Who needs toys at Christmas?

Dad gave me the coolest toy the other day. It was able to be thrown across the floor. When I touched it, it scooted away from me. It could roll and eventually I discovered that it had a handle. Have you guessed what it is yet?

Yep...a milk jug!

As you can see in the picture, Emma always watches me to check that I am all right with my new toy.

Dad has also given me a juice bottle and a box. Both of which I liked very much! At this rate, I can't wait to see what he got me for Christmas!

Discovering how to splash (12/17)

The craziest thing happened to me the other day. I was in the bath tub playing with my toys, when I noticed that one had sunk to the bottom. I went to reach for it, and to my surprise, something flew up and hit me in the face. It was water! How did the water jump up and get all over my face?! I wasn't sure, so I threw my hands down again. This time the amount of water on my face was even bigger. Between her giggles and awe, mom explained that this was called splashing. I kept trying it out, having more and more fun each time. I am still not so sure about the part where it gets me in the face, but I am digging the overall effect. Mom caught me on video just at the end of this discovery.

My First Christmas Tree

The week after Thanksgiving, my parents took me out to look for our first Christmas tree as a family. It was a cold day, so mom wore my in the front pack most of the time...

Dad found the right one!

I am more interested in the tree, than having my picture taken...

After getting the tree, we did some grocery shopping. This is my first time in a shopping cart. It was super fun!!

When we got home, mom and dad decorated the tree while I napped. After I woke up, dad showed me all of the ornaments. Each year, mom and dad have given each other an ornament that represents something that happened in the year. In this picture, dad is showing me the blocks mom got for him when they were pregnant with me last Christmas. This year, I got my first ornaments too: a birth star, an airplane (for the Argentina & Uruguay trip), and a baby shoe.

You've got to be kidding me!

I cannot believe it! Mom got a hold of my blog and added this terrible video of me...well...trying to poop! It is a very difficult task and sometimes I have to make funny faces while I am straining to get it all out. However, mom and dad think it is hillarious and found it necessary to post here, on my blog of all places. I haven't figured out how to get them back yet, but I will...

What to do with bath toys

Here is some fun in the tub with my bath toys! So far, I have surmised that the toys are only really good for chewing and dropping in the tub. This of course is fun enough, but I wonder if they have any other purpose?

Spaghetti

I have finally eaten my first pasta. Yes, on Nov. 29th, mom cooked me up some these tiny noodles. I am part Italian, so frankily, I can't believe this didn't happen sooner! At first, I wasn't sure what to do with this new food. But, I quickly learned that it can be played with or eaten. Not much of it made it into my mouth, and I wasn't so sure about the stuff that did. Obviously, this encounter wasn't really about calorie intake as much as exploration.

Crawling at Grandma & Grandpa Millers'

Here are some shots of me crawling at Grandma and Grandpa Miller's house (11/28). I also spent some time trying to grab Uncle Kevin's face, hair and tongue. I had the hardest time getting the tongue. It was really slippery and he kept pulling it back in his mouth and smiling. I plan on getting it someday soon though...

Pulling myself up!

I can't believe mommy got this on camera! This is the first time that I pulled myself up from sitting. I was trying to get mom's cell phone off the desk (I was thinking of calling my girlfriend Violet), but once I got my hand on the phone, I promptly dropped it on the floor.

Nov. 28th, 2009

Mommy's note: Since this picture, Tanyon has been pulling himself up in his crib and various other places in the house. Once he pulls himself up, he is trying to take a few steps. The hardwood floors and slippery socks often prevent him from doing so successfully, but we are trying to put shoes on him more often. He is ready to move though! He is starting to not want to be held all of the time. Often, he wants to be placed on the ground to explore. Tanyon can crawl with great purpose now. Some of his biggest motivators are curtains, shoelaces, and Emma's paws. He also likes to push empty boxes and plastic bottles around the room.

Thanksgivings

First Thanksgiving with the Miller Family...

Hanging with Grandma Kathy:

Uncle Kevin really wanted to be in the blog:

Dad, Aunt Sheila, and Grandpa:

Sofie the Giraffe got to make a guest appearance:

Friday Thanksgiving with Mommy's Family...

Dancing with Crazy Aunt Julia:

Banging on pots and pans with Aunt April:

Loving on my grandma:

Learning to play the spoons with Great Grandma Marilyn:

Group shot:

Eating Habits

Here are a few things I have starting doing while I am in my high chair eating. None of them seem to help mom or dad get the food down any faster, and most of them I find quite amusing.

Sucking my thumb in between bites:

Pursing my lips and breating through my nose:

Laughing and being overall silly:

Staring off into space, forgetting what I am supposed to be doing:

Leaning my head to the side and wanting to be fed at a different angle:

Bath Toys!

OK, so I haven't been the happiest with bath time recently. Mom thought I needed a change in the routine, so she brought out some bath toys that were given to us by the Kochs. It was immediate fun! "This is what bath time has been missing," I thought. I sat in the tub for much longer than normal, enthralled with my new balls and fish. I even let mom soap me down pretty well. However, she brought out that pesky camera again...

Please mom, I said no naked pictures!

Whatever, it appears you are going to take some, despite what I say...

Well, if you insist on flash photography, let me show you my good side...

That was so much fun, drying off isn't even an issue anymore...

Taking some steps

On November 20th, mom put me in my crib so that I could stand while hanging on to the railing. I decided then, that it was time to show off my new skills in walking. Without help, I walked several steps while holding on to the railing. When I got to the corner, I transferred my hands and moved to the other railing. Mom may have been motivating me on the other side of the crib, but nonetheless, I was quite proud of myself.

A New Habit While Eating...

Sometimes, when mom feeds me close to bed time, I can't help but rub my eyes. It doesn't matter what is on my hands, I am simply tired. So, when I rubbed my eyes the other night while eating peas, carrots and oats, mom couldn't help but snap a few shots of my face. She promptly took out the wet wash cloth and wiped me down... I hate that part...

Playing on the floor

Now that I am trying to crawl a bit, my parents have started letting me play on the floor more. Often, mom or dad sit on the floor with me. One of my favorite things to try to grab are their shoe laces. In this picture, I actually get my hands on mom's shoe. The next thing I did was put the laces in my mouth. As you can see, I am not too pleased with the taste...

I also love to crawl up to Emma and try to touching her paws. At first, Emma was not really sure about this. Everytime I got close to touching them, she would curl her paws under, or move her legs. Now, however, she lets me grab any part of her without moving away. I think she actually likes being near me. The other day, mom walked out of the room to grab something for just a second, and Emma came into the room to lay next to my blanket and watch me. She is such a good girl. I rewarded her with a little hand holding.

Sippy Cup

Here I am learning how to use a sippy cup. Mom took off the drip valve, so I don't have to suck for the water to come out. If she is helping me drink, it is not too difficult to get the water in my mouth. But, sometimes, she lets me do it all by myself. Although it is harder to do, it is lots of fun and I get really wet!

Grandpa Matt's 50th Birthday

Mom spent weeks preparing for Grandpa's Big 50th Bash. I tried to help when I could, but many of the tasks were simply beyond my ability. Overall, the party went well. Many of Grandpa's family and friends came to celebrate. Here are a few of the highlights:

The night before the big party for Grandpa...

Getting fed by Grandma Joan:

One of my new favorite activities, airplane flying...upside down!

The party was my first experience with stranger anxiety. I wanted to stay pretty close to mom and dad.

I let Aunt April hang out with me a bit. Here I am a little tired:

When it was time to feed, I showed off all of my new skills and gained quite a crowd.

Keller came by and I was ready to play with him.

Aunt Marisa got a little play time too...

Another of my new favorite activities is pretending to be a human vacuum cleaner. I crawl around the floor looking for little things to pick up:

Hanging out with some of the fam. As you can see, I am more interested in pulling mom's hair than posing for the picture.