We Survived! Two Weeks without Dad

Colin returns tomorrow from a looong business trip (New York, London, Dusseldorf, Munich, Paris). Emmett and I have kept busy in Daddy's absence: lots of trips to the park and library, a road trip to Monterey with Uncle Mike, Aunt Mer, and Nick, and plenty of playdates with our neighborhood pals.

What will Daddy find to be different about his 14 month old? Let's see. First, folks continually comment that Emmett's hair is getting "blonder and blonder". I didn't think this could possibly true until I sat down tonight to watch some old videos of E taken over the past year. It's true! We now have a little West coast blondie amongst us!
Emmett recently started to show an interest in climbing. He's not gotten himself up too high yet and I am not looking forward to the day when he can scale the living room furniture. Emmett's vocab continues to grow - he now has a host of single "words" and is just starting to combine two word approximations - typically "moh" (more) with the food item. Emmett has also learned to say his third "person": Mehdeh (Aunt Meredith)! And, Colin will be relieved to know that E has not forgotten his Daddy. Tonight when I took out a family photo album that Emmett had not seen in months, Emmett gleefully pointed out all of the pictures of Dada. He also pointed to a photo of Grandpa Harry and said something like "gahma". Close!

Last weekend Mike and Nick ran the half-marathon in Monterey. What an inspiration! Emmett enjoyed hanging out with some of the shorter spectators (babies and dogs) and he had a good time exploring two of the toddler/interactive rooms at the Monterey Aquarium. He thought the big tanks were cool for about five minutes, after which time he gave me a clear "No, no" each time I approached a new tank. Oh well, maybe in a few years we'll try again.

Tonight Emmett demonstrated a new skill that, while amusing at first, will clearly be annoying as soon as tomorrow! He has learned how to "fake cry" and yes, it is truly hilarious. He scrunches his face into a big pout and exclaims, "eh, eh, eh" in a pitiful but very fake manner.