The big event today was a party at Laura and Chris’s house in the evening. They were visiting from China for the holidays and had some people over. The Doughty’s were there with Olivia, who is a week younger than the boy, and the Finfer’s were there with Hannah, who is not yet two. He was shy at first, and gave Hannah a “no kissing” brush off when she went in for one, but after some cake and cookies, he warmed up and started running around the house with Olivia, petting Polo, a super fat weiner dog, and talking to just about anyone. He also really enjoyed pushing the button on the “robot” (a, for him, life sized Storm Trooper figure that talked) and pretending he was a dog. Oh, and there was a lot of door opening and closing. A lot. From both him and Olivia. It seems to be a thing with their age.

One of the things I’d like to do this year is post something about the boy every day. It may not be much each day, but I’d like to chronicle a year of his life now that he’s changing so much and so quickly. So here goes. 
Tonight, in the hour before his bedtime, I wasn’t feeling well and was sitting in bed. He was on the bed and we were playing with his Hot Wheels while his mother cleaned his room. Every ten minutes or so our play would be interrupted by me experiencing a wave of nausea, and he’d give me a thoughtful look and then smile and say, “Hey, I know! Feel better with… grape juice!” And he’d give me some grape juice and wait for me to smile. Or it’d be strawberries, which he’d go get from the other room and carefully carry in on a plate. Or his red plastic car that he calls Lightning McQueen, which he’d show me and exclaim how “HUUUGE” it was compared to the cars we had. He was concerned, wanted me to feel better and formulated multiple plans to make that happen. And it worked every time. 

October saw his first visit to Kiddy Acres, first jack-o-lantern and first library visit. We had a NASA flight suit for him to wear for halloween, but he didn’t like it. He wound up being a train engineer and loved it. We got him a Thomas the Train hat and it’s the first hat he wouldn’t immediately tear off his head.

The boy loves trains. Buses and trucks and race cars and planes, too, but especially trains. We’ve spent a lot of time at the Thinkery playing with their big train set, seeking out trains like the Zilker Zephyr that he can ride, and buying small trains for his home track.

Oh, and I included that Nest Cam picture because, for a week or so after his mother told him she watches him through the camera to make sure he’s safe in bed, whenever he would wake up he would grab the camera, look into it and yell, “HELP ME! HEEEELP MEEEE!” until we picked him up, smiling the whole time. That’s the closest I got to capturing a picture.

Molly made us wait until at least his 2nd birthday, and in the end it was harder than I’d expected, but the boy got his first haircut on 08/30/15. It happened at the dining room table and we distracted him by sticking minion stickers all over him. I wish I’d gotten some better pictures of the event, but sometimes these things just happen and you don’t have time to set up the shot. Or clean the house.

Clean cut boy the next day.

Nate turned two on Thursday the 27th, and had a birthday cupcake for dinner.

We had a family party on Sunday the 30th at Central Market, where he got to play with his cousins, get presents and be the center of attention. Attending were all his grandparents, Uncle Matt and Aunt Camden, Uncle Ian and Aunt Heather, and his cousins Nick, Aidan and Mason. He had a great time.

Click for movie until I can figure out why the video doesn’t appear in the post.

The Boy is on a truck kick, and gets really excited when he sees them, pointing and smiling and saying “big truck” over and over. So when Aunt Laura told us about Austin Children’s Services holding a Touch-a-Truck event, we had to go. 
   Lunch at Chipotle

  Beautiful day 

  BIG TRUCK

  On the school bus

  Buckled in like a big kid

Awesome  

  Loved the bus

 Big trucks everywhere. Also big rocks.  

  Little man headed home.