Happy birthday to Zachary!

As I have joked in the past, my brother and his wife have concentrated the birthdays of their children at the end of July for the sake of efficient parties. Or perhaps there's something about November that ... no, I just don't care to speculate.

Anyway, five days after Morganmas, was now have Zachmas! My nephew Zachary, pictured above, is two years old today. And if I didn't already love Zach enough, there's the added bonus for my entertainment that he seems to be my brother reincarnated, right down to his distinctive shock of platinum blond hair.

And why, you ask, is this entertaining for me? Because Matthew was a particularly energetic and rambunctious child who ran my parents ragged and took particular pleasure in tormenting his elder sibling (i.e. me). He still does, come to think of it. Over Christmas Matt and I went out for a beer and he regaled me, in an exasperated tone of voice, with Zach's newfound game--making Morgan wail. Morgan, who loves to read, will often perch on the couch with a book open in her lap, and this draws Zach like a bee to honey. He runs up, grabs the book from Morgan, and with a mischievous grin, holds the book just out of reach as Morgan howls and grabs for it. (Keep in mind, this kid is all of two years old).

Matt told me me this, and other stories much like it, with the air of a father looking at the prospect of playing diplomat for the next sixteen to twenty years (we can only assume this torment will reach a fever pitch with the onset of adolescence). Trying to keep the grin of schadenfreude off my face, I mumbled something about chickens coming home to roost. Morgan, I feel your pain.

For all that, Zach is an amazingly affectionate and sweet kid. He is now always smiling and inquisitive, which is a bit of a change from his first few months of life, when he constantly wore what I came to think of as the Zach look--an expression of resigned bewilderment at the world in which he found himself.

Now the world is an amazing and wonderful place, with many trains to watch (he loves trains) and a serious sister to torment. Happy birthday, little guy -- your uncle loves you.