On the Move

Zeke is well known for his love of music, but he has started a new musical habit. He not only sings all the time, but he will stop in the middle of other activities to dance and sing. So far, we are able to recognize when he is dancing and singing to "Victor Vito" and "We Are the Dinosaurs". In the first three pictures, Zeke is marching marching along with "We Are the Dinosaurs". We can make out some of the words in the songs but we think he might be making up his own songs, too. In the last photos, you can see that whether Zeke is dancing or not, he is always on the move. Grandma Trish learned anew that it takes a lot to keep up with a fast moving toddler. I know she had a great visit with him, but was exhausted, too, especially after a trip to the store!

Kicking Back, Taking Some Calls

It seems like Zeke always has something to say, though not always to us and not always in words we understand. It always seems like he has a call to take, whether on my mobile phone, the home phone, play phones, remotes, blocks or anythings with buttons. He often hands us his "phone" but always takes it back to make more calls. Tonight as the babysitter got here, he sat at the back door making multiple conversations that started with "hey" and ended with "bye-bye". He might have been talking about us leaving as he said something about "Mama" in one conversation.

Here, he is kicking back in his great grandfather's chair telling the person on the other side of the TV remote "phone" about his Christmas. Norman assures a phoneless Zeke a few moments later that any missed calls will go to voicemail.

Getting Comfy with Cousin Murray

On our way to Aaron's grandparents' home, we stopped to visit Cousin Murray (and his mom and dad). They were gracious hosts who offered a nice hot dinner, a treat when you are on the road. I was surprised at how at home Zeke made himself -- I usually expect him to be shy. After playing the piano for a bit, he hopped up on the couch between new friend Sawyer and Murray's mom (Aaron's cousin) and just made himself comfy. In these photos, you can see him tell Murray, "Thanks for the good grub, new toys and great place to sit." Well, maybe it is a "thank you" in that expression. Murray had other business to attend to, so we were not able to photograph them together.

(As a bonus, here is a photo of Murray learning about tractors from great grandfather Norman in November, enjoying himself just like Zeke below.)

So Many Gifts!

Zeke had a great Christmas with family and the least of it was really the gifts. In fact, we had a really hard time in getting Zeke interested in opening his gifts on Christmas morning: he would open up one with some encouragement and then just want to play with it. Hooray for a decent attention span! (That is a gift to Mommy, really....)

But the gifts were really terrific and just right for what Zeke needs right now. He got some things with buttons and batteries (his usual fave), but a lot are toys that are colorful, quiet and requiring creativity. Zeke got art supplies, an easel, a shopping cart (his favorite!), books, tons of wooden puzzles, wooden blocks, music, wooden play food, stuffed animals, zoo membership renewal and even a bowling set.

I was especially proud of how Zeke liked the few special gifts that I picked out for him. I ordered wood toys a thousand years ago via a buying coop in October and that really left too much time for the anticipation to grow about how he would like them. My favorite was a rainbow stacking wood puzzle from a German company -- so beautiful and beautifully made. I was so excited when Zeke loved it and was playing with it in different ways. He also liked a silk streamer that I got him. He saw us twirling it and tried his very 3 foot best to get it to do the same. When he couldn't, he just ran through his great grandparent's house with it. Don't tell but I think all of his gifts from me for his upcoming birthday (less than 3 months away!) will be play silks and European wooden toys like these. Zeke also ran around the house and tried to share the scarves his grandmother gave him that are just like the scarves in his music class.

I had so much fun seeing him enjoy all his gifts...and even the gifts that weren't his like this cool apron made by cousin Gabrielle...I mean, this cool cape made by Gabrielle!

Little Red Wagon

Auntie Dawn, Uncle Tony and Zach sent an amazing gift and a milestone in any child's life -- Zeke's first Radio Flyer. (They sent the ATW or All Terrain Wagon, so he will surely never need for another wagon.) It even has inflatable wheels that can take him off roading. Zeke and Aaron had fun putting it together (no girls allowed), but Mommy got to provide the power to take the first trip around the cul de sac to take a tour of Christmas lights and to spot some planes overhead. Once we got it back in the house, Zeke pulled it around the living room all evening. Lots of good miles in front of us! Thank you!

Horse Sheep

Zeke got many wonderful thoughtful and generous gifts for Christmas; I'm going to show some of the bounty in the next few posts.

During our trip to North Carolina to share Christmas with Aaron's family, we got to spend a little time with Murray, Zeke's cousin and senior by three days. Murray gifted Zeke with a Leap Frog farm matching animal magnet toy. There are five animal pairs (the front and back of a cow, duck, sheep, horse and pig) and you mix and match them on the barn which tells you if you have matched them correctly. Zeke -- a master of all things with buttons -- got it right away and has matched the animals correctly resulting in getting the song that tells him the animals are matched correctly. However, he loves to put the horse front and sheep behind together resulting in a horse sheep. As the singing barn tells him, that is just silly! He does not even put any other silly pairs together and will not let me try. Just horse sheep, horse sheep and more horse sheep. As the voice sings and then gives a "nay - baa", Zeke loves to dance as seen in the second photo. Thanks, Murray! (Not even two and such a good gift giver.)

Zekie Boy & the Tractor

I can't resist posting all of these pictures from our trip last week to North Carolina, though just a few would do. Zeke's great grandfather loves him and loves showing him around the farm. On this trip, Zekie Boy -- as he is called by his great grandfather -- was introduced to the tractor. Zeke enjoyed sitting on the tractor, but the difference between tractors and trains will have to be explained later. In that sixth picture, you can see Zeke with head tilted to the side. As he "rode" on the tractor, he energetically sang a song that was either "Little Red Caboose" or "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain". We could tell because the lyrics were "mumble mumble CHOO CHOO mumble mumble CHOO CHOO!"

Baking Christmas Cookies: Pants Optional, Dogs Welcome

A scene from our holidays early last week. I had a free moment to bake some butter cookies and gave some flour, cups, bowls and cookie cutters to busy my baking assistant as he stood at his favorite kitchen perch. He took the spoons from the drawer himself and used them with such focus to create such a big mess. He then invited someone else to join us in baking.

Time for a Change

Here we have a sequence of photos documenting that Zeke in fact knows that babies should put on diapers before going to bed. (Maybe I will write later as to what evidence to the contrary exists. Sigh.) Take notes: Zeke is ready to show you his steps for diapering a baby.

To start, if a baby isn't using a diaper, it is okay to take it off. Zeke's doll isn't using his diaper, so Zeke takes it off and gets ready to reuse it. So you know what a weird parent I am, I will confirm that my son has an anatomically correct doll with a diaper. Onto the next step.

The diaper then gets set on the floor. You pat the diaper. We replay this scene every night. I set out Zeke's diaper on the floor after he gets out of his bath. Then I pat it to indicate him to get his nekky butt to come over and sit.

Sometimes, it takes a little convincing to get the baby into the diaper. Panda, here in the role of the Baby, has to be given a little physical direction by diapering expert Zeke.













"Panda, it is time for your diaper. Panda, are you listening to me?"
After some debate on the matter, the baby will allow someone to diaper him.














We can't include a photo of Zeke fastening the diaper, because that hasn't happened yet. I almost always get the diaper on Zeke, so he may just be trying to show me how he would prefer things to be.

Isn't this role play a hoot? Now that Zeke has discovered that Baby's diaper fits his stuffed animals, everyone gets a regular diaper change: Teddy, Panda, Horse, Pig, Cat. You know, minus actually getting the diaper fastened.

Tiger Watching

Yesterday, we had a family outing to our favorite neighborhood locale, the zoo. (We feel so spoiled to have pandas and elephants as neighbors, in addition to the bugs and coyotes.) The past week has been full of unseasonably warm and clear spring-like weather, weather perfect for such an expedition. That changed yesterday. When we started out it was just a little cool and the lure of Christmas activities and hot cocoa and cider (FREE!) for members lured us in. Halfway through, though it started to rain, signaling a temperature drop. We took shelter at the tiger exhibit. Zeke had the best time running around, scrambling up to the window, pointing at the tiger, watching other families avoiding the weather. He enjoyed this even more than anything else during our zoo visit, including the two free carousel rides we got because there was no one else there! (In the third photo, he's sticking out his tongue a little, a new trick.)

Reading: The New Contact Sport

Sprout Daddy and Sprout reading yesterday. They were reading Dr. Seuss -- rhyming and rhythmic books are a hit with Zeke and he brings us his Seuss and Seuss collection books often. Favorites right now are Mr. Brown Can Moo, How About You? and Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb. Though it would have been appropriate, they are reading Green Eggs and Ham and not Hop on Pop.