As you see I have biceps to spare.....

Zack is a powerhouse. He's built like a tank. Most people ask if he is 3 when I have him with me. I tell them he is 1 1/2 , and nobody can believe it. He is huge. Really, on the growth chart he is the size of an average 3-year-old.

We had this Tupperware shape sorter toy when I was a kid, and when Abram was a baby we bought one like all good parents should. I remember as a kid being at the mercy of my mom or another adult to open the dang toy and shake all the shapes out for me after I had put them in. Abram (and all of our other kids) had the same problem. It was just very hard for a small kid to have enough strength to pull the halves of the ball apart far enough to let the shapes out.

Enter Zack. This is his favorite toy right now. He is very quick at finding all the right places for the shapes. But what he is even faster at is pulling the ball apart and shaking out the pieces. He uses his brute strength to effortlessly pull and shake, and he's ready to go again.

His other favorite toy is this treasure we found at IKEA last month. He calls it "Buddies." He runs the loop in our house as fast as he can while pushing this toy, watching the little people (buddies) pop up and down. I couldn't believe it was only $7. Where have I been? I guess most other families of young children already had this toy, because most people make it to IKEA more than once every 2 years. We just hadn't bought any new "baby" toys in quite a few years. Just a little noise as the wooden people pop up and down. No electronics. No lights. No obnoxious robot voice saying "Let's play and sing together." Just happy giggles from my boy. I love this toy.