A very Choo Choo Christmas!

This Christmas was the best we have ever had! Now that Leo is older, he really can embrace the idea of celebration and thoroughly enjoyed all his toys. To say this was the best day of his life so far would be a giant understatement.

Leo woke up at 6 am and we told him that Santa had come. I took him to the living room where Joe was waiting to record the whole episode. Leo had one wrapped gift waiting on top of his covered train table. He opened the gift to discover Duncan, which is the only specific train Leo asked for. Next, we had him lift up the blanket to reveal the train table. Leo even said "happy!"

We proceeded by having Leo open the rest of his gifts which included an assortment of trains, a T- Rex (the only other gift Leo requested), clothes, and a toddler car set. Lucky boy! Leo played for a solid 5-6 hours before his nap time. He cried when we had to change his diapers and clothes and he didn't want to break for food. He really was enthralled by all his new toys.

For dinner, we went to my parents and continues the festivities with turkey dinner, followed by a gift exchange. We picked names and were secret Santas, which I really enjoyed.

Joe and I had a relaxing day as well. Now that we are parents, the focus of the day has shifted from us to Leo, but isn't that what Christmas is all about? I did manage to receive some really fun gifts though! Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!!!

Busy times!

It's been a while since I have been able to update the blog because my part-time gig at WS has turned into an almost 30 hour a week job. After working long nights, I am exhausted, but I am still enjoying my adventure away from home. Leo has made a habit of getting up between 5:15- 5:30 am every morning. This is way too early for me and by the time I have returned from the gym and it is time for his lunch, he is crying for sleep. I have been napping with him recently to catch up on lost sleep. Napping with Leo is one of my favorite things ever!

Leo certainly is enjoying the holiday season and has a whole new set of words now. He says Christmas tree and Christmas lights. he LOVES all the decorations and squeals with delight when he sees decorated houses or store displays.

Leo also has been saying T-Rex and loves to sing the T-Rex song from his favorite television show Dinosaur Train. We owe the creatives at PBS big time.

Leo loves to throw balls and says catch now too. He has quite the arm on him and I predict that he will play baseball in the future.

Leo has started calling me mommy, which I adore. In the morning, he will call for "daddy" and if daddy doesn't appear, he will start calling for "Joe." It may be the cutest thing he says. He also now says his name , which sounds like "ee-oh," and will say things like "ee-oh crying."

I believe Leo is on the verge of a major verbal break though. He tells Joe and I stories by stringing together various words. By the words he is using, we know he is reconstructing an event that might have recently happened, such as "Tiffy, Martin, church."

He is also starting to understand some more complex ideas. He knows how to count up to three and he realizes that the I-pod needs to plugged into the computer. If I am looking for my I-pod, he will run to the computer to where the charger is.

He continues to love Gymboree and feels right at home there. He also loves to visit his friends at the gym including Even, Ben and Ferris as well as Grandma.

He has remained very social. He is not shy at all and gives high fives and smiles for everyone he meets. He is quite a ham and loves to show off for people.