Roycie bean,

Thank you for not minding that this is as many days late as you are months old. It’s for good reason - there’s been too much fun to be had and people to be with - but we’re grateful nonetheless.

Your personality has exploded onto the scene in the last several months. We’ve always known you were the sweetest, happiest, most patient Fernandez, but now we see that you are also the cheery goofball of this family. You crack yourself up all day and in doing so have us constantly laughing. You “scare” us by “jumping” around the corner and exclaiming “Boo”! You bounce to music with your full body, and also bounce to imaginary music with your full body. You show us your signature “move” - a downward dog - anytime Harper decides it’s time for you both to put on a show. And you prompt us to tickle you so you can giggle and snort and throw your head back before exclaiming, “again!”

You idolize your sister and copy her every move- whether that’s singing, dancing, coughing or crying. Your eyes gleam when you look at her. And you’re learning that you need to assert yourself around here. We’re dealing with our first major toy grabs and full-on pushes and across-the-room-body-propelled tackles.

You are talking up a storm. The doctor says it would be natural for you to have 4 or 5 words, and you say so many things I’ve lost count! Some of my current favorites are “again!” (After tickles) “budo” (Bruno) and “oh no!” (When we see squirrels eating the bird food). You also love to call the birdies and the bunnies (with a word that sounds exactly the same) and the airplanes (with a word that sounds nothing like it.) You pick up everything like a sponge. We were eating sushi the other day and you repeated it. I realized the other night when I got to the “C” of ABC-d and the “star” of twinkle twinkle that you were singing along with me.

You are so busy. And so fast. You pride yourself on “running” (a quick leaning shuffle with your arms outstretched behind you) and you climb with the speed of a monkey - on absolutely everything. You sweep and you build and you insist on playing with wires and plugs and all of the sharp opbects you can find. We laughed all weekend with the Gargiones that you really are a mini-Max. You have your dad’s engineering brain. Other things you love include your Mickey (thanks Grandpa!), your car, your Bruno, and your Dadda. You lunge at him with your whole body.

On the stats (which I’ve been woefully bad about recording the second time around)... you are:

2ft 8 inches tall - 35%

23 lbs 10 oz - 42%

50 cm head - 98% (no wonder all your clothes get stuck!)

You have brought so much more laughter and love into our world. We absolutely delight in you and love you so.