Wordsmith

I know my readers must think I have mad verbal skills since I regularly make blog posts involving complete sentences. The truth is, though, that I communicate my thoughts to Mommy through a series of blinks and telepathic transmissions and she types them here for me. While I have big, ponderous, deep thoughts, my ability to verbalize them (or type them) won't catch up for a while. It's frustrating, sure, but I console myself by occasionally biting Mommy and with the thought that one day I'll be able to work it all out in therapy.

Happily, I am making some strides in the ability to speak my thoughts. Herewith are some of my first attempts at stringing some consonants and vowels together in a meaningful way:

1. Da - This syllable I use both alone and in a string, as in "Da-Da-Da-Da-Da." In the singular, "Da" means "that" (as in, "I want that," or, "Look at that!") or "dog" (such as when we read the soft dog book, and I say "DA!" after Mommy or Daddy say "Big dog" or "Long dog"). A double "Da" indicates I'm all done ("DA-da!"), as in, "I'm displeased to be holding an emptied bottle," or, "I'm done sitting in my booster chair at the table." I use "Da-Da-Da-Da-Da" often for my Daddy (as in, "Look, it's Daddy!" or "Where's Daddy?" or "I love you, Daddy!") but I also find it useful to express my glee at interacting with adult males generally, such as my Uncle Jon or waiters in restaurants. "Da" is just such a useful word.
2. Buh - This syllable I consider the silliest of syllables and enjoy repeating it or having it repeated it to me ad nauseum. I have also begun (Sunday was the first time it was officially noted, at the Orlando airport, when I was talking to the ticket agents) to use it in conjunction with flapping the fingers of both my hands up and down to say bye-bye. I'm not a trained seal, people, so don't try to get me to do it just to see it done; I can tell when I'm not going bye-bye and I won't do it then.
3. Wa-Wa - I believe my love of all things water-related (baths, showers, sprinklers, swimming pools, oceans, aquariums, rain, sippy cups) has been well documented, so it should be no surprise that last week when I was playing on my Nonna's bed and heard her get in the shower, I craned my neck toward the sound of the shower and said, "Wa-Wa?" We've been reading a Baby Einstein book my Aunt Christa gave me called "Water, Water, Everywhere" all the time lately, which I believe accelerated my understanding of the word. I haven't said it again, at least not that anyone's noted, but I'm storing it away, saving it for a rainy day.
4. Nyuma-Nyuma - I pulled this one out right and left to indicate my desire to eat for about two weeks in California, but it got so tired. I prefer these days to just grab at food if I'm not fed promptly. Maybe I'll use it again later.

So far I haven't used "Ma" in a way anyone has found meaningful, but my mommy still loves me anyway.

As far as language comprehension goes, a couple of notable examples include:

1. No, no! - My parents avoided using any negative language with me for nine months or so, so when they first used the word "No," I thought it was just some nonsense word they said for my entertainment, and I laughed heartily. Now, though, even though I don't always comply, I do understand what it means. For example, when I touch the porcelain on Nonna's bottom shelf and Mommy says, "No, no!," I pull my hand back quickly. If I'm feeling impish, I then giggle and slowly reach toward the china while watching Mommy closely. I just love going to Nonna's because there are so many interesting things at my eye level!
2. "Barnyard Dance" by Sandra Boynton - This book is just excellent and I never tire of having it read to me. Sometimes when Mommy is doing homework and I'm tired of playing on the floor by myself, she will tap her foot and recite the opening lines for me ("Stomp your feet!/Clap your hands!/Everybody ready for a barnyard dance!/Bow to the horse/Bow to the cow/Twirl with the pig if you know how!") and I will go find the book and begin leafing through it. How smart am I?

Okay - enough with the bragging. Let's get on with what you really came here for: pictures of me!

Daddy and I went to an Indians' game last week with Uncle Jon, who bought me a whole team get-up so I'd look proper for the game. We had dinner at Great Lakes with Mommy before the game and then rode their Fatty Wagon over the bridge to Jacobs Field.



Nonna, Mommy and I went to Jacksonville last week to see my cousin Johnny and his parents, Aunt Lissa and Uncle John. We were very lucky both ways that I was able to have my own seat, between Nonna and Mommy. After takeoff, I got to sit in it like a big boy, but when I got tired I enjoyed a good nap-inducing snuggle with Nonna.

I loooooooooved playing with Johnny. He entertained me by waving his mimi in my face, which I thought was hysterical. He shared his Little People with me, and I loved to crawl around with one in each hand the whole weekend. He also shared his Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear dolls with me, which I thought was really cool. It made him sad, though, when he wanted Woody back and I wouldn't give him up; since Woody was Johnny's favorite, I decided it was mine, too.

We tried to take pictures together while we looked nice, but Johnny hadn't had a nice nap in the church nursery like I had, so he wasn't as eager to participate as I was.




Mommy and I had dinner with Uncle Jon at The Old Angle the other night while Daddy was out of town, then I got to hang out with Uncle while Mommy did her homework. I like hanging out with him and playing with his watch and showing him pictures of our west coast trip. For his part, Uncle did not enjoy having his picture taken.


After we took Daddy to work today, Mommy took me to Grandma T's to see my Cousin Bailey. We watched some Baby Einstein together, and Bailey let me play with her pink phone.

Around Town

The Scoop
We went to Scoops in Tremont for ice cream; I had a dab of vanilla on my yummy cake cone. When I dropped it, Mommy tried to shake off the debris, which made the ice cream fly off the cone, smack Daddy's arm, then hit the ground with a splat. I didn't mind, since it's the cone part I like best, but it was pretty funny.






Picnic at Fairview Park
I had my favorite - veggie burger and green beans - and got to drink from my own big boy cup (no sippy lid!) before swinging my heart out.







Riding in Cars with Boys
I took a spin in the cool car strollers at Great Northern Mall (another first!) and had french toast at Nick's on Lorain with Uncle Jon.















Happy Birthday Bailey
I went to my first birthday party, for my cousin Bailey's first birthday (I'm next!) at Uncle Sean and Aunt Jillian's house. Here I am hanging out with my Great Aunt Terry, My Great Aunt Joyce (sorry I broke your necklace - can I buy you a new one?) and first cousin once removed (or is it second?) Austin, and Aunt Jillian with the birthday girl.






On My Own Two Feet
Mommy and I stayed with Nonna for a couple of nights while Daddy was in Panama, and I figured out how to pull up on the play yard for the FIRST TIME EVER! I wasn't sure what to do, so I yelled loudly and Mommy came and rescued me. Man, that was cool.

...and last, but most importantly, my man Desmond has made it to the outside. Welcome, little dude.

Oops, I Did It Again

For the second night in a row, I fell asleep at dinner:

In my defense, it was also the second night that Daddy was at work and Mommy was studying so no one was sitting at the table with me, offering stimulating dinnertime conversation. Plus, I had a really full day yesterday, going out to breakfast and lunch with my Nonna, plus going furniture shopping. You'd be tired, too, if you had been to all the places I went, that's all I'm saying.

At Liquid Planet, Nonna shared her breakfast pita with me:

Before we headed out for the day, I went to Nonna's; I showed her my activity book my Aunt Terry gave me and we had a little chat.










*****
Meanwhile, earlier last week...

Maggie came over to play Tuesday afternoon, but she slept the whole time, so I played with her parents instead. Sara helped me practice my standing:

Daddy and I went out for a walk so Mommy could study for a test:






Daddy and Mommy took me to the Children's Museum. I wasn't very interested in the Big Barn for babies, but I loved the big kid exhibits; I played in the water table, let Daddy check my reflexes in the clinic, swept up the kitchen, and practiced buying bread at the grocery store.

Here I am driving the space rover in the NASA exhibit:

Peek-a-boo! I enjoyed climbing through the tunnels and surprising Mommy:

Next stop, Public Square! Maybe I will be a public transit driver when I am bigger:

Pooped

How do you know you've played hard? When you fall asleep in the middle of dinner, even after a good night's sleep and two decent naps.

Hey, it's hard work fishing pennies out from under the dishwasher and trying to swallow them before Mommy fishes them out of your mouth, and crawling under the oven and climbing into the pantry are no small feats, either. I also needed to crawl around the boxes containing our new kitchen sink and new cooktop several times to assess the situation, and to work diligently to pull off little pieces of the outer layer of the boxes for an important taste test. Don't even get me started on how tiring it is to feed myself; I've manipulated cereal, bagel, apple, mini veggie corn dog, green bean, cheese, and pita bread into my mouth today, not to mention milk in various vesicles, and, boy, are my arms tired.

Me, napping, mid-cuisine, 5:45 pm:

At 6:25 this evening, I was bathed, had finished some milk, and was out for the night:

Sweet dreams - I'll see you about 4 am, okay?

Playing Catch (Up)

Helloooooooo, Cleveland! And hey to the rest of you out there, too. Here are some of the pictures of me for which I know you've been anxiously waiting:







Week before last, Daddy and I picked Mommy up from school and took her on a picnic at Edgewater Park. I have been on picnics before - I believe my first one at Edgewater was when I was 8 days old - but this one was the first of the season for me. Here I am, trying my first cucumber:


Here's what I thought of my first cucumber:


Before my now infamous fall and the resulting shiner, I played happily with Oma and Bailey:


Sunday night at East Coast Custard: I had my first frozen custard, which I liked, but what I really dug was that cake cone. I loved how it was both crunchy and soggy. We met Maggie and her parents there, but Maggie is still too little for custard. She doesn't know what she's missing.


I'm particular. If I have the choice of two or more foods, and I can manage to not mix them up, I prefer to work through one food at a time, in the order of my preference. My parents have learned to give me my bread or grain last, as dessert, so I get my other foods eaten, but they slipped up last night and gave me my Cheerios with everything else. It took me a long, long time to get around to my peaches.


Last night I went on my first official Boys' Night Out with Daddy and Jim. We sat on the patio at McNulty's Bier Market and had us some pretzels. Good times.