Christmas catch-up

We've had our tree up for some time now and Guthrie has enjoyed every minute of it! Every morning (after some cuddling, of course) the first thing he wants to do is to go see the "lights"- ie., the Christmas tree. He will often gently touch one of the lights and proclaim it to be hot!

Taking off all the low-hanging ornaments was very enticing for the first few days the tree was up. We would find a certain few scattered into different rooms; now G just likes looking at the tree and pointing out favorites.
Picking out the next ornament to hang:
A guilty look- ornaments freshly removed from the tree!!
Yet another cheese-face!
We wanted to get that token family picture in front of the tree- done with a timer. Guthrie was such a trooper as we figured out the correct angles for the camera- he was smiling in all 6 of the photos we took.
Mmmmmmmm...first tastes of hot chocolate (well, warm chocolate).
Yummy!

New Room

Nothing quite like a big 'ole cheese face to start a post!

Bri and I completed Guthrie's new room just after getting back from our Ohio visit over Thanksgiving. G spent a whole week playing and getting acquainted with it before we made the big switch by moving his bed and allowing to sleep in there. We were so impressed with how quickly Guthrie adjusted to his new space. And, heck, why shouldn't he? It's only the absolute coolest room in the entire house!

View from just inside the door. It's the smallest room in the house (besides bathrooms, of course), but the absolute perfect size for a little guy. We tried to maximize every nook and cranny in the space to make it special.
I made G this owl lamp during my classes this last session (it ended up getting a different, plain white shade). He really seems to like it and will point and say, "whooo whooo" at it until it's turned on. Too sweet.
Little man's name spelled out in blocky letters from the alphabet piece from an earlier gallery exhibit.
Dadda showing off the room- lots of shelves for toys and books. You better believe it that G has already climbed up on that shelf above his chair. Crazy monkey- it is pretty tempting, you can't blame the little guy!
A little cushioned nook where Guthrie can sit and read or snuggle with his friends.
Of course Duy's wonderful painting had to move into the new room....
More owl artwork in G's room...

The world according to Gus

As stated in an earlier post, we are very aware of the time that is left before our new little sweet babe is welcomed into the world and we become a family of 4. I remember before Guthrie came along, Bri and I were so worried about how our cats would feel when we brought our baby home (?). How silly that feels now compared to thinking about the adjustments that G will go through becoming a big brother! I guess it's all about perspective at that particular moment.

Guthrie is growing into such a sweet little guy (well, he's pretty much always been that, but seems even more so as of late!). He's getting so big: he enjoys "helping" a lot, is talking up a storm and is becoming more and more independent. Here are some sweet tidbits about our favorite guy:
Everything is HOT until proven otherwise (this is usually spoken in a whisper with much emphasis on the "t"). He likes to blow his food even if it's just plain cold and loves to touch a hot mug of tea or hot chocolate. G is starting to use a spoon with greater and greater dexterity, but isn't all of the way there yet.
He has several favorite words and phrases, but on the top of that list is either shoes (heavy on the "s") or Baba (Parker). Guthrie likes to say "all done" while doing the sign, especially while I'm singing- what exactly is he trying to say?!!!
Whenever Guthrie hears anyone whistling, he "whistles" as well by putting his mouth into an "o" and making high pitched sing-songy sounds. Too cute.

Oh yeah- the picture below, G is in time out. We have a hard time keeping a straight face as he slides down the wall. He actually does really well and it kinda works...

Lately Guthrie hasn't been playing with toys much, he's entertained for hours with his laundry basket filled with shoes, playing cards, puzzle pieces or his alphabet flash cards. He will dump them out, stack them, and pile back into the basket. Repeat about 7 or 8 times during the day.

He really likes to organize things and often carries items around in groupings (like 5 little cars, stacks of puzzles or books).
We've been impressed with G's ability to complete little wooden puzzles. He will spend time contemplating where certain pieces go and then clap when he gets them right. So modest...
This is Guthrie's "cheese" face that he makes often when the camera is out.
Once quite a squirmy fellow (meaning he didn't like to simply sit on laps to cuddle), G has turned into a great cuddler, much to the delight of Bri and I. He often will just stop playing, climb up on a lap and want to be rocked or just have a squeeze.
Guthrie loves to say "hi" whenever he comes into a room, or someone new comes into a room. When we eat out or go grocery shopping, he charms everyone by flashing a big smile and shouting hi until he gets a response.
G likes to laugh really loudly after everyone else has laughed. It's almost like he gets the joke late!
While eating out, Guthrie will often grab the hand of whomever is sitting closest to him and place it on his belly while he's eating. He'll want it there during the entire duration of the meal.
He loves playing with these beads. We get them out every so often so they remain special.
Guthrie likes to point out body parts- belly was once his favorite, now it's "nose." He still likes to pull up our shirts and pat bellies. When G says anything that has an "l" (like belly or Olivia), he sticks out his tongue the entire time he's saying the word.
We love you sweet bear and know you'll be a great big brother!!!

Charlotte Roller Girls

For some time now, we've been hyper-aware of cherishing our time with just the three of us (Gus, Bri and I) before the baby comes. As a result, we have been intentional about trying to do some special things with Guthrie. Tonight, that special event was heading to check out our local roller derby! We've been wanting to go for some time now, but just haven't made the trip. This was the last bout of the season, and one of the teachers from our preschool was retiring from the team (AKA Lucy Kwipment), so it seemed like the right time to go.

The Cougars vs. the Kittens in action. It was really crowded, fun and loud. Guthrie was completely captivated with all the movement and noise. He sat sweetly on Bri's lap for the entire first half watching intently and clapping.

Ladies on the move:
Hooray for the roller derby!
This was some weird green dude (?) dancing during the halftime performance.
Kids from the crowd dancing on the rink at halftime.

Some nice people behind us let Guthrie play with their little coin-filled bottles which are just used as noisemakers. He loved shaking those puppies!
We all had a really great time, it was surprisingly family friendly, and G got to see some tough women in action!

Holiday fun in OH

While we were home in Cinci over Thanksgiving; Bri, Guthrie and I headed downtown to check out the great train display at the Duke Energy building (what was long-time known as the GE display). It's a long-standing tradition for many families, so we thought we'd join in the fun on the opening day.

Dada and G getting a first look. Guthrie was pretty mesmerized by the whole scene.

Trains coming around the bend!
Mama and G checking out the "green energy" section of the display. Go windmills!
We didn't get a picture, but there was a cool effect as one of the trains had a camera mounted on the front and projected a picture of it's traveling scenes onto a big screen tv. Many of the details of the buildings and trees were made with great detail, so the images on the screen looked quite realistic.

There were also some large stuffed, animated elves that were arranged above the trains. After some time, Guthrie started to pay more attention to those guys than the trains!

Checking out some older, decommissioned trains up close.

After the trains, we searched around for more holiday lights and action around town. The large outdoor display at Fountain Square (the central gathering point of the city) wasn't slated to debut until later that night so we headed back inside and found this giant tree. Guthrie mostly liked the glittery "snow" just inside the little fence and tried hard to come home with a handful for himself.

There was a little cafe here, so we helped ourselves to some hot beverages and a snack. G enjoyed climbing all over the chairs that were a perfect height.
Stay tuned for more outings! We're really enjoying having our favorite little guy around to help us create some of our own family Christmas traditions.

Armchair in good use!