new words and signs

Thomas' communication skills are growing by leaps and bounds. He's been adding new words and sounds to his vocabulary, picking up new signs for other words and can point to more body parts almost on a daily basis. I know he understands way more than he is able to communicate to us, but it still awes me when totally out of the blue I'll ask him something like where is your hair? and he'll immediately point to the part in question. His vocabulary consists of around 30 words and he can sign another 16 or so words. He will point to major body parts when asked where they are. Of course, if you spent time with Thomas, you'd think he only knows one word - car.

[Note: Our home computer is experiencing technical difficulties. Posts will be few and photos nil until the problems get resolved. I'm still snapping many, many photos -- I just have no way to download them off the camera. Grrrr... Once the problem is fixed, I'm sure I'll post a whole slew of photos in a single post! Brace yourselves.]

summer continues!

mama's little helper

Thomas loves dill pickles

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Every few weeks I think to myself this is the best time -- how could it possibly get any better, he become any cuter, or Thomas be any more fun than he is right now? and then a few weeks will go by and again I'll think the same thing at that exact moment. He's developing into such a fun little boy.

Thomas has also become a great little helper. Moving furniture, raking leaves, folding laundry, running the vacuum, bathing the dogs... whatever it is that I'm doing, he wants to be there helping me. I tell him that these same activities can be his responsibility when he's older if he wants. [wink.]

Fall is upon us

As the days get shorter, Thomas and I have been out savoring these last days of summer and welcoming fall. Yesterday was cool enough to warrant pulling out some longer pants, warmer shirts and his Disney winter coat. I had received this coat as part of a gift set prior to Thomas' birth but this was the first time he had actually worn it. I wanted to take some photos to send to the gift-giver so Thomas and I walked up and down our street seeking out photo ops.


watching the neighbor's remodel project ~ another neighbor's extremely tolerant cat (neither were harmed in the taking of this photo!)

16 months

I was busy in the kitchen yesterday afternoon but keeping an ear out for Thomas as he ran around the house playing. After what must have been 15 minutes of quiet, I went looking and found him in the spare room reading a book quietly by himself. Sometimes he's so serious!

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a Grandma like no other

Thomas is fortunate to have the kind of Grandma that every kid dreams of. She is amazing with him and he loves to be with her. This last weekend she gave us a much-needed break, coming over to stay with him and the girls so we could get away for an evening. He's a lucky little guy to have her (as are we!).

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*Grandpa missed Grandma and also came over to bring dinner and camp out. Sounds like we missed some good times here at home!

he sleeps like a horse -- literally!

It's been a long week at our house and none of us have really had adequate or restful sleep. It seems possible that the new upper molars are really causing Thomas much grief. For the last two days he has refused to lay down and sleep in his crib - both at night and during the afternoon. Last night we listened as our fantastic little sleeper cried it out for 45 minutes before finally settling down to sleep. Only, when I checked on him before going to bed myself, I found him asleep standing up. Again this afternoon he fought the nap and after a 15 minute period of quiet, I checked on him to find him asleep standing up. I thought only horses were known to do this!

At any rate, my fingers are crossed that things are turning around. He hasn't had much of an appetite this week, but today he ate like a horse. He could not get enough. And when I put him down for the night, he cried for about a minute but then fell fast asleep. Let's hope he stays asleep and this becomes the new trend...

Harvest Festival

We spent the morning at the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island for the annual Harvest Festival with M's brother and his family. Thomas and his cousin enjoyed visiting the barn full of farm animals, playing on farm equipment, running through the u-pick flower field, getting lost in the corn maize and taking a ride on the cow train. Good times!

T gets a better view of the corn maize on his dad's shoulders!

(fi) sshhh at the Japanese Garden

It's been really fun for us to watch Thomas' language skills develop. He uses sign language for some words and verbalizes others. Sometimes the sign is accompanied by the word or what he says for the word. Just this week he started to sign/say words like banana, telephone and Neha (his friend from down the street). But one of my favorites is still fish. He leaves off the F and the I so it's just ssshhh. I love hearing it so much that I'm convinced we need to get him a pet fish.

This morning we visited the Japanese Garden with his cousin and aunt. As beautiful as the Garden and structures are, the Koi pond area was probably the most fun for both kids. There were so many swimming around and each one is so unique. Thomas recognized them and said ssshhh. Again I'm convinced he needs one. Not a Koi, but a fat little orange goldfish with bulging eyes...

seeing double

Thomas at the zoo

chuck & duck

Because all the cool kids have them...

This morning we found Chuck Taylor All Stars on sale so I decided to finally pick up a pair for Thomas. He liked the blue while I was partial to the black with flames so we got them both. I also got myself a pair in picante (is that a great color name or what?). I haven't worn a pair since junior high, but I'm loving them already. We just need to get M a pair now!

I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of Thomas this morning when I noticed him wearing his OU shirt and standing by the dogs' duck toy. Maybe it's a sign of things to come? Oklahoma, strong and victorious and Oregon...? [note: Thomas isn't going, but his parents will be at the Oregon-Oklahoma football game next month. Go Sooners!]

reading with Grandpa

Thomas loves to read

books on trucks are favorites

Grandpa likes them too!

BBQ with family

Thomas checks out his cousin's new Pug puppy, Lucy...

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and eats black olives off his finger!

All Aboard!

In his book Trains, Thomas' favorite page is toward the end when the conductor puts his hand up in the air and shouts All Aboard! When we get to this page, he always turns to watch me because he knows I will raise my hand up in the air and shout All Aboard! He loves it. This morning Thomas heard a real train conductor shout All Aboard! several times (to which he smiled) as we enjoyed his first train ride.

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Typically we visit the Zoo for about an hour but this morning we spent nearly 2.5 hours at the Zoo, taking a ride on the Zooliner. Thomas really enjoyed the train ride. Each time the train's horn sounded Thomas would answer Choo Choo! I found it terribly cute. As we neared the end of the ride, we were also nearing his nap time. Thomas was very content to sit on my lap with both hands in his pockets, staring straight ahead. His mama loved every second of it.

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blue eyes

Thomas and I haven't explored too many local kid-friendly coffeeshops, but with all the buzz surrounding the latest Portland offering and an invite to join friends, we went to one this morning. He had a great time playing in the children's area and also out in the main seating area. It wasn't quite the relaxing, sipping hot coffee and enjoying a yummy treat whilst chatting with friends that I always imagine it might be (it was actually none of those things), but it was a nice outing nonetheless. It was fun to check out this place and to see these friends again.

M and her big, beautiful blue eyes

say cheese!

Pictured above and seen through a green glass partition in the food court, Thomas waits for the mall to open.

Today was picture day at the mall with Thomas and his cousins. Thomas wasn't too sure about it initially, but he became a very happy little guy once they brought out the child-size firetruck. This kid loves cars and even that is an understatement. To her credit, the photographer was extremely patient and really tried to get a good shot, but it just wasn't meant to be today. With three toddlers ranging from 15 months to 27 months, I knew getting a good photo was not going to be an easy feat. Still, it's always nice to get the three cousins together (and I enjoy seeing my sister-in-laws, too!) and after the photo shoot we let them loose in the children's play area and topped it all off with a snack/drink at Starbucks.

We went to a mall I never go to because 1.) I rarely go to the mall and 2.) it's on the other side of town. But with such a great children's play area and the nice *family restroom* with Thomas-sized toilet and sink, I may have to make the trek over there again the next time I feel like going shopping. Definitely some nice perks to make the mall experience enjoyable for everyone!

waking up after a bike ride

new car

Some parents actively avoid places like Chuck E. Cheese's. I'm not one of those. Maybe when he's older and going to such a place presents challenges that we'd rather not deal with, but at this age it isn't a big deal. We were out that direction in the morning and around noon found our way over to the pizza/amusement restaurant. Just Thomas and his mama. We shared an all-you-can-eat salad bar, filling our tummies with garbanzo beans, baby corn, cherry tomatoes... all the good stuff. Afterwards we played in the toddler area and Thomas rode two coin-operated rides for the first time. He wasn't crazy about the first one, but seemed to enjoy the second on this Bob the Builder ride. We were *in the area* picking up a new car for Thomas...

15 months

Thomas is 15 months old today. Where is the time going? There are so many things I love about this little boy, but here are fifteen that come to mind...

1. You make me snort. I never snorted before but your antics make me snort.
2. Your pronunciation of *car*. Baby, we don't live in Boston. There's an *r* at the end of that word.

3. I love watching you squeal with delight and run from Bela and Greta as if they are chasing you around the house.

4. The flicking thing you do with your big toe. You got that from your dad.

5. The way you zone out in the car, stroller, jogger and bike trailer. The movement seems to put you in some sort of trance-like state.

6. Your obsession with water.

7. The way your hair stands on end/ straight up when you wake.

8. The running form you've adopted.

9. Your love for all animals, esp. dogs.

10. The way you put your hands behind your head and fall back into me, trusting the whole time that I'm going to be there to catch you and/or break your fall.

11. Your dance moves. I love that hearing the ice cream truck while we are out walking is enough for you to break out your signature knee-bending moves.

12. Listening to the *conversations* you have with your dad.

13. The way your eyes light up when you see me after some time apart.

14. The ease with which you approach new things.

15. I love that you will go up to a complete stranger in a shoe store, point at the shoe they are trying on and exclaim SHOE! It makes me snort.

Bridge Pedal

Portland, Oregon from the Marquam Bridge

This morning we participated in the annual Providence Bridge Pedal. It was the first time for us and it was great to share this unique event with each other, with Thomas and with M's brothers and their families. Though it was congested on some bridges, it was pretty open on two of the highest bridges we crossed and the views were beautiful. We completed the 6 bridge/14 mile route and promptly rewarded our efforts with a cold beer and snack at a favorite local brewery. A great time by all that will surely become an annual family tradition!

Thomas checking out his cousin before the ride

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Thomas & his mom on the Fremont Bridge