Three Years of Victor

Victor turned three on Sunday, March 15. Also, as Victor told me, Dog turned three on Sunday. "He used to be a little baby Dog." But he's big now. And well loved, as you can see. Victor often tells me that "Dog is my best friend. He's a good friend." Dog is a sweet friend. Since I was convinced that my dolls were real when I was little, I understand where Victor is coming from on this one.

(Note: They were real dolls, not real people. There is a difference, and it mostly has to do with being able to transform their physical surroundings by power of imagination.)

For the benefit of people who don't see Victor as often as they'd like, I have compiled the following gems:

--Victor is 41.5 inches tall and weighs 41.5 pounds. He is slim and sturdy. His pediatrician told me that he is the height of an average 4 1/2 year old and the weight of an average 5 1/2 year old. I guess 5 1/2 year olds are lighter than I had previously thought.

--Victor likes to write. He gets out a pen, finds a piece of paper, and writes things. Most recently, he wrote an email for Dad on an old bill. The only letter he can make on purpose is O, and sometimes C, but when he happens to make a V or W or A or N or anything else, he points it out and is very proud.

--Victor loves Dog.

--Victor plays with toys. We get a lot of mileage out of toys, especially ones with wheels, cranes, ladders, and truck beds. They all seems to have personalities, and they talk to each other. He also believes that when his toy boy and girl ride in the dump truck, the boy must drive. I don't know where he got that idea. I'm sure I could drive a dump truck.

--Victor eats just about everything. Except mashed potatoes. He loves oranges, frosted mini-wheats, tacos, and the candy he gets from the clerk's office every Sunday.

--TV would be a much bigger part of Victor's life if he had his way. He adores anything on the Speed channel (Jeremy must turn that on for him), Clifford, Sesame Street, and whatever program is on after he's supposed to be asleep.

--Similarly, Victor loves Peter Pan and 101 Dalmations. These two movies feature prominently in his play. He has a special crocodile dance, and he is always pretending that his cars are Horace, Jasper, and Cruella. To the village!

--Victor can make a peanut butter sandwich, pour water neatly into a cup from the Britta pitcher, pour cereal into a bowl (less neatly, it must be said), and get out pretty much anything he wants to eat, like hot dogs and cheese. He was less successful cutting (!) an orange last week, and has not tried again. If he and Zeke were left alone, they would not starve for at least a week.

--Victor knows a bunch of songs, although I'm not sure who taught some of them to him. A perpetual favorite is "How Much Is that Doggie in the Window."

--Victor is not particular about his clothes, but he usually chooses shirts that have pictures of trucks, cars, wreckers, etc. on the front.

--Victor loves to be startled. He thinks it's hilarious, and has since he was a teeny tiny baby.

--In the morning, Victor says to me, "Good Morning, Mama." He recently added, "Did you have a nice sleep?", and this morning he even brought me a glass of water.

--Victor has great faith in doctors. One day, he was sick, and the doctor made him feel better. Ever since then, he is eager to suggest a doctor's visit when anyone is sick, sad, or grumpy.

--Victor is a pretty good little talker. But he confuses the words "castle" and "casserole." Thus, when the opening credits roll for Peter Pan and he sees the Disney castle he says, "Is that a casserole, Mom? Does the Beast live there?" I think he's going to keel over with joy when we finally take him to Disneyland.

--Victor has a hole in the back yard. When we go outside, he gets the (big) shovel and dig dig digs.

--Victor likes hanging from monkey bars, but he does NOT like slides.


Okay, I think that's enough about Victor. If you want a list of his favorite books or his sizes (5 shirt, 4 pants, 11 shoe), just let me know. I'll tell you all about Goldbug and Lily and One Fish Two Fish and Make Way for Ducklings and his new favorite, Greens Eggs and Ham. Or, as he calls it, "Ham, ham, any eggs." He chants it in between his reditions of the Olympic fanfare.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!