Squirrel!

If you have seen the movie 'Up' you will remember that whenever the dogs saw a squirrel they shouted squirrel! and then stopped and stared, wide-eyed and attentive. Well, Jamie reacts exactly the same way to squirrels! He LOVES seeing them outside on our walks or from the front door. One rather nutty young squirrel delights in coming up to our front door mat and licking it to death along with licking the front porch floor slats (it actually leaves them wet), completely oblivious to us standing there at the front glass door, staring at it. Even when our cat Zoe sits there staring at it and clicking her teeth at it, there it is, licking like crazy. I can only think it is b/c there must be a small remaining residue of melting salt from this past winter when we had snow and ice that needed salt on the walkway. We tracked the salt melt stuff up onto the porch and the doormat I remember. I plan to buy a saltlick for it. So, Jamie was pretty impressed with the nutty baby squirrel. He actually was rather nervous when it started coming closer to lick more surface area of the mat and Jamie backed away, lol.

So, has Jamie said dada for daddy yet or mama meaning me specifically (and not mama for both of us and for up and more which is what he uses mama for right now)? Nope! Today he said squirrel. ;-D Well, technically he said sku or schoo (as in school.) On our outdoor walks if I say let's look for squirrels as soon as I say squirrel he starts looking all around and I think he looked up in the trees too!

This evening some of our good friends paid us a short visit and during their visit I was telling them how Jamie tried to say squirrel today and how much he loves looking at them and pointing at them and growling w/ delight. So I said to Jamie, " Say squirrel, Jamie! Say squirrel!" and he immediately put his lips together like for a q but w/ no sound and his eyes opened wide with delight and the poor kid toddled fast for the glass door to look out. (This is with full night darkness.) He thought I'd sighted a squirrel! He can give a squirrel-lovin' dog a run for the money any day for sure! So now David and I (and our friends this evening) were saying 'Squirrel!' like from 'Up' when Jamie wasn't paying attention. The poor boy, we really shouldn't mess with his little mind.

Oh, speaking of learning words, David and I were feeding him dinner tonight and Jamie wanted to know what the computer was called. When we told him, we *think* he tried to say computer! It was three syllables and sure looked like a baby trying to say it. We laughed together saying he says computer and squirrel but still doesn't say mama and dada. ;-D At least he has mama and daddy's great loves in mind (computers and animals.)

I'll add some pictures from the past couple of days. The sequence with the rocker: that is an antique rocker that my stepdad had when he was a little boy! He gave it to Jamie and I kind of expected he'd be able to use it a little later, like when he is three. Well little man needed some assistance the first few times of trying it and I still need to stand nearby b/c he is wobbly w/ his coordination still but he did it all himself, including rocking a little! Wow!

David's sister and her daughter and I went to the playground yesterday near their house. Jamie loved it. Towards the end of the time there we were by the basketball hoops and older boys were playing. Jamie was extremely interested and wanted to be in the thick of it. In fact he was. he was directly under the hoop. Oops! I did move him but he nearly got a ball on the head and he was so excited. David's sister picked him up w/ a basketball in his hands so he could dunk it in the hoop and he loved doing that several times. He is all about that kind of thing!

A funny thing: we have a couple of baby dolls for him which I thought would be good to help him be a nurturing 'daddy' to his dolls. Well he is such a boy. Yes, he'll play with them a bit but yesterday he was found trying to stuff the head of the doll into one of his stacking cups. He really enjoys trying to see how things work mechanically and fit together. He's very spatially oriented. Ah well. I guess he can keep fitting baby's head into the stacking cups if that is truly what he loves. ;-)

I'd like to say that Jamie and Zoe cat are looking for squirrels in the picture of them at the front door but in reality Jamie was watching daddy trying to jump start his car. We took it into the shop today for some repairs. Jamie was asleep when we arrived at the car shop. Otherwise I know he would have been thrilled to be there. What amazes me is that this boy has had no background for having such a love for cars. I mean he hasn't had someone feeding a 'boys love cars and trucks' agenda/stereotype into him. I guess in his case it really is just an innate love for anything with wheels! He really is into them big time! I really thought boys loved that kind of stuff b/c that is what parents conditioned them to want and like but boy was I wrong!

Well, that's enough for now. ;-) Night night.