From Mommy:

John and I think it is thrilling to watch Preston grow and learn.  We seriously ask ourselves daily if other toddlers can do what Pres can do (I’m sure they probably can).  As first time parents of course we think out kid is the greatest.  We are just very proud of the little person he is becoming!   
I am impressed by a lot of things, but lately I’m really impressed by how much he understands.  He is already really good at taking directions.  I can ask him to find the phone (or the tunnel, or cheerios, or whatever), and he’ll find it!  The other day I asked him where the comb was, and he brought me the phone.  John and I thought it was pretty funny, but it made a lot of sense. 
I’m also impressed by how much he understands when we are reading books.  Even as a 10 month old he knew to clap his hands when the book read “clap your hands, ” but now he’ll turn around for a kiss if it says to in a book, and find all sorts of objects in the pictures.  His favorites are still the moon, balls, and dogs, but he starting to identify other animals and shapes. 
The other night when Grandpa was here we showed him the REAL moon for the first time.  He spotted it right away and pointed to it!  I always get so excited when he discovers something new, or if I discover something new about him.
He is also thriving at daycare, which is both exciting and a relief to me.  I have a lot of guilt about working and not spending more time with him, but some of that guilt is diminished by the fact that he really enjoys daycare.  His teachers always have very positive things to say about him (he’s a good eater, his attention span is great for a kid his age, he fits right in with the bigger kids, he follows directions well, etc.)

This is one of the busiest times of the year for me at work.  The Schadt String Competition, which I coordinate, is this weekend.   By the time I get home from work I feel like I don’t want to do anything.  I’m actually really glad that I have this blog, because it motivates me to just sit and write my memories.  I know I would lose them if I didn’t.  This is such a precious time in my life it would be sad to forget.

I got to spend the whole afternoon with Grandpa today while Mom and Dad were at a concert.  Grandpa and I went to take a walk and look at trains, and then we came home again and played for a while.  Then Mom and Dad got home and Grandma joined us all for dinner.  We had cherry pie for dessert, and I wanted to eat the pasta soup all by myself.  You'll notice that I used  a spoon to stir the soup; my hands work much better to actually eat.

Here is the rest of the album

From Grandpa:

Grandpa drew a sweet babysitting gig this afternoon with Preston.  Carrie and John were at a Bach Choir Family concert, and Grandma K was busy with the Bangor HS spring musical, so it was just Preston and Grandpa.  
We went down to the Allentown Canal park, where there's water into which rocks can be thrown, AND did I mention that there are railroad tracks nearby?It was a bit chilly for throwing rocks into the water - we tried about 3 or 4 rocks, and I got some smiles, but it was chilly, and his hands needed mittens, so we'll defer throwing more rocks into the water for future outings.  We did enjoy four different BIG CHOO-CHOOS that rolled past.

Love,

-Colin D. Firebox,Steam Locomotive fuel advisor

I love Tick-Tocks!  They are my favorite useful decoration, and "tick-tock" was one of my first words!  It all started a few months ago when Grandpa introduced me to the awesome tick-tock at his house.  It's a doosey with weights AND a pendulum.  We talked about it for a while until under my breath I whispered "tick-tock."  It wasn't a confirmed word until a few weeks later when Mom couldn't figure out why I loved the picture of the elevator in the Dinosaur book so much, but we'll get to that later.  I still say "tick-tock" in a whisper, after all, that's how the tick-tocks say their name!  In honor of my love for them, I have decided to introduce you to all of the tick-tocks in my life.  Sadly I can only post pictures of the ones around my house.  Maybe Grandpa (are you reading this, Grandpa?) can send us a picture of the tick-tock that started it all, so we can post it later.

2-22-2012 **UPDATE**

Grandpa pulled through with a picture of the Tick-tock that started it all!  I knew he would!  Thanks, Grandpa; here's the picture, I told you it was a doosey!

So without further adieu here is my TICK TOCK TRIBUTE:

This tick-tock hangs in our hallway downstairs and is my "go-to" for a fix.  It features a small face, and a fun starburst effect.  Those are tiny mirrors on some of the dots: 

This one is in our kitchen and is the most functional of all of our tick-tocks.  You can actually read it from a distance:

This fancy guy used to be in my bedroom, but Mom and Dad thought that it was too confusing of a tick-tock because it is missing a key element: numbers.  It does have a pendulum, though.  But by my standards a tick-tock mostly just needs numbers to meet my requirements.  He's now hanging in the basement with our cool new bar.  He fits in better down there:

Mr. Fancy-No-Numbers-Pants was replaced by this guy.  He softly ticks me to sleep at night.  And by softly I mean not very soft at all.  Mom and Dad can hear him very clearly through the baby monitor.  He is a classic example of what a tick-tock should be. 

Daddy carries this one around all the time.  He's the tag-along tick-tock, and I get to see him when I get bored or fussy when we are out running errands:

Those are tick-tocks around the house, but I also love to find them in books.  Which brings me to the elevator in the Dinosaur Book.  For the longest time I tried to tell Mom about the tick-tock in the book, but she just couldn't understand what I was trying to tell her.  We would get to this page in the book, and I would always point to the picture and say "tick-tock."  Finally, Mom had a moment of clarity after realizing that I love tick-tocks, and realized what I was trying to tell her.  It's been a few months now, and we still talk about this tick-tock when we read the book:

And finally I love this tick-tock in the Birthday Monster's Book.  It is a REALLY good hiding place:

POP-QUIZ:  In what order where the tick-tock pictures taken?

This weekend we were barely home.  It seems like we only came home to sleep!  On Saturday we went to visit Gigi, Grandpa, and Uncle Joe.  We got there in time for lunch, and then hung out (and napped) for the afternoon.  We had dinner, and then did bedtime routine.  It was weird, because usually I go to bed at the end of bedtime routine, but instead we got in the car.  That's ok, though.  I went right to my crib when we got home, and it was all normal again.  I got to play on a tricycle!  It was so fun, but Mom says I need to learn to pedal or at least pick up my feet, so they don't get stuck in the back wheels.  I'm only 1, Mom.

Then on Sunday we went to church and then to visit Grandma and Grandpa (the other ones).  We had lunch, played with a ton of toys, read books, took a nap, and then came home again.  Phew!  Dad was there to try to fix Grandpa's computer.  
Both sets of Grandparents got to see the way that I play "Ring Around the Rosie," which is also the same way that I dance.  I spin around in a counter-clockwise circle with my right arm in out in front of me - everytime!  It's so fun, and at the end of the song I love to fall down!  That's my favorite part.  I also like getting dizzy.  Sometimes I'll try out some new dance moves (however Mom and Dad are dancing, which is usually pretty silly), but spinning in a circle is still my favorite.  Maybe Dad will get it on video one of these times.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures and check out the rest of the album here

I'm 13 months old today!  Here's a quick snapshot of what's going on in my life:

My favorite....
Book - Sandra Boynton Board Books
Toy - Lightsaber
Toy at daycare - The Tunnel
Food - Cheese, apricots (and pretty much everything else)
Place - Basement
Outfit - I still love to be naked
Snack - Cheese and Crackers

My least favorite...
Chore - bedtime
Place - the car

What I ate for breakfast:
Cheerios and Milk

What I ate for lunch:
Turkey, stuffing, peas, cheese cubes, and applesauce - Milk in a sippy cup

What I ate for dinner:
Meatballs, apricots, a roll, and a cookie (for dessert)

Most recent milestone:
I can dip a spoon into a bowl and feed myself!

I've been in the toddler room for a few weeks now, and I really love it.  We read books together, do circle time, sing songs, and sleep on a cot for naptime.  I really love daycare and playing with all of my friends.  

I love to dance and spin around in circles.

I love to help Mommy and Daddy do chores.  I take clothes out of the drawers and put them in the hamper.  I help to unload the dishwasher by putting the pots and pans away.  I love to "sweep," and the dust buster is one of my favorite appliances.  

I'm working on my fine motor skills.  I can use my special drill to help Daddy with projects around the house.  I love to stack things (candles, catfood dishes, books, toys, etc).


I have 8(maybe) teeth, 4 on top and 4 on bottom.


I wear 12-18 month clothes, size 4 shoes, and size 4 diapers, and I probably weigh between 24 and 25lbs.

Mommy and I made some really cute Valentines for all of my friends at daycare.  Tomorrow we are having our Valentine's Day party; we get to dance, watch a movie, AND do a craft.  It's going to be so fun!  I'll tell you all about it.

From Mommy:

Today I helped Mommy by doing a few chores.  First I swept the Kitchen with the broom:

Then I dusted and straightened the giant ruler:

I fed the cat (some of my lunch):

And finally, after my nap, it was time for a yummy snack: Cheese and crackers!

Today was supposed to be a really special day for Mommy.  On her birthday last weekend she found out that she won tickets to a Meet and Greet for her favorite Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter.  She was SO excited; she's been waiting for this for half her life!  Her BSB friend Lorna even came up from Maryland to go with her to meet Nick.  And then she got the call the meet and greet was cancelled.  Let me just say that I would NEVER cancel on Mommy, and this guy doesn't know what he is missing.  Mom was pretty disappointed and even more upset that Lorna made the trip up here only to be stood up.  

It wasn't all bad, though.  Mom and Lorna got to catch up over lunch, and then they picked me up at daycare.  We came home to play for a little bit until Lorna had to leave to go back to Maryland.  It was nice to see you, Lorna!

So Nick Carter.  You owe Mommy big time!  A chance to meet ALL of the Backstreet Boys would clear your record - just throwing it out there.

Whoa!  I didn’t realize it’s been so long since I last posted!  We had a REALLY busy weekend; it was Mommy’s birthday.  On Friday night Siobhan and Chris brought Primo Hoagies for dinner, and then on Saturday Gigi and Grandpa came over to babysit so Mom and Dad could go out to dinner.  That was after Dad and I spent the afternoon BD present shopping.  We went to Daddy’s favorite jeweler and he had a BIG dog.  I ended up taking my nap on Daddy’s shoulder, which he says was one of the cutest naps ever.  
Then on Sunday we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch, and then a few hours later they came to our house to babysit while Mom and Dad went to a Super Bowl Party.  It was a busy weekend!

Now that I like to feed myself, things can get pretty messy (crumby), so Mom and Dad have a new way of cleaning me up after a meal.  They use the DUST BUSTER.  This is the funnest part of meal-time, and I get REALLY excited about it.  The other day I had some Cheerios for breakfast, and Mom FORGOT to dust bust me.  As soon as she put me down I went into the laundry room to remind her to clean me up.  Seriously, how could she forget that part?  

Click here for a  video of the Dust Buster

And a few photos:

Mommy decided that it was finally time to tame my shaggy locks!  Thanks to her very patient friend, Sarah, my first haircut was a success!  It took a peanut butter sandwich, a race car seat, my own comb, and finally, when all of that didn't work I sat on Mom's lap.  The very best part of my haircut came at the end, though.  I got a... LOLLIPOP!  It gave me an instant pick me up, and I ran around the salon with the lollipop and even practiced me new trick: spinning around in circles! 

Here are some pictures!

And here is the first "After" picture that we have.  More to follow I'm sure: