An Extraordinary January

Let's be honest.  January is kind of a lame month.  Taking down Christmas decorations is never fun, and I don't love having the cold really set in...  Yeesh, it can be downright depressing sometimes!

Well, while we've definitely had our bouts of cabin fever (poor Atticus had his first real encounter with "lootz" as we called it in Armenia- a.k.a. Montezuma's Revenge or the runs...) we've also been fortunate to stay relatively busy.  We've had a lot of fun this month!
                               
For starters, David came to visit after his birthday.  We love seeing this guy and we've definitely seen more of him in the last year than we have in a very, very long time!

My mom's cousin, Jocelyn, also came for a visit, which made it all the merrier.  We decided to celebrate all of the January birthdays to mark the occasion.

David even convinced me to go and hit the slopes with him at the end of his stay.  It had been a couple years but woowee did we have a good time!

Uh oh!  He found Uncle Corky's video game control...  Here comes trouble!

Meanwhile, Atticus had a really pretty lady take care of him.  (Oh, wait.  She's my sister-in-law?  Cool!)  Thanks so much, Whitney!  She took these cute photos above.

Atticus wanted to show his appreciation, so he helped his Aunt Bobbie give Whitney a back rub.  As you can see, he really gets into his work...

Thanks to all of the birthdays and get-togethers, we've definitely gotten more Loader time this month.   That is NEVER a bad thing!

We've also made sure to spend time with friends as often as possible.  Here's an adorable Fun with Foods class we went to.

Isn't he so cute in his little apron?  He chowed down on the food they had.  His appetite has really picked up lately!

And when we weren't hanging out with family or friends, Atticus has made life exciting all on his own.  He's not walking yet (it'll be a bit...) but mannn is this kid all over the place!  Even with our recently acquired baby proofing mechanisms, this child is constantly exploring.

                  

He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure.


As for milestones, well, tooth #7 made its appearance.  We didn't even notice extra drooling like we have in the past!  While we have no evidence, we suspect this tooth is the culprit responsible for his inordinate amounts of diarrhea...

Oh, he started clapping on February 1st!  It's his new way to ask for food or to be picked up.

And this might seem like a no brainer, but his hair sure has gotten longer.  Here's proof if you need it.

 He started using spoons and forks!  Ha ha, here's his very first attempt.

Hey now!  It isn't nice to make fun!  "He got better!"
(If you read that in a British accent, you're spot on.)

He's also (finally!) starting to like books more!  We're still only into the touchy-feely, musical, flap books, but I definitely count it a success.  Especially now that he's the one pulling them out and opening them.  (And closing them... and opening them again...)

In addition to "Dadda" he has the cutest way of saying, "No."  He shakes his head again and again, saying "Doe, doe, doe, doe."  He definitely gets his point across.

Still, while other kids are starting to walk and talk in earnest, Atticus is too busy "tinkering" with the mechanics of objects around him to notice.  As a result, his hands have developed a surprising amount of control.  It is so fun to watch!

I'm not sure this video does it justice, but he's mastered unstacking and restacking his rings.  He loves to try to take things apart and put them back together.  He also really enjoys shaking and bashing things.

These new abilities can lead to trouble, however.  He has developed a morbid (adorable!) fascination with things that frighten him.  

Take, for example, this buzzer you see him holding.  He hated it at first- it made him cry every time it would go off!  Yet still, several times a day, he would find it and push the button- often throwing it aside to run to us and hide.

Here we have another example.  This kid LOVES the vacuum.  No kidding.  He knows where we keep it and every so often he'll go up to the closet door and knock on it, as though to see if his friend can come out and play.  Every time we bring it out he lets out a joyful cry and crawls right up to it.  It can make cleaning a little difficult but it's so hilarious.  But this month, with his ever increasing dexterity, he discovered how to turn on the machine with a not so pleasant outcome...

 His friend betrayed him!

 An account of this month wouldn't be complete without sharing the sad news.  Atticus already likes Grandma and Grandpa more than his mom and dad!  While "Dadda" is really the only word he says with recognition, we're sure that Grandma and Grandpa will be next...  Poor Mamma!  Then again, who can blame him?  He gets the royal treatment with these two!  ;)

But...  The poor little mite is stuck with Dane and me, most of the time, mwa ha ha!
Ah, I wouldn't feel too sorry for him.  We have fun, every now and again...