We’ve had lots of family visits the past six weeks, and Ari has had tons of fun with his grandparents and great Auntie. He’s had many trips to OMSI, the Children’s Museum, and the zoo!

First my parents came at the end of February and watched Ari for one full day when I was working. Then we managed on our own for a few days, then A.’s parents came and also watched Ari for one full day when I had to work (my work schedule didn’t match up so well with Ari’s new daycare schedule in February). A few days after they left, my aunt came to watch Ari so I could go to an appointment, then a couple weeks later my dad was in town for a few days, and A.’s dad was here one of those days. Whew! We really enjoyed sharing Ari’s new skills, going on fun outings, and having all the help!

Meanwhile, Ari’s teachers have commented that Ari’s been having “strong opinions” lately (hahaha…) and that with all the grandparent visits, he’s probably “had lots of wishes granted” and been “trying out new ways of getting wishes granted” or something like that. Very true!

In February, Ari also had his first dentist appointment. We went to a pediatric dentist and I appreciated how kid-oriented it was. Obviously the waiting room was very toddler- and kid-friendly, with toys and books, but also the area where he saw the hygienist and the dentist was just a cozy little room with a couch and a bunch of toys, and he sat on my lap on the couch for his exam, tooth brushing, and fluoride treatment. I wish I had taken a picture! It was such a cute, happy space. At the end, he picked a whale (to take home) out of a drawer of little stuffed animals.

Here is a photo from one zoo trip:

Out to breakfast at one of our favorite neighborhood spots, eating his “cereal”:

Another zoo trip:

Walking Andrew at Thousand Acres dog park, with a friend:

“More cereal!”

First teeter-totter ride:

Visiting with a very tolerant cat outside his school:

At another dog park:

Tired boy and dog:

Another rainy walk:

Waiting in line for breakfast:

You can see in these pictures how he’s kind of chewing on his cheeks – maybe because his molars are coming in. He’s been doing it a lot!

I think I’m going to do his photos every 3 months, now, until 2 1/2 or 3.

Taking the MAX to the zoo and children’s museum:

Playing with a new “yellow ball!”

He’s learned to kick!

Throwing rocks in the river at Thousand Acres – he also did some wading in the river and didn’t seem to mind his soaked shoes, socks, and pants at all!

Possibly his favorite thing right now is picking “yellow flowers!!”

The vocabulary development continues to be amazing to witness. He makes some sentences, such as “Read this book,” “Mommy do it,” and “Mommy read night-night books” (I’m definitely popular around here right now!). He knows colors (red, yellow, blue, green, pink, purple, orange), can count to ten, kind of sings the alphabet (super cute), and recognizes all the numerals and some letters in his books and on signs. He’s starting to memorize some of his books so he can “read” them along with us. He understands so much, too! Today he asked me for “cheese,” and I said, “I’m sorry, we don’t have any cheese. Do you want something else to eat?” and he said, “ba-nana!” Then, while eating the banana, he said, “applesauce!” so I gave him some applesauce. The other food he likes right now is burritos, so he’ll often say, “rito!” or “b’rito!”. I’ve also noticed that he’s starting to say “wa-ter” sometimes instead of “wawa.”

Physically, he can kind of run now, although with small steps, so I have to watch him even more closely. He can “march” and “stomp”, and today a friend taught him “big steps”, which he found hilarious.

He can be sooo trying sometimes (usually my fault, when I’m just not in a patient mood…) – I’m just not even going to go there in this post! – but he’s also SO MUCH FUN!! Today I was looking at him and just wanted to cry with how much I love him and thinking about how fortunate I am that we’re healthy and that I can afford to feed him and I get to spend time with him and send him to a good daycare, etc., etc. It’s nice that he’s young enough that he’ll do kisses with me and doesn’t mind me hugging him and telling him how cute he is and how much I love him!