Aunt Sheila Time

On Saturday, Feb. 21st, Aunt Sheila came over to hang out for a bit. I was so excited that I decided to try out my walker again. It had been gathering a little dust since my last fall. As you can see from below, I was thrilled to be back in the saddle again:

Realizing that there are fun things to play with on the front of the walker, slowly becoming disinterested in pushing it...

Over the standing and walking thing and looking to mom for a little comfort...

Happy to be sitting and relaxing in Sheila's arms. She is very good at reading books to me.

We had such a fun time with Sheila, that we planned another get together the next night. Mom and dad went on a mini-date to Russian River Brewery for some beer bites and Aunt Sheila dutifully. There was a lot of playing and book reading. When mom and dad came home, I wasn't quite sure that I wanted Sheila to leave. Luckily, I know she will come back again soon.

More February Fun...

Feb. 18th: I got to spend time with Grandma Joan. She watched me while mommy got to have a little alone time. We had big fun at the house and wandering the neighborhood. I can't wait until she comes by and watches me again.

Feb. 19th: Mom and I went over the the Vance house to meet brand new Baby Olivia. She is simply gorgeous! Mom got to hold her for a little bit while Nicole entertained me. I guess I was a little jealous, because when we went to leave, I tried to hold on to Baby Olivia! I tried to grab her, so mommy held back my hand. Then, I tried to lean in and kiss her, but mommy took a step back. So, I reached around with my other hand and VICTORY! I got to touch that sweet little baby for only a second before mom pulled me away. I guess I have to wait for her to grow up a little bit before we can really play.

Feb. 2oth: Hike at Olompali Park
Mom drove me down to Novato to meet Aunt April. We started the day with a hike around Olompali Park. At first, I did not want to be in the stroller again, but I tolerated it for a little while. There were way too many trees to look at and "Ohhhh" at. I can't wait for my carrier to be fixed, then I can be close to mom and closer to the trees.
I was happy when Aunt April was in front of me and I could see her:

Hey lady, that is my hat!

Getting a little snack after our hike:

After the hike, we went to a winery to see what it would be like for our friend Kat's wedding. Personally, I loved the place. It had loud big fountains, birds to look at and cool lights in the cellar. Mom and April, on the other hand, thought it was a little pricey for the set up that they offered. I guess they can't appreciate a place like I can.

Valentine's Day

For my first Valentine's Day, I got dad an awesome balloon. Mom thinks it is funny that I am picking out presents for him that I would like. Actually, to set the record straight, I was a little afraid of the balloon at first, but eventually I warmed up to it. It is particularly funny when the balloon hits mom in the head.

When I was napping, I got a surprise valentine through the mail slot from my friend Sabrina who lives down the road. She is 2. Afer I woke up, mom and I set out to make a valentine to send back. Below is my finest effort, and my first ever coloring. Mom had to help keep the pen upright, but I did an amazing job moving the pen back and forth. When we went to deliver the valentine, Sabrina out delivering other valentines. I guess I am not the only one in her life, but that's OK, because I am a little young for committment yet.


The day after Valentine's Day, mom and I went on a hike with Angela up in Annadel. At first mom was going to put me in the carrier, but the strap broke. Then, mom put me in the stroller, which I was not happy about. After finally resting for a little bit in the stroller, I wanted to be out. Mom then carried me for over an hour through the park. At that point, I had also wet my pants and mom forgot the diaper bag in the car. So, she peeled off most of the wet clothes and I went down the trail in her arms, wearing a onesie, sun hat and socks. It was awesome! I shrieked at each tree and person I saw. Mom and Angela couldn't believe what a good mood I was in for being tired, hungry and wet. When we returned to the car, I enjoyed a nice diaper change and mom enjoyed a rest from carrying me. Overall, it didn't go as bad as I thought it might, but nonetheless, mom says she will be a littl emore prepared next time.

Point Reyes

On Saturday, Feb. 13th, mom and I joined Grandpa, Teri, Mari and Marisa in celebrating Grandma Joan's birthday. The day started at the Farmer's Market area, where the adults looked for goodies to take home. Mom and I spent some time looking at the animals that some of the farmers brought. Here I am petting my first rabbit. I wasn't sure what to think about it, but I got a few pets in.
Most of the morning, we roamed around the town looking in shops and I got to makes eyes at all of the people passing by. Many of them loved my new monkey hat from Teri, purchased that day in Pt. Reyes Station. Below I am getting a shoulder ride from mom, which is one of our favorite things to do together now.

After hiking for a bit in Pt. Reyes State Park, we went back to town to eat. My teeth were bothering me a bit, so I took turns eating bites and chewing on Sofie.

Since I actually slept for most of the hike, I enjoyed a little time walking after lunch.

It was nice to spend some time with Aunt Marisa, we don't get to do it nearly enough.

We finished the day by having celebratory dessert at a nice restaurant. I got to try some butterscotch creme brulee from Aunt Mari. It was super delicious. Come to think of it, I think it was my first dessert ever! WOOHOO! I have to hang out with these ladies more often. Towards the end of the evening, it was harder and harder to get good pics of me; although, Aunt Mari did her best and mom was very grateful that she remembered a camera. I don't remember what Grandma Joan and I are looking at here, but it was amusing...

When we got home that night, I was crawling around and slipped. My face hit the ground and i got my first busted lip. When mommy got to me, my mouth was full of blood. Daddy calmly brought me to the kitchen and cleaned up my mouth. They were thankful to find only one small cut caused by one of my bottom teeth. I was pretty upset though. I just wanted to be held by my dad and given a wet cold rag to suck on. The good news is that after some cuddling and a bottle, I was asleep in no time and the next day I didn't even remember what happened.

A few outings worth mentioning

February has been a busy month so far!

On Saturday, Feb. 6th, we went to our friend Richard's 30th birthday party. I was a bit tired and a little shy of the adults, but it quickly turned around when I saw Richard's gorgeous nieces and young friends. There were several kids to play with. I sort of fell for this one girl, Odessa...she is Richard's niece. She had on a pretty blue and white striped dress that I had to get my hands on. Odessa also said she liked the way I "slithered" across the floor. She may be 3 years older than me, but I think we had a connection. Mom and dad took me home before cake, because it was way past my bed time. So, I couldn't nail down any digits, but I have a feeling that I will be seeing her again.

Superbowl Sunday was a little excitement to our otherwise mellow routine. Mom and dad took me for a run around the MacDonald Mansion neighborhood. Dad was telling someone something about burning off calories before eating junk and becoming a couch potato (whatever that means). The weather was beautiful though and we opened all of the blinds to enjoy it from inside. Mom and I played most of the afternoon while dad made comments at the television. Our friend Jeff came by before work to watch some of the game with dad and to play a bit with me. I am usually a little nervous when someone new comes around, Jeff seems to really "get" me. He lets me warm up to him from across the room first, then he lets me make the first move in the friendship. By the end of his time at our house, I let him hold me and hang out. That evening we were fortunate to also see our friends Emily and Chloe. I slept part of the time that they were here, but in the end I got to spend a little time with them as I ate dinner and they caught up with mom and dad.

Wednesday, Feb. 10th, dad's best friend from high school and his family visited. Ben and Cat now live in Maine with their kids Joshua and Hannah. They were really nice and I was immediately drawn to Joshua. He played a little with me and my toys at the house and he told some great stories. Hannah was a little more shy, but she was very sweet. We went out to dinner at Mary's Pizza. Mom brought cheerios for me, so I didn't get to order off the menu like everyone else. In fact, I thought that everyone maybe needed to pay a little more attention to me, so I started yelling in the restaurant. I wasn't upset, I just wanted to exercise my voice a bit. Mom was thankful that the restaurant was big and loud anyway, but nonetheless she shushed me a few times. What really made me stop, however, was her picking me up and playing with me. Hannah ended up falling asleep on her daddy's lap and I showed signs of tiredness, so the night ended early. Dad was very happy to have seen his old friend again though.

On Friday, Feb. 12th, we went to our regular mommy walk with Becca and Violet. This time Violet was extra talkative and smiley. She seems to be maturing a bit and becoming more comfortable in her own skin. In fact, instead of me grabbing her hand, she actually reached for mine this time. I was a little caught off guard. Mom thinks it is adorable and kept commenting on how cute Violet is. I have to say, I agree with her!

Crawling to my favorite room in the house

I have a new crawl and everyone seems to love it. I am now on my knees and forearms. Grandpa Paul and Grandma Kathy think I move my legs at double the speed of my arms, which creates a fun little wiggle.

Mom and dad can't believe how fast I can go and it seems like every chance I get, I am headed for one of two places: Emma's water bowl, or the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, I head to the bath tub to pull myself up and try to turn on the water, or I head to the toilet to play with the bolts, or try to flush the handle. On a good day, mom or dad will forget to put the toilet seat down, and I can try to reach my hand into the water.

I do also have a new game called hide and seek from around the door frame. I will crawl out of the room, checking first that everyone is looking at me. Then, I crawl around the door jamb, just out of sight of those in the room, and I sit very still. When they ask, "Where is Tanyon?" or "Where is the baby?", I will lean my head around the corner and laugh at them. I won't let them see me for too long though. I quickly go into hiding again and wait for the magic questions.

Overnights in Middletown

Lately, you will find me in Middletown on Friday nights. Grandpa and Teri watch me while mom and dad have a date night. It has been a blast! One night this month, I got Teri one-on-one the entire evening. The next time, I got to hang out solo with Grandpa Matt. In Middletown, we hang out with the animals. This last month they had some new arrivals for me to look at. Baby lambs are being born weekly. They are so cute! The older ones sometimes bleat loudly and scare me, but these little ones are right up my alley.