I love ketchup, yes I do

Donovan has a love of ketchup. Or ranch dressing. Or pretty much anything he can dip his food into. He sucks most of the dip off whatever he just dipped into it and then does it again. It's totally gross and very messy, but while he does it, he say "dip, dip, dip, dip" in his darling little voice, so I just keep filling up his plate with dip.

Other things that Donovan loves:

• His "sissy." Yes, I know that it's extremely dorky to have your child call his sister "sissy." We kind of started it as a joke, but now it's so darn cute, I can't make him stop. He's going to be the 15 year old still calling his 18 year old sister "sissy" while everyone makes fun of him behind his back... Anywho, Donovan LOVES Avery more than the average sibling, I think. When he wakes up in the morning or from his nap, he doesn't call for mommy or daddy. He sits in his crib and yells "SISSY!!!" until she comes in to talk to him. When we go to pick her up from school, he runs to her, arms outstretched and hugs her with his head on his shoulder. When we drop her off at school in the morning, for at least the next 45 minutes, he asks over and over again "Where's sissy? Where's sissy?" When I tell him that she's in school, he'll wait about five minutes and then start asking again.


• The long jump. I don't even know if I can describe it, but Donovan thinks he's a long jumper. He will take three steps and then jump with both feet together. He does this all day long. Who cares that he only jumps about a half an inch into the air and about two inches forward? He does it with such enthusiasm, someone could mistake him for an Olympic long jumper. I'm sure our downstairs neighbors love it. Also, this is how he dances. Hey, if you've got one move that you do well, you go with it, I guess.


• Go-gurt. Whoever invented Go-gurt was a genius. Donovan can't get enough of this stuff. For those without kids, Go-gurt is a tube full of yogurt. You simply rip off the top, and your kid squeezes the gooey yogurt into their mouth, all over their face and down their shirt. Some people freeze their Go-gurt so it's not messy, but Donovan doesn't like it that way. Maybe it's because it's too cold, but I like to think it's because it isn't messy enough in it's frozen state. But, however messy Go-gurt may be, it's about 1/10 the mess compared to Donovan with a spoon. With the Go-gurt, the mess is pretty much confined to face, hands, shirt and eating surface (i.e. table, carseat, shopping cart or Daddy's lap). When Donovan eats ANYTHING with a spoon, it is not confined to those four areas. When Donovan eats with a spoon, the food is also in his hair, up his nose, down his pants and mashed into the carpet. Like I said, whoever invented the almighty Go-gurt is brilliant and should start putting other things in tubes. Like spaghetti. Or applesauce. Or pancakes. Just sayin'.


• Carnation Instant Breakfast. Several months ago, Donovan had a little weight-gain issue. He was such a picky eater that he actually lost a little weight. Apparently, losing weight is only for mommies, not toddlers, so the doctor suggested that we add some additional fat to his diet. So, we started occassionally adding vanilla Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk for extra calories and fat. Donovan has always loved milk, and we thought this was a fantastic way of supplementing him without him knowing. Also, since it's fortified with vitamins, we thought it would maybe compensate for his refusal to eat ANY vegetables at all (that's also why I eat ice cream - for the calcium). Anywho, fast forward six months and Donovan will not drink plain milk. So apparently, because of our genius plan, we are stuck mixing Carnation Instant Breakfast into his milk for the rest of our lives because we can't even trick him. Believe me, I've tried. If anyone knows of any 12-step programs for Carnation Instant Breakfast, please let me know about it. This stuff is expensive, and it just may come down to his CIB or college tuition if he keeps up at this rate for the next 16 years.


• Talking. I never thought I'd actually get to say that, because he was a late talker. But apparently, he's making up for lost time now. He'll say pretty much anything you tell him to, which can be pretty funny at times. His new favorite words are "bubblegum" and "peppernini" which means pepperoni, but since "peppernini" is so darn cute, we are bad parents and actually encourage it.

Other things Donovan loves and things that make him truly happy: NOT getting his picture taken, riding his "bus," swings, being outside, bugs, animals at a distance (although today he petted a guinea pig and a puppy at the pet store - a HUGE step for him), going up and down the stairs without holding anyone's hand or a handrail, his friend "Coo-Coo" (Cooper), getting picked up from nursery, driving the race car at the grocery store, talking on the phone, shoes and flip flops, getting into Avery's stuff, money, McDonald's french fries, drinking from a straw, getting tickled, climbing anything and everything, rolling down the window in the car, typing on the computer, Boots (as in Dora's sidekick), Curious George (who he calls Boots - see previous), Key-Shoe, the koala bear he made at Avery's birthday party and named himself, running away from Mommy, choo-choo's, Cars (the movie and cars in general), knocking down anything Avery just built with blocks, jumping on the couch or the bed, riding the escalator, pushing elevator buttons, drinking from the drinking fountain, being naughty, and his Daddy.

I really like this kid....