More photos by Kelli G!

Ahh, I am finally getting around to doing this post!  Another photo shoot done by my friend and co-worker, Kelli G.  This lady is one heck of a photographer, but more than that, she's truly one of the nicest people I know.  Love you, Kel!

19 Months!

Dear Teo,

A lot has changed for us in the last month. Your papa started a new job in the surgical unit at McKenzie Willamette Hospital.  On top of adjusting to his new job, he is working hard to get the garden in.  You spend a lot of time with Papa while I am at work, time you both really enjoy.

Another big change this month was that we decided to stop taking you to preschool.  With Papa's new work schedule, we don't need as many childcare hours, and even after three months of going there, you still hadn't really settled in.  I got the feeling you were enduring those hours rather than enjoying them.  Grammy has been able to take you for the times that Papa and I are both working.  You adore her, and sometimes even start waving goodbye to me before I'm ready to leave if you know it is time to be with Grammy.

As for you, my dear, you are changing so fast, learning so many new things, it is astounding.  You are doing a lot of pretend play these days.  You like to push your cart to our pantry, get cans of food and then take them to your kitchen to cook.  You really understand the concept of "pretend."  You even say the word, "ahh-tend" to tell me that the yarn noodles on my plate are not really to eat.

 

You still love trucks, and you like to hand me the truck part of a truck and trailer toy and have me lament, "Oh, I don't know where my trailer is!"  We look everywhere (including in your ears).  You make the sign for sad (telling me that the truck is sad).  Finally I ask you for help.  You give me the trailer, and we both clap and cheer.

Another game you invented is to fly your helicopter around, then tip it upside down until the little man falls out.  You say, "Ow!" and pretend to cry.  You then bring him to me to get a kiss.  You call him "Baby Guy."  You are also enjoying an airplane toy that papa got for you.  If I ask where the plane is going, you say, "Ahh-port.  Home." 

You have taken an interest in the letter magnets we have on the magnet board.  Papa taught you the five letters of your name.  You say them: "M - A - hot T - E - O!"  We crack up every time you say "hot T."  I want to mention, we are in no way pushing this on you.  I know some people feel that early reading is not particularly good for children, but my theory is that any kind of learning is fine as long as it is child-led.  If you had no interest in the letters, we wouldn't have started telling you their names.  We just expose you to a lot of different experiences and follow your lead.    

You continue to gain more and more words, the most useful of these being: "turn" "trade" "mine" and "help."  Less useful, perhaps, but quite hilarious - you also say a version of "Hannah Montana."  Last month, my cousin Anna visited, and Oceana called her Anna Montana (Oce is a big Hannah fan).  You picked it up and started saying "Lantana!" 

Some fun craft projects with Oceana.

 Oceana with one of her pet snails.

 Sharing a snack after swimming with your buddy, Lucio.

 Your first bubble bath (with Easter eggs to hide). 

And one last thing . . .

Yes, you have started using the potty.  One day we were playing at your friend, Dylan's house, and you saw her use her potty chair.  That night, you said, "pee pot, pee pot."  I asked you if you wanted to sit on the potty (which we've always just had sitting in the bathroom), and you did.  You peed in it, and now you ask to use it 2 or 3 times a day.   

You amaze and delight us in so many ways, Teo.  

Love,

Mama and Papa

18 Months - In a Big Boy Bed

Dear Teo,

In this month's photo, you are sitting on your new BIG BOY BED!  Papa picked it out at IKEA, and once he set it up, you crawled onto it and laid your head on the pillow.  You like to point to your chest and then rest your head on your hand to sign "my bed." 

We put it in our room, right next to our big bed.  So far, you have been falling asleep in it just fine, though at some point in the middle of the night, you still end up in our bed. 

Speaking of bedtime, here are a few of our special bedtime routines:

Books, of course.  At the moment, your favorite is Mr. Brown Can Moo.

Reviewing the Day - After books, we turn out the light and I ask "Do you want me to tell you about your day?"  If you do, I tell you the story of what you did that day, starting with waking up, and ending with "And that was your day."  It's a fun way to revisit your experiences, and it also helps you wind down. 

Singing Goodnight - This is kind of our version of goodnight prayers.  We sing a goodnight song to everyone we care about - those who live near by or far away.  I ask you who we should say good night to, and you list off people.  I suggest some more, and by the time we have run through everyone I can think of, you are often asleep.

 Having a snuggle with Oceana and her sister Madison.  

 A few new words and phrases:  

"Hot tea" which you cook for us daily on your little stove. 

"Bwower" - meaning leaf blower, lawn mower, or various other noisy machines.

"No snow!  Huh!" - You are continually surprised by the fact that there is no longer any snow outside.  You follow this expression with your sign for "where is it?" and a puzzled look. 

"Pooo" - means "pool."  You say this almost every time we put you in the car, hoping that's where we are taking you. 

"Bladerdah bladerdah bladerdah?  Nope!"  - Okay, we have no idea what this means, but you say it a lot.  We think you may be mimicking us asking you a question and then you answer with "nope." Whatever it means, it is hilarious.

Having a sip of tea with your best buddy, "Monkey Jessie."  We call her this because she does a great monkey impression.  Your sign for her is scratching your head and saying "oo-oo-oo."

Riding the scooter that Uncle Levi made for you. You had a brief interest in trying to ride it like a skateboard, which luckily did not last long. 

 Sensory / cooking play with barley.

A serious duet with your friend, Lucio.  You guys look like pros.

 This is what ART looks like in our house.

 Paint on paper?  Been there, done that.  Moving on to all visible body parts.

We love you, wild man.

17 Months

Dear Teo,

Omama came to visit for a couple of days.  She lives in England, so it is rare that we see her.  You seemed to enjoy the way she talked (very animated and with an Austrian accent).  By the end of the visit, you were calling her "Oma."

You have gained quite a few more words.  "Nana" for Oceana.  "oo-ooo" for uh-oh.  You also say "poop," "no" "broke" "hot" "ope" for open, "that" and (your favorite)"UP!" when you want me to hold you.   Oh, yeah, and your first word when you wake up is almost always "cook," which is a sweet but firm request for me to make your breakfast.

You have also learned to say "mooo" and "bock-bock" for cow and chicken.  Every week you go with me to a nearby farm to pick up a gallon of milk.  Sometimes we are able to pet the cows.  They also have a couple of calves, chickens, and a tractor - all fascinating for you. 

Your food preferences are slowly expanding.  Your latest favorite is green beans - cold leftover green beans.  You eat them as a snack, and one day you even asked for them for breakfast.  

Preschool is going well.  You still cry a bit when I drop you off, but you usually stop before I leave the building, and when I get back, you seem happy and eager to show me things in the classroom.  It's still hard to leave you there, though it helps that your teacher is incredibly gentle, patient and kind.  I can tell that you like her, and so do I.

A few photos from this month: 

A wagon ride with Oceana

 

At the Gilbert House Discovery Center in Salem. 

Exploring the sand with our good friend, Vicki.

 Fixing things with Papa's multii-tool.

Snake boy - cute.

 Snake boy - a little scary.

Studying.

16 Months - Off to School

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. 

One is roots; the other, wings.” 

-Hodding Carter

 Dear Teo,

Things seem to be changing a lot around here lately.  Your papa has gone back to school to further his nursing training, while continuing to work and do a lot of your childcare - I think he might be superman!

Auntie Sarah and Oceana have moved out of their tepee and into a house.  They are looking for a place in town, closer to us and to work and school. 

Another big change has been that Grammy came down with pneumonia last month, and because her recovery has been slow, she has not been able to take care of you as much.  She can play with you for short periods of time, but not for long stretches like she used to.

Because of this, we have decided to start you at a preschool for two half days a week.  After much searching, we decided on New Dream Childcare Center, a non-profit organization that offers bi-lingual classrooms and strives toward sustainability in various ways.  

Your first day, I stayed with you the whole time to help you get used to the place and people.  Papa went with you the second day.  Today was your first day there by yourself. You cried hard when I left, but when I called an hour later, you were doing fine.  

The teacher said you didn't play much today, but instead you watched everything that was going on.  This makes sense to me.  You are observant and you like to understand things.  When I picked you up this evening, you wanted a little comfort at first, but then you strutted around, so confident and proud of yourself.  

 ------

New skills this month: You spent a few days saying "kitty," and a few days saying "maymee" (grammy), but then you stopped saying either one.  You still use a lot of sign language.  One of my favorites is one you made up - patting the top of your head for "papa," who is bald. 

We've been working with you a lot on identifying your feelings, and you sign "sad" when you or someone else is upset.  You even signed it when Sarah's dog, Bella, was whining.

Your receptive language totally astounds me.  You understand so much.  Once in a while, we have a little misunderstanding - like when I was reading you a book that said, "puppy kisses," and you pointed to your diaper and shook your head, no.  You thought I said "poopy."

I've been trying to get you outside a lot, even though the weather has been cold and wet.  Here are a few of our discoveries:

 Collecting pine cones.

Fascinated by a worm

 

Sand play.

 

And here you are with friends, Josie and Sabrina, at the library.  The three of you had a great time taking the cheesy romance novels off the free book rack in the lobby.  We're going to have to work on your literary taste!

 

15 Months - Merry Christmas!

Dear Teo,

We just celebrated your second Christmas.  This year feels more festive to me than any since I was a little kid myself.  You have been so excited about the tree, lights, presents and decorations. 

Your Papa found a pattern online for a Christmas stocking and I made them.  They turned out great!  I think we'll do some sort of craft project each year, and that way we'll end up with a lot of nice hand-made decorations.

On Christmas Eve, we put out cookies for Santa (Nutmeg Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Icing!).  You helped me bake them.  When you saw the empty plate in the morning, you made the sign for "all gone." 

On Christmas morning when you woke up, you jumped out of bed and pulled me up, half asleep, to turn on the Christmas tree lights.  You seemed to know, somehow, that it was a special day. 

You helped unwrap the gifts, and then enjoyed playing with your new toys.  Your big gift this year was a wooden parking garage with wooden trucks and heavy equipment, which I think you'll be fascinated by for years to come.  

I had two weeks off work this month, so we've had time for a lot of play dates with other kids.   One day, we met up with friends at Bounce, a gymnastics facility. 

 Another day, we made mozzarella cheese with two of my teacher/mommy friends (well, I made cheese, and you were my taste tester). 

One evening, we went to Oceana's school for a Harvest Party.  Oce was proud to show off her classroom.  The children helped prepare all of the food they served.  The teacher said that Oce did the most work fixing the food, and that she really loves to cook. We got her a cookbook for Christmas, and she was immediately engrossed (just like I am with a new cookbook!).

I think you will love cooking, too.  You have started helping me make our hot cereal in the morning.  You scoop the oats with a measuring cup and pour them in the pan.  And you have helped me make stew by putting the veggies in the pot.  You also use lots of sounds and gestures to remind me that the stove is hot. 

In the kitchen cupboard

Your other current interest is belly buttons.  When you meet someone new, you generally want to make sure they have a belly button before you're willing to get too friendly with them.  You lift your shirt to show yours and then point to the other person's belly and makes the sign for "where?"  

We've gotten different responses from this.  I'm noticing that a lot of people are not willing to flash their belly button, much to your disappointment.  I think it's kind of a cool greeting - a way of saying, "see - we're both human, we've both got this funny little thing in our middle, we're the same."  Maybe you'll start a new trend. 

With love to our greatest blessing,

Mama and Papa