11 months

Dear Linus:

A month has already passed since the last update. You keep on growing up and you keep on giving your parents fits about the fact that you might one day tap a keg at a freshman mixer. You have made the future both incredibly exciting and incredibly scary.

This month you have continued to grow up and you keep on doing more and more. Crawling through the tunnel has been a favourite activity for the month. Crawling through the tunnel with mom chasing you....... well that is just off the charts.

Your clapping abilities have improved significantly, but your staying-in-time abilities have stayed at the previous Patterson level from last month. I really hope you will improve on that, but the fact is, you may even regress. If the progress of Grandpa Pat's signing voice is any indicator, you are going to regress. However, the slide into rhythmic oblivion will be fun along the way.

This month you developed an endearing habit of taking a huge poop about 30 seconds before we get in the car on the way to day care. This has required mom or dad to abort plans to leave the house and change the biggest diaper of the day. We know that when nature calls you can't take a message, but we are hoping that the pattern starts to stick to more convenient times soon enough.

Speaking of all things diaper related. You are not a squirmy person, except during the times when you are being changed. Your teacher at day care, Melissa, has told us that despite college training in diaper changing as a part of her early childhood degree, she is utterly baffled by you. Mom has found ever more inventive ways to get the diaper on you, but Dad is forced to continue to muddle through and make whatever progress he can during the 1 second intervals when you are lying on your back.

This month, we had two big outings, including our first Daddy-Linus outing to give mom a break at home. Both were fabulous. The hockey hall of fame featured bright lights and mom playing goalie. The museum of civilization featured a less on how to make pasta, and a sample of pasta that you scarfed down in a manner that gave me both great pride and great concern. The old Italian ladies that taught us how to make pasta (and made the samples) beamed with pride in seeing how much you like their product.

The big 1 year milestone is coming up next month. At one time that would mark the beginning of your career as a coal miner, but luckily for all of us, it just means we have an excuse to eat cake and think about how happy you have made us over the past 12 months.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Museum Day

We paid a visit to the museum of civilization in Hull today. First Linus wore traditional Indian clothing.
Then he learned the art of sushi making at the Japanese section.

Then he played the xylophone a little bit.


Followed by spinning the globe.
Then he was off in the rickshaw to play the drums, and finally learned how to make pasta from a sweet group of Italian ladies. Lots of fun for everyone.