My Little O

Despite the fact that I have learned that words can simply not capture the personalities, creativity, awesomeness and quirks of my family I have decided to write a series of posts - one for each of my nine kids - to help me remember the stages of life they are in right now. I realize that this is more for me than anyone who is reading my blog, but it just has to be done. End of story. They will not necessarily be written in any order or sequence - in fact, these posts will likely be interspersed between my regular blog posts as I feel the need/desire to write. Thanks for indulging me.

Little O is at such a precious age right now. He has his "Terrible Two" moments, but for the most part he's just a sweet little bundle of happiness on fast-moving legs.

Life with him is like living in a comic strip. Sometimes he's Linus (only with much better hair) with his favorite blanket and his thumb in his mouth...
and sometimes he's Calvin, running around naked or bringing unexpected chaos to our day...
but he always keeps us laughing and on our toes.

The minute anyone from our family walks into the front door Little O yells their name and comes running to attack them with a fierce hug around the legs. He has his own version of each person's name but for some reason Thumbelina and ElemenoB share Thumbelina's name. This drives ElemenoB crazy but even she can't help but smile because he's so dang cute about it.
His vocabulary is still limited, but he knows how to get his point across. All drinks are molk and all fruit are ap-oles. If he can't get you to understand what he wants then he is perfectly happy to take you by the hand and drag you to the fridge then point and repeat what sounds to us like nonsense words (which I'm sure make perfect sense in his 2-year-old brain) until he gets what he needs.

Little O can not be bothered with schedules. He falls asleep whenever and wherever he wants.
It will often get to be one of those times where the house is too quiet and I'm worried that he's gotten outside somehow so I check the door - still locked - then start a search of the house, only to find him curled up in his bed for a self-imposed nap.

Little O is already quite the movie aficionado. He requests his movie time with a simple word, "Watch?" His preferences are Tarzan, Aristocats and even (thanks to Thumbelina) Barbie movies, but Veggie Tales are by far his all-time favorites and he can sing and mimic the actions of the entire opening theme song.

When he is in need of a diaper change he will often walk towards me, backwards, then point to the back of his pants and say, "Sick." Every mess is called a "Spill" whether it be a liquid or toys or books.

If someone is upset or hurt Little O is quick to comfort. He will come and ask, " 'kay?" then crawl into their lap and give them a hug. He is almost always happy when he wakes up in the morning and instantly asks for "Eat?"
He loves his shoes and socks because they usually mean he gets to go play in the backyard or get in the car and drive somewhere.

I love his golden curls and buck-toothy grin. I love watching him run with those squatty little chubby legs or throw a ball with amazing force for someone his age and size. His laugh is contagious and his eyes are full of expression. Some days I wish I could know what thoughts are going through his head. I wonder if he is ever frustrated by his inability to communicate what he is thinking.
I wish I were a more capable photographer because I would love to capture more of his personality on camera so that I could look back at each stage of his development and just bask in the awesomeness of it all.

If I had to use only one word to describe O, it would simply be happiness because that is what he exudes and creates all around him almost constantly.

I can't wait to see what else he's got in store for us over the years.