New Things

Daniel has been discovering some new things around the house to play with lately...

I'm sure mommy would love some help in the kitchen!

Are these my size?

Suddenly, the sunglasses Daniel refused to wear all summer are silly to play with.

It's going to be one cool Christmas...

Words

With each new day Daniel gets better at saying his words. He's been saying things here and there for the past month or so but now he's really starting to be able to repeat things unprompted. However, we don't think he fully understands what the word means that he's saying. Or, he believes that one word can be used to respond or converse regardless of the context. For example:

Chris: Daniel, are you still hungry?

Daniel: No, no, no. (grabs food and puts it in his mouth).

C: Then you're all done?

D: No, no, no. (pulls on bib to try to indicate he's all done)

C: Are you all done? (Chris signs "all done")

D: No, no, no.

C: Are you just saying "No" to say "No"?

D: (silence, puts more food in his mouth, pulls on bib)

C: (confused)

Then there's my personal favorite.

Daniel likes to grab everything (no surprise) and then throw it on the ground (no surprise, again), tip it over, or put it in a bag and carry it around. Obviously, this kind of behavior becomes a problem when he grabs things he's not supposed to...like the locked garbage can in the kitchen.

If Daniel attempts to touch something he's not supposed to he's told, "No, Daniel. No, thank you."

Apparently we say this often enough that now, whenever he passes by one of the "don't touch" things in our house, he stops, turns and looks at it, and says "No, no, no.", and walks away.

We can't tell if he's reminding himself not to touch it or its some kind of learned response...

Danieldinho

Daniel got to practice some of his soccer skills while watching his second cousin Thomas play the other day. With his small size and agility, Daniel was a formidable opponent.

Daniel: "If you get tired, I can sub in for you."

Daniel wore his Germany replica jersey in honor of his cousin's team.

Great Uncle Victor teaches Daniel some skills for inside the box.

With just a little assistance, Daniel can reach the crossbar.

Not only did Daniel get to see his cousin Thomas, he also got to play with his cousins Olivia and Jordan...the only two people at the game that could keep up with him!

Daniel with his beloved Great Uncle and Aunt, Victor and Julia.

Inspired to practice his soccer skills after the game, Daniel works out at home. Note to Daniel: We're pretty sure FIFA doesn't allow stuffed animals on the field with players:)

Foam Puzzles and Cha-Ching!

Daddy came into the living room the other day to discover that Daniel had offered to help mommy with her finances...by doing an audit of her purse. He went straight for the credit cards, but settled on the cash.

Daniel also had some fun playing with his new alphabet foam puzzle pieces.

Slurping Spaghetti

Daniel has discovered the joys of long strings of spaghetti. Here he is eating spaghetti with squash.

Halloween Fun

Daniel can't remember last Halloween, so we made sure to have fun this time around. He trick-or-treated (sort of) at great-grandma Eva's house and at the Newman Center. Then his friend Pete and great-aunt Bea came over to visit. Two days later, we re-enacted Halloween with our friends Ben, Julie and Matteo.

Before getting into his costume, Daniel wore his scary skeleton shirt.

Is there a skunk on the loose in the house?!

No, it's just Daniel.

Trick-or-Treating at the Newman Center.

Visiting Great-Grandma Eva.

Is that you in there, Matteo?

The backsides...

Uh-Oh! The lion fell down!

Our little skunk running through the house. (Please ignore the mess!)

At the playground with Matteo!

Daniel had a fun time with his friends Matteo and Julie last week. Here are some pictures from his time at the playground at Greenlake.

On the swings...

Holding on tight...

Ready to go down the slide!

Wheeeee!!!

The Pumpkin Hunters

After Daddy recovered from running the 10K Dawg Dash this morning, we all drove out to Remlinger Farms in search of some perfect pumpkins. What an adventure we had!

On the way to the pumpkin patch!

Daniel takes off on his own.

Found one!

This way, Mommy!

The pumpkin hunters pause for a photo.

This one's mine, Daddy!

Lost in a field of pumpkins.

Helping to carry home the loot! What a fun day!

The Big 01

Yesterday, Daniel celebrated his first birthday with a small party of his family. Though Grandma took a lot of pictures, Daniel's busy parents were only able to take a few. Here they are!

Up bright and early, the birthday boy is ready to play.

Mmmm....cake! Thank you, Angela!

I love the feeling of frosting between my fingers!

With the presents all opened and the cake all eaten, at the end of the day the balloons still have tons of appeal. (Sorry there is no sound!)

Game Day

Daniel was so excited for Saturday's husky game last weekend, he wore his football pajamas to bed the night before.

Slushy, his stuffed husky.

A great game-day smile. If only he knew what would happen in a few hours...

Remote: check. Sippy cup: check. Slushy: check.

Watching the beginning of the game with Daddy before heading off to bed.