We're coming up on Nolan's third birthday, and it occurs to me that a little gratuitous facetime with Nolan might be in order.

As I may have mentioned recently, we moved our office from one end of town to the other. Circumstances conspired to bring me back to our old neighborhood a couple of days ago, and I went into my favorite sushi joint for some lunch.

The woman behind the counter remembered me. I'd been a semi-regular since they opened, and I would frequently bring in Nolan, who, because of quirks in our schedules, would often be visiting me during lunch time while Paulette attended to issues at work. According to the lady who always takes my order (a large California roll, fwiw), the "kitchen staff" simply loves Nolan, and they would often throw in some extra (small) California roll for him, as well. (I suspect that the kitchen staff in question is actually the owner of the joint, but I've never confirmed.)

Sure enough, on this recent trip, even though Nolan wasn't with me, they remembered him and after my meal, they sent me away with a takeaway order for him, as well, no charge.

This kind of affection for either of my kids truly warms the cockles of my heart. [I just looked up "cockle", which turns out to be either a kind of clam or a weedy plant. I didn't know my heart had clams or weeds, but there's always some truth to proverbs, no?]

Nolan is at that age right now where he freely shows me signs of affection, as well, and I enjoy them every chance I get. When I come home, he runs to the door, announcing "Daddy's here!" and gives me a welcome hug. Often, in the middle of the night, he calls out for one reason or another, and after I attend to the issue at hand (blankets need to be fixed, or he wants water, whatever), he snuggles himself back to sleep with an "I love you" for me on the way. I simply melt. (Then again, if you're an insomniac like me, and are further having your sleep interrupted by kids calling out in the middle of the night, you might be emotionally susceptible, too.)

His speech is improving by leaps and bound, and he has had to be moved up to the next size in clothes and sneakers, which combines to make a formidable impression of a kid on the grow. He has a delightfully serious manner of speaking, with an innocent smile and open good humor.

His so-called "terrible twos" haven't been all that much of a problem, and he appears to have already left them behind. He's a bit more reserved than his older brother, and definitely more of a climber. Paulette thinks he's likely to be more athletic than Alex (who is pretty athletic as it is), and I agree. That's one thing I'm particularly enjoying about our kids; they both generally have a pleasant disposition, but they nonetheless have different personalities.

His eyes have remained blue thus far (even though that isn't obvious in the photo I'm attaching to this entry), and he's as blond as I ever was at that age. He's looking forward to becoming a "big brother," and he's made a friend or two in the neighborhood independently of Alex, which is also good to see.

I have no experience with middle siblings, insofar as I've never been one nor had any, but it's important to me to make sure that Nolan continues to get attention and encouragement as an individual as well as part of the clan. As it is, it's exciting to see him come into his own.