Lovin' spoonful

Theo is starting to get spoon-use! Horrah!

We spent a very cold morning at the zoo on Saturday, and had a very fun time. It was the first time that Theo could walk around and direct what he wanted to see, to some extent, anyway. Matt commented on how Theo seemed equally taken by the pigs, orangutans, or just a waterfall in an empty exhibit. Although, as you can see, the orangutan part was pretty awesome.

Thanks for the visit Grandma Betsy and Great Aunt Carolyn!

A couple of weeks ago, Papa went to California and Grandma Betsy and Great Aunt Carolyn came to visit me and Theo! It was such a fun visit, and a very special treat to have Great Aunt Carolyn in Portland! We enjoyed eating Thai food and Indian food, Aunt Carolyn helped me do some painting, and we walked Theo and Lucy to the park and Grandma Betsy and Great Aunt Carolyn helped Theo go down the slide over and over.

During her visit, Grandma Betsy was a big help by babysitting on Monday so I could go to work. She also bought Theo a new set of Duplos, with pieces that form a Thomas the Train plus a big tunnel for the train to go under. Theo loves it! The other day I was playing with Theo with the train, and I would roll the train under the tunnel, and if it would get stuck instead of coming out the other side, I'd say "oops!" and Theo would fall into fits of giggles.

Big boy at the table

Well friends, Theo is officially a toddler. He walks all the time, all over the house, back and forth, round and round. Matt put together his new pint-sized table and chairs this week, and Theo is thrilled with his new furniture. He's too little to get into the chair himself, yet (even though he's a whopping 32 inches high!), but he requests (by whining) to be placed in his chair often, and loves sitting like a big boy at the table. He likes to pound on the table like a drum or play with his teach and touch turtle. The chairs are also really fun to push around. A new word to report, "bird", which he learned at Grandpa Steve's house...of course!

All the things he can do UPDATE!

Today Theo learned to stand up in the middle of the floor without holding on to anything! AND he waited until I got home from work to do it for the first time! He got such a reaction out of me that he did it over and over again, falling onto his butt in between just to do it again. Between this and the advances in walking the last few days, he'll be running in no time.

All the things he can do

Today it felt like Theo spent more time walking than crawling. Wow! What a change. Not sure if that's accurate, but still, its amazing. He even did a couple of laps around the wall island between the kitchen and dining room today. And his technique is getting more refined, he bends his knees more and can turn around pretty quickly using a cute pivot-foot move. More often than not, he walks with his thumb in his mouth, but I managed to get one good one with his big "look at me go" grin.

He rides his scooter now like a big boy, climbing on to the seat and using his feet to propel himself forward. He also looks at books by himself, looking as f he's reading to himself, albeit occasionally upside-down.

Fun with Lucy

Lucy and Theo are learning to play together. Before its recent demise thanks to Lucy's teeth, the big red ball was a source of mutual rambunctiousness for them both. Theo would do his weird inhaling gleeful laugh while Lucy chased the ball around the room, and Theo would crawl after the ball and throw it again. They also have a game where Theo hands Lucy her bone, she takes it in her mouth and then drops it, repeat. They both love it. So fun to see the "boy and his dog" relationship continue to evolve.

Fun with Leroy

Theo found Leroy in the hat box in the coat closet. Oh boy! His cat. He patted and kissed Leroy and put Leroy's tail in his mouth laughed a lot. Leroy is mostly just happy for the attention, and Theo is remarkably gentle.

Up and at 'em

For a few days now, Theo has exhibited the will to walk of his own accord. Suddenly, you'll look up and he'll be walking across the room. He is obviously thrilled by his newfound abilities: he takes great delight in getting where he wants to go in an upright fashion. He's still learning to stand up without holding on to anything so he can pick himself up when he falls, but he sure tries.

Valentine's Day

Theo now sits on laps all the time for stories, especially at bed time. He also gives hugs a lot, and kisses. Here are a few sweet moments from Valentines day.

Solo on the slide

This week, Theo learned how to go down the slide all by himself. Matt can position him at the top and he's figured out how to lean into it and let himself slide down. Now we can't go to the park without sliding. He loves it so much, he just wants to go over and over and over again. Inevitably when the sliding must come to an end, tears are shed. We are looking forward to him being big enough to climb up the slide on his own so we don't have to place him at the top each time!

He Walks!

Many steps, many giggles. I know movies aren't working most of the time right now on the old blog, but maybe, just maybe, they will soon, and you'll all get to see this spectacular sight.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Steve!

We went to Grandpa Steve's house to celebrate his birthday yesterday, and Theo practiced walking all over the deck. Grandma Linda's daughter and her family came, too, and Theo's cousins, Dacey, 13, and Jo, 11 had an awesome time playing with Theo. Theo was all smiles and giggles and loved every game the girls played with him. They will clearly make great babysitters one day soon.

First steps

Theo took his first hands-free steps late Friday afternoon. He and Papa were out on the sidewalk doing one of Theo's favorite new activities, practicing walking back and forth in front of the house, on the sidewalk like a big boy. Matt noticed Theo's grip was loosening repeatedly, so he steadied him on his feet, and crouched down in front of him, just out of reach. Theo walked right for him. Matt says he totally freaked out with pride and amazement, and when I got home from work I did the same thing. We went out to the sidewalk to see if he'd do it again, but he wasn't up for it. Thankfully, Theo showed me a little of his new talent by walking a couple steps between me and Matt in the kitchen later that evening. The next day we were out in the morning practicing!