Walter Turns 5

Walter is very into animals  - when we gave him a peregrine falcon for his birthday, he knew exactly what it was and referred to it by name.  Although he has many alligators and crocodiles, he still wants more.  He has become very interested in making inventions.  Typically they are “abstract” in nature (e.g. two pieces of a toy farm fence are his batwing) but recently started building some inventions from legos which are more recognizable.

Walter is affectionate in actions and words.  He will often say I love you, give hugs and kisses, and declare “Family Hug” where we must all join in.  He says we are the best mom, dad, sister - even claiming us as best friends.  He also has best friends at school, Graham and Zoey, who he spends most of his time with.  Outside of school, he always looks forward to seeing cousin Molly.  Walter wasn’t affected much by the pandemic; he enjoyed being home and watching more TV.  He did however get upset about not being able to go to Molly’s house and yell “No More Video!!” - meaning no more video chats as he wanted to see family in person.  

Walter lost interest in the birthday question list, so this is how far we got: 

Favorite to eat +: noodles and meatballs and sauce

Favorite to do +: watch TV

Favorite to watch: Muppet Babies, Wild Kratts, Mira Royal Detective, Paw Patrol

Favorite to read: Actually, all of them! But not the baby ones.

Favorite to help with: I listen to them?

Favorite to learn about: What the teacher says.

Favorite to hang out with: Johanna

You are good at: Watching TV, Making inventions

Walter continues to insist on having the same birthday cake as previous years - "cookies" (Betty Jane candy discs), marshmallows, and chocolate.

Walter loves these silly glasses and would wear them and pretend he is Mayor Humdinger from Paw Patrol.  Johanna and Tony took the look to the next level and custom made him a Mayor Humdinger hat!

The typical look of Walter's room.  I guess inventing is a messy hobby.

He does NOT like when you move his stuff - "You ruined my invention!" and he has a guard to his room that we are not allowed to move.

He currently likes to be the super hero "Beast Boy" that can change into different animals. We regret introducing him to the backyard tree as he frequently requests to be up in the tree to be a monkey and enjoy the view.