Happy Birthday, Little Jogger!

The littlest Little Jogger turns five today. Yes, he was a belated anniversary present. According to this list from the Chicago Public Library, the 14th wedding anniversary gift is traditionally the Ivory Anniversary, but the modern gift of choice is Gold Jewelry. Well, ha! In our house, the 14th wedding anniversary was the baby anniversary.

The littlest Little Jogger is bright, funny, energetic, and outgoing. He loves to sing and dance, and he loves to be center stage. He's a natural problem solver, and, according to his preschool teacher, will help smooth over the kind of ruffled feathers that can occur in a room full of four and five year olds.

Did I mention that he is bright? He's known all his letters for years, now, and is now learning to sound them out. He can read lots of simple words, and of course can fake his way through lots of books that he's read before. He's got a fantastic memory, and is always pulling out lines of dialogue from movies that he saw once months ago. I have a feeling that he's going to far surpass his parents' academic achievements. In this family, that's no easy feat.

He is a pretty even tempered little guy. Yes, he can wail like a banshee when he gets disappointed, but it never lasts. He still loves to cuddle and hug, and loves being teased. This morning, I went looking around, saying, "Where's my four-year-old? Has anyone seen my four-year-old?" So he patiently explained to me that kids don't stay the same age, but they change every year on their birthday, even though they are the same old kids.

That's my baby. The same old kid.