Things to Remember

At 16 months old Leo is...
-Certain that any box, bucket or large container is something he can fit in to
-Saying bye-bye and waving, and saying hi and waving
-Giving the BEST hugs!
-A little shy when someone new comes around but warms up after about 10 minutes
-Using words and signs to communicate: Mommy, Daddie, milk, more, please (peas, so cute), bobby (cat? strange his name is willy, bock-bock (chicken)
-Running
-Laughing, this wonderful, hysterical, contagious laugh
-Pulling himself up on the couch to sit, run (in place), or play fort
-Happiest sitting in your lap while you read a book, he may even turn the pages for you
-Of the belief that books are edible, even though Mommy says they are not
-A climber, turn your back and he'll scale something - the fireplace hearth, a dinning room chair, the dinning room table, the coffee table, the list goes on
-Certain to switch from a foul mood to happiness when taken outside
-Believes that you must say "Bock-bock" when you step out the back door... you must
-A great sleeper (12 hours uninterrupted is the norm)
-Getting a mouthful of teeth. In addition to his top 4 and bottom 4 he now has his upper-right molar, lower right molar, and both lower eye-teeth pushing through. We can see the tops - Yowza!
-Very fond of his furry and feathered friends. He loves to pet Honda, Pixie and Willy. A special of delight escapes him when we get Willy's feather cat toy out, this requires parental supervision because he nearly clobbers the poor cat while whipping it around for him to capture with his paws. He also loves to visit the chickens and "talk" to them
-Tired of sitting in his high-chair and definitely prefers the booster at the same table as Mom and Dad -A food fickle little man.  The only sure pleasers are noodles, rice, broccoli, yogurt, fish crackers, and blueberries
-Happy
-So, so, so much fun

I'm sure I am missing many, many things. But the list will go on!

Thanksgiving

Normally we would head to Twin Falls for Thanksgiving, but not this year.  My parents were having their kitchen floors replaced and Lucy (their Boxer) has been recovering from being sick and needs a low stress environment. So, Kevin, Leo and I had our first Thanksgiving with just us. After breakfast we went for a great walk, everyone had fun and Leo got to practice his barking. One of the dogs that lives near the park was being quite vocal and Leo decided to bark back. Very cute. We also did a little leash training.

Pixie wasn't convinced this was a good idea at first, but she soon realized that she was in control and then was much more confident.

Kevin was very excited to cook a Cornish hen, I was having tilapia. We had the usual stuffing, mashed potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, broccoli - instead of green beans which Leo is not fond of.

Turns out Leo is not a fan of most traditional Thanksgiving food. I had him for a few minutes when I rolled up some mashed potatoes into balls and showed him how-to dip them in ketchup, that lasted for three "balls." Then he wailed and pitched one, smashed a second, and it was over. Lots of squished-up frowning face and "No!"  No to sweet potatoes. No to hen. No to fish. NO! to stuffing. Only yes was broccoli and yogurt. And a hallelujah from Mommy and Daddy when dinner was done. Whew, until next year.

And of course what would Thanksgiving be without a pumpkin pie? So for my food allergic husband (lactose and gluten) I made a vegan and gluten free pie. These types of baking adventures do not turn out well for me so I was more than skeptical, but this pie was delicious. Seriously. I mean I don't know that it would win a side-by-side taste test, but if you didn't know you'd say "this is one tasty pie!"

Birthdays, BIRTHDAYS!

I love my birthday, figure I'll enjoy them as long as I can. Hope I always have a good attitude about aging, so far so good! This year we toyed with the idea of going to Seattle to visit my brother but then ended up inviting him to come visit us. It was a great weekend. I had a facial that Friday, then went for a pedicure, came back to the house to have lunch with Drew and Leo and hang out, and then finished the day of pampering with a hair cut for both Leo and me. Saturday night Drew watched Leo so that Kevin and I could have a date - yes actual date that involved staying out past 10! WOW. It was a great 37th birthday. During his visit Drew taught Leo to combine his signs and words so that he could make multi-word requests like, more please, milk please, and please please! Which is what you see below... Please,

P-L-E-A-S-E!

Leo is also fond of giving kisses. And he does a good pucker too!

 Drew also saw Leo find his shadow. Quite exciting and scary. Since this first sighting Leo has caught his shadow a couple of times. Always a mixture of fear and excitement at first, then he wants to wave and point. He thought it was great fun when Mommy made a shadow dog that barked and growled. I have to expand my talents though I've only got the dog and butterfly in my bag of tricks. I love spending time with Drew, it is great fun watching him with Leo.

Until next time Uncle Drew. It was a wonderful, fabulous, most excellent birthday!