I love you very, very, very, very, very, very.....much!

I was rocking AJ before bed one night and said "I love you very, very, very (add about 15 more very's here) much" He looked up at me with just his eyes, his head still resting on my chest, binky still in his mouth and said "very, very, very, very, very..." It was the sweetest thing. I'm pretty sure it brought me to tears.

He's been saying so much now it amazes me. One of the best parts of my day is waking up to him chatting to himself (or maybe the stuffed animals in his crib). He runs through a lot of the words he knows as if he's practicing. This morning he said "much" a few times. Last night we were working on that so he could get the "very much" down.

He also says his letters if we play the alphabet game online. He can say book, there it is, I did it, a clue (he's been liking Blue's Clue's lately), more, good, all done, oh no, uh-oh, aww nuts, oh man, bear, hi, bye, bath, sock, car, keys, milk, where'd it go, open, closed, ball, binky, help, up, choo-choo, thank you and so many more I can't think of.

He'll give you a kiss and a hug if you ask him (and sometimes unprompted). Lately he likes to put his shoes on and ask for the car keys. He's a funny boy who loves to smile.

He keeps me going. I don't know how we would have gotten through these last few months without him. He's been a great distraction and source of joy -- even if it's bittersweet sometimes. Sometimes when I'm missing Ryan so much it's hard to watch AJ and all of his accomplishments. It's hard knowing what we won't get to see Ryan do. But then I think that somehow AJ is living for both of them. I know Ryan is watching and having fun with his big brother. I just wish he were here so we all get to see it.