ho ho ho

Thanks to Great Aunt Cath for the Santa hat. He liked it so much he wanted to wear it for his bath.

walking

6 december 2008
About a week ago, Tim started to take balancing steps. Once in a while when he was concentrating on something he wanted, he'd take a step before going to his knees. This was true this morning, but this afternoon while playing with Paul and one of those push toys that helps kids walk, he took about five steps. As he stood in front of the toy with his hands out to grab the push bar, Paul slowly rolled the toy forward and Tim toddled after it. Mom and Dad were there, and all of us clapped and cheered for him. Tim was very proud of himself. When all the cheering was through, he put his head on his shoulder in a kind of shy shrug as if to say, "Aw shucks guys. It weren't nothing." By dinner time he was going at least twenty paces, and within an hour after dinner he was standing unaided and walking around the basement. We're equally proud and amazed. Like all of the his skills, once he figures out how to do it, he can't get enough. Tara, this means he'll sleep through the night now, right?



He walks best when he's focusing on something else like a toy. Paul and my Dad thought a beer would make for a good walking aid.

flying

at the controls

operating the whiz wheel

lunch

Dad flew us down to Colorado Springs a couple of weeks ago when the weather was still mild. We visited the Air Force Academy, where I was born, and had lunch in Manitou Springs, a small town in the mountains near Colorado Springs.

november

We haven't been able to catch him on film yet, but Tim is now standing without holding on to anything. He can stand from a a squatting position, but most of the time he stands when he lets go of something. Paul and I have seen him take a balancing step and my parents have seen him actually take steps moving between furniture. Maybe December will be his month for walking.

our last trip to the cabin

playing with a wooden puppet from stuart and laura

watching daddy play pool

the cabin

These photos are from back in October when Paul first arrived in the US and we went up to Mom and Dad's cabin.

by the lake

on the porch

in front of the fire

halloween

Yes, I'm out of order. Tim's blog as well as mine are becoming unruly beasts that I hope to tame by the end of the year. Until then, you'll have to deal with things out of sequence.

chinaman tim (so politically incorrect)

Our dear friends Tracy and Pete Muilenburg live and teach in Hong Kong. They sent us this gorgeous suit, complete with hat.

kangaroo tim

Our next door neighbors here have a grandson about a year older than Tim. He's getting all kinds of great hand-me-downs, including this kangaroo suit.

bicycling

We bought Tim a seat for the back of Paul's bike yesterday and took him out for a test spin this afternoon. It was about 10*/50*, so we didn't stay out long. Tim seemed to enjoy it, especially when the large dump trucks rumbled past us on their way to the nearby gravel pit. Thanks to his grandmothers, he stayed warm in his cold weather gear.

going in circles

Tim discovered that he can do more than just sit in his stroller. This is taken in the lobby of our hotel near Heathrow airport last Saturday night. Yes, we are ALL in the US now.

cruising two

This is better video of Tim crusing with the coffee table. I like how he gives the blinds a look of annoyance. They bother me as well.

cruising

Tim discovered that the coffee table spins not long after we arrived. He's been weary of it until today when he started using it for cruising.

average day

Tim and I are developing a routine. It helps take my mind off of missing Paul and, I think, helps give Tim a sense of security. These are a few of the things that we do each day.

Halloween PJ's

He wakes between 05:30 and 07:00, more often on the 05:30 end. While the world is waking up, Tim and I play with all the toys GG bought for him before he moved to the US. (Mom and Dad have many names as grandparents and great-grandparents. Originally, Mom wanted Tim to call her Grandy in memory of what her mother was called by her great-grandchildren. That didn't stick with Mom, however. Her great-grandson, Bradon, calls her GG for great-grandmother and she calls herself that without thinking. So we've decided that's what she'll be for Tim. She is a grandmother that is great after all.)

morning run

When Tim starts to get sleepy and wants his morning nap, I put him in this jogging stroller and go for a run to the park not far from here. I get a 30 minute run, and Tim sees a bit of the neighborhood before he drifts off to dreamland. He usually sleeps for a while after my run, so I have time to eat breakfast and gather my wits about me.

'showering'

We have an agreement for my morning shower. He plays with his toys sweetly in the bathroom while I shower and sing to him. For being so sweet, I dry the shower and he gets to play inside while I get dressed and dry my hair. Sometimes he sings to me.

what's for lunch?

My mother has the best stocked refrigerator in the west, possibly in all of North America. Most people are intimidated by it, but not Tim.

afternoon walk

At around 15:30, the neighborhood gets active and Tim likes to see what's going on. He loves the school buses and big trucks that blow the wind as we walk on the main street, and he loves the children playing, lawnmowers going, and dogs being walked that he sees in the subdivision.

play time

After dinner, it's time for some more play time. This usually includes chase, a game he discovered soon after arriving. The house has many rooms and corners that lend themselves for this game. The adults here are ready for Paul to arrive to take over this game as Tim can outlast us all.

self-feeding

Tim isn't an insistent self-feeder yet, but he's willing to try. Most of the banana is in his lap and between his fingers. He likes to squish it in his hand more than eat it. His feet still play an active role in how he experiences things.

on his way to walking

Tim pulled himself up on the hearth next to this toy. When he turned around, the 'handle was towards his hand', so naturally he started walking. I didn't catch his squeals of delight. My apologies for the dull news report in the background. At least he'll be able to say what was happening in the US when he started on his way to walking.

comedy hour

enjoying his bouncy swing


Tim is learning things fast. He's come close to what looks like waving bye a few times, but tonight I'm sure he did it. He uses his whole arm. It's very cute. He points with his whole hand now at the ceiling fans, which fascinate him and the lights. Tonight, he chased me and I chased him back and forth between the wall and couch in their great room. We were both panting.

His most impressive act was just as we were sitting down to dinner. I went to the basement to get myself a beer and took him with me. I had the beer in a can in the beer glass to pour it when I got upstairs. I put it down on the kitchen 'bar' and set his bum on the bar to take the weight while still holding him. On his other side were our water glasses for dinner waiting to be filled. Dad said something that distracted me and Tim grabbed the glass with the beer and it broke on the marble bar before falling to the tiles and breaking more. The glass punctured the beer, which sprayed all over my leg. Neither Mom or Dad knew this as the stream was very thin. While we were looking at this, Tim grabbed one of the water glasses. I realized it and yelled help, but neither of them could figure out what I needed help with in time, and that glass went to the tiles as well and shattered sending glass everywhere. I was barefoot and the glass was on my feet and all around them. My dad was cackling uncontrollably and my mom was looking for the broom. I was saying help me, help me, but no one made a move in my direction. There was glass all over the bar and Tim was not sitting still. I needed someone to take him from me, pick up the beer can to stop it from soaking me thoroughly, and get me some shoes so I could move and help clean up. It all came right in the end with no cuts and only a pant leg bathed in beer. I think Tim and Dad would like to see it happen every night.

crawling!

tim is officially crawling now. he has his own unique style: on the left knee and the right foot

manic boy

tim gets a little bit manic as bed time approaches

map boy

Paul gave Tim an out of date map. It's no longer in this condition.

bam bam

Tim started this on his own. Now he does it with just about everything that he holds for very long.

photo time

swimming with dad in the marmara sea and trying to keep both feet and hands out of the coolish water

relaxing on the boat with kelly and martin's dog, finni

enjoying lunch prepared by martin on the boat

under seige in western turkey

waiting to board the ferry for greece

on the top bunk of our room on the ferry to greece

trying out his car in greece

breakfast in greece

play time at our macedonian flat

relaxing near lake ohrid

liking the shade in montenegro

in croatia

croatia

warn out from swimming in croatia

cute as ever

tim's hungarian 'girlfriend'

playing with johannes's toys in istanbul


enjoying the ferry ride in turkey

holiday

I don't have time to write but here's are two photos of the little fella.


hanging out at the internet cafe in cesky krumlov


playing on the spring horse while waiting for the doctor in Vienna

train from vienna to bratislava

This video is on the train from vienna to bratislava.

in austria

tim and paul enjoying the beer garden at our campsite in innsbruck


tim and kathleen enjoying a cup of coffee in innsbruck


tim helping with the dishes in our salzburg campsite

traveling tim

Tim seems a natural traveler. My blog tells about the trip, so I'll just give you the photos that I know you all want. Tim is...


...enjoying his first beer of the trip in luxenbourg


...relaxing at our first campsite in interlaken


...checking out the view from the cable car on the way down from Gimmelwald


...snuggling in his pj's in the tent


...posing with the matterhorn