Happy Halloween

Pirates and Bones at the Vancouver Aquarium

The membership to the Vancouver Aquarium is totally paying off. We try and go a weekday morning each month, and each month Marek loves it and gets excited about something new. The big fish, sharks, turtles, jellyfish and Amazon birds are always a big hit. Due to dreary weather M got to see the Belugas and Dolphin show up close, and was almost as glued to the sites as a Baby Signing Time episode. Marek also got his first ride in one of the Dollar Cars (electric, wow). We avoided the toddler play zone as there was a little one crying there that scared M away. Sadly the Artic Cod are no longer as amazing to him as they once were.

M also saw another 13 month old baby. They should make those a regular exhibit.

Cold October at the Cabin

Mountain Man had to have a working weekend so the rest of us adjourned to the cabin. During the dry times we played with the lowered Gong ("Gong" is what M calls it) and excavator. During the rainy times M snuggled with Aunty Yellow Hair and had a Hat Party.

Some people think Marek looks like Mountain Man

Wind up toys seem to be one of the best toys ever. Even the dog loves them.

Okay, I lied. But are you really surprised?

Last batch. I promise. Just such a great trip.

Fraser Foreshore Beach

waterproof lined warm pants are a god-send

Why my morning was better than yours

Today we went to Fraser Foreshore park with Brenda, Buffy dog, and baby Eric. Leo had a comatose inducing good time with Buffy dog, and Marek had a blast too. He played in the sand with sticks, walked almost the whole way, kicked leaves, played with leaves, beat plants with leaves (he likes how the spring back), saw boats and even airplanes. We will defiantly do this again.

Here comes trouble

The ASL sign for trouble: take two bent V hands and strike them against each other as the hands move up and down.

Luckily M likes the vacuum.

Notice Marek's first ever baseball hat. That is how much I love my husband.

Why no one will ever see M in a Halloween costume

what happens when I let M have some of my smoothy

Normally we give Marek some smoothy thickened with baby cereal

, but every once in a while he insists on having some of mine.

Oh how I love an Indian Summer

And so does this little man.

We converted his water table to a Lafarge sponsored gravel and sand table, and he is just loving it.

Next step, get rid of the grass in the back yard, so I don't have to worry about Marek touching any dog ick (remnants, we do pick it up daily) when he leaves the deck (which he always does).

Leo's food and water bowl also need some toddler proofing.

Mountain Man scored Baby last night

Signign Time and Little Pim

Marek has always liked his Signing Time and Little Pim DVDs (also 30 Rock's opening credits, it's an in the womb thing). We've often used his 15 minute DVD attention span to get him to sit still long enough to feed. Lately though it's gone to the next level.

Marek will quiet happily watch these two DVD series .... well, I think all day. If you say Little Pim in front of him, he will drop everything and head up stairs to watch it. Often, if you turn it off before he's done, he'll even get angry. I think he even invented the doggy ASL sign to stand for Little Pim.

Thank goodness they are educational.

We're especially excited about his sign language taking off (it took a long time to show up). He's had fan and fairy (we made a sign up) for months, but we started to see a new sign every few days, sometimes even a couple in one day. He now signs fan, fairy, car, hat, ball, flower, baby, rain, and PIM (doggy). There's even a few more consistent signs we haven't quite figures out yet. I think there might be a version of leaf, flag, sun, and moon possibly.

He recognizes babies, balls (anything round; pumpkins, balls, globes, circles), and hats everywhere and does the sign instantly. When he took his hat off at the library, a few minutes later he was signing hat. If he sees a ball, or hat in a book (without out saying the word) he will sign the appropriate sign. Flowers are followed by a finger and deep sniff of the nose. Baby is if he sees a baby face or during the Baby signing time credit; Which is really quiet cute.

I captured the pre-bed tired look, but he generally looks quite happy and dances around while watching the DVDs. Luckily he doesn't seem to like any other TV.

Hair today, gone tommorow

Due to the brutal attack Mountain Man suffered by the devious inanimate baby toys, the family hair cut day was delayed for quite some time, as the severe head laceration had to heal.

Therefore Marek's hair got quite long.

In the way 'what came first; the chicken or the egg?" is debated, friends and family similarly debated "what came first; the sight blocking bangs, or the bruise on M's forehead?".

All was rectified today, and the Handley Family once again has short hair.

I give you before and after pictures.