So Much to Say

I feel like I have been slacking on posting lately, and I really don't know why. I guess somehow it was easier to post and take lots of pictures when Z was little. He was doing new things less often. Nowadays, I feel like he is a different person every day! It's like there is so much to report and yet nothing to report at the same time! I went home last night and attempted to take some pictures for inspiration. Then I remembered why I had stopped. The minute he sees me with the camera, he is all over me trying to take it from me. Or maybe that's because he's not used to seeing it because it has been so long... Either way, it has become rather challenging.

I also thought I would run through a typical day so that I could remember our life with a single 1 year old in the house. Z wakes up usually around 6:30 or 7. We wake up, around the same time, get him, change him, and he goes straight to his highchair, where he gets his first breakfast. He usually eats cheerios while we are getting ready. He takes off with dad to school, where he quickly has his second breakfast. The teachers say he has a most voracious appetite, eating adult sized portions of things like pancakes or cheese toast. I usually watch him throughout the day on the webcams. He naps (along with the rest of the class) from about 11:30 to 1:30 or 2:00. He also happens to be one of the better nappers in the class. He eats a few more times, and I pick him up around 5 or 5:30, then we get home and begin the evening routine of eating, bathing, reading, then bed. Nick gets home between the last two activities, except on days when he misses him completely, which kinda throws Z's routine. Nick gets to love on a clean, tired child for about 5 or 10 minutes, then Z hits the bed at 7 sharp. Z is pretty serious about his bedtime routine. When I mention the word bath, he smiles widely and crawls into his bathroom (it (along with his room) is on the main floor where we usually eat and play). He also likes to read a minimum of 3 books. His favorites are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Hungry Caterpillar, Very Busy Spider, and Time for Bed.

 Then, we become normal adults for the remainder of the evening, doing such civilized things as cooking, watching TV, talking about our days, etc. That is, of course, when I don't pass out at 7:02... Admittedly, that does happen occasionally, but only when I've had a particularly busy day or Z has been a particularly challenging child. It is a running joke that Nick has to fend for himself sometimes. Sorry, I'll try to get better about that.

Z gets into everything he possibly can. Some of his favorite things to do include:

Throwing things (such as food and sippy cup) on the floor
Taking things out of containers
Handing you items
Waving, giving high fives, clapping, sometimes while exclaiming something in Z language

Pulling up on things and cruising
Attempting to open cabinets, drawers, etc. and getting into the pantry whenever he sees the door open

We have gotten where he will follow me into my room or my closet on the rare occasions that I have time to change my clothes before the bedtime sequence is initiated. He finds something to play with in each and every room we enter.

Z's little personality, ever-changing, is becoming more playful, or as we like to call it goofy (the goofiness, he gets from his dad) lately. He plays several games with us. One where he likes to shake his head then bust out laughing. He usually plays that one with Nick. And, one where, he looks down for a few seconds (sometimes sticking his lower lip out), then bursts into laughter. I tried to capture that face last night.