Rain, rain, go away!

Lots and lots of rain so we did an art project,
and played with puzzles,
And made fish faces with Paige at a local diner! But, we miss the outdoors for sure.

Sweet Habits

Oh, there are so many but these are a few that I don't want to forget.
1) When he wakes up instead of crying, most mornings, he says "Mama. Mama." to let us know he is up and ready for milk.

2) He randomly will run over and hugs our legs, especially if we are having lots of fun.

3) Every morning when he and Papa head out for daycare, he gives me a big kiss goodbye and then he is off.

4) When we are settling in to read a book or blow bubbles or any other 'activity', he sits down, crosses his legs, and puts his hands in his lap! It is the cutest thing. It doesn't last, of course, but the sentiment is adorable.

5) He loves to point to the iPod and request that we put music on so he can dance

6) His dancing involves really dramatic tilts back and forth, occaisionally we've worried he is going to tip over but, knock on wood, it hasn't happened yet.

7) He says thank you, it comes out 'deee doo" but he will say it when we ask.

8) If you ask him, he will help pick up his toys

9) If he likes you, he will give you his toys and stuffed animals until he doesn't have any and then has to look over at you with a look that says he's really hoping he can get some of his toys back.

10) He really, really likes the cat. He will chase her to try and pet her and tries to hug her all the time. He is always trying to share toys with her to the point that he is often running around the house after her with a truck in an outstretched arm. The cat's complete lack of interest doesn't deter him in the least.

Fall Festivities

We had great opportunities to enjoy the remaining warmth of summer as it slips into fall weather this weekend. One of our local parks is currently undergoing a good deal of renovations and that means....lots of trucks. As a result, we are taking more frequent trips there. Callum stands nearby and yells "WOW!" then looks at us and belts out another "WOW!". It is great fun, we will be sad to see the construction end. Who needs a fancier park...the gallery of big trucks is far better.
It was also the local art fair event on Main Street. Callum especially enjoyed the Beatles and John Prine cover band. He danced to the music and gave hearty applause with a big "Yay!" at the end of every tune.
Truth be told, we all kind of got into the music.
We also ran into Callum's biggest fan, his friend Kayleigh. She was so patient and warm with him that he dropped his usual shyness and let her hold his hand. All in all, the art fair was a big hit.

Quirky Habits

A few weeks ago Cal started imitating us when we blow our nose (from all the illnesses we've been given by daycare!). It was super cute but not that useful until this week when he actually has a bit of cold. Now, he is actually blowing his own nose into a tissue! It's fantastic. Of course, it doesn't happen on command, it only happens when the box of tissues in left in arm's reach and he is allowed to pull out the tissue without any oversight. Still, we'll take it.
In other quirky news, he has started to announce when a package lands in his diaper. He isn't always interested in a diaper change but does us the courtesy of announcing its arrival. "Mama. Poop"

He also has a new walk that he uses when he's being goofy. One leg stays straight and the other has a bent knee. So, every other step involves a marching style. He really deliberate about doing it and finds it super funny when we imitate him.

His new word is 'Wow'. Mama said it one day and it just stuck. Now, every big truck, bus, kitty cat, or just fun toy gets a whopping 'Wow'. It's great fun. He's also started using "Oh No" whenever he purposely does something he kind of knows he shouldn't...like rip a bit of a book, for instance. It's immediately "Oh No."

Here he is exercising a new discovery...computer keys make a really fun noise and make Mama react real quickly.

And, finally, after 16 months without any real attachment to a pacifier, blanket, stuffed animal, or even particular toy truck...he woke up the other day with a love of one of his teddy bears (now known simply as 'Teddy'). Now, Teddy even wears a bib while Callum eats and sits near him the whole meal and is nearby for most other events of the day. Teddy has gone from pristine and soft to having raspberry stains on his arms and leg and a mostly mangled face (turns out the best way to carry Teddy is by the nose and in Cal's mouth....mmm). He is truly loved. We are beginning to understand the panic we've seen in other parents "Where is so-and-so? I can't find so-and-so?"

A full weekend of P!

This weekend was chock full of activities with Callum's favorite buddy, Paige. Saturday we went to their house for ice cream and peaches and Sunday we all went on a hike. Nothing delights Callum more than time spent with P, as her parents call her. He literally squeals with excitement at the mention of her name. He doesn't mind when she steals his toys, follows her around wherever she goes and he laughs just looking at her. Here they are looking at eachother through the glass on their front door. A hilarious game, apparently!
Then, it was looking out the front door and pointing at things, which was followed by running around the house only to come back to the front door again...laughing the whole time.
During the hike we were going through animal sounds when the two of them just got hooked on the hiss of a snake and proceeded to hiss and point at eachother for nearly a mile! It's unbelievably fun to watch them. If it's even possible at this young of an age, they seem to have found in eachother a best friend.

Lovely Labor Day

An action-packed weekend full of not that much, really. We went rasberry picking at the farm and discovered it's pretty hard to fill a pint when you have a little monster eating them as fast as you can hand them over.
Then, a party for a one year old.
But, the highlight was definitely taking our first bike ride! We borrowed a bike from a neighbor to see how he liked it and we are sold! He was very comfortable in his little seat and enjoyed poking Papa's back.
The helmet, however, was less popular and once we were safely in the bike-only portion of the park, we took it off. Probably a bad precedent but it was HUGE on him and would occasionally fall over his entire face, which significantly detracts from the fun part of the bike ride. We are hoping he won't mind the helmet so much once he has the right fit. Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend, for those of you in the U.S., of course.