ABCs

Part of my motivation in maintaining a blog is so that I can remember little stories and events from Zach's growing up. With that said please bear with me as I share and brag about new Zach moments...
At the beginning of December, Zach became very interested in the alphabet. (Anyone who has spent any time with Zach recently knows that he is on a continual ABC loop, this includes going through the grocery store, waiting at the doctor's office and coming out from a sound sleep!) It started out that he would recite them verbally while rapidly opening and closing his hand (his attempt at signing his ABCs). Then he began singing and signing a different version of the alphabet that he got off his "Signing Time" video. That version gives the letter and then a few words that begin with the letter. (It is so adorable when he signs the various words for each letter, of course I speak as his mother) All of these 'tricks' have been fun to watch develop but I began to realize he was doing more than just memorizing a cute song when, at the library in the middle of December, he held up a magnetic letter and said, "M"! I stood there in dumb shock looking at him, doubting what he had actually said until a mother next to me asked, "Did he just say 'm'?!?" Since then Zach points to letters in books and on signs and then identifies them. He has started to ask, "what's this?" for the ones he doesn't know. I have no idea why Zach has a sudden interest and apparently a sudden knowledge of the ABCs but I am enjoying watching it all develop. (plus I encourage him to sing the song because it really is so cute!)

The day after...

It is very difficult to make the day after Christmas special for a little two-year-old boy! (Which is why we really celebrate in June) However, I am unable to completely ignore the fact that it is his birthday. With so much involved in getting ready for Christmas I didn't think of making Zach a cake until the morning of his birthday! We were scheduled to go celebrate Christmas at my grandmother's house for brunch and the afternoon, so at 9am I decided to make a applesauce spice cake for the big day! Unfortunately I rushed to release the cake from the bundt pan so when I turned it out onto the cooling rack the entire thing crumbled. In an attempt to rescue the messy but delicious cake I dumped the 'crumbles' onto a pie plate and covered it in brown butter frosting...only there wasn't enough frosting. The result to my last minute effort was very pathetic, a ugly ex-bundt applesauce spice cake with frosting (please enjoy the photo), Zach thought it was wonderful!

Merry Christmas!

We have had a busy month preparing for Christmas. With Christmas comes Zach's official birthday and we are in the full throes of being two-years-old. I'm exhausted more from Zach's growing independence than all the shopping, wrapping, decorating and baking combined! Most days I can count on Zach not wanting to put his coat on, not wanting to take his coat off, refusing to eat, being hungry to eat, not wanting his shoes on and being traumatized when mama has the audacity to take them off.

Aside from the challenging bits, Zach has been a delight to watch develop. He is repeating everything he hears ('oh be careful little mouth what you say') and he is playing more and more pretend. He frequently has a 'hot cup of tea' at his table or he brings you lovely green wooden cookies on a plate. He has also started to pretend to play the piano. Every flat surface in our home has been turned into a piano. Zach 'plays' the wall, bed, stool and table and accompanies himself with loud singing-it is a delightful sight to behold!

Our first Christmas at home started early and concluded quickly as Zach's favorite part was unwrapping the presents. He didn't appear to be concerned with what was in the boxes as much as ripping the paper and bows off. Each bow he removed he labeled as a flower and then tossed into the pile. While opening one of my gifts I said, "great!" upon seeing the present inside. From that point on, as soon as the wrapping paper was gone and the lid to the box opened Zach would say, "great!" for each present.

Zach's Christmas consisted of all his favorite things; trucks, trains, pretend food, Kipper and books, however, the one item that won his heart immediately is the one we didn't buy...a friend's hand-me-down electric keyboard piano! I think I will miss the pretend one.