Window Watchers

The foremen have to keep a close eye on daddy and yeye when they're out shoveling. Don't want them slacking on the job!

Duet

Forrest has become officially obsessed with his little red ukelele. This makes it one of the best purchases I've made for him. The good thing is he doesn't seem to notice that it's always out of tune. The bad thing is he gets very upset when we have to stop playing. Even though he carries it everywhere and bangs it around, he carefully puts it back in its spot when it's dinner time!

Jammin' in Jammies

Strumming the old ukelele on a pajamas kind of day.

Personal Snow Pile

Forrest has found the best part of the snow is the small pile on the deck. You don't have to go far and you can move snow around as long as you want. One day when he figures out how to use his thumbs inside his mittens it might be even more fun!

Let it Snow

We wish we could make it stop but it just keeps snowing. Forrest is not too into the snow since it's hard to walk in. But he likes to play with spoons in the small snow pile we have on the deck. And he did have a good time exploring our snowy yard. For a few minutes at least before his mittens came off and his mitts got cold!

Cleanup in Aisle 1!

This is what happens when Forrest wants to feed Lotus her dinner. Luckily Lotus is not picky about the plating of the dish. Forrest valiantly tried to help clean up but eventually realized someone else was doing it much faster.

Blizzard

The aftermath of the blizzard. Most of the snow is about as deep as Forrest is tall. But of course the drifts and shoveled snow piles are much bigger!

Criss Cross Applesauce

Slicing apples and simmering applesauce was a good blizzard activity. Forrest was great at turning the crank!

Sledding

First snow of the year and the first one Forrest was actually aware of. What a surprise to open the curtains as usual and find a world of white! And also nice to find a buddy and some suckers to pull them around on a sled.

Heirloom Quilt

Forrest's amazing Christmas present from Grandma Char was the beautiful quilt!! It matches his cousin Diego's quilt and he sleeps under it every night. He really loves it and so do the rest of us!

Daily Exercise

Nothing like a workout to start your day!

Nobody Puts Forrest in the Corner

Except himself that is. He didn't do anything wrong, he just likes to hang out in the nook while he still fits.

Beanbag Toss

Thanks to some cute dog fabric I was gifted, I made Forrest these little beanbags. And thanks to Great Grandma 'Gusta who gave us her mother's bronze bowl, Forrest had everything he needed for target practice.

Big Shoes to Fill

I guess if I got to shuffle around in Shaq's shoes maybe I would remember what's so fun about giant footwear. Definitely seems to be universal among toddlers.

Tickling the Ivories

Nothing like a chance to make lots of noise!

Q&A

The new amusement in our household is asking Forrest questions and training him to answer. Seems to be a common pastime for families with children who have recently acquired some new cognitive skills.

Transcript:
Me: Forrest, what does daddy sound like when he sleeps?
Forrest: [snore sound]
Me: Forrest, what does grandpa sound like when he drinks water?
Forrest: [satisfied sigh sound]

Clean Sweep

 

He takes after his dad and paternal grandparents when it comes to his love of cleanliness!

Play Silks

 

Forrest's Christmas present from the Jaramillo family was some playsilks. He quickly discovered how much fun it is to wear them on his head. Unfortunately Lotus didn't think it was so much fun.

Christmas Selfie

This year's Christmas miracle was that Forrest played happily in one room for a whole hour! And gave us a chance to take this family picture.

Christmas Dumplings

Practicing his chopsticks skills on the traditional Christmas dumpling. He actually got pretty far before he gave up and used his hands. That's when he realized he doesn't even like dumplings. 

FaceTime

FaceTiming with the boys while I was away. I was surprised but Forrest really did seem to recognize me through the camera!

New Words

At this point I will say it's official. Forrest is starting to talk! For a while he's been saying mama (but not specifically in reference to me), no (that one he means) and uh oh. But those are words every kid says early on, not very special. His first interesting word though, is egg. He says it in Chinese (jidan) and it makes sense since he does love scrambled eggs. Other words he has added now include dad (baba), socks (wa), hot, thank you (xiexie), up, and hat (mao). I'm sure he'll be adding many more to the list very soon!

Look ma, no hands!

There's more and more that Forrest can do on the playground as he gets bigger and improves his balance. He loves the see-saw but thinks holding on is for babies!

Dishwasher

Forrest's latest obsession is the dishwasher. He loves to press the buttons and is constantly running the wash cycle when we turn our backs. We finally realized we should just unplug it altogether. He can still press the buttons but without the lights coming on it's not nearly as fun. Sorry, little guy.

Nainai's Return

Yeye and Nainai are back! Forrest didn't seem to recognize them from the FaceTime calls but he's quickly gotten to know them again. They pick Forrest up early from daycare and take him to the playground every afternoon, and they are finding more foods he will eat. In theory they give mom and dad a break, but in reality that only works if we leave the house because while we're here he's extra clingy. All part of the adjustment to having extra people around I suppose.

Toddler Towers

Another blurry picture, but I wanted to mark Forrest's entrance into the block phase. I'm sure it will last a long time. He's figured out how to gently stack each block of the tower, until he decides to violently destroy it of course.

Perfect Hiding Spot

Who knew when we redid the kitchen that this would turn out to be a perfect Forrest-sized nook? He likes to squeeze in here especially when he has a snack in hand. Good that he's utilizing it now - pretty soon he won't fit in it anymore!

Dim Sum

A successful trip out for dim sum. It only works because with the carts there's no waiting for the food to come. Note the quintessential old Chinese men in the background!

Front Seat Driver

Maybe if they work together they'll figure out how to drive it.

Happy

No special event in this picture, just a happy little guy!

Double Skyping

He's so popular everyone wants to watch him eat dinner.

Lazy Susan

Great grandma gave us her old lazy Susan. It doesn't work so well on the table because if we put anything on it Forrest will spin it right off. But on the floor it makes a pretty good block base.

Lite Brite

A favorite at the museum of science. This one combines two of Forrest's favorite things. Sticking things in other things, and bright lights. You'll probably find us here every rainy day.

Halloween

Obligatory photos of Forrest in his Halloween costume, which did not fool Lotus even for a second.

Aunt Rayna

Forrest learned how to throw sticks for Rayna! Sometimes he forgets to actually throw it and just puts it in her mouth but it's a fun game for everyone. Of all the dogs in Forrest's life, Rayna is by far the most patient and pettable.

Fall Woods

Daddy showed Forrest all the fun things to be found in the woods and Lotus showed us how muddy she can get.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Forrest and Ryah have known each other since before they were born, but they've just now started noticing each other.

More Sliding

Yet another slide that Forrest has learned to climb up and slide down by himself. He still forgets to sit down sometimes, but he's basically getting the hang of it!

15 Months Old!

 Forrest is 15 months old! He's 26 pounds, which is just about the 90th percentile. He's bigger than some 2-year-olds, but still not quite as well-balanced as they are. He sure knows how to keep busy, bopping around the house banging and climbing things. He's just started to be interested in books so that's a whole new world for him. He still just has the 8 teeth but I'm sure that will change soon. He's a bit of a picky eater, there are probably about 10 foods he will reliably eat. His favorite is fruit, but beyond that he's pretty into avocado and cheese, and specific types of tofu and rice. There are way more things that make him laugh then ever before, so aside from the tantrums and biting that comes with the toddler territory, we're having a pretty good time these days!

Sitting in a Tree

What better place for a giggle than a nice tree branch?

Bead Maze

Contrary to popular belief, bead mazes actually do exist outside of doctors offices! And this was one of the rare occasions Forrest decided to play with one.

Pumpkin Tree

We spotted a fabulous specimen of the elusive northeastern pumpkin tree! But Forrest was unimpressed as he much prefers his pumpkins on the ground.

Pumpkin Patch

Fun trip to a pumpkin patch with Auntie Sarah and Auntie Sue. Forrest is totally on board with the pumpkin craze but he prefers to climb on them rather than use them to flavor all of his foods.

Corn Maze

Even though he loves corn on the cob, Forrest wasn't actually too into the corn maze. He thought it was a little too corny.

Crate for Two

Fits one large dog or two small children.

Track Star

Taking a few laps with Daddy.

Electric Slide

Although you have to make sure he remembers to sit down at the top, Forrest can climb up and slide down the slide all by himself!

Out for a Stroll

Just strolling down my street like a regular person, no big deal. Notice Forrest's favorite mailboxes in the background!

A Walk on the Pier

At Long Wharf in New Haven, we saw boats, seagulls, and some very prolific fisherpeople. I think grandpa and dad were more excited about the fish than Forrest so it was a good outing all around.

Early Morning Chat

Not sure who wakes up whom, but the kids do enjoy their 6am chats. Now if only Lotus could keep Forrest occupied the rest of the day...

New Pet

Someone wants to take this little pink guy home with him!

Other People's Pumpkins

Forrest likes to carry around the pumpkin we have at home. Unfortunately ours got moldy and now he thinks all the pumpkins in the neighborhood belong to him.