Where's my shoe?

I lost my shoe today.

Unlike grown ups - I don't just leave things in the usual places...Oh no, I can be very creative.

The shoe was not in the gap betwen the dishwasher and the bench - that's where I like to keep the balls from my drum.

The shoe was not in the dining room buffet. But we did find a missing puzzle piece in there.

The shoe was not underneath the computer desk. But mum did find her own phone there.

Finally, before we gave up, and I was going to have to go outside in bare feet, mum decided to look in the kitchen pot drawers.

Eureka!

Guitar hero

Dad and I hit the town early to get me a new guitar.

It's a toy Gibson - it makes cool noises, and you can plug an mp3 player into it. Not that I have one of those. And it was on a really good special.

It will be great for rockin' in the loungeroom before tea.

But I can't open it yet. It's for Christmas. Dad thought it was Ok for me to see it, and write about it, because I'll more than liekly forget about it before December 25.

I had a hard time getting to sleep this morning after shopping. My new teeth are still giving me a bit of grief.

Walking on water

One week into my walking career and I impressed everyone at swimming, and made mum very proud. And relieved too!

I walked across the floating mat!

Very carefully. Very slowly. And with the sounds of all my classmates and their mum's clapping.

I also had my first grilled cheese on toast, known in our household as a 'cheesie'. I like cheesies!

We had tea at grandma and grandad's place, because it is mum's birthday today. We had candles on a cake, and I loved it. Last time I encounted candles on a cake with the lights off I got a bit scared. But tonight I enjoyed it.

Haircut

I I had my first paid haircut today.

At a proper barber.

It was much better than my first haircut. It's still got a bit of length in it, and grandma assured dad that 'he still looks like a skywalker'!

We went to playgroup this morning, and I wandered over to where the big kids play. I usually sit with the littlies, but now that I'm a walker, I've obviously decided to hang with the big kids. I still played by myself - grabbing a toy drill and laughing loudly as I walked around in circles...

Ducks with grandad

Grandad is on long service leave, and he and I went to the Japanese gardens to check out the ducks.

I had a good time, but we didn't take any bread. One day, someone will take bread to feed the ducks with me, but at the moment I don't seem to mind, they're pretty entertaining.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning out grandma's cupboards. Two drawers and a cupboard to be precise. But I did help to put the stuff back, so that makes it okay.

Girls!

We had a barbecue at Rod and Tonya's place, with a few families. Olive was there. She's the closest kid to my age I hang with. Usually we don't 'play' together - but tonight we had a great time. Until she grabbed my face.

Ow!

Did I let her, and everyone else, know I didn't like it.

Dad came and rescued me, but I soon forgot about the incident and we went back to blowing raspberries on the glass, and doing all the things that 17 month olds think is cool.

Until I got face grabbed again.

And again.

Someone said it's probably because I'm so cute, and irresistable to the ladies.

The giving game

We had visitors tonight, and I tested out my 'let's play the handing stuff to people game'.

We were in the loungeroom, sitting next to one of the CD cases, and I grabbed a Cd and handed it to Wendy. Then I grabbed another one. I kept going until she had a pile of discs on her lap that reached her chin. Everybody laughed.

I kept going until there were only a few discs left.

Once I'd cleaned out the case I was keen to fill it back up. But not with any CD. Wendy handed me a disc from the top of the pile, but I pointed to the one at the bottom!

Needless to say, none of the adults liked the idea of me pointing out each disc to refil the box, so I was whisked away and the discs all put back without me.

Sleeps and sniffles

I've still got the sniffles.

Mum and I went to the doctor, and he had a good look at me. I had a good look at his desk and managed to grab his mouse pad, plonk it on my head and say 'hat'!

The doctor told me I was a good patient, becasue I sat still when I needed to.

Dad came home early from work because he wasn't feeling 100% - and we both had an afternoon sleep to make us feel better.

Push ups

Dad was doing some push ups this afternoon. I decided to join in and help.


I got as close as I could and then I pushed down on his back and then lifted up his shirt to help him back up!

He started laughing, and that stopped the whole thing!

Then, I lay on my tummy and bobbed my head up and down - my version of push ups.

It made everyone laugh.

Self sufficient

We were in the kitchen.

Mum was chopping up veggies and I had my back to her, playing on the floor with the box of little silver spoons. I pulled out a little wooden breadboard and began tapping the spoons against it, then I found a bit of museli bar (previously discarded) on the floor.

I put the museli bar on the breadboard, then with a spoon in each hand, began to stab at it until I managed to break a bit off.

Carefully, I loaded up the spoon with that little bit of museli bar.

Then, I say, very clearly, 'maMAH!' (my version of 'Amen') - nodded my head, and ate the museli bar.

Very cool.

Pick 'n grab

Mum and I went shopping today.

I rode in the trolley, and was in 'grab' mode.

If mum ever got a bit too close to either aisle I'd reach out and grab stuff. I wasn't too picky, anything would do.

I scored a plastic sieve, and grabbed onto a couple of trolleys that were parked close by. And I also managed to pull off a 'special' price tag from the confectionary aisle. It was for Starburst Fruit Chews. $2. That's 34 cents off. Waving the tag at mum didn't inspire her to buy any fruit chews, but seeing the little metal holder that held the tag in place went flying when I pulled it off, we had no choice but to put the little card in the trolley. It came home with us.

We also discovered the checkouts are pretty narrow, and that there's all sorts of things to grab at while waiting in line.

Sleepy head

I don't really need to be rocked to sleep anymore. I've developed a new habit. One that may be worse than the old one. But sort of funny.

I like to climb all over mum or dad before I finally fall to sleep. And I really like to fall asleep draped all over them.

It's quite a sight to watch me get comfortable. And then mum and dad say it's quite a job getting out of the room without me noticing. Very hard, especially seeing they're underneath a sprawled out baby.

Still got it

Mum and dad woke up wondering if i'd be keen to keep trying out my walking, or if I'd revert back to my tried and true, and faster, crawling.

It was a littl bit of both today, but the walking did win out overall.

Mum parked herself in one corner of the family room, and dad in the other, and I walked between the two - stopping for a big hug at each turn.

Mum said she wished she could stop time at each moment I gave her a hug at the end of my 'lap'.

Mum pulled out the crayons later on, and I scribbled on some paper - but had more fun digging my fingernails into the crayons. At least I didn't try eating them!!

Walking!

I don't know if it was mum's promise of having to walk everywhere, holding her hand, or the performance enchancing steroids i'm on at the moment for the croup, but I WALKED TODAY!

Yes!

Everyone was impressed.

We even went over to grandad and grandma's place to show them my cool new moves.

No more crawling? Really?

Mum decided we should walk everywhere today.

Hand in hand. Up and down the hallway.

Our trips around the house took a bit longer than they usually do, but mum's determined that I'm not still crawling on my 21st birthday!

On the 'roids

I'm on Steroids.

For my bark.

Yep, on top of my sore mouth, and my ear infection, I can now add croup.

I went to bed a little bit miserable, and woke up an hour later very miserable, and with a loud bark-like cough.

I was finding it hard to breathe so mum and dad hot footed it to the hospital. A few minutes(and a few dollars!) later we had a diagnosis; croup.

Between my barking bouts I was doing my best to be the normal happy-go-lucky toddler...As we were walking in to the emergency ward a ute drove past and I waved and said 'allo'...It made mum and dad smile - even in the midst of being sick, I'm still me.

The doctor said night #3 is the worst for croup, so that's something we're not looking forward to. But by next week all should be right.

A very sad day

Oh yes, I warned you!

I've got a big tooth on its way. A really big tooth.

It's made a big lump in my mouth, and I spent most of the day with my hand shoved in my mouth trying to soothe it.

Mum gave me some Bonjella and even some baby medicine to take away the pain, but even after all those things it was still a miserable day.

In the morning I was playing on the blow up bed we had left over from visitors, and I fell off it and landed on my chin, and it made a bruise on the other side of my mouth!

And then I fell out of the Big Bed!

Oh, what a terrible day!

I found it very hard to sleep, and that meant everyone found it hard to sleep.

Sore mouth ahead

I have a lump in my mouth, right where one of my molars should be.

It's been a little while since my last tooth came through, but there's still a lot of blank space in my mouth, so we might have a few uncomfortable days ahead.

On a brighter note, I said 'woof'. In context. Mum and I were talking about dogs.

Watermelon

After some cool, wet weather, it finally a bit warmer today so mum celebrated by giving me my first big piece of watermelon. I've had watermelon in small cubes once or twice before, but this was a big, smiley face shaped piece...

Brilliant!

I loved it, probably mostly because it's a fruit, but also because it's cold and squishy.

Mum cut me a big wedge of the quarter-watermelon and I polished it off very quickly. A second wedge followed and I soon put that away too. Mum was having trouble keeping up with me so eventually just popped the rest of the watermelon on my high chair tray and I got stuck into it.
Soon there was watermelon all over my singlet, all down my pants, stuck up in my fingernails, and none at all left to eat!

Watermelon might not be very filling but eating lots of it could explain why I didn't have much dinner tonight. Either that, or because there were only baked beans on offer and I only eat fruit. But mum and dad were determined not to give into my demands for 'narnar!' and make me eat the main meal. I did not. I think I should expect round two tomorrow night.

The great race

Bathurst!

It's a big day of racing car action today, and so dad declared he was spending most of the day on the couch watching the telly. Mum and I went to church, but he stayed home. Um-mah! I spent most of the service in people's arms. Either mum's, or my favourite teenage girl at Tiny Treasures. Mum reckons I was in exactly the same spot when she came to collect me as when she dropped me off. She says I should probably start to play with the other Tiny Treasures kids, but I seem to like cuddles more.

When we got home we spent the afternoon in the loungeroom, dad with the telly, and me with my ark and animals. I played happily next to dad while he cheered on the Fords.

Rose show

We went to a rose show today. Dad's roses are a little bit too new to be up to show standard, but we grabbed a couple and took them along for a bit of fun.

I was held tightly, and both mum and dad made sure my little hands didn't get too close to the roses on display. The last thing we wanted was to cause a big scene for all the wrong reasons.

There was a playground nearby and Claire and I played on it. I was in my socks and after getting them rather dirty mum decided I should be wearing shoes from now on!

Rainy days

It's raining today.

It hasn't rained for a long time.

When mum and I got home from driving dad to work, it was raining quite heavily. I didn't mind. I stuck out both my palms to catch the drops and then, just to fully appreciate the experience, stuck my tongue out too.

I had a great morning playing with Gabe and Claire. Claire might not be much chop and telling a boy from a girl, but she's great at playing. We built towers out of blocks and she pushed me around on my shiny red fire truck.

We also continued playing a game we made up yesterday. It's the 'ahhh' game. I say 'ahhhhh' for a long time and then the big kids chime in so that we're all saying, 'AHHHHHHHHHH' together.

The grown-ups thought it sounded very funny. Then I would pick a new sound like 'nananananan' and we'd all join in together. The game kept going until we all got the giggles.

Is he my sister?

That's what my new friend Claire asked her dad while we were playing this afternoon. 'No, he's not your sister, and besides, he's a boy', her dad said. Then, with more than a hint of surprise, came the reply. 'Is she a boy?'

I admit I was wearing my overalls at the time, which could get mistaken for a dress (if your eyesight was really bad). And my hair is longer than some other boys. And Claire is only four. But it still made everyone laugh.

Dad told mum to ban the overalls. I had been mistaken for a girl the other day, and I was wearing the overalls at the time. So he wants to ditch them. He doesn't want to cut my hair. Someone told me I had Luke Skywalker hair. Dad was very impressed. So, as much as some people want to find me back in that tall chair again, lollypop in my mouth, wrapped up in a Wiggles cape, watching DVD's, while my beautiful golden locks get the snip - chances are I won't be there for awhile - the Force is too strong!

Back to school

My holidays are over and I went back to school today.

Swimming school.

Mum wondered whether I would remember to shut my eyes and mouth when I went under water. I did.

She wondered if I would be in a splashy mood. I was.

She wondered if I would finally decide to kick my legs. I did not.

She wondered if all the other babies would be walking across the mat and I'd be the only one still crawling. But there was no mat today. Lucky for me!

It was a good first lesson and I was ready for a big sleep when we got home again.

Let go

I am a happy baby and I enjoy cuddles. I am also a very cautious baby and do not, as a rule, take risks.

But I do not like it when someone puts their arm out to stop me falling off something. If I choose to sit perched on the armrest of the couch to watch Night Garden then that's my business. Put a protective arm around me and I will soon tell you what to do with it. But I should have been a bit more careful this afternoon.

Mum was lying on the bed having a rest and I was supposed to be getting sleepy myself. But instead I was crawling around and getting a bit too close to the edge for mum's liking. She kept putting her hand out to hold me and I kept picking up her hand and putting it back where it came from. But then disaster struck when I gave mum's hand such a big shove that the force of it propelled me backwards and I sailed right over the edge of the bed and landed with a thud.

As you might expect, I cried like the sky was falling. But mum thinks it was my pride which bore the brunt of the fall.

Before six

I've been waking up before six o'clock lately.

My cot's still being used to house clothes, and I'm spending the nights parked between mum and dad.

Mum promised that after our trips around the countryside were over we'd get back into 'mission cot'.

I caught mum and dad planning today - they said something about putting toys within reach so that when I wake up I'll have something to do before they come and collect me at a more respectable time.

Make believe

I entertained everyone today with my pretending.

We were in the loungeroom, getting ready to watch the footy grand final, when I reached down, locked my fingers in a pincer grip, and prentended to pick something up. I did it a few times.

The really cool part was when I held my hand out to dad to show him the pretend thing I'd picked up - I used my other hand! It happened every time, and every time everyone laughed.

When the footy started I stared at the telly and waved my hands and yelled for a few seconds. Just like the eighty thousand people at the ground. Dad thought it was quite fitting.

Matter of fact, I've got it now

You can get it in the car on a long trip to the city.

You can get it lying back in the baby capsule in the shopping trolley.

You can get it lying on mum's shoulder.

You can definately get it in the baby carrier.

You can even get it in the highchair waiting for tea;

Dad was walking over to the kitchen when he passed me nodding off in my highchair. Every time my head got a bit too heavy I'd startle and bob it back in the other direction. Dad says it was pretty funny. Needless to say dinner got cancelled and I got put straight to bed. I woke up an hour later in a bit of a confused state, so I got handed a bottle of warm milk, drank it all, and fell asleep until morning.

Beachcombing

We went for a really long walk on the beach today.

Probably the longest my little have ever walked.

Usually we walk up and down the hallway at our house. Maybe two or three times. But today's beach walk was like mum and dad's old waks they used to do before I came along. And my little legs are a lot shorter than theirs!

Dad stopped a few times and showed me some shells on the sand.

Cousins

I played and played with my city cousins today.

We played a bit of peek-a-boo, a little bit of chasing (although I'm not the best at chasing yet - seeing I'm still getting about on all fours) - and we still had a bit of time for Duplo!

The boys stuck together, and even though there's a bigger age gap, even this fifteen month old knows boys rule!

Best car trip ever

Dad had to go to the city for a work conference, and so mum and I decided to tag along (not all the way to work, just to the city).

I had the best car trip I've ever had. I started with a bit of a sleep, and woke up a fair way before we arrived, but just sat quietly with my arms hitched up on the side of my carseat, very relaxed. Usually I whinge and carry on during trips of ten minutes or more, so today was a very nice experience for everyone.