Hello, hello -- is anyone still out there reading this? I know it's been a while since we've posted, but we've had a lot of changes this fall. The biggest was Stacy taking a new job in the University of Wisconsin's communications department. That meant a return to full-time work, and the start of full-time day care for O. The good thing is that he still has a ball with the kids there and is awfully happy when we drop him off. That being said, we're enjoying two weeks off together for the holidays. Last week we were in Minneapolis and Stevens Point for Christmas and are relaxing -- and getting the house in order -- this week.
We're also making time for our annual international holiday celebration. This year, we picked Germany because we have the perfect costume for O -- a pair of lederhosen his Benedict grandparents brought back from him when he was a toddler. Legend has it they were too small for him, so they were never worn. I got them on O about a month ago, but as you can see from this picture, he wasn't too happy about it. To honor the German traditions, O had a visit from St. Nicholas in early December and found chocolate, an orange and some Cheerios in his shoes when he woke up from his nap. I'm also preparing some sauerbraten for our meal...pictures to come.
When I looked back at what I wrote during O's early days, I loved having that record of how he was growing and changing, so I'm going to do more posting in 2010, if for no one else but me. It's amazing what can happen over a couple of days. Since we've been off with him, we've noticed his comprehension is now really advanced, and he knows exactly what we're saying or asking him to do. He's learning new words by the handful every day; just this week, he's saying reindeer, scone, basketball, nurse, shot (he got his flu shot today), bike, wrist and knock. He also has a great way of saying "Moommmmeeeeey!" that makes my heart melt every time he says it, even at 6:30 a.m. When we were at my parents', my mom told him he needed to be gentle with a wooden loon on their hearth and to pat it on the head. He saw a loon in a book today and said, "Pat pat." He sings along to "Frosty the Snowman" with me and dances whenever he hears a few bars of music. At Grandma Kathy's, he marveled at people's prowess on the Wii with a hearty "Woooow!" and when Molly asked him to get T's shoes from under the dining room table at my parents' and bring them back to her, he crawled under to retrieve them and clapped for himself when we cheered him. He loves everything Elmo, snowmen and Santa, except for the idea of getting anywhere close to the guy in the red and white suit.
That's the latest from us. I'll post again soon on the German Christmas meal.
