Happy 2010

Mom and Hazel are still coughing and the weather still isn't cooperating with us, so Hazel and I had to make our own fun this week.

Hazel kicked things off by learning how to clap her hands. Sometimes she does it for fun and other times she does it because she is mad. We like it best when she laughs and claps at the same time. She is also now an expert at eating peas, sitting up and playing, grabbing magnets off the fridge and parts off our toy kitchen, and crawling around, mostly via the army crawl. She moves fast and with purpose, Dad likes to say. I say she just has a hankerin' for my toys.

Meanwhile, I have been busy growing. I have been eating more than usual. When we had breakfast at Austin Java with Zhenya a couple of weekends ago, I even ate two grown-up size orders of pancakes! Anyway, it's catching up with me. When Mom dressed me the other morning, she thought she'd try a pair of overalls on me that she thought wouldn't fit until next winter. But guess what - perfect fit!

I am still helping Mom out in the kitchen, with more enthusiasm than ever. The other day when she was working on making dinner, she got out the rice cooker and I pushed my chair over to the counter to help before anyone even asked me. The next morning when Dad asked me what I wanted for breakfast, I pointed at the bananas and the blender so they would know I wanted a smoothie. I am glad they are finally letting me help out in there.

I am also working on saying some new words. A couple weeks ago, I mastered "duck" and "book." On New Year's Day, Mom gave me a bath and I surprised her with a couple new words "yellow" and "bye." Then when we read a goodnight book, she helped me learn to say "O" when I point to that letter in my books. I have also been making the sound for the letter "S" when I see it.

My body is not the only thing that has been growing bigger. Dad said my afro was getting too gigantic and hard to wash, so he made Mom give me a haircut. Dad and Mom like my new style but Mom misses my curls. I don't have much of an opinion on the matter but getting my hair cut wasn't that fun, though the sheet Mom put on me was pretty funny.

We had a good time New Year's Eve. We wore wizard hats and Dad tried to show me how to play with a thing that pops out when you blow on it. My new year's resolution is to figure that out by next New Year's Eve.

Today we made the most of Dad's long weekend by meeting some friends at the Austin Children's Museum. We haven't been there for a while, and I especially liked the train, the elevator, the pretend kitchen, and a little pretend store with a cash register. I really liked the exhibits with buttons and balls.

For pictures of our new year's adventures, click here.