Decker

Sorry it has taken so long, but here are about three months worth of photos that have been sitting on our digital camera for too long.

-Sean

It’s Friday! Here’s what I’ve been up to this week:

* Finished my first Hippity-Hoppers class! - Yup, the first 2 month session is up, and the teacher commemorated the event for us by making little certificates for all the parents to put up on the fridge at home. The certificates have our handprints on them, which means that I had to put my hands on a inkpad and then press them on the paper. I did NOT care for this. But it was fun to study my blue hands intently on the way home! I start another session next Thursday, which runs through April. I’m looking forward to it - I’ve really gotten into the slide and playing in the little plastic house!

* Playing with Puzzles! - I got some puzzles for my birthday and for Xmas, and until recently I was really good at taking the pieces out and showing them to my parents and saying “Ah?” (meaning what’s this called again?). And yesterday I showed my mom that not only can I take pieces out and scatter them around the living room, but I can also match them back up and put them where they are supposed to go on the board. Again, mom seemed to get really psyched about this, so I guess I’ll keep doing it (I love to show off).

* Turning on the tv - Yesterday, I really wanted my mom to turn the tv on. She either wouldn’t, or didn’t seem to understand what I was asking (She’s still learning to become fluent in Deckerese - it’s hard for grownups to pick up a second language, from what I hear). She had put all the remotes up on the end table, so I figured I better take matters into my own hands. Mom left me to play with my toys in the living room while she cleaned the kitchen, and she perked up her ears when she heard the tv turn on! Yup, I had taken all four remotes off the end table, layed them out on the coffee table, and methodically pressed buttons until I hit the one I wanted. I’m a do-er! Can’t see what all her fuss was about…or why my grandma laughed when she and my dad shared the story…

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi all! Well, some of you might be aware that my mom and dad both have attempted to trim my hair on previous occasions, but anyone who has seen me lately would quickly surmise that those trims were getting scarcer and scarcer. This is because I would scream bloody murder anytime my mom even tried to go near my hair with a comb and trimming scissors, and in fact I ended up nicked (to be fair, so did she) a couple of times, so she just gave up finally. Result? I had this cute sort of “Christopher Robin” ‘do going on, but the bangs were starting curl inwards and get tangled in my eyelashes! Something had to be done, so my mom finally bit the bullet and took me to a children’s salon nearby our house.

The people there were really nice, they had bright and noisy toys for me to play with, and they let me sit on my mommy’s lap the whole time. This did not comfort me one iota, and I basically squinched up my eyes and bawled for the whole duration. Considering that I would not hold still at all, my mom is very impressed how even my hair turned out! She had brought a camera with her to capture the big moment, but decided the trauma would be memorable enough, without the documented footage accompanying it. They did give me a neat little certificate with a lock of my hair taped to it, certifying that I had “endured my very first haircut” and was now eligible to return again and again and would be welcomed. Wait - does that mean I’ll have to go there again?!

Mom claims it was harder on her than me, but I’d argue that point strongly.

I did get very grinny and giggly at story time before my nap today…mom says it’s because I’ve realized I can see again…

You know how sometimes you hear a song you really like on the radio, and you just can’t get enough of it? You find yourself singing it over and over again, because it’s just so darn good? Well, mom and dad introduced me to this great new ditty that I predict is gonna totally dominate at the Grammy’s this year - it’s called “ABC” (The Alphabet Song). It’s super catchy, and the best part of all is that it’s interactive! Mommy showed me how you point to each letter as you sing - so now, when I’m in the kitchen helping her with dinner, I go over the fridge and point to all the alphabet letters that are lined up there, and sing “Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah…”. I got pipes, baby! This song must be special, because someone else has already done a cover version of it - mom sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to me in the tub this morning, and I recognized the tune and got a big smile on my face! Hope the folks who wrote “ABC” are getting royalties from the “Twinkle Twinkle” people!

So it’s been very rainy, and mommy and I haven’t been able to really go out very much on our usual walks. Today, I was kinda getting antsy so mommy put on a Sesame Street video for me to watch. But she seemed to think that just letting me watch wasn’t enough - she wanted me to do other stuff while the video was running. She’s a nice lady, she makes me lunch, so I try to humor her. She busted out this box of colored sticks called “crayons”. She says she read somewhere that I am at the age where these would be fun for me to play with. Now, I’ve had a little experience with crayons already - when we went out to dinner a few weeks ago, the restaurant gave me some crayons to play with, and my mommy stacked them up all on end in front of me. I thought this was great, and tried to get her to keep repeating it (because of course I knock them down when I try it myself) all through the meal. So…when mommy pulled out the crayons this time and kept trying to get me to make marks on the paper with them, I looked at her (understandably) as if she were nuts. Hello? Crayons are made to stand on end! I kept trying to do it again myself, and then kept trying to get her to do it for me. She finally gave up, put everything away and let me watch the rest of Sesame Street in peace.

I’ve learned how to make my musical elephant work in my crib, so after mommy says good night and closes the door, if the music runs out I simply pull on his trunk and he plays the song again. I don’t even have to sit up to do it! Sweet, eh?

I went to my play group today after about a month’s absence (due to getting sick and then going out of town). At first I was a little nervous to get back into the fray with all those other little people my size, but then I found this GIANT yellow ball to play with! (Taller than me, even!). That was fun for a while, and then I discovered this neat thing called a slide. I mostly like climbing up to the top of the platform and looking around at everything, but today I finally let my mommy coax me down the slide itself, and it was fun! I got a stamp on my hand at the end of class, too - no end to the hilarity at Pleasant Hill Parks and Rec!

Sidenote: My alphabet knowledge is expanding - today in the tub my mommy asked me if I could find the letter O out of the foam letters on the wall, and I picked it up and handed it to her. This seemed to surprise and please her - I think I’ll have to come up with more tricks like that!

Hi there!

Well, 2005 is only a few days old, but I think it’s gonna be a fun year all the same! It’s already been pretty exciting for me - I took a trip, I’ve picked up some new skills, and my hairdo continues to make me look more and more like the 5th Beatle! Here’s the latest:

* We went to Utah for New Year’s, and I got to play in the snow! Last year, I was only 4 months old and didn’t really understand how great snow is - it mostly just seemed cold and uncomfortable on my cheeks, and I let everyone know how I felt about it. But this year, I was able to walk around and experience this stuff up close! First I fell face forward into it, then I turned around and fell backwards into it! I was very wet, but it sure didn’t faze me! I had a big smile on my face and was ready to stay out in the cold for a while, except Mommy curbed my style. So we went inside and got warm in a pizza place, and I discovered that I really like olives - yum! (This will make Daddy happy).

* I’ve got some new tricks up my sleeve - for example, if you talk like a pirate and say “arrrrrrr” to me in a low growly voice, I will answer you back in the same way - very fun! I also like to wave at people now, but sometimes I get so caught up in the moment that I use both arms at once, and my mom says she’s waiting for me to lift off the ground! I’m getting pretty good at throwing and kicking balls, and like to play catch with people who have the patience to indulge me. Clapping still intrigues me, and I will do it if I hear anyone simply say the word “yay” now! I will then look around to see if you all are joining in - it’s a group activity, you know!

* I really love books, and got some neat ones over the holidays. I will look at them on my own, but I also love to bring them up to you and say “ah?” (meaning, “will you please read this to me?”). My parents keep singing this song about the “alphabet”, and I have a bunch of letters and numbers to play with as magnets on the fridge, foam letters in the tub, and on my highchair placemat. So far, I can identify the letters “C”, “W”, and the number “1”. Today in my bath, Mommy asked me to find the “W“, so I picked up what I guess was the letter “M“, and turned it upside down. (It sure looked like “W“ upside down to me - letters are mysterious!) I don’t really understand what it all means, but Mommy and Daddy seem pretty psyched that I can do this. I just figure, hey - these are the things that everyone gets excited about on Sesame Street, so of course I would think they’re interesting!

* I still like to sort things, and can now pick out all 12 of my tub animals when you name them. I love stuff with wheels, and I’m getting into puzzles, although I’m still better at taking apart than putting together. I’ll hand you a piece and say “ah?”, which means, “please tell me what this is, and make a noise for it if you can”.

* Lastly, I have a new variation on my bedtime routine. I still like a bunch of stories and a song  before I go to take my nap, but now after Mommy closes the door, I will cuddle with Big Bird and kiss him and sing/talk to him. This can go on for 20 minutes or so. I think Mommy listens into our conversations over the monitor, but I can’t prove it, so I have to speak in Decker-code.

Hopefully we can go for a walk today - it’s been rainy and I have cabin fever! Have a good week!