19 months

10-16-10

The day started out with a healthy breakfast of yogurt and bananas

After a quick clean up, mom dressed me in my newest seasonal shirt. She found it particularly funny, because she was a big biter when she was a kid. I only bite when I am teething...
"Whoa!"

Spaced out:

"I'm not looking at you...":

"Hey, what's going on there behind the camera?! Hi, Mom!":

After taking a few pictures, mom and I did some drawing. She drew a pumpkin, ghost, and bat, then she asked me to color each one in. Before, she just let me scribble anywhere on the page, but that was getting boring. I was thrilled to try something new. I didn't do so bad, considering it was my first time trying to color in the lines...

Next, mom and I went to Middletown to spend part of the day with Papa and TeTe. Mom wanted to watch the Cal v. USC game with everyone, but after the first half, it was such a terrible blow out, that we just played in the yard. Here I am with another seasonal top mom had just found at Target:

I showed off my new singing skills and I rehearsed parts of "Wheels on the Bus:"

I spent some time playing ball with Keller, TeTe, mom and Papa. Here I am telling everyone that I am holding a "BIG ball:"

Papa took me for a tractor ride at least 3 times while we were there. He even let me steer! It was definately the highlight of the day.

Academy of Sciences

On Oct. 8th, Nana and Bapa took us to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It was my first time there. Mom and dad hadn't been since they remodeled it.

Here I am ready to go:
The first stop was the rain forest exhibit. Unfortunately, the humidity in the room made a fog on mom's camera:

While in the rain forest, Nana pointed out all of the fun things to see. Together we spotted birds, butterflies, fish, and more:

Here I am checking out a frog. If you look really closely, you can see it on the left edge of the picture. Once I finally spotted these small green and black creatures, I couldn't help but shouting out, "Ibbit" and "Hop!"

After the rain forest, we took the elevator down to the aquarium portion of the Academy. Here I am with Nana and Bapa checking out the overhead fish:

I really enjoyed the fish that were at my level. In the aquarium, they had whole walls of glass, so I could see the fish move well:

This is me explaining to Nana that I see fish in sign language:

While in the aquarium, I ran from tank to tank, pulling Nana and Bapa along for the ride. The Academy was very thoughtful and made some small tanks at just my level. One of my favorite sea creatures was the seahorse. Once I discovered its name, I kept neighing and running over to it.

Next we went upstairs to see the swamp exhibits:

Although the African Animals were not real, I found them fascinating nonetheless. Below, Nana and I are checking out the zebras, which I call "ebra."
We spent quite a while watching the penguins. Below, mom captured a picture of one of the only swimming penguins, all the others didn't seem to want to perform for us.

At the end of the day, I was very tired. Nana got me a stuffed penguin to help remember the trip. Here I am showing everyone what sleeping and cuddling looks like:

Still smiling after a long day:

On the way home, Bapa insisted on sitting next to me, so we could read books together. I was quite thrilled with that:

Eating an Apple

On 10/5, I asked mom if I could have an apple. She handed me one and I walked outside to sit on the step to eat it. When she followed me out, I patted the spot next to me, asking her to sit down next to me. Emma joined us. I think she was hoping I would drop the apple...
I like to eat apples (and most fruit) whole. It is fun trying to take big bites. So, if you ever offer me fruit, please don't cut it up first. It is just not as fun.

Wall Ball

The latest game in our house involves throwing the ball against the wall and laughing.

Aunt April's Birthday

Aunt April was kind enough to spend her birthday with me. The day started out with waffles topped with whipped cream and raspberries. I especially enjoyed the whipped cream.
Aunt April opened some of her gifts and cards during breakfast.

The big event of the day was going to the Oakland Zoo. Although I decided not to nap in the car on the ride down, I was pretty excited and happy to be at the zoo. We started by checking out the monkeys. I did my best monkey impression for them. I think they liked it. Then we saw Giant Tortoises and played on the frogs.

Here I am checking out the lemurs with dad. Our friends Jeff and Tara are in the background.

The giraffes were really neat. Mom had to drag me away from the rail after awhile. I'm not sure if it was because she wanted to move on, or because I was licking it.

Towards the end of the day, I did get a little tired. However, mom and dad saved the best for last...the elephants. They were amazing!

Overall, it was a great day! Aunt April had invited one of her friends who brought her 2 year old boy, Aris. We became friends pretty fast. I would point to the animals and make their noises, and he would tell me everything he knew about them. Halfway through the trip, we decided to help each other walk from animal to animal by holding hands.

At the end of the day, we all gathered around our friend Jeff's cell phone and listened to the end of the Giant's game. There were high fives all around when we heard they won and they would be headed to the playoffs.

Words and Sounds

Here are some of the words and sounds I use to identify some of my favorite animals.