Hide and Seek

Tanyon has been getting to be a much better hide and seek player lately.  He used to jump out of his hiding spot as soon as you started looking, but now he is waiting patiently for you to find him. He was playing a game with Paul a couple of weeks ago and this is what Paul saw from one side of our bedroom door:

Despite pretending we didn't know where he was and standing really close to the door talking about it, Tanyon never budged.  So, I got the camera and flashed it behind the door.  He finally realized he had been caught.

1/20/12

Chopsticks

1/18/12

At my baby shower, one of my coworkers got Tanyon special training chopsticks from Shanghai, where she spends a month each summer teaching.  Tanyon was so excited about the chopsticks that he insisted on using them to eat every meal for many days in a row.

Shower for Baby Boy #2

On 1/18/12 my lovely Wright Charter School staff threw me a "surprise" baby shower.  It was a very sweet gesture and I was overwhelmed with their generosity and enthusiasm. 

Knowing I loved my diaper service for Tanyon, they pulled money together to start the service for our new little guy:

Some of my amazing coworkers:

Sally made a flourless chocolate cake that was out of this world!:

My fellow preggie teacher, Audra, swang by before her own prenatal doctor's appointment:

Many of my colleagues handmade items for the baby.  I'm not quite sure where they found the time. A blanket from Terrena:

Ellen knit a very sweet sweater:

Judy made a train blanket, similar to the one Tanyon uses every night for bed:

There were also some fun toys and gadgets we can't wait to try:

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE KIND GIFTS AND SHOWERING OF LOVE!

Lego Creations

We got Tanyon duplo legos for Christmas and I have been amazed at how well he has played with them. Sometimes he looks at the brochure for ideas of things to build.  

Here is the house he made all by himself:

Here is a car he made:

A car he converted into a "Superhero":

1/14/12

Birthday Party Prep

Since we are getting so close to our due date with the littlest Baby Boy Miller, we decided to celebrate Tanyon's birthday a month early.  This way, I will not have to stress about having a get together with a new infant in the house. However, I am trying to be realistic about the fact that I am in my last month of pregnancy, so we are taking our time with this party and doing little bits at a time to prepare. First, I sat down with Tanyon and asked him to tell me who he wanted to come to the party.  After our list was complete, I caught him on camera writing his own list (basically copying the process we had just been through):

After a trip to the store, we put together goodie bags for the little kids who are coming to the party.  

Tanyon is very excited about the sports theme. He loves all things sports and playing with balls. 

Declan's Birthday

On January 8th, the family headed down to the Bay Area Discovery Museum for Tanyon's cousin Declan's birthday party. It was a gorgeous day on the bay! We spent some time checking out the water front before heading in. Tanyon liked watching the water and was thrilled to see his first pelican.

Once inside, we headed to the Tot Spot first.  Kids must be under 42" to enter. Out of curiosity, I measured Tanyon and he was just 2 inches under the maximum, which is funny, because there are still parts of the Tot Spot that he won't engage in because he is so cautious.

Inside the Tot Spot, he would go up the gopher/underground maze, but he won't drop down, because he is worried about falling. Meanwhile, many children way smaller than him had no problems doing it. On the pond side of the building, he still wouldn't go on the lily pads and pond, which are like little water beds. He doesn't like the instability. I hope he gets a chance to conquer these fears before he gets too tall to enter the building...

Outside the Tot Spot, Tanyon loved playing in the mock river with little plastic fish. We also checked out this cool feature that teaches kids about quail, their families, and predators.  Tanyon really liked getting all of the quail together with their family.

Since it was such a beautiful day, we spent most of the time engaging in the outdoor activities at the museum. On this one, children move washers up the rods and release.  As the washers move down, they make cool noises:

Inside the art room, Tanyon played with flubber, which was a lot like moon dough. Although fun, the room was a little crowded and we had just a little more time before the party.

Unfortunately, once the party began, we didn't have any time to take pictures.  Paul and I helped keep an eye on Declan's little brother Weston.  Between Tanyon and Weston we were busy eating, playing and running around outside. It was a great party though and we are grateful to Molly and Clay for inviting us.

Time with Quincy June

On Jan. 7th, Tanyon and I got the opportunity to watch Baby Quincy for a little while her mommy went to the grocery store. Tanyon was thrilled!  However, it was quite a learning experience for him. We had to have chats about being gentle. Once Quincy started to cry right after he had touched her arm and he thought he had hurt her, so he nearly started crying himself. He learned  that sometimes babies cry, it is not necessarily something you did wrong.  It was a great training opportunity for this future big brother and we hope to do it again soon.

Here we have propped Quincy on the pillows, so Tanyon could make silly faces at her better:

He couldn't help but sneak in a kiss:

Here he is reading books to her:

Tanyon did learn that babies love to be sang to, so he sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at least 12 times to Miss Quincy that evening.