Gramps and Gee Gee gave Timothy an early Christmas present last night. He used it this morning to have his breakfast of cereal and banana. It will be perfect outside this summer but for now will stay in the house and contribute to his table eating education.

a bit of milk on his chin

he hasn't been awake very long

Tim's vocabulary continues to grow if not at lightening speed, fast enough to elicit excitement and praise when he brings out a new word. His first word was 'Daddy.' He's been saying it for a while but in the week of 16 November, he actually started applying it to Paul with consistency. (It feels like I've written this before but I can't find it, so bear with me.) The following week, he added 'Momma' after calling me 'Daddy' more than a few times. To date his vocabulary includes:
WallE
Eve
ice
outside
upstairs
ow (as in ouch)
raptor
hi
Despite these signs of growing up, he still loves his bottle and demands quiet time with it every day, often while watching a video. Here he's enjoying Frosty the Snowman.

snow

Last winter, Tim was not fond of the snow. That's all changed. Where he used to avoid walking in it, he happily plows through deep drifts and prefers to walk in the mounded snow next to the sidewalk instead of where it's been shoveled away. He didn't like gloves, but now seems to understand the point of them and puts them on without complaint. He likes to eat it, sit in it and stomp any clod of it that he encounters. Thanks to our friends Jennifer and Chuck, he's got clothes that keep him dry and warm. Following are a sequence of Timothy playing while Paul clears the snow off the deck.

unpacking the decorations

We got out the Christmas decorations the first week of December, and Tim found this musical tree. I think he remembers it from last year, as my mother has one just like it. Last year, all he cared about was the airplane hanging on it, but this year his interests have grown to include trains, bears, blocks, gingerbread men, and much more.

flight simulator

Tim's love of all things that fly keeps growing. He plays Flight Sim with Paul and requests it by getting his toy planes, pointing at the joystick, and making 'ooo', 'ooo' noises. Paul plays with him for about twenty minutes almost every night before bedtime.


paul lets timothy choose the plane they will fly. on the screen are snapshots of all the planes available. tim always points at the planes that look the most like the toys that he has. his body language at the beginning shows his excitement about choosing.

Timothy loves helicopters the most. Because of this, Paul's helicopter flying skills have greatly improved.


tim's routine is to request a helicopter just after paul takes off in the first plane that tim has chosen. he likes the take offs the most. he requests the helicopter by making a 'too', 'too' sound and either holding his hand up above his head in mock flight or holding his toy helicopter up above his head.

cool cuts

My mom's neighbor told me about Cool Cuts for kids a while ago. It's a salon especially for children. I've taken Timothy there for three hair cuts, and each visit has been less enjoyable for all of us. The first time he must have been too overwhelmed by it all to notice that something was happening to him. The second time, he got upset about the water on his hair. This last time, I finally brought the camera, and he was so upset by everything from the cape he had to wear to the sound of the scissors that I couldn't take a photo of him. Despite his dislike, we'll go back because they do a good job and the alternative isn't pretty.

the child sitting in the fire engine stool can watch a dvd of their choice from the salon's collection as well as watch themselves in the mirror.

Tim likes to help in the kitchen and is doing the dishes while Daddy cooks. I took these to show off his new hair cut because he wouldn't let me take a photo at the salon.

happy to clean

what a big helper