Baby's Second Easter

We couldn't help but reflect on how different this Easter was from last year, when Linus was only two weeks old. This year he ran excitedly to his Easter basket to discover a stuffed bunny, book, and bunny grahams. We let him have an Easter egg in his high chair and he quickly cracked open an end and started pulling the egg apart. We had a nice dinner together, followed with pink cupcakes. I made some mini ones for Linus. He snarfed three down.

Games Babies Play

So Linus turns one and he suddenly has new skills! He plays "So Big" with me. I ask, "How big is Linus?" and he puts his arms up high and I say, "So big!" I tried doing this with him a couple of months ago and he didn't play along. I tried it yesterday out of the blue and he got it. Another skill is clapping. He started clapping a few months ago, but he only did it for about a week and then ceased. Yesterday he started clapping again. This morning the Cleveland Pops was playing a zippy tune on Public Radio and he danced by bobbing up and down, walking a bit while clapping, stopping and bobbing, then walking and clapping again. It was the cutest thing to see.

One photo is of his after-dinner clapping last night and the other is of him enjoying his birthday waffle.

Crabby Pants

Linus was so very crabby yesterday. He kept getting frustrated about things, like my not letting him get into old paint in the basement that I didn't even know was there until he discovered it. He also got crabby when I wouldn't assist him in getting into the kitchen drawers that are too high for him to reach and contain dangerous things such as matches and knives. I know, I'm such a mean mother.

Here is a picture from last week when it was warm enough to play outside, unlike this week. Linus likes to have me help him walk up and down the decorative bridge in our back yard. I have to be careful walking alongside of it because the bulbs I planted last fall are coming up and I didn't have the foresight to realize I'd be helping Linus play on the bridge.

Birthday Kisses

I'm not the only one to give Linus a birthday kiss. Johanna planted one on Linus at his party. That was a really sweet moment and I'm glad Alex got a photo of it.

So today is the big day: my baby is one. Each time I look at the clock, I remember what I was doing at that time on this day last year. Right now Matthew and I were listening to Public Radio and playing a game in between my very manageable contractions. I had already been in labor eight hours. I was excited and feeling good about things. As we all know, my labor got more complicated; but, near the very end of April 3, we had our Baby Linus.

Getting Linus is the best thing that ever happened to me. This kid warms my heart when he takes my finger into his little hand and pulls me along for his adventures. He has started giving me sweet hugs and now and then a goofy kiss. His eyes light up when he sees me in the morning. He's the one I worry about when he is sick, I research for in library books and online, and I miss when I go to the grocery store alone. He's my Linus, the best baby in the whole wide world.

This morning was a bit hectic because we opened presents, ate waffles, and took Linus' 12-month photo on the settee before Matthew had to rush off to work. Then Linus and I went to vote in the spring election. The grandmotherly poll workers oohed and ahhed at how cute Linus is and they gushed when they heard it is his birthday. He beamed at them and then tucked his face into my shoulder in that cute way that babies do. Just now I ran down to answer the door and our neighbor was there with a present for Linus. She remembered his birthday! How sweet.

1st Birthday Party

We had a blast with Linus' birthday party yesterday. We were surrounded by family and friends. We ate lunch together in our living room and Linus was grinning as he looked around the room at the guests, the streamers, and the presents. He enjoyed his lemon cake topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and he had some vanilla ice cream, too. When we measured Linus on the growth chart I made for him, he came in at 29 and a half inches. Then we helped Linus open his wonderful birthday presents. Last night after dinner he was going from toy to toy and walking around with the little cars from Grandpa. When we went to bed, I couldn't fall asleep right away because I was thinking over all the great parts of the day. I'm happy we were able to give Linus a fun birthday party.

We celebrate again tomorrow on his actual birthday with waffles for breakfast.

We have Alex to thank for so many great photos of the party.

Summer? Wait a Minute

It was around 75 degrees on Monday and we had a lot of fun outside. Matthew was pleased to hear that Linus picked moss. He also tasted it. I had to quickly find something summery for Linus to wear. He looked cute playing around in red overalls with a doggy t-shirt outfit that was Brandon's about six years ago. Super cute. I even opened Linus' bedroom window to let some fresh air in.

Now we are back to normal Wisconsin spring weather and it is rainy and in the 40's. Even so, we'll go outside to play later if it isn't raining.

Our neighbor two doors down watches her grandson, Cameron, on a regular basis. We ran into them yesterday and he is a very tall two year old. Maybe he and Linus will play together. The new girls across the street are one and three, but we haven't seen much of them.

(Another Wildlife Sanctuary photo.)

"I Went to the Wildlife Sanctuary...

and all I got was this lousy goose egg!"

Linus and I went to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday and enjoyed being outside in the gorgeous weather. Sadly, Linus fell on pavement and got a big lump on his forehead and scrapes above and below his left eye. My opening is funny because the Sanctuary is home to hundreds of large Canadian geese. When a bunch of geese called out at once, Linus joined in with the voice he now uses with animals. He enjoyed watching the ducks in an enclosure. He also saw a kestral, some medium-sized fish, and lots of little kids. He walked back and forth across the floating bridge in the lagoon. I let him get a bit ahead of me when he walked down the middle of the bridge, but when he veered off toward one of the sides, I sidled up next to him and took his hand. It amazes me how he doesn't have much separation anxiety in new settings like that, but have Matthew come home from work and Linus insists I hold him while I cook dinner.

The second picture is of him having a snack in the car before we headed home and the third one is of him at dinner time with his new injuries. I asked him to please get to his first birthday without a trip to the emergency room.

Big Dogs

Linus and I went out and enjoyed the 57 degree weather today. After picking up dead leaves and trying to pick flowers that are about a third of an inch out of the ground, Linus decided we should walk in the alley. A few houses down there was a big dog in a fenced-in yard. The dog came running over and barked very loudly. Linus stopped and was nervous, but also curious. He started talking to it in an agitated way so I picked him up to provide extra comfort. Just then, a car drove up to pull into the back entry of a garage and hanging out of the car was another big dog.

Linus was also interested in watching a runner, cars, and the construction workers across the street.

Here are pictures from yesterday. This is the first time Linus had an interest in walking with his sippy cup and trying to drink from it at the same time. In the first picture, he is dropping bark and a walnut shell into the recycle bin. I guess he was confusing it with the compost pile! In the sippy cup picture you can kind of see the scrapes on his nose from falling last weekend and also the corduroy fish overalls I made for him.

Spring Jacket

Linus got to wear his spring jacket for the first time today. We played outside for quite a while and visited with Sue, our neighbor, who was out for a walk. Linus pulled an angel yard ornament out of the flower bed and walked around with it, stopping now and then to suck on its head and survey the surroundings. I wasn't concerned about it getting broken because it was here when we moved in and I'm not attached to it. To him it was a wonderful treasure. Then we came in and he snacked on peaches and graham crackers.

Bed Head

Here is how Linus' hair looked the other day after his nap.

At the grocery store today Linus became attached to a bag of black eyed peas I'd put in our cart. When it came time to check out, he cried when I took them away for the cashier to ring up. To her credit, she moved really fast to scan them and give them back, while saying, "I'm sorry, honey. I don't know the number for those." He insisted on holding them in the car seat on the way home and I ended up putting them to bed with him for his nap. Unfortunately, he can't play with them anymore because I'm afraid the bag will break and the beans are a choking hazzard for sure.

He has been ornery. He cries, so I pick him up. He squirms to be put down. Then he cries harder. Huh?! Is he teething? Is he just crabby? Is he conflicted between wanting me and not wanting me? I suppose I'll never know. Hopefully this passes soon.

Obstructed View

Linus has been cracking me up with his latest activity: walking around while holding something in front of his face. View blockers have included a magazine, a postcard, and an empty pear can. The best was when he was walking with an empty plastic ice cream tub in front of his face and he walked right into the aquarium. He wasn't hurt, but he recoiled in surprise.

He also thinks it is fun to dump out the mega blocks and walk around with the vinyl bag. By the way, Brandon handed down these blocks to Linus and he has started figuring out how to stack them. He can't pull them apart yet, but he plays with them every day now.

Gardening

Linus helped Matthew plant carrots yesterday. Yes; I know that it is only March and we are in Wisconsin. Matthew felt the urge. Linus also face planted. He was squatting in front of the garage and fell face first onto the cement. My little one has a scraped nose and a funny pattern on his forehead. We think the marks on his head are from the hat he was wearing being pushed into his skin when he fell. The tip of his nose is pink and has a scrape and the side of his nose is also scraped. These are the first of many scrapes, bumps, and bruises in his future and I suppose I'll get used to it.

At story time this morning Linus danced to the "Shake Your Sillies Out" song. He looked so very cute.

Here is Linus walking around with his first animal crackers. I couldn't resist buying them because I knew he would like carrying them around.

Sniffles, Writing, Playing, Etc.

I've been remiss in blogging because Linus has been sick. In addition, I've been working on projects, like sewing him a growth chart and making his birthday party invitations.

Linus is back to his normal self, except for his nose that continues to run profusely and, might I say, grossly. He has slimed me a lot this week. He also continues to drool. Now and then I find wet spots on the wood floor the size of a quarter or larger. I couldn't figure out what they were from until I witnessed a stream of drool come gushing out of his mouth.

Last night Linus took the little Magna Doodle from me and wrote on it. That is a first. He also figured out how to slide open the Spiderman Pez. Now that he feels better, he is back to drinking milk with meals and is doing better about drinking more than a sip or two. So weaning is well underway. He continues to be a good eater, but dislikes zucchini. He likes eating avocado at Johanna's house, but not at home.

These photos are from last Sunday when Matthew and Linus joined Linda, Alex, and Johanna at the zoo. Linus fed a giraffe!!! Linda and Alex took these photos.

Sick Ward

Linus is sick; sicker than he's ever been in his short life. Poor kid. So I'm busy looking after him and trying to comfort him. I'm trying to get him to take more liquids, but he is refusing. He won't take ice chips, Pedialyte, water from my glass or a sippy cup, milk, and not much formula in the last 24 hours. He isn't eating much either, although I did get him to finally finish 4 ounces of applesauce. He isn't listless and his fever isn't at 104 degrees, so the clinic said we didn't need to bring him in unless we felt we needed to for peace of mind. It is rather stressful monitoring a baby's illness.

First Museum Visit

I took Linus to the Fox Cities Children's Museum in Appleton this morning. The woman at the front desk cautioned me that I may feel we weren't getting our money's worth since the museum was geared more for older youngsters. I thanked her for warning me but said it was okay because we were looking for something new to do to get out of the house. Plus, I knew Linus would enjoy being around kids. He had a very fun time playing with toy pizza in the kid store, a real stethoscope in the doll hospital, bean bags and fabric blocks in the Happy Baby Garden, as well as watching all of the children running around. He lasted an hour and a half. Then we went to a nearby coffee shop for a snack before heading home. While we were snacking, he liked interacting with a young woman who was studying at the table closest to us. She played peekaboo with him behind her papers. And when he bobbed his head to the music that was playing, she joined him.

Linguaphile

Linus hasn't said anything in English yet, but maybe he is researching languages to decide which he would like to speak.

We had a fun playdate yesterday here at our house. Johanna had a pink barrette in her hair that Linus tried to pull out. I explained to him that it was a hair pretty and I felt a bit sad that boys don't typically wear barrettes. If he wants to, maybe he can borrow some from Johanna. Baby James has very sweet curls and doesn't need any hair accessories.

Linus had a rough day of teething yesterday. Having guests helped keep him distracted. He didn't sleep so well Sunday and Monday, but he slept for over 12 hours last night and woke up very chipper this morning. But, alas; still no tooth!

As an aside, someone wrote a guest column in our local paper complaining about Brit-speak getting into our language lately. Firstly, what do they mean by lately? We speak English, don't we? And that came from where?! Secondly, I love Brit-speak. I especially like the use of "whilst." The columnist complained specifically about the use of tarmac and centre. He said that it made users sound pretentious. I disagree.

Intuition

Yesterday my mother's intuition kicked into gear for the first time. I sensed that Linus was getting into something he shouldn't and sure enough, he was just beginning to get into the spider plant's potting soil. He hadn't even been quiet for very long, but something told me I should check on him. Or in this case, check on the plant.

Frog Friend

There were live frogs at the library story time today and Linus pet one. It was the coolest thing to see his curiosity as he intently watched them jump near him. When he reached out, I took his hand and helped him to gently touch a frog. A bit later he reached out and touched one with one finger. It was adorable!

He fell asleep on the way home and didn't wake up when I got him out of the car, which is unusual since it is cold out. He is napping right now with most of his snowsuit still on. He curled up when I put him in his crib, so I only got it unzipped and one sleeve and the hood off.

Linus is teething again today. He isn't fussy, but he is pulling on his ears, drooling, and chewing on his fingers.

Here are some tongue-sticking out pictures, as I know several blog readers like these kinds of photos.

Toddlerhood

Linus turns eleven months old on Saturday and is sliding rapidly into toddlerhood. He is getting into everything and sassed back at me for the first time yesterday. Yes, my sweet baby boy sassed at me. I'm still shocked. When he started getting into Matthew's cd's I told him "No," and he went at them again. I said "No," and as I started to get up he stood very stiffly, had an angry face, looked me straight in the eyes and hollered the baby talk version of "You're mean! I'm mad at you!" Then he switched gears and moved on to a new activity. Which was a good thing because I was struggling to hold back laughter and least he couldn't see me smile. What a sight: an angry Linus. I know not to take it personally, but I can't help but feel a little bad. That was another tiny step in his gaining his own identity and I'd better get used to it.

In other developmental news, Linus has begun learning how to use a spoon. After he's fed himself much of dinner with his hands, I put some food on the spoon and he grabs the spoon and shoves it into his mouth. Other interesting variations include him putting food on the spoon with his hand or grabbing the food off of the spoon and eating it. He also waved bye-bye to Mattthew yesterday and today. Babies' waves are so endearing. He danced to the sound of the washing machine chugging along and he has started to look at books on his own. In true Linus fashion he does not sit to do it, but squats down and turns the pages.

Exploration

Here is a picture from last week when it was warm enough to play outside. I still thought he needed a coat, but Matthew disagreed and just put Linus' hat and mittens on him. It sure did feel good to spend time outside. It was a nice break before more snow arrived.

I'm thinking maybe I should get Linus a passport since he was walking around this morning with a Greek phrase book. I have a travel calendar in the kitchen and it is making me feel the travel bug. Last month featured Tahiti. What a gorgeous place that would be to visit. I got a book at the library that says Tahitians love babies. I think that means we have go. Yeah, right. Fun to dream about, though.

Sledding

We got about 13 inches of snow the last couple of days. It actually looks like Wisconsin for a change. Although the snow makes for lots of shoveling and sloppy parking lots when running errands, it is kind of fun having so much snow. Our neighbor came over with his snow blower and cleared our sidewalk on Sunday and later brought over a sled for Linus to use. It is the one they used when their kids were little about 17 years ago. After work yesterday Matthew pulled Linus around the neighborhood. Linus wasn't too sure about it and kept his arms out the whole time. He didn't enjoy it, but he didn't cry either. Well, he did cry bloody murder when they came back into the house and I was gone on a short errand. Poor baby.

We ran to the store today to stock up on necessities like hot chocolate before the next storm comes. Linus smiled at a man who talked to him. He doesn't usually smile for guys. He really likes young women, especially the college students studying at Kavarna.

Walking Update Part 2

Linus has started walking more than cruising. Yesterday I was blown away by his walking across rooms and bypassing the furniture he usually uses for cruising. We played outside for a while and he walked around the deck without holding onto anything. He cracked me up this morning by following me around the kitchen as I swept. He is walking longer distances before grabbing onto something. I'd guess that he goes about 12 feet or so without grabbing onto a chair or me.

Mall Mice

We could hardly be labeled as Mall Rats since we rarely go there. We go to the mall only for specific purchases at particular stores. We don't hang out there on weekends or wander stores looking at things. Consumerism has a weak hold on us for the most part. But it turns out that the only place in Green Bay that would engrave something purchased elsewhere is Things Remembered in the mall. I wanted to get Linus' cup and spoon engraved with his name and birthdate. They were ready to be picked up so yesterday I took Linus to the mall for the first time.

He got new pajamas on clearance at Kohls and an outfit for his birthday party. On our way out I decided we should complete the experience with a snack in the food court. We shared a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel. The customer service was atrocious, but Linus liked the pretzel well enough and enjoyed people watching. I kept thinking the money would have been better spent on a biscotti at Kavarna.

For his birthday I got him his first button down shirt and a sweater vest. The dilema for me is that while I love sweater vests on Linus and Matthew, they have become trendy. When something becomes trendy, I begin to dislike it. I tried to push that aside as I made the purchase.

The mall wore Linus out completely. When we got home I changed his diaper and planned to take him for a walk. He had other plans. He napped for over two and a half hours! That is what the mall does to me, too!

Cabin Fever Reprieve

Thank heavens it has warmed up above freezing. Linus and I walked around the driveway on Monday. He held onto one of my fingers and walked around and around and around. He touched the dirty snow and picked up a leaf that he ended up bringing into the house.

Yesterday our play date was hosted by Sarah and baby James, the newest pair in our play group. Linus and Johanna had fun checking out James' toys and Linus got to pet their kitty, with my help.

When it warms up later we will go for a walk and play on the sunporch. It was warm enough out there yesterday to be out there with our sweaters on. It feels so good to be outside without the wind hurting our faces and lungs. It is amazing how warm 37 degrees feels after highs of 2.

Shaken, Not Stirred

Linus has adopted an empty hot chocolate container as his latest favorite toy. I put a ball in it and he walks around shaking it, stopping to pull the ball out and then putting it back in, and returning to shaking it.

A new madeup song we sing is:
Shakey, shakey, shakey;
Making music!

Shakey, shakey, shakey;
Making music!


Linus quickly picked up that when he shakes his little percussion instruments (bells, clackers, etc.) I dance and sing the Shakey Shakey song. Now he dances when he shakes most anything that rattles, such as his peek a blocks.

P.S. From this photo you may recognize that the coffee table now belongs to Linus.

My Little Valentine

Here is Linus making valentines for me with Matthew. Matthew says Linus was into creating 3-D art, so I got a few valentines that certainly didn't lie flat. They are the best! Linus has enjoyed playing with his valentines. He walks around with them and crinkkles them up a bit. Our neighbor gave Linus a little stuffed Snoopy with a fabric Valentine in one paw.

Poor little Linus is teething. He was up at 5 a.m. in tears and wouldn't go back to sleep for about an hour and a half. He fell asleep on top of Matthew while I showered. He's very fussy and clingy today. I'm plying him with teething rings and Tylenol. Oh, and of course lots of hugs and kisses.

My Sweetpea

Just look at this face! Is is any wonder that I would do anything for him? I more deeply understand why women wage peace and kill their abusive partners to protect their sons and daughters.

About two weeks ago Linus started dancing. Actually, the exact date was February 3, which Matthew has proclaimed "Dancing Celebration Day." He says we should celebrate it each year. Linus dances by bobbing up and down while bending at the knees. It is positively adorable. First he would dance to Oh Susannah as played by his busy box, then to the music played by the caterpillar ball drop toy, and now even to Matthew's singing. Last night he danced to music on the Higher Ground radio show, which is international soul music. After Linus went to bed, Matthew and I danced to it in the kitchen.

In addition, Linus has started initiating play with us. A couple of days ago he went behind the lace curtain in the living room and started playing peekaboo with me. Then he stayed behind the curtain, holding still, while I kept asking, "Where's Linus? Where's Linus." Then he laughed while remaining hid. What a silly goose. Another time we were on the floor playing and he walked around me and stood up against my back hiding from me. After I asked, "Where's Linus?" he peeked his head up over my left shoulder and giggled. I can see why people have multiple children so they can keep experiencing this.

Fangs?

I noticed yesterday that Linus has what appears to be two teeth getting ready to break through the gum. They are the top incisors. He'll have fangs!

Linus has gotten two Valentines in the mail, which is very sweet. I'll let him play with them tomorrow, along with the one I made for him.

It is very windy and cold here. Linus thinks that when my scarf is around my face I'm playing peekaboo with him. He pulls it down and then back up again while I say, "Where's mama? Here I am."

In other news, one of the houses across the street has sold and the other one is pending. What I want to know is if any new friends for Linus will be moving into the neighborhood.

Linus thinks his new humidifier is fun. The first few days we had it he would stick his face down where the air blows out.

I trimmed his hair last week, over his ears and in back. At the nape of his neck his hair was longer at the sides than in the middle and it was sticking out all over. I just evened it out. In this picture you can see his sweet neck. When Linus was born, Jean gave me a locket. I'm putting a lock of Linus' hair in one side and a photo in the other.

Blue Eyed Baby

Linus has started outgrowing some of his clothes that he has been wearing since fall so I dug out some of the next size clothes, including these great corduroy overalls. Matthew paired them with this blue shirt and the blue of Linus' eyes was really popping.

This same day Linus adopted an apple as the toy for the day. As he walked around the house with my finger in his left hand he had the apple in his right. He carries things around more now. Yesterday he was carrying around a page of the newspaper and shaking it as he went.

He's a real sweetheart and such a good kid. He's an easy and fun baby to have. He learns no pretty easily. He leaves the spider plant and Matthew's cds alone for the most part. He is giggly and snuggly and oh, so cute.

Colds, Again

We are on our fifth cold of the season. Which means Linus is halfway to having the average number of colds that babies get in their first two years of life. I think we keep catching viruses when we go in for my doctor appointments. It didn't help that Linus picked up another child's fabric book, carried it around a bit, and then when we gave it back the kid coughed heavily. So I'm blaming it on little Jacob, whose dad said he already had tubes in his ears and he was just over a year old.

It is still bitterly cold, but we can't hibernate. We went to the grocery store yesterday. Linus' favorite part appears to be the two aisles above which hang large pinatas. I tell him he can have one at a birthday party when he is older.

It sounds like tomorrow Barack Obama will announce his run for the presidency. I've decided to support him in the Democratic primary. Linus laughed when he saw him on his website. I guess I should show him Hillary, too, and see which he prefers.

Here is Linus napping with Winthrop-Linus'-Monkey serving as a crib bumper. The other napping pal is Floppy Dog.

Walking Adventures

If I'm in another room, Linus is apt to walk unassisted. I spy on him from around corners to see him navigate over books and around toys. He takes very slow, careful steps. He gets into trouble sometimes when he bends down to pick something up and then gets stuck in that position. He cries out and I pop out of my hiding place to help him stand back upright. He still falls around three times a day. I scoop him up and hold him close. Once he feels better, he is ready to try walking again.

If I'm nearby, he grabs my finger and off we go. The other day we were in the kitchen and I was trying to scrub part of the floor on my hands and knees. He walked over, reached out for my hand, and proceeded to walk into the other room, effectively pulling me from my Cinderella task. Worked out quite well, as I'd rather play and read with Linus than scrub a floor.

We met up with Pat at Kavarna yesterday and Linus took my hand and walked us behind the counter. Maybe he was looking for Linda. At this age, he knows no boundaries.

Even if he's walking by holding onto me, he does let go and walk on his own if he wants to get into something, like the trash.

In this photo Linus is looking at the book catalog we got at Butterfly Books. We took Linus there to redeem his gift card from Star and John. A Newbery Award winning author was there, Cynthia Kadohata, and he walked right up to her. The bookseller introduced him to her, so she now has the honor of being the first author Linus has met.

Recycling Assistant

Monday was recycling day and Linus offered to help out.

Linus likes walking around the house with one of my fingers in one hand and another object in the other hand. Some of his preferred objects include aquarium tubing, the monkey from his train, an orange ball, an ice cube tray, and the stuffed snow monkey. Picking up the house after he goes to bed is rather interesting. This morning I discovered some things I'd missed.

Brrrrrrrr

No story time today at the library. The schools are closed due to the dangerous wind chill factor and story time is cancelled when school is. Good thing I remembered that before we headed out. Yes, I was planning to take Linus out for story time. The high today is projected to be -2 with a very cold wind chill. We'd lay low at home, except I have an appointment this afternoon. I'll warm up the car before putting Linus in it and we'll bundle up. We're of hardy stock!

The power went out for an hour yesterday evening and the house dropped 6 degrees in that time. Linus thought it was pretty neat that we had candles lit around the downstairs. The living room did look nice with a soft glow of candlelight.

Peek-a-Boo

Here is a picture from last week when I was playing peek-a-boo over a box with Linus. He cracked up into a fit of giggles each time I popped up from my side of the box. Sometimes I'd stick up just an arm or a leg and call out, "Peek a boo!" and he'd burst into laughter. It was tricky taking this picture and getting it in focus.

Linus is taking more steps each day. He took quite a few steps in the basement yesterday. He really, really wanted to get to the stack of bubble wrap, so he let go of his spot and took off for it. He is cruising a lot and taking more independent steps, all to explore the wondrous things around him: calling card, cardboard tube from wrapping paper, frog bookmark, etc. He had a fit of giggles while swinging the cardboard tube around. He is having a blast each and every day. So am I.

First Ikebana Show

Last Friday Linus and I attended the Ikebana show at the Botanical Garden. Linus was a huge hit with the ladies there. They admired his rosy cheeks and oohed and aahed as he walked holding my hands. The grande dame of the show proclaimed that he loved her best.

Before we left the Garden, we took a bried walk outside. Here are Linus and Matthew posing in front of Linus' oak tree. This is the tree that made him laugh last summer when its leaves rustled in the wind.