Jake the Uber Cutie

I posted the above photo before, but it is worth a second posting, don't you think? Check this kid out: He's an uber cutie!

Can a kid be too cute for his own good? For the good of his siblings? I think any child that has lived with a super cute sibling will tell you it's just not fair. Cuteness does matter. Adults respond differently to a uber cute kid than to a standard issue cute kid. Oh, adults will tell you it doesn't matter, but they are lying.

Jake gets more than his fair share of time and attention from the adults around him because he ALWAYS looks cute. He never has a down day. His hair is oh so soft and straight--no bad hair days for him. His cheeks are sublime. His big, brown eyes are framed by thick, long lashes. They are, as I discussed recently in another post, incredible tear factories. Jake is the best hugger which earns him big points with us adults. He's polite, too. His overuse of the words "No, thank you!" is way adorable. He's 100% boy and that's uber cute, too. There's nothing quite like a three year old male. Such focus! Such energy!

What is to be found under that cute exterior? Lots of good things--Jake is a fun kid. He's quick to smile. He's usually happy, but he can turn the tears on at a minute's notice. He has a piercing shriek, too, that signals his unhappiness. It is very unpleasant and nearly impossible to ignore. Sometimes he gets sent to timeout for noise violation.

Jake is a very good brother. He likes to play with Bentley, but he also likes to play with his twin Viva. He splits his time pretty evenly between the two of them. He also likes to hang out with his mom and grandma and his great-grandma. He likes his dad and opa, but he's something of a ladies' boy right now. Maybe it's because he instinctively knows that the cute factor plays better with women than men?

Jake LOVES, LOVES, LOVES monkeys. He sometimes calls himself Monkey. He has a couple of stuffed animal monkeys that he sleeps with. His very favorite sleeper is a monkey sleeper. (I recently purchased monkey socks for him.) Jake is more dedicated to his monkeys than Viva is to her princesses. For Halloween he asked for a monkey costume.

Jake is a good eater. Some days he has thirds and even fourths! He's the biggest eater of the trio. His favorite food is peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I cut the crusts off for him, but his mom makes them with crusts. (I think he likes my sandwiches better.)

Jake is a mega hoarder. It's a problem. He currently has at least four stashes going--his treasure box under his bed, a pile on the floor at the end of his bed, his backpack, and a pile on the toy shelf. Once he adds something to his treasure piles, he doesn't like giving it up. By the time he's 18, he'll need a spare bedroom to contain all his loot. Perhaps we should get him counseling? Bribe him to downsize? Yeah, like that's going to work...here Jake, we'll give you one car, if you give us ten. Counseling it is!

Jake likes books, cars, trains, bikes, swords, puzzles, his memory tiles, his treasure piles (!), and being with the people he loves. He likes familiar places and faces. He'll go on adventures with his parents or grandparents, but he really likes returning home.

Jake likes and needs naps. He's by far the best napper of the three. His head hits the pillow and he's out. We often have to wake him so he doesn't sleep too late and not want to go to bed at night. He doesn't like being woke up. If you wake him up, you have to be prepared to cuddle him for a while which is no hardship...unless you're trying to make dinner. He's not such good sleeper at bedtime or during the night.

Jake is a restless night-time sleeper. He usually wakes up more than once during the night, often with pains in his legs or hands or knees. He likes to have his back rubbed or his aches massaged. Sometimes he has a screaming fit at night and no one (not even him!) knows why. This doesn't happen very often. Which is good. We adults need all the sleep we can get. It's not easy keeping up with three preschoolers.

Jake is very sincere. It's one of his best attributes. Whatever he's telling you, he's very sincere and earnest about it. He's just so darn CUTE! Did I mention that yet?