Maybe it's time to call him Dylan...

I constantly find myself calling him "Baby."  I did it with all the boys, but as each subsequent "baby" was born, the older kids slowly became "Adam" and "Alex."  With no follow-up child, Dylan has retained the name "Baby" probably longer than he should.

But whether I call him "Baby" or not, he'll always be my baby.  And now, my baby is three.

He has a thing for pumpkins and an October birthday, so we'd decided on a laid-back birthday cake approach: a barrel of pumpkins.  He loved it, and it turned out to be perfect for our overturned week.  The boys helped decorate the cupcakes while we educated them on the history of the assembly line.

Family came over bearing gifts for the eager birthday boy, and he played with each offering equally.  The light-up skull from Alex provided entertainment for all as we tried to decipher the instructions he was impatiently giving his Aunt Heather.  We were finally able to figure out that he only likes it to light up when the eyes are facing away from him.  He told us "backward" and demonstrated by holding up his pointer finger and turning it from facing out to facing in.

He also used his new word when playing with his new firetruck.  That one is definitely a birthday favorite!  He mimics all sounds including the clicking of the ladder as it turns around.

Blowing out the candles is always an adventure when there are brothers and cousins around.  I wasn't going to post the birthday song video, but his face is just so sweet as he realizes everyone is singing to him.  While I could do without Adam's current 2nd grade variation on the song, complete with the obnoxious "cha cha cha, ooh la la, hi-ya, pizza" ending, I even want to remember the sounds of everyone scolding various children when it was time to actually blow out the candles.  Aunt Marie's "Chance Michael!" is probably my favorite part.



With each passing birthday, I become more acutely aware how fleeting these moments are.  Happy Birthday, Baby!