Oh, he knows.

Tate has got my heart wrapped around his little pinky these days. 

Example 1: This afternoon he was sprinting through the house, limbs flying, drool dangling, feet slapping, hands flapping...when suddenly, mid-stride, he STOPPED. A small, single rectangle of sunlight lit up the hallway floor. He bent down, kissed it, and kept running.

Example 2: Lately, we will be in the middle of playing in our tunnel or wrestling on the floor or reading, and he will turn to me and gently put a hand around each of my dangly flower earrings. Please understand that when a toddler whose favorite hobby is throwing rocks puts his hands around your favorite dangly earrings, you are at your utmost vulnerable. You could be VanGogh in a moment's flash. But, no. He holds them sweetly and puts his little cheek next to mine and quietly whispers in my ear, "mama...mama....mama...."

And for extra credit: The Anthropologie catalog came in the mail yesterday. And upon seeing it, Tate exclaimed, "Mama!" To which I agreed, in my running pants streaked with house paint, "Yes, she looks just like mama!" Oh, he knows. He knows quite well. 

So now he can turn on the sugar and I in turn will melt, perfectly content wrapped around his little pinky.