Cash, Cashy, Cashman, CashCash

I might have forsaken this blog, but I'll be darned if I am going to forsake my youngest and ignore him on his third birthday.

We can ignore that it is two days past his birthday and that I haven't even wrapped/given him his birthday present. (Bonus points, though: I did buy it back in December, so that has to balance out somehow.)

I am going to be honest. I feel like Jeff and I trash talk Cash a lot. I worry that people think we just don't like him because we use adjectives like "naughty", "loud", "strong-willed" a lot and repeatedly. But let me be clear: we do like him. A LOT. In fact, we actually love him veryveryvery much.

In honor of my baby turning three, I am going to share some positive things about him:

1. He is a great hugger. He puts all of his energy into squeezing hard. None of this half-assed side-way hugs or the hug where a little kid offers you his head in your leg...When you ask Cash for a hug, he gets a running start and crashes into your legs, locking his arms tight around you.

2. He loves babies. When he sees a picture of a baby, he gushes over it. His favorite thing to do is look at my Facebook when I am looking at baby announcements. When he meets a baby, he is fascinated and deeply in love.

3. He is always on the look out for adventure. He will try most foods. He hasn't met a bike that is too big. The bumpier the ride the better. The more dirty he can get the better. The more noisy it is the better.

4. He idolizes his older brother. It's a good thing B is such a good influence because Cash thinks the world revolves around his brother. They hug when B gets off the bus from school, Cash sits with him if B is sad, and Cash allows his older brother to comfort him when he is upset.

5. He lets me have my silly rituals. When I take him in to the sitter's in the morning, he let's me carry him in, whisper silly things in his ear, and only when I am ready he will run off and have his fun. He can be very attune to what people need. Sometimes I think he knows that I need him to be a baby a little bit longer.

6. He loves to make people laugh. He has many different silly faces, voices, and gestures. He has this goofy laugh that sounds like Kermit the Frog that gets me every time.

Happy birthday, CashCash!! We love you.