Dancing

I'm not sure dancing is really the right term -- bopping, maybe, is better since Peter's really just bobbing his head and shoulders up and down, or swaying back and forth while he's sitting in his high chair. We smile, and so he smiles too while bopping. Peter does it while listening to the canned music from his car toy, and often when Ron hums or sings. He doesn't dance to classical music, even though I've tried to encourage him.

There seems to be something new every day. A few days ago we noticed that he's started (rarely) repeating words from our conversations. Last week it was banana ("bamama"), and then "ish" the other night. (Ish means "sort of". I'd call it an idiosyncracy rather than slang.) He's also talking in long, fully inflected babble phrases, though he hasn't quite given up on "bap." Ron says that he heard Peter saying it under his breath again the other day" "bap, bap, bap, bap." "Dat" seems to be outmoded now, though I think I might have heard it make a reappearance tonight.

Something else that isn't really new is that Peter's eating a lot of table food, as opposed to prepared baby food. He's not picky, which surprises me after his initial reaction to green beans. He eats almost everything we do, though not wheat, eggs, dairy, nuts, fish, or shellfish yet. Tonight he had his supper (sweet potatoes, I think, corn, and maybe bananas) and then shared mine: broccoli, tofu, and sweet potato curry over basmati rice (from the tofu section of Joy of Cooking).

Art

Art
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

The little munchkin worked on his art last night, mostly with the right end of the pencil on the paper. When I got the camera out to take a picture of it, he abandoned the pencil for the camera. Here, he's having a fit because I took the camera away from him.

The fort

Fort
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

I built a sofa-cushion-fort for Peter one day, and then mentioned to Ron how much he'd liked it. Ron built a dramatically more complex one a few days later, with steps up to the sofa, and two exits. Peter crawled all around, peeking around the corners and out the doors, and laughed until his tummy must have ached.

Boxing Day

Cynthia, Pat, and Peter
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

Ron's family visited, with hugs and presents. Peter has enjoyed playing with this little car, and especially likes to dance (well, bounce and bop) to the musical sound effects. (Note to inventors: we'd like someone to invent a baby toy ipod, so that we don't have to listen to the Muffin Man song aaaaannnyyyymoooore.)

Sackville Fall Fair

Fall Fair
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

I found this as I was going through the folder of files to be sent off for printing. Peter looks so small here. He was wearing a Mount Allison sweatsuit that the anthro dept gave him. Ron is smiling because we successfully got a picture of Peter on the carousel without tears; we had taken one in front first, just in case he began to scream.

Nap hair

Peter's hair
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

Peter often wakes up like this (or worse) from his naps.

Breakfast

hands in cereal bowl
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

We started giving Peter Cheerios in a bowl in early November. For a few weeks, he struggled to pick them up, and then once he could do that, it seemed a challenge to get the hand to his mouth and let go of the Cheerio at the right time. And then, this day, everything came together.

Ron and Peter on the phone

Ron and Peter on the phone
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

This is for Pat, Cynthia, and Alphee so they can picture what goes on at the other end of the line. Peter begs for the phone, then smiles at it once Ron puts him on the line.

Mum reading to Peter at Xmas

Mum reading to Peter at Xmas
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

Mum and Dad visited on Christmas Day, and Ron's mum and brother and sister came up for a few days on the 26th. Peter enjoyed the extra hugs.

Christmas lights

Christmas lights
Originally uploaded by pkellyspurles.

We put the tree up on December 22.

First steps

Last Sunday, Peter really did take his first steps -- twice in a row, about four steps between a chair on the kitchen floor and me, sitting on the floor. Ron saw him the second time. Peter was very conscious of what he'd done, and was ecstatic and hilariously loud for the next hour before collapsing into bed. He walked a very little bit the next day, and then again today -- a step before collapsing into da-da's arms. Peter is still very interested in pointing at pictures in books, especially the fireplace in Goodnight Moon, and the cow in How Many Babies. He'll sit in the bookcase corner with his books, pointing and reading to himself, beginning very quietly and slowly ramping up to a roar.

Happy New Year

Things are getting back to normal after a trying month. Peter is still healthy and growing like a weed, and has three teeth now instead of two. He loves to point at things (pictures in books, hashbrowns on a cookie sheet in the oven when the light is on, da-da), turn the pages of his board books, take baths and brush his teeth, push his ride-on car, and groove to the tunes, man. He doesn't like naps. He's learning about counting, taking his shirt off, baby animals, and being nice to Lily. Recent conversation with his dad:
Ron: Who's that? (Points at me.)
Peter: Da-da.
Ron: Ma-ma!
Peter: Da-da.
Ron: Ma-ma!
Peter: Da-da.
Ron: MA-MA!
Peter: DA-DA!
Ron: MA-MA!
Peter: DA-DA!
Ron: Ma-ma.
Peter: Da-da.