Getting to Know Zander

Many of you have had the opportunity to meet Zander, and maybe even hang out with him a bit in his short seventeen months of life, but many of you have not had that chance yet. So, I thought I would write a post about our Zander so that all of you might get to know him a little better.

Most people say that Zander strongly favors Mom's looks, however, there is little doubt that Zander more strongly favors Dad's personality. Zander is one laid-back and happy little dude. As long as his pants are dry, his cup is full, a snack is handy, and Mom is close by, Zander is good to go. He generally isn't very intense, as he just sort of hangs out and goes with the flow, that is, whatever flow Mom and/or Charley has created. Zander definitely balances out the dynamic of the family.

Zander loves to laugh and loves to make people laugh. When Zander laughs or smiles, it's very difficult not to do the same. Both are very contagious. When he laughs, his whole body shakes, especially his belly, so he could definitely be characterized as a jolly fellow. When he realizes he has an audience and wants to make them laugh, he will whatever it takes to win a smile, including but not limited to beating his head against the couch, head-butting his nearest victim, imitating Swiper the fox (from Dora) by saying, "Oh maaannnn!!!", grabbing toes and saying, "Wee wee home" (from the three little pigs) or screeching if all else fails. Zander, like Brian, thinks of himself as a comedian.

One of the times that Zander is not at his best is when he first wakes up. You can always gauge his mood by the noises coming from his room. If there is cooing and chatting, he is fine and probably in a pretty decent mood. However, if there is screaming and/or crying, we are in trouble. Sometimes, if we are lucky, the screaming/crying stops when we pick him up out of bed, but other times . . . oh, all I can say is, not good. At his worst, he can continue to pitch a fit for up to half an hour, crying for no apparent reason and comforted by nothing. This has only happened a hand full of times, but that is enough for us to conclude that sometimes Zander is not what you would call a "morning person."

Zander is generally a pretty laid back guy. He isn't too opinionated about stuff most the time, and he usually doesn't have a problem with Charley being the boss. As long as he isn't being sat on or toys being taken away from him, he will go along with whatever Charley has in store for him. He's pretty flexible when it comes to taking naps in strange locations (i.e. the car, the beach, the stroller, in my arms, Heather's house, etc.), although ultimately he likes to spend the night in his own bed. He likes any kind of toys you put in front of him, whether it involves babies with pink dresses or trucks with big wheels. He isn't quite as laid back about the foods he eats, as he consistently likes to eat certain things, but he will always try something at least once and eats a lot of food nonetheless. As long as certain conditions are in place (as discussed above), Zander is a pretty content guy.

Zander definitely has an affinity for the women in his life. Since the day he was born, Zander has been the stereotypical "Momma's boy." When he was only a month old and would spend hours screaming on end thanks to a bad bout of colic, the only thing that could sooth him was me walking him around. If I slowed down or tried to pass him off to someone else, it was not a good situation. Even today, if he expects me to open the door and pick him up out of his crib and someone else shows up instead, boy is he mad. As enduring as it is most of the time, I also occasionally find myself with a whiny little boy clinging to my legs or screaming my name from another room.

Zander is also absolutely crazy about his sister. You can see him intently watching every move that she makes, trying to emulate everything that she does. Thanks to Charley, Zander seems to be doing a lot of things earlier than she ever did . . . walking, talking, feeding himself, running, showing a keen interest in books, and soaking up every piece of his world that he can possibly grasp. He looks at Charley like she is the Queen of the world, like she can do no wrong. Well, most of the time anyway.

Zander also has a very special place in his life for his Daddy. More than anything, it seems like they are bonded by the way they think. Like his Dad, Zander wants to know how EVERYTHING works. He's more interested in the manual than the object itself. When we inflated a bounce house for Charley's birthday party, Zander was more interested in the air pump than the bounce house. He loves airplanes, cars, trucks, and engines. He loves his Dad's "eep" (a/k/a his Jeep). He loves to examine everything carefully, figure out how it works, and put it together. For a seventeen month old, his attention to detail is astounding. Like his Dad, Zander is an engineer in training.

Zander also has a stubborn streak that shines through once in awhile. Once he decides he wants to do something, you cannot change his mind. Even if you try to distract him with things that would normally make a child his age forget, Zander stays focused. And he will put up quite a fight until he gets what he wants. While Zander is extremely laid back and often patient, I think he will always stand up for himself when the time is right. Now we just have to teach him when the time is right. Pick your battles, my son.

Since very early on in his life, Zander has also displayed a very affectionate side for those that he loves. He is my snuggle bug, the one who I can almost always count on for a hundred kisses a day, the one that loves to cuddle and hug and hold hands whenever the situation is available. If you are one of the fortunate ones, someday you might unknowingly be approached by Zander who will give you a quick kiss on the cheek and then shyly run away. And believe me, he gives the best kisses.

For some reason unbeknownst to us, Zander is extremely passionate about language, both in verbal and written form. Everyday Zander is experimenting with new words, new sounds, and new letters. He already knows over half the alphabet and is constantly pointing out letters that he knows, whether the letters are on signs, license plates, books, billboards, anywhere. We are convinced that Zander will be a man of many languages.

Zander loves many things, including his blue hand-made blankie that he cannot sleep without (thanks Jen R.!), sports balls of any kind, watching sporting events on T.V., milk, cheese, popcorn, bananas, wearing hats, putting on shoes, sneaking small objects into his mouth, reading and looking at books, dancing, singing songs, riding on his scooter, bugging Hobie, animals, airplanes, trains, cars, and trucks, engines, computers, Charley's favorite stuffed monkey "Buddy," the moon and stars, watching T.V. shows with Charley, Dora and her friends (Boots, Swiper, Backpack, and Map), opening any door possible and running outside, slides, climbing things, boats and pretending to be in boats, taking baths, but most of all, hanging out with is best friend, Charley. Charley is his leader, his Lone Ranger, his Batman, his Bonnie, his Dora, his awesome big sister.

Zander is very special to us. He is our baby, our amazing little boy, our prince. I hope you get to hang out with him sometime.