Barrett, right about now.

Barrett is delicious. He just really is. He is so babyish, so fat, and yet learning more and more every day, constantly saying things he never would have been able to verbalize even a month ago. The other night the boys did not finish their dinner and Brian gloated a little bit while he ate some of the jelly beans that were supposed to be the incentive dessert. At bedtime, when Brian came up to help lay them down, he was eating another handful of the jelly beans. (Little did I know that Jelly Belly's are one of Brian's favorite candy.) After we prayed and Brian kissed them and he left, and I remained in the dark room nursing Neva in the rocking chair, I heard a whimper from the corner. "What's wrong, Barrett?" I asked. His little voice answered pathetically, "Daddy... eat my candy beans."

The next morning, when I went upstairs to greet them, I picked Neva up from her crib and sat down with her on Barrett's bed. He got excited to see "Neva Mae," and I asked him, "Barrett, do you love Neva Mae?" He said, "Yes. Love Will, too."

He is in a cuddly phase lately. Many times during the day he asks me, "Momma, hold me?" The other day I simply couldn't, but I offered to let him ride on my back in the carrier- something he hasn't done in about a year. He loved it. Since then, several times, he has asked, "Mama, ride your back?" I I try to let him, whenever possible. Barrett is such an affectionate little guy. When I read them books, he likes to stand behind me and play with my hair, or put his arm around me. He loves to be held and to snuggle. At night, every time I sing him "his" song before he goes to sleep, he whispers, "Hi, Mommy." And when I'm done he asks, "Sing Will's song?" He wants to make sure I won't forget to climb the ladder and sing William his bedtime song as well. This little guy has no chance, at least at this point, of being the ignored middle child. He is so cute and funny that Brian and I watch him constantly.