Another side of New York City...

Mom and Dad loaded me up this past Thursday and took me off on another trip to New York City. Mom again had some work to do, so Dad and I came along for the ride. I got to ride on the train again, except this time, since I'm walking now, I got to wander around the train a bit. Mom and Dad were pretty impressed that I was able to keep my balance as well as I did on a moving train. I'm getting pretty good at this walking thing, and even though the train was a challenge...I nailed it!!

The trip up wasn't bad, and we arrived in time to check out the Tim Burton exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibit showcased a TON of Tim Burton's early sketches, notes, and movie props throughout the years. Dad has been jonesin' for this trip since he heard about it. Mom was also pretty excited, but in a more reasonable way.

Mom was super cool, and pushed me around in my stroller, while Dad got to walk around, since he was so excited about it. She got to see a lot, but after awhile, Dad took over, so she could see some stuff she missed, and all three of us really enjoyed ourselves, in spite of the crowds.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the exhibit, so you can just take my word for it that it was a cool exhibit, but WAY too crowded.

I got to take a few peeks at some items that were actually at baby eye level (which weren't really very many...thanks MOMA) I was REALLY bugged out by a scarecrow prop that was in the movie section of the exhibit, (As seen below) but beyond that...it was a very good time.

Next time, let's try and work on some crowd control, and put a few more things down at my eye level. Thanks in advance.

Mom had a last minute suggestion, after the museum since we didn't have any specific plans...

F...A...O...SCHWARZ!!

Our hotel was in a different spot this time, and the weather was gorgeous, so we walked down for our first visit to this famous, AMAZING toy store...I haven't really had many opportunities to go to a toy store...I pretty much just take what I've been given, and move on from there...

Now that I could walk, Mom and Dad thought it'd be fun to let me walk around this huge toy store, in addition to my stylish ride.

I got to watch some other kids work at the Muppet Workshop, where they were building their own Muppets. It was SO cool...Mom noticed that at the top of the display, there were some animatronic squirrels, which were a lot of fun to look at. Of course, they only tended to move when you blinked, and so it was fun, but frustrating at the same time...

It was totally worth the wait when one of the toy squirrels finally moved at the right time, and we got to see it.

As it often happens, I had to get my diaper changed mid-visit...and let me tell you....FAO Schwarz knows how to set up a classy changing room...

From the mood lighting, to the earthy colors that accent the room...the provided wipes, and classy artwork...everything was so lovely. I could have hung out in there for quite some time...just unwinding and relaxing...

But there were other babies that had to be changed, and more toys for me to see, so we carried on...

Mom let me run around a bit after she changed me, and I made my way directly over to the collection of stuffed ducks and cows.

This was the first time I had seen so many of the same toy! I mean...I get to have one of any toy I own...but here, there were dozens of the same toy.

I decided to try and help the store out by bringing a few of the stuffed ducks down the aisle and putting them on a separate shelf. I figure that spreading them out throughout the store would give them more chances to be purchased, and also to get some space to themselves. (Dad went around and put them all back where they belonged after I was done...eh. I tried.)

While I walked around, a tub toy caught my eye. It seemed like a simple toy: A whale that acted as both a shape sorter, and floating toy, where you could squeeze the tail and have water shoot out of its blow hole. I started pulling several of them off the shelf, and tried to make it look pretty obvious to Mom and Dad that it was the one toy I wanted from this place...

They got the hint, and I got to take it with us! I carried it throughout the whole store, and the guy ringing us up was smart enough to get the toy back to me quickly enough so that I didn't miss it too much and start crying...

Last but not least...we visited the Big Piano...yep. THAT Big piano...I watched a few kids dancing on the keys, and making music come out of it, just like the classic Tom Hanks/Robert Loggia moment in the film "Big".

I knew that I was too small to go on the keyboard (Mostly because I was too light to make the keys light up and play music) but I really enjoyed watching it (With my new toy in hand, of course) I watched for a few minutes, and Mom and Dad promised they'd take me back soon so I could run around on the Big piano!

Mom and Dad figured that there were certain sections of the store that I wouldn't appreciate until I was a bit older, so they promised that they'd take me back here someday soon.

We walked across the street and ate at a place called "PopBurger" which was actually pretty good. It was a small, hole in the wall place that was surprisingly roomy, and had some pretty tasty food. Mom and Dad really enjoyed the place, while also giving me some french fries and hamburger...Mom says that they "Created a Monster" by giving me french fries...which I don't think is accurate at all.

I merely want french fries all the time, now.

You'll note the appearance of my tub toy on the table...yeah, I wasn't letting THAT thing out of my sight anytime soon.

On Friday, while Mom went to work, Dad met a friend for breakfast that he hadn't seen since college (About ten years ago!!) After that we met up with Mom, so we could all walk around together. We had a quick lunch (Where I got to try a few strawfuls of a Black and White shake, which was just superb!) and then started walking around...until we headed on over to Penn Station to wrap up our trip and head home...

The train ride was really hard, since I hadn't quite napped as much as I had wanted to, and our train was not only late, but also had to stop in Philadelphia for almost an hour because some of the doors on our train weren't closing.

Suffice to say, I also wasn't allowed to run around on the train as much as I had been on the way there...

All in all, another successful trip! We had a lot of fun, and even managed to enjoy our tiny tiny hotel room.

Next up...we go back in time to take a look at my recent trip to Connecticut last weekend...my first of 2010, and my first trip to CT since I started walking!!

My room is all done!!

So...one of the reasons for moving out to Bethesda was to have more space in our apartment. This led to me getting my very own room. A few weeks ago, everything came together, and we finished setting everything up. I figured I'd share a few glimpses into my new digs.

You also get a good look at all of the toys and books that people have generously given me over the last 14 months (and beyond!) The toys and books are all cleaned up, and placed where they go at night. Mom and Dad have incorporated cleaning up into my bedtime routine, and I help where I can.....so behold! My room! (or at least one angle of it.)

Now, don't get me wrong...I miss Mom and Dad being right there. I would LOVE to be peeking out from the bars of my crib to watch the last moments of sleep slip away as I called out to them...it was fun, and we all were like one happy little family in there...

...but a time comes when a guy needs his own space. So we moved into a bigger place, and I got my own room! It's actually the first bedroom, and it even has a closet! It has a large window that Mom and Dad sometimes let me look out. Granted, it's not the best view ever, but I do get to look out at Bethesda, and love watching the cars driving by and the people walking around.

As we unpacked, my room managed to be the only one that we weren't storing stuff in. In was kept uncluttered, and pure.

We bought me a new dresser first....although really, you could have kept it in the box and I would have enjoyed it just the same...

We had gone to IKEA for the first time, and Mom and Dad picked out a nice little dresser for me. Once Dad started working on it, I appointed myself Chief Inspector. I wanted to be able to check out Dad's work, and make sure that it was up to snuff. After all, this dresser was going to house a majority of my clothes, and also I was going to be laying on top of that thing while I was being changed. I wanted to make sure Dad was getting all of the pieces together as he should be.

Yep...sure looks like everything was going according to plan. All the support pieces are in the right spots, and Dad has done a remarkable of making sure that everything is tight, without being too tight.

Since things were going so well, I figured it was time to have a little bit of fun! I loved crawling around the dresser while it was half built. I also enjoyed banging on the side of the dresser. It was really loud. The neighbors must love me.

I knew I'd REALLY miss being able to play in the dresser...but I knew it would help tie the room together and might be somewhat more practical in the long run as a storage vessel for clothing.

And finally, the coup de grace. Mom and Dad worked together (Mom on what is referred to as "Angela Height Stuff", and Dad on all the taller stuff) to paint my room a very nice shade of green called "Leapfrog". It is a nice neutral color, but it just really adds a lot of character to the room. The trim was left white because it really helped set off the green.

(And really...whatever happened to just "green"? Sidebar here...I went with my Dad to Sherwin Williams, and they had, like, a million different variations of each color with clever names like "Sands of Time" I mean, I held some of these paint chips right next to each other and I swear there were several instances of different colors looking exactly the same)

And to further illustrate the color scheme of the room, here is a quick shot of me playing with my magnet farm that Dad cleverly magnetized to the radiator, since I'm not allowed in the kitchen (See previous blog entry. :-( ) And yes, Dad made sure that the exterior of the radiator didn't get hot before he let me play with it.

I am LOVING my room right now! Stop on by and visit...I have plenty of space, now!

Defeating the Tunnel & My Last Day At Jonah's Treehouse

To keep you entertained while I am in Connecticut, I figured I'd share some of the fun I had during my last current session at Jonah's Treehouse.

Now last week, I managed a pretty huge feat: I crawled through a tunnel. Yes, the tunnels were a source of stress for me, and I hated going through them. (Miss Alice had tried to trick me into going through by rolling a ball into the middle, but I lay on my tummy, and stretched as far as I could to grab the ball, while letting the least possible amount of my body end up in the tunnel.)

This week, however, I couldn't resist...as the picture above shows, the ball trick clearly worked, and I crawled all the way through. I figured, it was one of the last obstacles I needed to overcome in my last weeks here, and I was gonna do it, no matter what. It was on my terms (Mostly) and I pulled it off. Dad was really excited, and managed to get a quick picture.

One thing you will NOT get me to do anytime soon is go under that stupid parachute. The only thing that keeps me sane, is the fact that bubbles come right after the parachute.

Besides the parachute, generally, the experience has been a lot of fun, but it's been a bit challenging also. When Mom and Dad signed me up, it was at a time that fit directly between my two naps...when I consolidated the two into one, I decided to drop that one nap right at the beginning of my JT session...so I was either half-in-the-bag, asleep, or crabby and wanting to sleep. Poor Dad.

But I rolled with it...and actually had a pretty good time. It was nice to roll this into my routine for the week, and to get to play on a huge playground with the other kids. Whether or not I'll continue depends on if Mom and Dad manage to find a time that works better for me in regards to my nap.

And then I may just change it up anyway. So...there's that. :-)

So, I took some final runs around Jonah's Treehouse to do my favorite things....

One more trip to the ball pit! (No pinching babies in there this time...) And as always, I took a few balls to carry with me throughout the rest of my play session.

One more run down the climbing ramp....I was actually heading towards a game of chicken with another kid that plays at JT, but Dad doesn't like to put pics of other people's kids online...I can't lie...at the end, I totally turned around and went back across the ramp, and absolutely lost this game of chicken.

I managed to do more climbing this time than any time before, mostly due to the fact that I was a lot more awake than usual. Dad kept me up, and amused in the car, and he helped keep me in a really good mood...I was interacting with kids left and right, talked a lot to Miss Alice, and even made it to the top of this mountain of squishy blocks...before being distracted by one of the balls from the ball pit which I insist on holding for most of the time while I'm there.

I will miss the play group, but will maybe end up back there again someday....until then, off to new adventures....

Coordination...

As time moves on, I seem to be getting better at a myriad of things without even realizing it! Now, obviously, there are some things that I am learning that I have to work pretty hard on (like walking) but other things I just kind of pick up on stuff because I see other people doing it, and not only do those things look like they might help me get around and make life easier, a lot of those things are a lot of fun!

I have been doing a lot of this stuff for weeks, but it's only now that I feel confident enough to share some of my accomplishments...Now granted...some of these things, like feeding myself, need a little bit more work...

And there are those that say reading the book upside down is a problem, but I prefer to think of it as looking at things from a different perspective....

But really...what it comes down to is learning new things, and applying those things to life. Learning stuff is never easy, but when you have a moment where something you've been trying to do without success finally works out. Not only do you feel accomplished, but the people around you clap and get excited. They're proud of you, and I love that feeling of making them happy, while also being happy myself.

But things still need work, and the work usually leads to fun, and rewarding feelings...like when 9 out of 10 times, I spill water all over myself when I try and use a grown-up cup (Or I fling water everywhere) but that 1 time it works...

...just feels so good...

Mom recently taught me to take a bow and say "Thank You" after doing something cool. (Although, when I say it, it sounds more like "Ah-Oooh")

In other news....Tonight, Dad and I hop in the car to head off to Connecticut! It's been a few months since I've been back, and I'm eager to show off my new walking, and all the new words I know...

Treated like a common criminal!

So....it's come to this...

A few weeks ago, Mom and Dad purchased, and subsequently installed a baby gate. Now, the gate was installed in front of the kitchen, because they didn't want me crawling around the cleaning supplies that hadn't been put away from the move yet, and getting into the broiler which is MUCH easier to open in this apartment than it was in the last one.

I assumed that this was temporary, and that sooner or later it would be removed. I was mistaken.

As soon as Dad installed it, I crawled right up to it, and pulled myself up to inspect this new intruder to my full-on reign of the apartment.

As you can see in the last picture below, I can tell where the gate latches, and in theory I know that Mom and Dad do something with a foot pedal to open it...but I can't push down on it hard enough to get it to open.

I DO enjoy rattling the bars when Mom or Dad close the gate on me, and I also like sneaking into the kitchen and locking THEM out sometimes. Unfortunately, this tricky little foot pedal has two sides, and they easily get back into the kitchen.

I may as well swap out the blue and green stripes for a black and white striped motif.

Like a criminal, ya know?

Or The Hamburglar.

Though I am quite busy with general baby activities, and social meetings, my quest to figure out how to open the gate is an ongoing one...

Soon.

Terra Cotta Warriors

While Gramma Mindy was here, we all went to The National Geographic Museum to see an exhibit about the Terra Cotta Warriors...


Here is NG's description of the exhibit...
...Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, (is) an exhibition featuring treasures from the tomb complex including 15 life-size figures, weapons, armor, coins, and more.

Basically, these farmers in China were digging a well, and they just happened upon this giant buried batch of about 6,000 life-sized warrior statues, and other such fancy baubles. I'm told that the site was the size of two football fields...

While I have never personally SEEN a football field, everyone always uses them to describe large things, so I assume they're pretty large.

I was given my very own ticket (Which some guy rudely tried to take at the opening of the exhibit) and was very excited to be seeing such a culturally enriching exhibit. Dad walked me around in the Bjorn, and Gramma Mindy also helped carry me. They were nice enough to let me get down and walk around, since there weren't a lot of people in the main hall. It was fun to look at the statues from that angle, and I had a great view of the little placards that had all the info about the statues.

While we were looking around the gift shop afterwards, I decided to start crying whenever we crossed a certain spot on the ground, so shopping for souvenirs was abbreviated. We also had to abbreviate a stop back in to take a picture with a Warrior replica. All that we have to show for it is a blurry Sasquatch-esque photo with Mom. Either way, we were all having a lot of fun!


Why was I crying, you ask? I don't know...I'm a baby, and I rarely make sense.

Gramma Mindy Visits!

This week, I have been busy busy busy!

Why, you ask? Well...this week, Gramma Mindy had a break from work, so she took a train down to visit us, here in Bethesda!

It was nice for me, since I got to hang out with Gramma Mindy A LOT! She was kind enough to bring another toy from back at Christmas and my birthday, which we had left behind because we didn't have room in the car...it was great, because it felt like a brand-new toy, even though I had already technically received it as a gift! What fun! It was a plastic duck toy that has a stick on the top of it, which lets you push it along in front of you. The feet flap along, and it makes a quack quack sound (which is one of my FAVORITES!)

Mom and Dad also got a lot of help from Gramma Mindy! They got to see two movies (Avatar, and Up in the Air...) and were able to FINALLY paint my room! Now, my room is all set up the way I want it, and all we have to do, is some tidying up in the closet.

Gramma Mindy and I did a lot! We hung out, sang songs, and I got to show off my new walking skills. We both had so much fun! She was here for four whole days, and left Sunday on the train.

She was even nice enough to let me help her with laundry! (And by help, I mean she let me play in the basket while she sorted and folded laundry. :-) )