29 Months

Dear Mateo,

Here you are, standing on the windowsill with your bag of tools, being a "telephone line repair guy."  Your hair is short, now, and it makes you look older, I think.  

Here are a few memories of your 29th month -

Teo: "Someday, maybe I can go in Grammy's belly, and she can be my mommy."

Me (chuckling): "Hmmm.  What about me?"

Teo: "You can be Papa's Mommy."

_____

Teo (while walking through Fred Meyer): "NIPPLE!  NIPPLE, NIPPLE, NIPPLE!"

Me (giggling): "Oh?  What are you thinking about?"

Teo (explaining): "That is where you get a drink from."

_____

Teo: "Mommy?  Grammy?  Do you guys have any questions?  Because I am a teacher!" 

You patiently taught us how to stand on one foot and do some other yoga-type poses.  When you were teaching us how to hop, you were unimpressed with Grammy's little bounce and said, "No, Grammy.  Your feet 'sposed to go off the ground!"

_____

You continue to LOVE playing with words.  You go around rhyming pretty much all day long.  You especially like singing the "Name Game" song (Teo, Teo, bo-beo, banana-nana, fo-feo, etc).  Anyway, you'll ask me for something and say, "Please, please, bo-bease . . ."  And you like substituting words in songs to make them funny  - "The wheels on the bus go quack, quack, quack, all through the toaster oven."  

______

You are quite enamored of Auntie Sarah these days.  One evening I suggested that you might want to go to her house for some "Sarah time," and you told me, "I walk there ALL BY MYSELF, Mommy.  You can stay here."  I can just picture you trekking down River Road two miles to her house.  Knowing you, you probably could find it.  You have such a grasp of the layout of the streets (a skill you get from Papa).

Foot and leg painting with Sarah, Oceana, Maddy and me.

Train guy - before your haircut.

Trying on Mommy's shoes.

 

At the top of St. Mary's Peak.  A fun day in the snow.

Your first sewing project.  You used a real needle and 

thread to string together these little felt pieces. 

 

At the bus stop with your buddy.

28 Months - I Love You Forever

Dear Teo,


Lately you have been curious about ages - how old we are, and what it means to be a baby, a child, an adult.  You occasionally proclaim with pride, "I'm a toddler!"  And that you are, my dear - bright, affectionate, full of boundless energy. 

You are deeply immersed in exploring your autonomy.  You like to do things for yourself, and you have opinions about everything.  You have started directing our pretend play, positioning me and Papa and Grammy where you want us, assigning roles, even telling us our lines:  "Mommy, you are Tim.  You say, 'There's smoke in the engine!'  Papa, you the firefighter."

A few weeks ago, I started a journal with you.  As part of our bedtime routine we get out your notebook. I ask you what you remember about your day and write your words at the top of the page while you draw / write on the bottom half of the page. I like helping you reflect on your experiences this way, and I love that you will grow up with the skill / tool of journalling, which has been so valuable and enjoyable for me.

We've also been making lists.  You sometimes mention books that you'd like to check out from the library, so I started a library list that we take with us each week.  List-making also came in handy one evening when you were feeling anxious about me going to work the next day.  I asked you for ideas of things that might help you feel better while Mommy is at work.  You came up with the following:


1. Juice
2. Going to Bounce
3. Going to Laughing Planet
4. Going places with Papa
5. Watching Caillou
6. Visiting Grammy
7. Listening to music


The next morning, I showed you the list again and suggested that we talk to papa about it.  You ran up to Papa and shouted with exuberance: "Papa!  Here's my list if I get sad!"  You ended up having a great day with Papa.  I think much of your worry was relieved just by knowing there were things you could do if the sadness came up for you.  

 
Just after Christmas, we had a great visit with my Aunt Coreen (and her dog Kaiah), my cousins, Molly and Dan, Molly's husband, Jaime, and their son, Isaac, who is your age.  We went to the Gilbert House Discovery Center in Salem and to the Riverfront Carousel. 

In the China room at the Discovery Center.

For New Years, you and I journeyed by train to Seattle.  This was a very special trip (made possible by generous donations to Teo's Train Fund, which we set up at your birthday party - THANK YOU to everyone who contributed!!).   What a great traveler you are!

 

Seven hours on the train went by so fast and smoothly.  We walked around, made friends with another little boy, looked out the window, napped, and chatted with the bistro car server (you asked him if trains have lug nuts).  You even tried the train potty.

In Seattle, we visited our friends Natalie, Jamie and their daughter, Robin.  Natalie and I have known each other our entire lives (our parents knew each other long before we were born).  It makes me so happy to watch you getting to know Robin. 

"What are you doing to me, and when are you going to stop?"

Buddies.

Having a blast on Robin's trampoline (this toy may have been the highlight of the whole trip for you).

The ride home was not so idyllic.   Here you are about to vomit all over both of us.  

Yeah, I how did I not see it coming?

After we got home, our household had a week of stomach flu misery. 

On a happier note, you've fallen in love with drumming.  Ever since seeing a marching band drummer in Seattle, it has been your favorite instrument. 

You burst into song quite frequently.  One of your latest favorites is the line "Caillou's Rock and Roll Band!" sung with gusto over and over.  Here you are with Papa's ukelele.

First snow of the year (possibly the only snow of the year . . .).

And here you are with your best buddy, M. (you told me that he is your best "real friend," and Caillou is your best "pretend friend"). 

Auntie Sarah gave us a book called, I Love You Forever.  It is one of the sweetest books I've ever read.  It is about unconditional love - a mother who, through all the phases of her son's life, holds him and sings a little song to him.  In the end, when the mother is very old and weak, the son holds her and sings to her, and then he begins the same tradition with his own child.  Because of that book, you've started telling us, "I love you forever." Well, my darling, without a doubt, the feeling is mutual. 

I love you forever.

I like you for always.

As long as I'm living,

My baby you'll be.

27 Months - Jingle Bell Rock

 Dear Teo,

We started this month with our annual trip to Al's Hidden Christmas Tree Farm, where we took a wagon ride to a tree field, immediately saw the perfect tree, and then proceeded to lose it while wandering around for a half hour looking for a more perfect tree!  You and Grammy and Oceana got cold, so we headed back for some cider while Papa did a little more searching and finally came back with a lovely tree for us.  You and Oce also took a pony ride. 

On Christmas Eve, we put out some cookies and milk and you wrote a message to Santa. You've been really into "writing messages" lately.  You enjoyed making a Christmas card for your friend, Miles, and another for your very favorite bus driver in the whole wide world - Nicole.  Really, you adore her.  You pretend to be Nicole driving a bus all the time, and when you say her name, it is with such tenderness.  She thinks you are pretty wonderful, too.

Christmas morning was delightful, of course.  Grammy came over, and we took turns opening gifts. 

 

Certainly the highlight was a trash truck that Opapa sent you.  Christmas could have ended right then, and you'd have been totally satisfied.  He also sent a fire engine and a rescue truck. Your response to all this?  WOW!!!!!!

You got to try out your new umbrella and splash in some puddles on this rainy Oregon Christmas Day.

 

 Papa made you a really cool T-ball stand, which you have been enjoying, although so far you are more interested in hitting the post than the ball itself. 

All month, you have been very enthusiastic about singing Christmas songs.  When you sing Jingle Bell Rock, you belt it out as loud as possible.   On Christmas night, you and Auntie Sarah and I went caroling (or, rather, we walked around the neighborhood looking at lights, laughing, and trying to get through the complete 12 Days of Christmas song).  I think (at your request) we'll be singing Christmas songs for at least another month or two. 

 

You and Papa chilling on the skateboard. 

 

With Mama after I got my hair cut.  

 

You - being you.

 

26 Months - Little Helper Guy

Dear Teo,
Every morning you wake up at the crack of dawn and tell me with cheerful enthusiasm - "Mama, it's play time!"  While I am still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, you are gently nudging me out of the bed, "Mama, get down, please.  You on my sweeper truck."  Sometimes it is a garbage truck or a fire truck.  You set up a cab and driver's seat with the pillows, and off we go, sweeping streets, collecting trash, saving people, making the world a better place.

Another pretend play theme that has really inspired you is gift giving.  You like to wrap up your toys in one of your baby blankets or in one of my scarves and give them to me and Papa to unwrap.  One night you had a great idea.  You wrapped yourself up as a gift.  I opened my gift.  What could it be!?!  It has a fuzzy head.  It has elbows.  It has a soft belly.  Oh!  It's a little boy!  I've always wanted one of these!  This is the best gift ever!  Then you and I wrapped ourselves up as a gift for Papa.  The three of us went on like this - being gifts for each other - for a good 20 minutes one evening.

So much of your pretend play is about helping / cleaning / working / fixing.  Sometimes I see boys your age doing violent pretend play ("This my Tommy gun.  I shoot you."), and I try to imagine how a child would come to that theme at such a young age.  Television, I'm sure.  I am glad you are growing up with the awareness that there is strength and power in being kind. 

One other thing you pretended was . . . MOMMY BROCCOLI.  I swear you came up with this on your own.  You told me your bee pillow pet was Mommy Broccoli, and she wanted to wear one of my shirts.  You picked out a green one, and I dressed Ms. Broccoli.  She took a bath in a "steamer basket," and then gave a piggyback ride to baby squirrel.  I think with a creative mind like that, you'll probably grow up to be a novelist or something. 

Here you are playing with Oceana and Miles on Thanksgiving. I can't believe I didn't take any more photos on this wonderful evening.  Papa made Thanksgiving dinner this year, and we invited Grammy, Auntie Sarah, Oceana, Miles and his parents (Bill and Paula), and our friends Mark and Karen to join us.  The food was fabulous, and we all had a great time.  I got to play a few piano duets with Mark and Paula, and you and Miles played a little, too.  We played hide-and-seek, jumped on the bed, and had a wild and happy time.  

 A little prince - exploring Mommy's jewelry box. 

A happy day at Mt. Pisgah.

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands.

-Jack Johnson

25 Months - Pumpkins Patch and Halloween

Dear Teo,

We made our annual pumpkin patch excursion, this time with our friends, Paula and Bill, and their son Miles.  We've known Miles since he was a few months old, and the two of you are friends (your understanding of friendship is always expanding, which is fascinating to watch).  

Picking out a pumpkin is serious business!

 

I'm not sure who was more excited about the tractor - you or Papa!

(No, Michael, you can't have one for Christmas.)

 

Feeding one of the baby goats.

 

Eating (I mean, kissing) Papa's nose. 

We went to another pumpkin patch / apple orchard with friends, Caroline and Lucy.  We went on a hayride, drank cider, climbed on a hay maze, and picked out some produce from their farm stand.  

And then there was this old, beat up tractor - you had a whole story about it needing a new battery, you used your tools to fix the radiator, and you told me what all the levers were for.   No joke, you spent about an hour on this thing! 

For Halloween, we got you a fire fighter costume, which you wore almost every day this month EXCEPT Halloween!

  

It was fun to get into my old belly dance clothes to go to a Halloween party.

Shakin' your sillies out!

On Papa's bike.

At Bounce Gymnastics.

Play-dough Happy Cake

 Playing with rice in your sensory box.

Sitting in your "Tree House" at a nearby park.