Month: November 2011

We traveled to Cleveland for Thanksgiving this year. It was a short visit, but a nice one. We normally stay in New York but this year we were going to meet Theo’s new little cousin, Rowan! Both of Jay’s brother’s were in town and we got to spend Thanksgiving with many of Jay’s family. I spent the rest of the weekend visiting with my family. It’s tough because we decided we are not coming back for Christmas/Hanukkah. I saw my immediate family but wasn’t able to see much of anyone else considering the time constraints. Jay and I are thinking of a late Jan/early Feb trip to Cleveland once his job ends so we can spend some non-rushed time with everyone. We drove both ways and Theo handled it pretty well. Especially on the way there. We made great time and he was a happy boy. The trip back was a bit tougher and took longer, but we made it. It’s nice to be home. Theo was so thrilled to get back to his playground yesterday! This year, I am thankful for a happy and healthy little boy, family and friends that love and care for us greatly, that I am able to be home with Theo, that I have a partner who loves me and is working hard for our family (and keeping us sane!), and for a cozy home that we have created. I am also thankful for a baby that sleeps well (mostly!), and for bubble baths.

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Theo loves sitting in his big boy chair. He gets in and out of it on his own these days and will just sit there with some snacks and relax. Here he is enjoying his daily smoothie.

This is a pretty typical occurrence at our house lately. He is a busy boy.

We (well, Jay) rearranged our entire living room after about 6 1/2 years of it looking exactly the same. We talked about it for awhile, especially now with Theo bigger. We have periodically moved out the baby items and made room for more big boy toys and such. We also got a new TV, which allowed us to get rid of unnecessary furniture that has opened things up a bit in our limited space. We created a little play space for Theo and we decorated with underwater sea decals on the wall. We also are starting a family wall of pictures that you can sort of see here in the background. Anyhow, today I picked up a toy storage unit from a guy on Craig’s list so I guess his corner is complete! Our couch faces this and there is some nice floor space for him to play. Let’s face it, it IS a one bedroom. At least we can give him a cozy area to play and be safe.

I always forget a couple things Theo does that I want to document. He can identify and make the sounds for cat and monkey to add to the other animal sounds he loves. He can say water (sounds more like, “wa-wa” or “wa-wer”) and does so often. Like, when he sees a river, or pond at the Botanic Garden, or when he sees the toilet water. He loves to entertain himself with books. The sweetest thing he does is when I say, “lay keppie” (keppie meaning “head” in Yiddish) he pats his hand on the bed as I always do. It’s truly adorable. My grandparents always said this when I was little so naturally I always say it to Theo. It’s nice to see him catch on and know that I mean let’s lay our little head down and go “shluffen” (to sleep).

Why have I been posting less now that I am home with Theo full-time? Kind of seems backwards. Sorry to those who are hoping for more fun photos and videos! I’ll try to get back on the horse. Now that he is a big, bad walking toddler it’s much tougher to capture a great shot.

For an update, he is walking very well and is kind of starting to run. I can wait for that but it’s so cute to see him gaining speed, balance, and confidence. He just goes back and forth all day! He is very enthralled with stairs. We don’t have these in our apartment, obviously, but, at the playground, he goes up repeatedly on the jungle gym steps or the cement ones. He is also interested and excited about learning to go down. He does this a bit timidly with Mama’s help at this point. He also really likes lights. He points at them and makes this shushing sort of sound. I’m not sure what it means but I always know he sees a light or something cool hanging above. He says Papa now, and Yia Yia, and Elmo. It’s so cool to see how much he understands. Most things I say to him he knows what I’m talking about. He just started holding my hand when we walk. We’re not quite to where he will just walk with you, but he gets the concept. He can point to his knees, and feet, on command. He still points to his ears repeatedly when I say, “where’s your nose?”, “where’s your eyes?”. I’m not sure what that’s about. He can do the sign for please now, too.

We spend most of our days in our neighborhood… at Underhill Playground a couple of blocks away, running errands, walking to Prospect Park or the Botanic Gardens, going to a story time or a sing-a-long, or seeing friends. We keep fairly busy but also spend a lot of time at home with his toys. Sometimes we eat lunch out together. I want to venture to some new places like the Aquarium at Coney Island and the Bronx Zoo before it gets too cold.

I promise to post some new photos very soon! Here is one for good measure…

He is such a big boy! Here he is styling his new jacket…