playground as far as Dylan is concerned. Luckily she's the sweetest dog in the world and not only tolerates him climbing on her, trying to ride her, and pulling her tail, but actually plays with him very nicely.

7) He loves anything with wheels. We have inside ride-em toys and outside ride-em toys. We have push toys galore, including a very LOUD lawnmower toy that I don't have the heart to take away and hide from him. (Word to the wise, don't ever buy the Laugh and Learn Lawnmower for a toddler unless you really don't like his parents.) And we have dozens of toy trucks, toy cars, and toy trains. Dylan loves them all. They go flying across our wood floors and coffee table to the exuberant toddler tune of, "vroom VROOM!"

8) Dylan still likes to snuggle... on his terms of course. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are Dylan's cuddle times. He likes the lie back in my arms while he drinks a sippy cup of milk. Isn't that the life? The rest of the day though... forget it! Ask Dylan for a hug or kiss and chances are about 99% that he'll gleefully shake his head "no" at you.

9) Speaking of "no," it's recently been added to Dylan's vocabularly along with "up," "oh!," and "hot." His vocabularly is really starting to expand. But "bye-bye" is still is his favorite. Dylan waves and screams "bye-bye" whenever a truck drives by, a plane flies overhead, we leave a store or restaurant, someone leaves our house, or Dylan thinks someone should leave our house.

10) Dylan loves to clean. He's not very good at it yet, but I have high hopes for it since I hate to clean. He thinks the broom and feather duster at out house are the greatest toys ever. (Aren't we glad we spent money on all the "real" toys littering his bedroom floor.) He wiggles through the cat door in our kitchen into our utility room to get them and then cries when he can't get them back through the cat door with him. When they are out and accessible in the house he drags them around everywhere and won't give them up without a fight.