Thomas at 2½-3 years old

March 2009

We took advantage of some sunny weather during the week to take the running bike out for a couple of spins.  Thomas is so confident on it now, that we also took it on some longer jaunts this weekend: to the park and bakery respectively.

Thomas slept through much of a recent shopping spree in Malmo, Sweden - but he enjoyed the train ride home, and not least the company of his new Swedish giraffe.

               

An impromptu reunion

In the past few weeks we have met up with a couple of Thomas' mothergroup friends at assorted playgrounds, partially for exchange of maternity clothes and partially to catch up.  This weekend everyone actually managed to meet up at the same place and same time, probably for the first time in over a year!  Thomas and Johnny were climbing everywhere as usual; Savalan got some quality time with a big dump truck while his little sister Ayla charmed everyone with her big eyes and smile; big girls Isabella and Maney tested out the swing and rocking platform respectively.

Thomas, Savalan and Ayla had previously gotten re-acquainted over a goat-feeding session at the farm playground.  Raw spaghetti is an ideal goat food for toddlers to deliver safely through the fence!

                   

                   

       

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Thomas has re-developed a fondness for Cheerios, and has gotten quite good at fishing around for the last few stragglers in the milk at the bottom of the bowl.  A recent rainy Sunday didn't stop us from making an outing to a playground with a swing that Thomas hadn't tried before; judging from the big smiles he enjoyed it quite a bit!

           

He has also become re-acquainted with the "Kids Cars" shopping carts which can be rented at the local shopping centre.  He loves to climb in and out of them, pretend to refuel, and hang out of the front and sides to catch our attention.

           

More videos of Thomas showing off his prowess with using the computer and mouse:

Note also the updated video in the February section below.

February 2009

We had an unusual few days of snow flurries, providing Cindy and Thomas with the opportunity of making our first snowman!  Back indoors, a new game is climbing onto the side of the bed and "riding" the safety rail like a horse.  Thomas also still loves playing with his trains, current favourites being the ones from the "Thomas the Tank Engine" stories.  He also very much enjoys his story books, bringing some to his dad to read while they sit in their matching chairs...

               

               

Thomas is wowing everyone with his prowess with letters and numbers.  He recognises all the letters in both upper and lower case, and can spell "Thomas", "Daddy" and "Mummy".  Part of this is inspired by the various childrens' web pages and games we play online, but his latest trick is working the computer mouse himself. 

   

See a video of Thomas playing a Caillou spelling game here!

 

Thomas is an expert at making messes, but he also loves to help clean up!  He was very excited to be allowed to control the squirt bottle when we gave the kitchen a thorough going-over last week.

   

Family reunion

Thomas very much enjoyed spending some time with the Burbage clan who came to visit us for a few days.  Auntie Lisa, uncle Stuart and cousins Tamsin and Alfie brought the snow with them from England, as well as some lovely presents including magnetic letters for the fridge.  Thomas especially hit it off with Alfie, who delighted in pulling funny faces and mutual tickling sessions.

               

January 2009

Never let it be said that Thomas doesn't appreciate his Christmas presents and other toys.   Hardly a day goes by that he doesn't play with his Duplo (Lego), Thomas the Tank Engine game, musical/animal keyboard, cars and trucks, and cuddly toys - sometimes all at once!  A visit from Marvin and his parents was well received and the boys played surprisingly well together.  Dad's toy "Cyber flyer" is also a popular source of entertainment.

               

               

Thomas helps dad with dinner; while Jonathan tenderises the steaks with a scaloppini hammer, Thomas does his bit on a Babybel cheese!

               

Thomas is still a big fan of public transport; many of the buses have windows low enough that he can see out of them and sometimes he also gets a seat right at the front of the metro (which is driverless in Copenhagen, so you can watch the tunnels whizz by through the front windscreen!)

We spend quite a lot of time playing games on various toddler-oriented websites - which may go some way to explaining his current fascination with letters and spelling.  He can already spell his name and loves to read out letters from various signs and posters he spots around town.  See some of his favourite sites here.

January 10

Enjoying the ball area at Capella Play, a huge indoor playground at nearby shopping center Fields.

Lobby capers... burning off some post-dinner steam in the evenings by going down to the lobby of our building and trying out Thomas' new "running bike", and kicking the ball around.

                

Updated 22.03.09