Christopher Counts

Christopher loves to count. He counts everything. His fingers, ceiling fan blades, the fruit on his tray, the steps he climbs; you name it, he's counting it. The other day I added 11 and 12, so he started adding these on as well. I like hearing his little voice come out so crystal clear.

Before bedtime we usually read him a book. His favorite lately is Eric Carle's Numbers, where he can count pieces of fruit. Its the book that started him counting earlier this summer, when he surprised us by saying 4 and 5 after my 1,2 and 3. Below is the video. He had been at it for awhile before I started filming so he gets flustered a bit, but you get the idea. (BTW, his newest favorite friend is Moose, a hand me down from Leif. "Moose" is what he keeps saying between counting)

Hide And Seek

Ever since Christopher could crawl, Ryan has been teaching him the game of hide and seek. At first Ryan did all the hiding, as he whistled to give Christopher clues of his where-a-bouts. Then Christopher learned to hide, but he'd always run out prematurely. Now he has perfected his skill, as he finds really good hiding places and stays very still and quiet until found. Sometimes he is too good. Sometimes I can't find him for an uncomfortable amount of time and I start to worry that he is someplace unsafe. And sometimes he initiates the game without me knowing it and I find myself in a panic calling his name with no response. But in all its cute and lots of fun. When he is running to his hiding spot, he whispers under his breath "hide, hide, hide". Once there he stays put and is amazingly quiet and still for a 19 month old. When found, he gives you a big grin and sometimes says "found you!". His favorite spot? Sitting in Ryan's closet between T-shirts with only his toes poking out.

Found You! Hiding in the bathroom at my mom's house. He initiated this game. It took me over a minute to find him. Again his toes gave him away.
Stuck!

The finished product. Well, almost finished, we have some tweaking to do.

I know I'll probably jinx myself, but I must blog-brag for a sec. Christopher is such a good boy. Most of his day he entertains himself, leaving me lots of opportunities to get things done. While vacuuming, I found him "reading" books in his room. He will turn each page, and recite something about the pictures (he has the books memorized by now). He was at it for 20+ minutes. He is also such a good listener. He follows directions well and is perfecting "clean-up!" after playing. He never throws fits. And he is very patient when we are in stores or doctor's appointments. I find myself holding my breath, hoping this stage is a permanent one. I love the little guy so.

Thoughts On A Rainy Friday.

*I am often being surprised by little sudden kicks in my tummy sporadically throughout the day. Its like the baby is saying "don't forget about me in here!". I like the reminder.

*Christopher has a sneezy cold. First one in about six months I think. Every time he sneezes he gives me the funniest smile. At least he isn't too miserable.

*It is raining cats and dogs today. CRW has asked me to read "It's Raining, It's Pouring" a dozen times. Funny how he gets the correlation.

*Our roof is leaking. Ryan came home early to rescue the bathroom from a drywall repair.

*Second trimesters bring out the organizer in me. I have tackled the office and am moving on to closets. I also did a fantastic job with the spice cabinet two weeks ago.

*Tomorrow starts Ryan's busy Fall weekend schedule. We won't be seeing him much on Sats. til February. Wah, such is life of an Outdoorsman's Widow.

*Sometimes my cheeks hurt from smiling at Christopher so much. I love him more each day, even when I feel its impossible the day before.

*Although challenging, I love toddler hood. The easy to illicit giggles, the discovery, the words, the play, and the affection keep life from being anything but dull.

*I feel so blessed to live the life we do. I am overwhelmed with this feeling especially at night as I watch Ryan read to Christopher. He is such a fantastic husband and Dad.

"Anmals!"

Christopher's recent love this summer is "anmals". As mentioned before, we have a really nice petting farm near our house. We make it there on a weekly basis. Christopher is very brave, feeding Clydesdale horses all by himself. Perhaps more scary are the pair of geese there that hungrily nip at your fingers and can really pinch. They have rabbits, an ostrich, horses, goats, a pot belly pig and a mule. As we pull in the parking lot he happily shouts "anmals, anmals!", then quickly makes the circuit once out of the car. There is also pretend fire engine, a school bus and a wooden ship that the kids can climb in and out of. In all, its a fun and free (the best part) time. Today Lulu took him while I slept off a night shift. I call her my personal photographer since she effortlessly catches life's moments that I sometimes miss.

Mr. Horse greets Christopher

"Driving" the fire engine.




Farmer Boy

Since CRW has been playing alot with Leif's latch board, we have to watch him near the animal hutches.

"Free the chickens!"

Christopher has a love for school busses. Since the school year has started, he spots them everywhere, "BUS!" he hollers.

While he does this he says "drivin'".

And when he does this he says "ding ding ding ding".

Looking back at other kids playing.

With a case of the giggles. Watch where you are going!

Feeding the horses carrots.

Usually CRW will say "Mmmm" and smack his lips as he watches the animals eat.

"Move on back!"