Central Park

Grandmommy and Granddad came to town to celebrate Paul's birthday on Feb. 20. We took them to Central Market, where recently we discovered Truman could be entertained with a free balloon AND a post-lunch trip to Central Park, the outdoor playground. Here, Truman explores the movable blocks on the side of the playscape.


Crawling out of the tunnel....



....and toward the slide.


Hanging out with Granddad.


Reading the Sunday papers.



Eating a mid-morning snack. And not particularly pleased with all the paparazzi lurking around.

(A big thank you to Grandmommy for remembering her camera!)

Valentine

Valentine's Day came early to our house this year. Truman gave us this art-ifact on Friday, which he made at daycare. Is it just us, or do his feet look especially big?



Later Friday afternoon, a small package came through the mail slot. Our friend and former neighbor, Sukey, dropped off this adorable "tattoo" shirt and a wonderful card (couldn't get a photo to do it justice). Even better, we ran into her later that day on a walk with our good friend Wilson. As much as we love our current house, it sure did make us miss our old 'hood and neighbors.


Truman's first Valentine's Day got off to a great start—two cards, each with an Abe Lincoln! Thanks, Grand Judy and Pop George and Great Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bill! (Those Lehmann girls, they sure think alike. Nana trained them well!)


Truman's day got even better because he had his first taste of refined sugar, which he seemed to like. A lot. We let him have half a cookie on Friday and the rest on Saturday. (We're living on the edge, aren't we?) No action shots, sadly, because we were too busy supervising. Who knew sprinkles could be a choking hazard?



Speaking of great gifts, here's T modeling one of his V-Day presents from the Groupps. Doesn't he look "street" in his graffiti-inspired jacket?



And here he is, showing off his Valentine from cousin Phoebe. (We don't always open the mail in the bathroom. Just sometimes.)


And finally, Truman smiles at a great photo of Phoebe, which came with the card. Thanks, Groupps! Can't wait to see you in March.

Hangin' with the Big Boys

Truman and Paul joined friends John and Beaty and their sons, Tiernan and Fletcher, for their weekly Saturday boys-only outing. This week they went to the observation deck (i.e., the field above) at the Austin airport to watch the planes land. Truman was a little more interested in the older boys: Fletcher is about to turn two, and Tiernan is about 18 months old.



John and Tiernan watch a plane land as Truman (see sliver of head, above right) watches from afar.



A surprise gift arrived the same day from Grand Judy and Pop George! New shoes! Here's Truman breaking them in. (Note our rather primitive child-proofing of the kitchen drawers in the background.)



And, after a bit of a struggle, modeling one shoe. Aren't they spiffy?

Retro Chic

Check out Truman's new cardigan!* It's a nod to the Eighties with its colorful space invaders icon repeated Andy Warhol-style. For some inexplicable reason, it was on clearance at Old Navy. I snapped it up immediately, and then at the register, they took an extra 50% off! I was bummed to discover it JUST fit, so I'm hoping to go back to snag a larger size. Much to Paul's chagrin.



A close-up for all you video game lovers out there. (At least we THINK it's the space invaders icon. At daycare, Truman's teachers thought they were skulls.)


*I know it's not the best photo of T, but we had to catch him early before he went to daycare and put the sweater through its paces on the playground.

Alcatraz Southwest

Once Truman mastered the stairs we realized that our days of living with an open staircase were numbered. So last week we had our trusty contractor friend, Tom, come out and put in this banister.


At first Truman was a little uncertain, but when he realized that it could be yet another play area, he was thrilled.



Some of you may remember that previously this space was completely open, which gave the room a nice airy feel. But stone floor + no banister = deathtrap for baby.


Here's a view from the landing. Check out our new rug (further babyproofing)!


The third step, a.k.a. one of Truman's favorite places to hangout while he watches Luther drink out of his water bowl on the floor below.


And, a few leftover photos from last weekend. Truman post-bath.....



... and sizing up Granddad.

Bath Time = Fun!

Truman's becoming a real pro at taking baths these days. So, to embarrass his future self, we're posting some more of Truman, The Bather. Enjoy.





Also, in case you want to see what it used to be like, here's a previous bath-related post.

Post-holiday wrap-up

Happy New Year! We're working on some new video of the now nine-month-old T-Rex (his new daycare "handle"). In the meantime, please enjoy these photos from our Dallas Christmas.



Actually this one was taken in Austin on Christmas Eve. Truman's trying out his gift from the Peters, a specially-made longhorn rocking chair. (And practicing for having his portrait painted. Maybe he WILL be president someday. But no pressure, T!)


With Uncle Harvey and Aunt Linda, who gave him some great presents.



With great-uncle Jim and aunt Jacqueline. (Sadly, that necklace didn't survive Truman's visit. We owe you a new one, Jacqueline!)



With Grandmommy, one of his biggest fans.