13 Months and Loving Life

Today Zev figured out how to bang the balls down a maze with a plastic hammer on the cool toy Shawn and Joss gave him for his 1st birthday.


Here's a slide show of photos taken recently with Grandma Lynette and Omi, also with Daddy and Eva at Zev's friend Isabelle's 3rd birthday party at Pump It Up.

If the slideshow appears too far off center, reload the page and it should correct itself.

New Skills, More Thrills

As the title suggests, Zev has become quite the thrill seeker. His spirited belly flops off of the ottoman and somersaults off the top of the couch have sent me flying to catch him more than once. Perhaps I've encouraged this free-spirited fearlessness by clapping every time he fell a few months ago when he began walking. I clapped to avoid running to him and showing my anxiety at every tumble. Now running and falling down is in vogue, and Zev rarely cries over a spill.
Our little neanderthal is rapidly becoming homo sapian. In recent weeks his vocabulary, understanding, and sense of abstraction has grown immensely. Here is a list of words Zev says often, pronounciation following:
Mama
Dada
Stella (sella)
Please (peeeeaaas) and does the sign for it
Bye-bye
Hot (hah, hah) says when he sees steam while we're cooking or if we blow on his food
More (mo)
Milk (mih, mih)
Water (wahwah)
Cheese (jzzeeeez)
Banana (bah or bahna)
Ball (bawh)
All done (Ah-duhhhn) only said this a few times, haven't heard it in awhile
Down (Dow, dooowwww!!!!) says it when Stella tries to take food off of the table
Out (Owwww!!!! Ah-oowwww!!!) says it when Stella tries to take his food or gets to close to the table while he's eating, unless it's something he's trying to get rid of!

Animal noises:
Lion (rawr)
Bear (Rrrrr)
Dog (uhh, uhh)
Horse (mm-nnnay)
Sheep (bah)
Pig (he snorts)
Cow (Mmmmmuh)

Body parts he easily identifies on himself, mama and dada:
Nose
Eyes
Ears
Hair
Head
Tongue
Mouth
Teeth
Chin
Belly
Hands
Fingers
Toes
Feet
(learning arms & legs)

Favorite Activities:
Climbing, walking, pretending to get water from his play kitchen (and all things play kitchen), playing with his toys (the farm is very popular right now), riding on his 'truck', playing recorder, harmonica & kazoo, flipping through books and being read to, hugging mama, dada, Stella and all stuffed animals, chasing Stella to give her hugs, giving Stella treats, dancing, throwing the ball (more like dropping it), sweeping the grass with his broom, picking flowers from our backyard, climbing onto and sitting in the lawn chair, feeding himself with a spoon or spork (not much gets into the mouth), throwing trash into the garbage can, waving, socializing with other toddlers, sharing his toys with mama, dada and Stella.

More harmonica playing, this time with goggles

Zev is leaning toward harmonica as his favorite instrument. He's experimenting more with breathe and pitch. He's been wearing the goggles a lot lately.

Zev's 1st Birthday, Play Kitchen and Yoga in the Sun

Lots to cover so I'll just put up some photos and tell the story visually.
Zev's 1st Birthday was incredibly fun. As you can see, Zev loves birthday cake. Just click on the slideshow to access all of the photos from Picasa.

Zev's new kitchen from Grammy Ray and Grandpa Jerry. This is a gift from heaven - for me. Zev loves to play in it while I'm cooking!



and here's Zev giving Stella a hug followed by some yoga in the sun

Renaissance Baby

Harmonica, kazoo, recorder. Yes, Zev plays three instruments. He's almost ready for Interlochen.

Zev's New Best Friend

We adopted Stella two nights ago and she is already part of the family, like she's been here for years.
Now that he's comfortable with her, Zev has been giving Stella lots of hugs and kisses. He puckers up and tries to land one on her mouth but her tongue gets to him first. Zev is content to follow Stella around, panting when she does and identifying her eyes, nose and tongue. We have to watch out because he likes to poke at our eyes, then his, to show us he knows what they are, but I don't suppose Stella enjoys it too much. You wouldn't know though because she's so calm and gentle.

Lions and Cows and Noses Oh My!

The long awaited conversation has begun: Zev can now communicate the sounds of at least two animals and can correctly identify nose, ears, eyes, teeth and tongue! Turn up the volume to hear Zev's animal sounds. At Mrs. Tiggywinkle's toy store today Zev saw the giant stuffed dinosaur and immediately proclaimed "RAAAARRRRR." He's also begun helping mommy and daddy put the Duplo blocks back into their bin after playing with them. It's amazing to watch the world unfold in front of his curious eyes. He soaks it all up like a sponge. We're so thrilled that we'll have another baby in March. Zev loves to socialize with other children.