2. Everyone says that he has my eyes. I'm not sure that they are right, but I love his eyes. They absolutely sparkle and are so expressive and when he smiles they look like sidewise crescent moons.
3. He loves music. When a song comes on that appeals to him he will bounce up and down and bob his head and sometimes clap along to the beat.
4. He has an adventurous palette. While he sometimes turns his nose up at baby food, he eats a lot of ethnic foods and other foods with complex flavors or textures.
5. He has already mastered the art of torturing his brother. Kai's idea of a good time is meticulously lining up his toys in a straight line or, better yet, some intricate pattern. Ari's idea of a good time is wreaking havoc. He gets the greatest pleasure out of destroying Kai's creations and cannot be distracted from his mission by any other temptation. It makes for long days spent at our house.
6. When Ari is bored he will crawl over to Kai and pinch or hit him and then shake his head "no no" in acknowledgement that it was a naughty thing to do when I catch his eye.
7. At home, Ari whines at me, a lot, but when we are out of the house, he is usually content to sit and watch people and everything that is happening around him. So most of my friends refuse to believe me when I say that Ari can be a difficult baby (I think my family and Yo's family have now spent enough time with him to know that I speaketh the truth.)
8. Ari loves balls. He will play basketball at home for as long as I have the patience and energy to lift him up with the ball and allow him to drop it through our little play hoop.
9. He can't resist a soft surface. If you put a blanket or pillow in his path, he cannot help but rest his head on it for a few sweet seconds before moving along.
10. While Kai is naturally cautious, Ari is a daredevil. Nothing delights him more than being thrown up into the air. He is attracted to anything dangerous. If he is near a ledge, he wants to throw himself down it. If there is a body of water he wants to jump in it. If there is an outlet, he wants to stick his finger in it. He is that child.
11. I think he is left-handed.
12. He is a cuddler. He sits happily in my lap for long stretches and is known to lay his head down on my shoulder or to climb on top of me for a quick snuggle anytime I'm on the floor.
13. He gives great open-mouthed kisses with a twinkle in his eye.
14. He loves books about animals and the lift the flap kind.
15. He already insists on doing things for himself, like trying to put on his own shoes or feed himself with a spoon. Based on this and the fact that he has quite the fiery temper, I worry what two has in store for us if he is like this at one.
16. The kid can scream. For hours. And he has really healthy lungs. Just when you think he might be done, he will catch a 2nd and 3rd and 4th wind.
17. It took a really long time to sleep train him.
18. He is stubborn. When he first started crawling he climbed out the backdoor head first and bonked his head on the pavement. He cried long and hard for a few minutes as I consoled him. But when I put him down he went right back to the door and climbed in and out again and again, bonking his head several times and crying several more times before he finally mastered it.
19. Nothing makes him laugh harder than when you nuzzle him with your head.
20. He loves Kai. Whenever Kai stays still long enough for Ari to catch up to him, Ari will sit by him--practically on top of him--and rest his hand on Kai's back or shoulder and he will stay that way until Kai is on the move again.
21. He likes the water. One of his favorite bath time tricks is to lean forward and dip his face in the water. He also likes to play a game at the pool where he is sitting on the side of the pool and on the count of three he will lean forward to fall into my arms going entirely under water in the process.
22. He constantly is pointing at things and saying something that sounds like, "what's that?"
24. I think one of the reasons that he doesn't talk more is because he is so good at getting his point across without saying a word. He is quite good at using hand gestures and facial expressions to let you know exactly what he wants and exactly how he feels.
25. He is just plain funny. There is something about him--his facial expressions, his mannerisms, his orneriness--that makes me chuckle and shake my head. When people ask me to describe Ari I usually say he is equal parts naughty and nice, sweet and sour. He really is so different from Kai and has made it known from day one that he is his own person. It has been such a fun year getting to know this little trouble maker. He definitely keeps life interesting and keeps all of us on our toes. We can't imagine life without him.
