Choo-Choo Dreams

There is so much going on with me, it's a wonder I can even get out of bed. But I do, because I am the kind of guy who doesn't want to miss a thing. Grandpa came to see us this weekend, and I had a great time with him, which I will describe to you later in this post, and I am working overtime putting everything together. For example, the other day Mommy and I were shopping, and I was pointing out everything I saw to her, and she said to me, "Milo, you are just a delight!" I looked up and pointed to the light fixtures and then looked at Mommy to show her I understood she was talking about lights. I don't know why she said I was a light, but it must be one of those figurative things big people say that are nonsensical, like when they call my toes "piggies".

Another thing I've learned this week is about knocking on the door. I love to knock on doors and have people I love open them. I really like saying, "knock, knock!" I'm also known for my love of keys, and my interest in putting them in door locks, but this weekend when we were all going bye-bye, I went to the drawer where my parents put the keys, opened it, took them out, and tried to open the door for everyone so we could get going. I haven't quite figured out how to make the door open, but I'll keep working on it.

Talking and singing are some of my favorite things to do, and I'm getting better at them every day. This week I've started saying "wow" and "grandpa" (which sounds like "umph-ah"), and I've been making up tons of new songs in the car, as well as singing along to some of Daddy's favorite songs that have rhythmic vocals. And in my REALLY big developmental news, this morning I picked up my book Inside, Outside, Upside Down, opened it to the last page, and said, "Mama! Mama!" - which is how the text on that page starts. Does that count as reading? Mommy said that's how she learned to read, and she was really proud of me. I don't know if there's anything better in the whole world than reading, unless it's...

...playing with trains! "Choo-choo!" is one of my favorite words, and one of my Christmas presents from my Grandpa was my very own Thomas the Tank Engine. I can't get enough of it. I took my nap with it yesterday. I played with it all day long and took it everywhere I went. I took it to bed with me last night, and when I woke up in the middle of the night, instead of crying for my parents, I just played with Thomas in my crib. I can push it and it will go all the way across the room, or one of the stronger big people can push the engineer's head down, and it goes all by itself. You cannot imagine how amazing it is.

But really, the last two days have been non-stop amazing. First, Mommy finished the semester Thursday night, so Friday was the first day of ONE WHOLE MONTH we have together without any school interference. Then, when I got up from my morning nap, Grandpa arrived. I hadn't seen him in about two months, so I wasn't sure if it was okay to hug him at first. But I did recognize him, and I showed him by going over to the scooter he gave me for my birthday and pointing it out to him first thing.

In no time at all, though, we were two peas in a pod, and we read books and went on scooter rides and even did happy dances together. For lunch, we went to the West Side Market, and I got to sit up in the balcony to eat my zucchini empanada, and then Grandpa got an apricot pastry and shared it with me, and it was scrumptious. That evening, Bailey and Aunt Jillian and Uncle Sean came over, and we all went to Sokolowski's University Inn together. Bailey and I got to sit together, and we shared some rolls and banged our spoons on the table in time with each other.

After dinner, everyone came back to my house, and we opened PRESENTS! I'm still not sure about the paper on top of everything, but boy do I love the stuff inside all that paper! I had such a good time and loved everything, but I kept coming back to Thomas. I'm telling you, he is the best. My parents told me that this weekend was just the first of several Christmases I'm having this year, but I can't believe it.

Yesterday, I got to hang out with Grandpa, and we watched "Happy Feet" together, which Grandpa said reminded him of me, because I do a little running-in-place dance when I'm really excited. I even got to eat my lunch in the living room while we watched the movie. Last evening, we went to my Great-Aunt Barb and Great-Uncle John's house, and you would not believe all the trains: I had my Thomas, plus there was a toy one there that Uncle John helped me put together and another one that ran around the base of the Christmas tree that went really fast and flashed its lights and made a ton of noise - it was so exciting. After we came home, I had a little visit with our friend Jim and then I fell into bed with exhaustion.

I was supposed to have a Christmas brunch with my friend Maggie this morning, but I woke up with a fever, which is not fun at all, because I couldn't go out to breakfast or anything cool like that. But Mommy and I are staying home together, and we have been reading all my books that have trains in them, and listening to Christmas music, and drinking chocolate milk - I should be feeling better in no time at all.