Spring Funward

Last Tuesday Garrett completed his first session of little kickers soccer. He is having a blast playing and his favorite game is "Hungry Hippos" where each goal is a hippopotomus and he has to remember their names to know which goal to score the ball in.

We just signed Garrett up for another session of soccer and a new activity, T-ball. We have been playing at home, but now we'll try it with a coach and teammates.

Garrett had a wonderful time in Pasadena at the Kids Museum. He got soaking wet while playing with the water toys and enjoyed climbing to the top of a giant stairway.

FYI, Andrea is in the latest Edition of Scripps Magazine. The issue features a long article about the Dance Department which mentions Andrea and her current endeavours.

PS: Thomas video finally posted

So, I promised a video of Garrett at the Day Out with Thomas, which was actually on YouTube, but never linked to the post. But now that it is down there, I wonder who will actually see it, so I'm reposting it here in case you are interested and do not scroll down to look for new content on old posts!

Happy New Year

The Cordova-Caddes' family had a wonderful holiday. We went on a cruise around Huntington harbor to celebrate Aunt Betsy's birthday.



We enjoyed family celebrations of the Christmas holiday and a trip to New Mexico with Mormor & Papa to ring in the New Year.



Then this week we went to Disneyland with Kelly & the boys and started our new soccer class!

Day Out with Thomas

We had a wonderful time at the Day Out with Thomas. Pictures on FlickR and video below.

LA Fair & Laguna Beach Pictures Loading

As I type this I am uploading some new pictures to FlickR. There are some from our trip to Laguna Beach with Sam, Darren and Eric, and also to the LA County Fair. Garrett really enjoyed the Carosel as well as the Merry-Go-Round.



Coming up this weekend, we are taking Garrett to the San Diego Zoo with Grandma and Aunt Betsy. Then the following weekend is Garrett's 2nd Birthday party! I cannot believe that he is going to be two years old already.

Busy Birthday Business

Today we finalized plans for Garrett's 2nd birthday party. We checked out a location called Wiki Waki and decided it is the perfect spot for the event. Of course we had to try it out for a few hours to be sure. Here is a video of Garrett playing Air Hockey.



Then he and Andrea scrambled through the obstacle course!



Overall, Garrett and I spent a few hours playing there. This evening we went to Grandma's house to celebrate her birthday with Aunt Betsy, Aunt Bev, Rachel and Betsy. We had a wonderful time and discovered that Garrett likes pineapple!

Bless You

This morning when I was in the kitchen I sneezed and Garrett responded with no prompting "Bess You". When I sneezed a second time, he said it again! I'm not sure where he learned it, because I always say "Guzun"... um... I always say it in German.

New Nigh-Night News

Tonight Garrett went to sleep with less help than ever before. I decided to keep reading bedtime stories longer than usual to see what he would do. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes (about half way through his Big Book of Bear Stories) he turned on his side and shut his eyes. I kept reading for about 10 minutes more (finished the book) and when I stood up he stirred slightly, but once the lights were off he relaxed and stayed asleep. He looks so peaceful when he's asleep. I would have taken a picture if I hadn't thought it would wake him. Sweet dreams Garrett.

Weekend with Duncan

After attending the Ice Cream Social at Tutor Time on Friday evening, we took Duncan home to be with Dada and the parakeet, Tommy Bahama, we are bird sitting. We went outside to play with our favorite toys, including the slide, tricycle, scooter and roller coaster. Then, we went for a walk in the "bus". Sophia, our neighbors' pug hoped in to join us on the walk. We spent some time in the patio playing cars with our neighbors, who Garrett calls "Yaya", and their two pugs, "Fafa and "Dala". We made dinner - Garrett's favorite - meatball pizza, which he calls "zaza", and ravioli too. After dinner, we took Garrett to the video store for the first time and let him pick a movie. Duncan and Garrett chose "Happy Feet". When we got home, we put on our pajamas and snuggled on the couch. A few minutes into the movie we decided it was a little scary and fell asleep cuddling instead. We transfered Garrett and Duncan into his new "Cars" toddler bed.



On saturday morning we all snuggled together and then went downstairs to play with "Hama". That is what Garrett calls the bird. After breakfast, we packed up the car and drive down to Orange County. GarreBear (as we call him) and Duncan sat nestled in their car seats and watched Garrett's favorite movie, "Cars". We arrived in Fountain Valley at the classic car show and meet up with Aunt "Dasu" and Uncle "Snuffy". Duncan and Garrett strolled around as we walked through the aisles of well manicured cars. Our favorites were the old fashioned firetruck and police car.

We played in the park - climbing up the jungle gym and sliding down the slide as well as swinging on the swing set. Then, Garrett and Duncan took a nap as we drove farther south to have lunch at Taco Mesa. Aunt "Dasu" treated us to "fro-yo". We went to "Dasu" & "Snuffy's" house to play hockey and introduce Duncan to Daisy, their dalmatian. We went down to the barn to ride the horses - "heheheheeeeee" Garrett says imitating a neigh. Duncan rode "Mai" - short for Mairaush. Garrett fed "Bebe" - short for Briget Bardot. We also had fun chasing after the bunnies and watching the tractors! As we were leaving, we said "Ba-bye" to all of the ants. "Dasu" let us play in her off-roading jeep. Garrett loves to inspect the tires, which are taller than he is!

We drove down the street to "Mormor" and "Papa's" house to go swimming. After lots of splashing and a trip around backyard in the wagon, we took a bath and had dinner. We introduced Duncan to Bella, their italian greyhound, who loves to give kisses. After dinner, Duncan and Garrett played chess and played with the artwork. We love to play with the little glass panda bears and ladybugs. Our favorite was to sit on the statues - "Mormor" says its okay. In fact, it was her idea! Before bed, we introduced Duncan to "Papa's" bear collection. We felt right at home with Papui and the other teddy bears, so he spent the night snuggled with them. "Papa" was ready to adopt Duncan forever, but Garrett firmly told him "No, mine".

On Sunday, we played the piano as a morning wake-up call to the house. We also played with Garrett's "Choo-choo" and relaxed with "Mormor" and "Papa". After breakfast, Garrett took a nap with Duncan and we packed up the car. We drove home to meet "Dasu", "Snuffy", "Daci" and "Nat". We went to "Dada's" martial arts studio and played in the game room (which is filled with trucks) while Sensei taught "Mama", "Dasu", "Daci" and "Nat" self-defense techniques. Garrett took another nap while we drove to Victoria Gardens. We all went out to dinner. Duncan liked that we got to grill our own food at the restaurant. After a delicious Japanese meal, we went to Pink Berry for shaved ice and fresh fruit. It was refreshing! Once we arrived home, we said "Ba-bye" to "Hama". "Dasu" was taking him to his new home. After everyone left, Duncan and Garrett got ready for bed and and we read a few stories. "Ny-nyte!"

Pictures Available Now

Garrett's Tricycle

I just posted a video of Garrett riding his tricycle behind our house.

New Words

Although Garrett's favorite word is still "Bubbles", he has been saying several new words. Last week he said the name of the mermaid in his tatoo "Lu Lu". On Saturday he said "Joe-Joe" (it sounded like "Doe-Doe"), which is the name of cookies from Trader Joes. Tonight he said "bye-bye" and then while watching an "Elmo's World" video he said "El-mo"!

Garrett's a Prodigy (like we didn't know that)

This is ridiculously late! However, a story about Garrett was featured on one of my favorite podcasts Buzz Out Loud, Episode 403 on February 2nd. Despite my tardiness, the episode is still in the RSS Feed if that means anything to you. If you download the file, jump to 32:31 to hear them discussing the email that I sent in about Garrett (I left his name out, but it is him). Or you can click HERE to listen to the section featuring our little prodigy on Podzinger.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today was a very big day for our little man.

First he turned 16 months today. Also it is Valentine's Day and Garrett had a celebration at school with his friends.

However, the most fun news for me to report is that Garrett used his potty for the first time. He's been curious about it since we unpacked it, and has been sitting down on it for a few days, but this morning when I sat him down on it, he actually peed inside the potty! I could tell from the smile on his face that he knew how proud we are of him. He understands so much it amazes me constantly.

Goodbye

We said goodbye to our beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Kiss Me Kate on February 5th. Katie gave so much love in her 17 years of life.

Birthday Morning

On the morning of Garrett's birthday we (Andrea, Garrett and I) went to Build-A-Bear at Ontario Mills to create a stuffed animal commemorating the day. The first step is selecting the body type. As we walked down the aisle of examples we came to the cow and Garrett immediately said "Moo". We decided that Garrett was telling us that he wanted to build a cow.

After stuffing him we began looking for an outfit for him to wear. In this section we came across a stroller that is made to accommodate stuffed animals of this size. After dressing the cow in cowboy attire and selecting his name, Moobert was ready to ride in his stroller.

I posted a short video of Garrett pushing the stroller in Ontario Mills. From the main page you can find a video of Garrett drinking Milk from a cup for the first time. Anyone who has iTunes (or any other podcatcher, if that means anything to you) can subscribe to receive videos as soon as they are posted. On the right side of the page you will see a section called "Subscribe to this Podcast". There is a one-click link to subscribe in iTunes, or you can use the RSS Feed for any other program that provides podcast support.

Our Little Visitor

Wednesday night I came home from Martial Arts to find out that Andrea and Garrett had had a tiny visitor. While sitting on the couch, Andrea saw something come out of the kitchen and approach Katie's food. At first she thought she must be seeing things, but then realized that in fact there was a mouse eating Katie's oatmeal.

When I arrived, I started searching for our little visitor and found that our kitchen had a gap between the dishwasher and the cabinet. I tried to entice the critter out into the open, but twenty minutes of sitting quietly made no difference. So I began cleaning up to leave the issue for the morning, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a grey ball whizzing across the edge of the kitchen. It scampered from the corner near the dishwasher to the next corner, between the sink and cabinet. Then at the corner, it seemed to jump into the cabinet. After opening all of the cabinets, I grabbed a mirror and the mystery was solved. Apparently there is a small gap between the cabinet under the sink and the adjoining one. Unfortunately, the cabinet makers left a hole underneath, where our little friend found a nice hiding place.

So Thursday morning I made my way to Lowe's for a mouse-catching education. I selected a trap that allows catch-and-release, because it's not the mouse's fault that we don't want it in our kitchen. I set up the trap in the kitchen with a small piece of cheese (I know that's a cartoonish choice for bait).

It took until Saturday morning, but Audrey (we selected a name for her that suggests small and cute) finally made her appearance. One mile north of our house is a big open field where I released her. I hope she's made friends with some other mice and is happier than she was in our cabinet hole!

September Roundup

I wish I could report that the whole family is 100% healthy, but these darn colds have been dragging on for most of the month. However, Andrea and Garrett are both doing much better.

Garrett is exploring more than ever, he's quite comfortable walking along walls. He can even stand unassisted next to a support for short periods. Basically we're just waiting for him to let go and charge across the room unaided. My favorite new skill is that Garrett has learned to clap his hands. When our neighbor sings "If you're happy and you know it..." he stops whatever he is doing and begins clapping!

I (Tom) had a wonderful birthday month with celebrations over a week long period. Of course, we are gearing up for next month when our little monkey will turn one year old.

My biggest news of the month was the beginning of the IMS program. I shared the weekend with an amazing group of faculty & students. Spending an entire weekend concentrating on movement is such an invigorating experience. Even though I should have been tired on Sunday night, I felt absolutely charged.

This month also included the first rollout of software at my new job (I started in August). That meant that the first two weeks of September included more than 50 hours in the office. When you add in driving time, it left very little room for anything else, but I feel like an important part of this great team.

Andrea's class at Citrus College is experiencing student creep. The two sections of this class are allowing students to come to class in the opposite section and Andrea's class is growing each week. As I have always known, once students (or clients) get a sense of Andrea's teaching, they keep coming back!

Road to Recovery

I am sorry to report that both Andrea and Garrett have been ill this week. Last Saturday night Garrett had a lot of difficulty sleeping, and his temperature was elevated. Sunday was the worst with his temp around 101.5 all day. Fortunately by Sunday it was lower, but it has stayed in the 100 range this week, dipping but never staying down.

Andrea has been fighting a cold for quite a while, but putting so much energy into caring for Garrett at the sacrifice of sleep made it worse. The last few days Andrea has come home from class or teaching totally exhausted, achy and feverish. We're planning as quiet a weekend as possible to help her recover. Hopefully I'll have good news next week.

Getting Settled

I spent Thursday morning at Tutor Time with Garrett so he could get more used to being there. He enjoyed exploring the new environment, but he got upset anytime he thought I might be leaving. After Andrea's class she met us there and I headed to work. As I was leaving I noticed that the LCD in the Tutor Time entry was flashing pictures from Wednesday of Garrett on the playground.

Time for a Tutor?

So a super brief roundup for anyone who gets all their Garrett related info from this page: Garrett has crawled, then creeped, and is now able to pull himself up to standing on any piece of furniture or person he reaches. Garrett got the top two front teeth almost simltaneously, followed by the two bottom front teeth. It was only a few weeks later that te next two top teeth appeared. Garrett is still quite vocal, and is saying less actual words but more unique compund sounds than before. He loves baths and playing outside, especially riding in his jeep. He enjoys cheerios and fruit & vegetable puffs, but still likes milk best.

So today was Garrett's first day at Tutor Time, which is a brand new day care center that opened up close to our house. I think it was more traumatic for Andrea than for Garrett, but she did report he was upset when she left thee room. Fortunately he did not have to start out with a ful day there and hopefully as he gets accustomed to it, he will enjoy his time there.