Ethan at Five

Ethan. Ethanbear. Poohbear. E-B. E.

Can I just start by saying that I adore you? You bring more joy, fun, laughs, creativity, energy, and heartwarming moments to my life than I ever could have imagined. You are such a loving, compassionate little boy. You love giving and getting hugs, and although you say “No kisses!” I know you secretly love them and love to give them. You love to make other people feel happy, full of sweet compliments such as “You are the BEST mommy EVER!” or “Thank you mommy for this delicious dinner!” You inherently know how to make people feel good.

You are happiest when you are connecting with someone – talking with them, walking with them, climbing them, or jumping on them. Sometimes you just grab the back of my sweater and follow me wherever I go, just to be connected.

We have been learning about boundaries this year, as sometimes your enthusiasm can result in you sticking your entire self up the back of my shirt or hugging your brother so fiercely that you knock him down. All enthusiasm, all love – that is my Ethan.

You do have a mischievous streak – wanting to stir up a little trouble now and again.  Just enough to drive Mommy crazy, but keep a smile on my face.

You never seem to run out of energy. The most offensive thing I can say to you is that you look tired. “I’m not tired!” you’ll yell, moments before a breakdown triggered by exhaustion. You love to just be on the go, biking, hiking, or riding your scooter.

Any activity that takes you to new places or places you can endlessly explore is of interest to you. You and I share a love for hiking. I think we possess the same desire to be productive when we are physically active – getting somewhere and seeing something. I imagine us taking many hikes together as you grow older. I like that thought.

You are just as satisfied if it is your mind that is active. You pretty much require constant stimulation and easily become bored. However, you are getting better all the time about finding projects or play that engages you and your mind. Writing has been a big part of your year. You love to write, so much so that you asked for a journal for Christmas once you learned that it allowed you to write in bed. You will sit and concentrate beautifully for long periods of time on writing projects that you create for yourself.

For example, you spent the better part of a week tracing every superhero in our superhero books and cards, writing their name, page numbers, and stats next to your picture of them. For you it is great fun to sit at a computer and type words that you see anywhere, changing the font, color, and size of words. You’ll write letters to friends, family, and superheroes, on paper or through email. Connecting with people and writing - that is you at five.

Lately you have really enjoyed numbers and math concepts. You love adding and multiplying best, amazing us with what appears to be self-taught skills. Science is another love of yours. You come up with all sorts of “experiments,” as you excitedly call them. You love to see how just about anything will fare in the freezer, or in the hot sun, or underwater. You want to mix things together, such as paints, food and drink, or dirt and anything. But this is not because you want to get dirty. It is because you are thinking about what might happen – what reaction you can get, from either the substances or me.

You love babies and cats, not necessarily in that order.

You usually like pancakes for breakfast, peanut butter sandwich or quesadilla for lunch, and just about anything for dinner. Your favorite restaurant is Watami Sushi, where you have miso soup, salad, and chicken fried rice. You are not a picky eater.   However, nothing would make you go near cream cheese, sour cream or eggs. You don’t have much of a sweet tooth, generally rejecting ice cream and birthday cake. Yet you do appreciate a good donut, brownie or chocolate chip cookie. Your favorite color is orange, your favorite toys are hot wheels and their racetracks, and you’re your dream in life is to ride as many rollercoasters as possible. You really like being in the water, including your bath, in which you could sit and play forever. You just learned to tie your shoes and you are amazing on a two-wheeled scooter. You love climbing anything from rocks to humans. When you do stop moving, you love to have me rub your back gently with my fingertips.

You are a never-ending source of joy and liveliness in this family. Just being around you fills me with happiness. Seeing your smile or hearing your laugh is contagious. When you were a baby I called you my “joy boy” and this hasn’t changed. Thank you for all the love and laughter you bring into our lives. We love you exactly as you are and always will.