Tulip Festival

Today's trip to the Tulip Festival was full of sun and smiles from Thomas. Below are photos of him with some of his favorites things!

seeing the "big mouse"

A doctor appointment for me + Spring Break for Thomas' cousins + a Grandma who enjoys being with her grandchildren = a very full morning for Thomas!
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Thomas spent the entire morning at his Grandma's house playing with his cousins. He really enjoys spending time with all of them. When I went to pick him up, Grandma suggested we all head to Chuck E. Cheese for some lunch and fun. Talk about an exciting half day! He had the most fun riding the fire engine with another little boy and wasn't scared of the "big mouse" at all. Instead of crying and running away like some toddlers his age will do (and I should know because yes, I wore this costume once years ago), Thomas gave him a high five, a hug and was very much interested in this large character. I can always tell when Thomas is excited and happy about something because he'll do a little jig. Today I saw it the minute we walked into the restaurant and again several times while we were there. So much fun for the kids, but pretty exhausting for this pregnant mama!
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cosmic birthday

Thomas had a fantastic time this afternoon at his cousin's birthday party. E celebrated her 7th birthday with family and friends at a bowling alley complete with "cosmic bowling", pizza, soda, birthday cake and presents. Bowling sure has changed since I was a kid and it's so much more fun now! Thomas thought the flashing lights, blacklights, loud music and watching E and her friends was great and the girls all enjoyed seeing him, too. He received many hugs from them after the party ended. (!!) He also tasted soda (7up) for the first time today. One small sip was more than enough for him. He immediately made a funny face, put the cup down and asked for his water. I'm sure one day he'll want nothing more than soda, but it sure is nice that he enjoys and prefers plain old water for now!

Mr. Independent studies German

Thomas has really started to assert his independence these last few weeks. He has an "I can do it myself" attitude that is wonderful to see, yet at the same time tests our patience. It seems like just yesterday our little guy was dependent on us for everything. Where did the time go?

This English-German translation book is currently one of Thomas' favorite books to read. He likes to flip through the pages and carry it around tucked under his arm, but he also enjoys it when I read it to him. I'll read aloud random words from the English side one at a time and he repeats them back to me. "Passport". "Transportation". "Abbreviation". He thinks it's fun to do.

fun on the farm

Thomas really enjoyed our visit this afternoon to his Uncle Doug's farm. A couple of tow trucks, some quads to climb on, a trampoline, cows to feed and touch, chickens, young turkeys to pet, dogs, sheep, a llama, and playing with his cousin and her friend... what's not to love? It's like a petting zoo and such a fun place for kids to be. He also spotted a small airplane really close up (there's a small landing strip nearby) and saw a helicopter fly by. Talk about an adventurous afternoon! He babbled excitedly and happily the entire drive home - I can only imagine all the things he was talking about.

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Thomas helps feed the cows. He would pick up the grain and hold it out for the cows to take, but they always refused his offerings.

conversations with himself

We love watching Thomas' language skills develop. This afternoon we overheard him ask himself a question and then answer it, too. Jeeps are the latest vehicle type that Thomas quickly and easily identifies during walks and rides in the car. Neither of us have asked him these questions.

[Thomas] "Mama car Jeep?"
[Thomas, two seconds later...] "No."

[Thomas] "Daddy car Jeep?"
[Thomas, two seconds later...] "No."

haircut

Thomas gets his haircut at a children's salon every 6 to 8 weeks. Yes, it's almost like he's in the military, but with wild hair like his it just looks better short. He got his first haircut before his first birthday, so he's definitely had enough salon haircuts to be pretty well versed in the whole process and environment. Last time it was a bit of a struggle and there was some crying but he eventually settled down for the haircut. Today was different. And much worse. Suffice it to say, we may have to give the long hair look a try...

baby's got the blues?

Part of the fun for me when Thomas hangs out with someone else is learning what they did and what new interests he has found. Today I came home to a harmonica playing little guy - no kidding. The harmonica has been in his playroom for months but no one ever plays it. Nanny Sarah changed that today. Thomas now refuses to part with it and can either be seen toting it around under his arm or blowing into it and smiling at the sounds he is able to make. When he went down for his afternoon nap, the harmonica went with him and his usual must-haves (two stuffed animals he has affectionately named duck duck and uh-oh) were quickly pushed off the bed and onto the floor. It seems they've been trumped - for today, anyway!

22 months

Thomas really enjoys riding in his friend Logan's wagon. We borrowed it this afternoon for a walk to the neighborhood nursery for plants to brighten up the front porch. He enjoyed poking around the plants, but his favorites were pushing the cart and trying to pet the store's indoor cat. On our way home, we stopped at the park to play and run around. It was a nice little outing and I know a lucky little boy who will be receiving a Radio Flyer of his very own for his second birthday (if his parents can hold out that long)!

"I'm back!"

It seems that our sweet, funny, good-natured, smiling and laughing little boy is finally back this evening. It's good to have Thomas back!

croup

It's been a long week at our house. Thomas has been down and out with something called croup. It's been a fairly mild case -- no fever and he's able to breathe pretty normally. It's just the coughing that rages on, often sounding like a seal barking, and sometimes with such intensity that the little guy throws up. Blech. However, he saw his pediatrician earlier this week and was given a prescription for it. Given what I know of croup, I believe he's on the mend. We haven't seen many smiles from him this week, but I managed to capture a few during this evening's bath.

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a spring-like day (finally!!)

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work

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play

You're a big boy now!

Thomas is all smiles after hearing "You're a big boy now!"

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Yesterday afternoon I put a pull-up diaper on Thomas for the first time. He's been telling me for a couple of months when he has a bowel movement and lately when he pees so I thought it might be a good time to try a pull-up. With a b.m., he immediately wants to be changed but after he tells me he has gone pee, he says "no" when I ask if he wants a diaper change. So I figured maybe because the diaper remains dry, he's still comfortable and doesn't want to change. The new pull-up, on the other hand, remains cool, wet and must be uncomfortable. Sure enough, an hour and a half after putting on the pull-up he told me he had gone pee and needed a change.

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He generally tells me after the fact, but I know he understands the feeling of fullness and can hold it when he wants. Every night in the bathtub, he stands up and says "pee cup" so I grab the cup and he pees in it. He then directs me to pour it in the toilet and flush. He seems to understand all the parts and pieces, it's just a matter of putting it all together in order to make potty training a reality. He's still young and I'm not even sure that he's ready so I don't push it at this point, but a friend was telling me we should be taking advantage of any signs of interest because they'll pass and who knows when that interest will come up again.

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If nothing else, I figure the pull-up will help me understand and see patterns so that I can then help him. After putting on the second pull-up yesterday, I praised him and told him he's a "big boy" now. He loved hearing that and repeated "big boy" a couple of times.

Thomas loves to wear his dad's hat

storytime at the local library

"love"

We checked out a different library's storytime this morning and we're really happy that we did. A larger room, a more diverse group of toddlers, an engaging librarian, puppets, guitar playing, a bilingual story and we even sang a song in Chinese... Whew, what a treat that was! I already know what we'll be doing next Thursday morning!

nanny Sarah

We've been having a nanny come in every other week for just one day to care for Thomas while I take care of other things and get a break. It's been nice to meet the different temporary nannies and learn about what we like and don't like about them. They've all been really great, but I think we found ourselves a winner this morning.

Thomas warmed up very quickly to her (I think it was the resemblance to his cousin Kayla both in physical appearance and personality), the dogs loved her and I felt very comfortable leaving the house for several hours. It sounds like they had a great time and were even able to sneak in a walk to the park during a break in the weather.

As she was getting ready to leave, Thomas was all smiles. He hugged her several times and kept waving and saying "Bye Bye Sarah". When she left our house, he climbed up on the bench to watch her out the window. He knocked on the glass to get her attention and waved to her. She smiled and honked as she drove off and he continued waving to her until her car was no longer in sight.

I don't even know all the details of what they did, but I'm guessing it was all good as far as Thomas was concerned. He likes everyone, but he really liked her. Maybe this was a first crush? Whatever it was, I've already requested she come back next week. If he could say it, I'm pretty sure I'd be hearing "When is Sarah coming again??" every single day until she does...

hanging out with daddy

Thomas and his dad spent the afternoon together doing things they enjoy while I stepped out with some pregnant mama friends. At one point, M snapped these photos of Thomas enjoying an applesauce snack in the kitchen. He usually sits in his highchair and holds the applesauce cup with one hand while spooning it with the other. But today he sat in a chair and ate it like a big boy. Neither of us have seen him eat like this before, but he sure looks comfortable, doesn't he? You'd think he always sits and eats like this.

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[Note: Our old kitchen, including this chair, will soon be a thing of the past and we'll have a nice kitchen in which to cook and eat. Yay!!]

a special chair for Thomas

Thomas could seriously spend the entire day reading books. Transportation and animal books are his favorite. Grandma decided Thomas needed to have his own special chair/reading spot and quickly put her skills to work. The finished product? This colorful leather beanbag chair complete with an embroidered fire engine, race car, train and his initials. It's absolutely perfect for him and he loves it!

Do!

It seems that every day Thomas surprises us with yet another word we didn't know he knew. Several weeks ago the surprise was hearing "No" spoken by his sweet baby lips. We knew it was inevitable, but we weren't very happy to hear it just the same. Fortunately, it's just a simple "No" accompanied by a little shake of his head. If we have to hear that response, I can't imagine a sweeter way to hear it.

However, we decided we needed to start hearing "Yes" more often and began working on getting positive responses from him. Over the last few days he has started saying "Do". At first we couldn't understand what he was trying to tell us, but then it hit us. To him, this means "Yes". Oh, he can say "Yes" (or rather "yesh" while nodding his head), but instead he says "Do". It's terribly cute and makes us laugh.

brusha brusha brusha

Thomas loves to brush his teeth and does this activity several times a day. Usually he stands in the hall and watches himself in the mirror, but today he wanted to stand on his step stool and brush at the sink. I'm not sure how much actual brushing gets done, but he sure has a ball doing it!

she's a lady

Greta claimed this old office chair as her own months ago. Every evening when we are hanging out in the television room, she sits in her chair. Sometimes she's curled up sound asleep in a very uncomfortable-looking position. But then other times she sits just like this with her front paws crossed. She's such a beautiful girl.