the apple doesn't fall too far...

We're always told how much Gus looks like his papa - So much so, that I was beginning to wonder if he inherited any of my genes at all... ... until I discovered how much Gus likes to put silly things on his head and play dress-up. Call-off the maternity test, he's mine!

well, that didn't last long...

Okay, so maybe I should be fired, but I was kind enough to give myself a second chance and well, here I am (And with an all new format! - I kid, the format's not sticking around)

Developmental Update: Not only can Gus say words and label things when he's asked (that is, to point to a pony say, when we ask where the pony is - not literally label items with, like, a label-maker, that would just be too advanced!) but he volunteers all sorts of information all the time now. Tonight at bedtime he was perusing the bookshelf and pulled out one of our favorites, Awake to Nap, and without prompting he said, "Nap!" I am one proud mama.

Sappy Mama Update: Sometimes I wonder if, a few years down the road, I'll forget what our days are filled with right now. I hope I remember that Gus hums when he nurses, laughs when he burps (or worse!) and sings "Happyyyy, happyyyy, happyyyy!" all the live-long day...

I'm Fired!

I've really been lagging with getting new posts out, as some of you may have noticed. There's really no excuse - Gus keeps growing and doing wonderfully exciting things each and every day, so I should have more than enough to work with, I know!

So from now on, there will be someone else on the case...

p.s. I don't know how he does it, but Gus has some magical ways with the computer: the screen had been set to the home page before Gus somehow navigated over to the blog while I was getting the camera (really!)

p.s.2. For example (of Gus' computer magic) check out the below post's "labels" - He did that...

reading, reading, all the time...

Gus has really blossomed into a lover of books. Granted, when he was a wee one he loved to EAT his books (really and truly - we have the evidence). But, he's older and wiser now and can't get enough of the all the stories and pictures.

Happy Halloween 2009

On Gus' 2nd ever Halloween, we weren't quite sure what costume he should wear. Last year he did double duty and was a brown bear in the evening while earlier that day he donned Aunt Cait's old turtle costume (the one she wore when she was 8 months old.) At a loss for how to make the most of the three fake mustaches I purchased via gumball machine at the grocery store I turned to Aunt Cait, once again, for our costuming needs. She of course had the answer. And so Gus, Papa and I became the Beastie Boys for but a brief moment in time... (Well, that moment in time, plus a couple hours at a super fun baby party!)

this photo has little or nothing to do with this entry, but I just love it!

My latest entry here has been delayed, although that's no reflection on Gus' growth. Actually, he had a bit of a growth-spurt recently and is now looking so big it's hard to believe. A lot of his pants are now high-waters (theoretically appropriate for the season here in the NW, but in practice: a little chilly.) In addition to growing in height, he's getting rounder in the belly. He loves, loves, loves to eat. Thankfully he still loves good-for-you food - lot's of apples, yogurt, raisins, Indian curries... The latter, along with roasted pumpkin and sage risotto and the like are among the dishes he prefers these days. It's looking like we have a little Epicurean on our hands!

Gus' appetite has been increasing for books too. He loves to "read" and is really good at it! He's been making amazing associations. For instance, we'll read in one of his books about ladybugs, then he'll climb down off my lap and run to his room to dig out a different book, bring it to me and flip to a page with ladybugs on it!

The "new science" of child development these days warns against over-praising your kids, so I'll just whisper this out of Gus' earshot: Man, is he the greatest!!!

p.s.

Here's the ice cream...

happy birthday, mama!

The three of us spent a beautiful day at the beach to celebrate a joint day-off (and my birthday!) along the Oregon coast. Gus had seen the ocean once before, but really, really got into it this time - splashing about in an estuary at Cape Lookout and getting so sandy that he required a complete hose-down in the adjacent campground's water faucet post-beach. Afterward, we hit the Tillamook cheese factory and enjoyed an ice cream cone (his first - and only until he's a grown up?!)

Ahh, a nice, nice birthday with my boys!

happy birthday, grammy!

Welcome, Autumn!

Gus has been exploring the change of seasons by spending as much time as possible outside these days. Every morning we go for walks in the neighborhood (not to mention every mid-day, afternoon, evening...). He indicates his desire to do so by picking up his two shoes and walking over to the front door, pointing outside and grunting all the while. On our strolls Gus examines pebbles, sticks, slugs, you name it. And the cooler weather (downright cold today!) hasn't deterred Gus from our daily walks in the least. In fact, he seems to love Autumn and the bounty of crisp, golden leaves it brings! With everything fall-like to check out though, his main interest is still knowing all about the parked cars lining the street. "That? That?" That's a car, Magoo, that's a car...

Happy

During Aunt Cait and Uncle Nick's visit over the weekend Gus pulled out of his hat a couple new tricks! His ever-growing vocab now includes "happy!" and when we ask him, "What do you say when you're frustrated?" he says, "Beeeee!" (That was something I came up with one day while he lost his patience trying to unscrew a lid, and we all seem to like it so there it is.) Another trick, despite his mother's protest, is to ride his blue "motor" bike down the driveway... Ahhh, I thought I had a few more years before Evil Knievel made an appearance!

Yesterday Aunt Cait and Uncle Nick, Gus and I went out to a farm to pick out the perfect pumpkins - A little early, I know, but as Cait pointed out, 'Once you become a mom you really get into all that holiday stuff.' A hay pyramid, barnyard full of animals and pumpkins the size of Montana made for a lovely morning at the farm with lots to take-in. Gus loved every minute of it, thanks to Aunt Cait and Uncle Nick!!! We'll miss you guys!

Oh yeah, Gus also takes out the trash!

Looks like Papa will be relieved of his beloved sanitation disposal duties pretty soon here - there's a new kid in town!

He doesn't do windows, but the kid can dust!!!

word to your mother (and father)

Gus' ever-growing vocabulary is surprising us daily. For a while now, his standards have been "Mama" and "Papa" and "Dadda" (yes, Papa gets two names apparently) and "Puh-Puh" (ALWAYS spoken in a whisper and meaning any animal, especially a puppy) and "that" (as in, "what's that?").

His new and improved repertoire now includes "Baby," (meaning exactly that) and "Po-Po" (the name of a favorite teddy bear) and "Bike." He's also dabbling in more sophisticated words, such as "Nana" (banana) and "Turtle" (he's actually very good at that one!) and "Supercalafragalisticexpealidosious" - Oh wait, how did that last one get in there?!

As an objective bystander I must admit Gussy is the cutest little chatterbox both sides of the Mississippi (now, if only I could get him to say that!)

fun with milk

Well, thanks Grandma D. for teaching Gus to use a straw. He's now an expert and uses one every chance he gets. He recently discovered the joys of blowing bubbles with a straw - how could we possibly discourage this kind of fun?!

P.S. More posts to come soon! So, Aunt Cait and Uncle Nick: Hold your shirts on :)

peek-a-boo!

Gussy Magoo is walking more confidently (and more often) than ever. He now prefers upright mobility to his previous need to be close to the ground, with one exception: Nothing gets him laughing more raucously than a big chase ending with a "Peek-A-Boo!" from under or around the couch. He lays his little belly on the floor and ducks his head to get a glimpse of us from the other side of the couch. Too, too cute!

In other news, it could've gone either way, really. Gus could have turned out a semi-shy, low-talker or a not-so-low-talking Talker (with a capital T). It's no surprise then, that he's settled on the latter. Our sweet boy has a lot to say - and ask. From the moment he wakes up in the mornings to the moment he drops off to sleep at night he wants to know what all of these objects around him are called. He'll point and say, "That?" and we'll reply, "That's the light." or "That's my ear." etc. etc. All day, my friends. All day.

Just a little something to tide everyone over 'til the next post...

So Cal Walkin'

Although he prefers to crawl still, Gus is walking up a storm and showed off his new moves to Grandma and Grandpa in Vista this last week. We had lots of fun checking out the San Diego Zoo, hitting the beach, playing at the park. Even with all of that excitement though, I think Gus got the biggest charge out of climbing Grandma and Grandpa's staircase (up and down, up and down...) playing "Hi-Five" with Grandpa and learning to throw kisses with Grandma.

While down South, Gus had a chance to hone other skills as well. He can now brush his own teeth (all 8 of them!), drink from a straw, and point to his belly, nose, feet and his tongue when prompted. As the shirt that Grandma bought Gus in the zoo gift-shop says, he's "a keeper"!

Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa - We'll miss you!

And here's something you've all been waiting for - yes, I'm talking to you, Nick ;)... Drum-roll Please!

Houston, We Have a Walker

Yesterday, on his 14th month birthday, Gus took his first two consecutive steps! His Papa and I were on the receiving end of them and got so excited, but nothing could've come close to Gus' look of complete pride! Then today, I got a phone call from Jim telling me, "We have a walker - It's official! We have a walker!"

We'll post photos and/or video soon!

It's Hot...

The days of summer have never felt hotter. My 20 + pound personal radiator seems to need more nursing these days, which means our body heat is feeding off of each other to create exponentially stickier, sweatier mother/baby bonding. Gus is embarking on a new era: The Age of Mobility. He's close to walking and is crawling and cruising faster than I could've envisioned, so with all these accomplishments it's no wonder he's needing more reassurance and security from his dear ol' mama via breast-feeding. But man, does he run hot!

Before this hot, hot heat really got started though, we had some visitors. Grammy, Aunt Jame, Maia and Jones came to see us. We had so much fun. On one of the days they were here we took a short trip out to one of the farms on Sauvie Island (only about 15 miles away) where we picked our own Blackberries, Blueberries, and Zinnias - Of course, we picked our own hotdogs and veggie-burgers too ;) There's something pretty great about descending on a blueberry bush with family and a flat or two waiting to be filled!

Gus had such a nice time with Grammy and of course, with his aunt and the Cousins cousins. He seems to be a bit bored since everyone left. We miss you!!!

Sleep deprivation - good times!

There will be no new post on the "Living With Gus" blog for a few days. Last night, Gus broke his previous (and impressive) personal record for not sleeping. We will return with nice photos of our outings with out of town guests.

Love,

Jim

First (well, almost) Haircut!

I finally got up the courage today to give Gus his first ever full-on haircut. I had cut his bangs in the past - what can I say, he has ultra fast growing Italian hair! - and had been gradually snipping here and there for the last several weeks in between his frenetic responses to seeing the scissors coming out... But today, finally today, we made a deal with each other to really make some headway with the haircut: I said, "We're doing it" and he said, "Okay Mama, I'll just sit here in the highchair, squirm around wildly, moan, squeal, flail and demand keys! toys! combs!"

But now it's done and his hair is out of his eyes. And just think, if he's anything like his Papa, he won't need another haircut for a whole week...

Grandpa Ron's going home. After a very brief visit today and a tad longer one a couple weeks ago, he's headed back down to hot, hot California. While G'pa Ron's been here Gus has been spoiled with trips to OMSI (the local science museum), the pool, and parks galore.

Of the milestone achievements Gus made during Grandpa Ron's time here, I'd say that putting his face in the water at the pool today could very well be the topper. On the first leg of Gramp's visit, we headed to a park with lots of fountains and Gus seemed pretty ambivalent about the water - content to watch the other kids (and water-sprays) from the sidelines. Jump forward to today's "swimming lesson": Gus splashed around with Gramps, Jim and me like nobody's business! What a big kiddo!

We topped off the evening with a picnic dinner at Mt. Tabor where, in the true spirit of Portland on a sunny day, hundreds of people gathered wearing huge smiles (and many a tattoo, of course) to enjoy a concert in the park. What a great visit. Until next time, Grandpa Ron - We'll miss you!

Hidden Dangers of Parenthood

Yesterday, Gus "handed" me the lid to the legos. Right in the eye. Ever since he was itty-bitty we've made a concerted effort to teach him the word, "gentle" and the concept behind it. So when, in a perfect storm of angle and inertia, he clocked me in the face with the lid, I tried to hold back the tears. It was just a fluke - After all, he really WAS being gentle so how could I possibly make him feel like he did something wrong by writhing in pain (my first instinct)? Luckily, Jim swooped down with an icepack and a mixed-message catastrophe was averted. All is right with Gus' world, gentle is still gentle. Mama just has a goofy black eye for a while.

He's getting big. All of a sudden, Gus can stand unassisted, climb up all sorts of things (including onto chairs!), laugh at funny situations - he's doing big kid things all the time. Some of his favorite things to do / laugh hysterically at are: "Gimme Five," "Peek-a-Boo," and zirbiting.

Gus' best buddy, George the monkey, has been getting lots of love from him these days. That stuffed animal is the recipient of so many hugs and kisses that it's hard not to feel just a wee-bit jealous! Recently George has been a very useful tool for Jim and me though. One day this week after countless diaper changes riddled with turning and flailing and standing, I decided to start "diapering" George with Gus watching. According to plan, Gus has picked-up on how George lays patiently on his back while I change his dipe, and is now just as patient. Of course, we're now changing dipes twice as often...

A Thought... One Year Later

It occurred to me that I'd need to record life with Gus somehow - I always thought it'd be in a baby book, like the one Mom had made with each of us. When Gus was born I bought a brand new, empty book ready for the addition of a few thousand details.

...So, a whole year and one still-empty baby book later, here we are.

I won't try to re-create every detail of Gus' first year here. After all, I hope to chip away at that baby book sooner or later. Instead, I'll start from this point: Gus, age 13 months.