All Play

We have had another busy, but fun week with Dawson. Last Friday John worked the night shift, and so he was off on Saturday! Dawson and I were so excited to have him home on a weekend day. We had big plans to do things that you can only do on Saturdays that we never get to do as a family since John works weekends. We were going to go to the farmer's market and Panoply, but unfortunately we had rain and storms all day which kept us inside. However, we did decide to try our new restaurant, Cheddars, for lunch. It was good, but the most exciting thing about Cheddars, was that it was the first time Dawson ordered off the kid's menu! :) He ordered a grilled cheese and mashed potatoes, and loved his food!
On Tuesday morning we went to toddler story time at the library again. Dawson did a great job listening to the librarian read, and he paid attention most of the time. At one point he did wonder over to a little girl on the rug who had on a polka dot dress, when he got to her he pointed to/poked one of the dots on her dress and looked at me. The little girl just looked at him. :) For the arts and crafts project, the kids were to color a dog. I let Dawson pick a crayon, and he picked purple for the dog. I put the crayon in his hand and moved it on the paper so we could color, but he wasn't really interested in coloring this week since he still wanted to eat the Crayon. :)
Then on Tuesday afternoon, John had some work to do so Dawson and I headed back over to KidVenture. There were a lot more kids there this week and he had fun "playing" with a 10 month old little girl and a 20 month old little boy. I had fun just watching him with the other kids.
On Tuesdays evening we have our small group Bible study at our church. During this time Dawson goes to the church nursery. Unfortunately, recently we have started a trend where we usually get paged to come and get him because he is so upset we have left him. I have read that separation anxiety flares back up again around 12 months, so I think that's what is going on with Dawson...and what can I say? He wants to be with John and I! :) I really don't mind getting paged because I know one day he won't think twice about us leaving him at church, but I just hate that he gets so upset. Well, this Tuesday when we took him to the nursery, one of the girls told me they had a plan for Dawson. They decided to move him up to the walkers/one year old class. He walks a lot now, but he's still crawling a lot too which is why he was still in the crawlers class. They thought he might be happier with bigger and older kids, and he was! They didn't have to page us and they said he was the busiest kid in the room! The nursery room he was in had a little kids kitchen set complete with a play grill, and apparently that was his favorite toy the whole night. We were relieved to hear that Dawson actually had a good time and wasn't miserable the whole time he was in nursery (and I'm sure the nursery workers were relieved as well!).
On Wednesday, John's parents (Dawson's Nana and Grandad) came down for a visit, and we had a great time! We spent the day playing with Dawson inside and outside, and they got to see how he plays in his playroom. Dawson was also very sweet and gave his Nana several kisses and hugs (which he now loves to do--and I don't mind it at all). Dawson also got a piggy back ride for the first time on his Grandad's shoulders, and loved it! We were sad to see them go but look forward to seeing them again at the end of the month.
On Thursday John got to go play golf with a former co-worker, and had a great time playing at the Sunset Landing course. He came home pretty happy since he shot a 90!
Friday morning Parkway Place Mall in Huntsville had a grand opening of their new children's play area which is space-themed. We figured since it was the first time kids would be allowed to play on the toys that they should be relatively germ-free, so we took Dawson. We ended up having a great time because not only did they have the play area open, but the Chick-fil-A cow, KoKo (we're not sure what this character was supposed to be...we thought maybe a cricket?? it actually kind of looked like a roach, :) so we weren't sure), and Bearamy from Build-a-Bear were all there walking around. Dawson again surprised us by how much he LOVED these characters. We took him up to see and hug all three, but then each time they would walk by he would squeal/yell and smile and reach for them. He actually kept reaching for the bear to hold him. There was also a clown there named Dololly who made Dawson a balloon animal, but he didn't really get to play with it because he was trying to pop it so we took it away. He wasn't very interested in the clown, but he wasn't afraid either. Dawson also surprised us while we were there because in the kids area we put him down and he just went off crawling/walking on his own to play. After a little while he did look back and crawl back over to us, but he was very happy to go off to play with the other kids. He had a great time and was so worn out he couldn't stay awake on the drive home.
This week was all play, but now it's Saturday, and John's working, and I'm getting caught up on everything we didn't do during the week since I was playing with Dawson all week. We are also looking forward to my parents (Dawson's Lolly and Pop) and my brother (Dawson's Uncle Logan) coming to visit this evening and tomorrow.
Enjoy the pictures from this week...

Dawson has started to try to sit Indian Style

like I always do on the floor. Also, one top tooth

is finally through the gums, but the other is stil

trying to break through, so he is constantly chewing

his fingers.

And chewing the left hand.

Close up: You can see his two bottom teeth!

Dawson was so excited about the bear that

he wouldn't be still for the camera, so this

doesn't really show his excitement. At least

we were able to get a picture though!

Dawson playing in the space play area all

by himself!

Dawson's first picnic at his new table in our yard!

We had ribs and mashed potatoes which were messy

(and perfect to eat outside). Obviously, Dawson couldn't

get enough!

Dawson and Mommy picnicing!

Dawson and his grandad!

(I think this is the firsttime Dawson's had enough hair

to blow in the wind! Look at it standing up on

top of his head!) He loved being on Grandad's shoulders.

Dawson and Nana playing. (Dawson's chewing

on a toy.)

Dawson peeking over the caterpillar tunnel

at KidVenture.

Dawson's artwork from the library on our fridge.

Apparently I wasn't fast enough at giving

him Cheerios, he had to get them himself!

Dawson in his pjs one morning drinking

water from his cup all by himself!

Tunnels, Friends, and Teeth, Oh My!

This week Dawson's social calendar was quiet full! :) On Tuesday, John and I took Dawson to the children's reading group at the Madison Library which was a lot of fun and proved to be entertaining for us and Dawson. Dawson actually did a wonderful job paying attention to the librarian read three stories. After each book there were different songs complete with hand movements/dances that the librarian would lead. Despite there being over 20 other kids there under the age of 3, Dawson actually watched the librarian read and looked at the pictures most of the time. After storytime there was a craft project the children could do, however, it involved coloring an owl without eating the Crayons and gluing feathers on an owl without eating the feathers. Well, you guessed it...we tried to eat the Crayons and the feathers. I held the Crayon in Dawson's hand and showed him how to color, but that wasn't too interesting for him. We left during craft time, but we had a good time and plan to continue taking Dawson at least for the story part.
Tuesday afternoon John and I took Dawson to KidVenture in Huntsville. It is a large indoor play area with all kinds of fun things that Dawson loved! His favorite things there were the tunnels of course! They also had a mini ball pit which was just a square area with balls in it for children under three which Dawson also loved! I was impressed with how brave Dawson was at KidVenture pulling up and trying to climb on big things! Also, finally Dawson walked in front of John while we were there. Since then, actually, Dawson has been walking quiet a bit. Six steps at one time is the most he has taken, but he's starting to do it more and more! While we were at KidVenture we ran into our friend Blakeley with her son, Jude, and Dawson and Jude got to play together for a few minutes while we were there. After leaving KidVenture it was time to head home for a nap because Dawson was worn out!
Wednesday John had to go into work, so Dawson and I had our friends Blakeley and Jude over to play. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures while they played together, but the two had fun.
Thursday evening we went to a cookout with some of our friends, and then today we relaxed at home before getting Dawson's very own tunnel from his Lolly and Pop. To continue the tunnel obsession, Dawson now has his own tunnel in the playroom. I think he wore himself out crawling back and forth through the tunnel with different toys this evening, so hopefully he will sleep well tonight!
I guess I should mention that we are currently being visited by the Tooth Monster. To clarify, I have decided that it's a Tooth Fairy that takes you teeth when you loose them, but when you're getting teeth, as Dawson is right now, your home is unfortunately visited by the Tooth Monster causing fussiness and excessive drool! :) Dawson is cutting his top two front teeth at the same time. We know the little guy is in some pain because of this, so we're hoping they will go ahead and pop on through the gums pretty soon.
And a random funny from our house this week...Dawson has said the word "dog" several times when he sees Bentley as that is what we always tell him. On and on we say "see the dog?" "that's our dog!" "she's a good dog." "there's the dog." On and on like that all the time, so we weren't too surprised when Dawson started saying the word himself. Although we do call her dog, we also call her Bentley, of course. This week many, many times Dawson has looked at her and, instead of saying "dog" like before, has clearly said, "Bob." We think this is hilarious. Sometimes he even says it several times, "Bob, bob, bob, bob, bob." The other night in the car he was really tired and fussy and he said "Dad...Dad....Dad...Dad.." several times, and switched to Mom, "Mom...Mom...Mom...", then I guessed he felt pretty desperate because he started calling for, "Bob...Bob.." a few times. Dawson always makes us laugh! :)
So, from John, Dawson, Me, and, of course, "Bob"-Have a great weekend and enjoy the pictures!

Above: Dawson excited about entering the big

tunnel at KidVenture.

Above: Daddy and Dawson at KidVenture.

Above: Dawson found his friend, Jude, at

KidVenture. Dawson was so excited he got really

close to Jude to talk, as you can see in the picture.

Above: My brave boy decided to attempt climbing

the slide.

Above: Mommy and Dawson on top of the slide at KidVenture.

Above: Dawson crawling back in the big

tunnel at KidVenture.

Above: In the tunnel again.

Above: Out of the tunnel!

Above: Dawson hanging his owl art project

from the library on our refrigerator. It's his

first art project on the fridge, so we had to

take a picture! :)

Above: An up close shot of the owl.

Above: Dawson's new tunnel. While I was putting

the two other pieces together, he found this little

piece and tunneled back and forth through it.

Above: He couldn't wait for me to get all the tags

off before he started tunneling.

Tunnel.

Above: You can kind of tell from this profile shot that

he has a big grin on his face.

Above: Tunneling with the ball.

Above: Hanging out in the tunnel.

More tunnel.

More tunnel.

Above: Coming out of the tunnel for a break.

Zorio Family Update & Dawson's 11 Month Update

I believe it has been two weeks since we have updated our blog. We have been spending all of our free time outside since the weather has been so nice and so we've not been on the computer too much to upload pictures let alone blog, so it is time for a Zorio Family update.
Dawson loves being outside like all little boys, I guess. We've been taking long walks around the neighborhood every morning, and of course Bentley gets to come along too. We finally got around to clocking what we've been walking every day and realized that the minimum we've been walking is 1.5 miles but some days it's been closer to 3 miles, and Dawson rides along in his happily in his stroller the whole way. He watches Bentley walk (when she's not taking a break riding in the basket under the stroller), looks at other neighborhood dogs in their fences, listens to the birds, and in general, is just very happy to be outside looking around. In an attempt to allow Dawson to be outside as much as he would like to we have also attempted a couple of backyard picnics on a blanket, but being able to crawl away from your food when you see something interesting is still too much of a distraction so we've ended up finishing the meals inside in the highchair. We've also let Dawson use his walker on the road (I know it sounds dangerous), but since we live on a cul-de-sac we put him in the walker and allow him to go wherever he wants with us just a couple of steps behind. He loves the freedom and our neighbors get a kick out of seeing a kid 2ft6inches tall walking around the street in his walker! At first, I could keep Dawson on a blanket in the yard and we could play outside because he didn't like the way the grass felt when he tried to crawl away, but now he has apparently decided it doesn't feel that bad and is willing to crawl on the grass (which we don't really allow -except for a few photos- because of all the pollen right now).
Last Sunday was an exciting afternoon because Dawson took his first TWO STEPS! He was walking behind his push truck holding on and it got too far ahead of him, so while not holding on to anything he took two steps to get to it!! We were so excited and have tried to get him to walk more, but we have not yet been successful.
This Tuesday Dawson and I went over to his friends house to play. Dawson had fun crawling around with his friend Matthew (10 months) and had fun tunneling under the table with Caroline (3 years). Dawson and Matthew interact so much more than their first playdate just a few months ago, and it is so fun to watch! It's also very nice for me as I look forward to visiting with Matthew and Caroline's mom, Stephanie. Unfortunately, I didn't take the camera to get any pictures.
On Wednesday, Dawson turned eleven months old. I cannot believe we have an eleven month old (I know I type that every month, but as he gets older it gets even harder to believe). So to update you on everything our busy little 11 month old is doing...
Dawson has two bottom teeth and seems to have his upper left front tooth right under the gums, but it has not actually cut through yet. So it seems that he will probably have two or three teeth to eat his first birthday cake with next month! :) The bad thing is that he has not just been using these teeth to eat...the other day we discovered that he has started to take a few bites out of the wood finish on his crib. So far, he has only done it the one day and stopped...maybe he didn't like the taste?!
Other than eating the cherry finish on his crib, his other favorite things to eat at eleven months include sweet potatoes (still the favorite veggie), apples (still the favorite fruit), chicken, and beef. Dawson's very favorite breakfast item is pancakes! I make him pancakes at home quiet frequently usually in the shape of "D's" and on Easter in the shape of eggs, and he loves them! On Wednesday (his 11 month birthday) we went to IHOP for breakfast and Dawson ate almost two whole pancakes there. (Not the huge ones, but the saucer-sized cakes). He also loves to eat anything that comes off of our plates. Dawson has quickly learned that he should want food off our plates, and he's much more successful at begging than Bentley! :) Dawson also loves anything that he can feed himself. He is finally doing much better about drinking water from his sippy cups now that he is showing an interest in the cups at all.
Our little 11 month old also loves to clap his hands. He learned to clap around 6months, but has recently decided that it's fun. Dawson has also started showing a bigger interest in books! He will sit still on my lap or beside me on the floor and usually let me get through about 3 books before he looses interest. Right now his favorite books are Mirror Me (this is one he's always loved), I Love to Laugh, Good Night Tennessee, and The Going to Bed Book.
At 11 months his three favorite toys are his Swing Along Castle (he now loves to slide and swing and is not afraid), his orange bat from his Playskool t-ball game (he carries the bat everywhere with him), and his baby gate (not truly a toy, but he loves playing by putting toys through or over the gate).
One thing I love that Dawson has started doing is giving kisses! He gets really close to your face and opens his mouth wide to slime your face, but it's still really sweet!
Other things Dawson loves at 11 months include dancing. Every morning we turn the radio on during breakfast and he dances in his highchair. Basically any time he hears music he dances. Dawson also LOVES to tunnel. Anything and everything becomes a tunnel to Dawson. He will tunnel between your legs if you're standing up, under his exersaucer, under his slide, under tables, and under chairs. He is slowly getting better about sleeping through the night and we get uninterrupted sleep about half the time now. Overall, Dawson is a happy baby. He is so much fun, and we love playing with him since he loves to play at this age.
In addition to 'celebrating' Dawson's 11 month birthday this week, we also went to one of the first Huntsville Stars games of the season. Dawson had a great time watching all the people around us and of course getting attention from several people sitting nearby. Every time the vendors would walk by yelling, "Cotton Candy, Ice Cream, Peanuts!" Dawson would stare at them confused as to why they were yelling, but then he thought it was funny. The Stars' mascot is a skunk named Homer with whom Dawson and I were able to have our picture quickly taken. I expected Dawson to be afraid of a big character like Homer, but Dawson tried to kiss him. So our picture with Homer is similar to Dawson's picture with Santa (you can see below). Although the Stars ended up loosing, we enjoyed our time at the game.
John has been staying busy with work, yard work (making our grass green and planting a couple of trees), and playing golf. We're also working to plan Dawson's birthday party which will be Saturday, May 15, and we're planning to visit Tennessee at the end of May.
We hope that you enjoy the pictures below...

Above: Not only do Dawson and Bentley love being

outside, they also love to look outside.

Above: We were trying to play on a blanket

outside when Dawson crawled away and looked

back at us like this. (please note: we really do

make him wear shorts or pants :) we had just

then off in these few pictures)

Above: Let me out!


Above: Dawson is unsure about the
way the grass feels.

Above: Dawson decided he didn't want

to play on the blanket with us anymore.

Above: Even outdoor chairs can become tunnels.

Above: After a long walk.

Above: Another stroller picture.

Above: Dawson at IHOP.

Above: Dawson with Mommy and Homer. This was the

one I mentioned where Dawson is either trying to bite

or kiss Homer.

Above: Dawson and Daddy at the baseball game.

Dawson was trying really hard to wiggle around

in this picture (as you can see).

Above: Dawson playing with the gate.

Above: He likes to put toys through the gate

and now he has learned to put his foot through

the gate also. He thinks this is so funny!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Zorio Family!
We've had a great week enjoying the wonderful weather we've had here in Alabama! It was in the upper 70's and even 80's every day last week, and so we took advantage of this wonderful weather by spending a lot of time outside. Dawson loves to go for walks and ride in his stroller, so we took him on a walk every morning last week. Bentley got to go too, of course. On Thursday, we took a really long walk and Bentley was exhausted so we let her ride in the basket under Dawson stroller and she stuck her head out the side as if she were in a car and rode down there. She's slightly pampered. :) Dawson loves the walks because he looks around and talks the whole time.
On Wednesday we invited some of Dawson's friends over for a playdate and an Easter party. This was the biggest playdate we've had at our house so far; there were 5 kids total counting Dawson. His friends Ethan and Austin (twins 20 months), Caroline (3), and Matthew (10 months) all came over to play, and we had a great time! I made some cupcakes and Dawson even got to have a few icing-free bites of a cupcake, and he, of course, loved it! Matthew and Dawson are only a few weeks apart so they are very much at the same stage; several times while they were playing they would stop and just point to each other's eyes, nose, or mouth. It was really funny to watch them interact!
Friday morning instead of walking in our neighborhood, we went to Creekwood Park which is fairly new and has fun things for kids of all sizes. Dawson had fun swinging, sliding, and climbing with John and I through the small kid play gym. On Friday evening we went over to a friend's (Steven and Kelly's) house to take our Easter pictures with their bunny, Fern! Our friends were so wonderful to take a million pictures for us so we could get the perfect one with everyone's eyes open and Dawson looking in the general direction of the camera (we took the pictures outside so there were a lot of distractions for Dawson). I ended up holding the bunny the whole time, but Dawson was very very interested in the bunny. He loves animals! I was thrilled to get a family Easter picture of all of us with Fern the bunny, and I really appreciate our very patient friends who spent their Friday evening taking pictures of us with their bunny!
Today for Easter Dawson and I were planning to go to church on our own since John works weekends, but John surprised us and was able to get away from work long enough to come to the Easter service! It was so nice to have all of us at church together!
Dawson still has just the two bottom teeth and isn't showing signs of cutting anymore right now (which is fine with us!). He loves being able to eat some form of what we eat. I made him pancakes several days last week, and he enjoyed feeding himself pancake. He still hasn't taken a step not holding on to anything, but he will stand up and let go of everything for a few seconds. This week we really think Dawson said "dog." Thursday afternoon he looked at Bently and said "dog," we're waiting for him to say it again. It was very clear and John and I were both very surprised!
I have posted some pictures below from this past week. Enjoy the pictures and have a Happy Easter!

Happy Easter From the Zorio Family!

Our family with the little Easter bunny.

I think Dawson looks like a little man in his

seersucker Easter suit!

Above: This is what Dawson looked like last

year when we were dying Easter eggs.

Above: Dawson in the grass in his diaper.

Oh, Dawson we said you should wear your

EASTER SUIT not BIRTHDAY SUIT! :)

Above: Attempting to get our family Easter picture with

Fern the Bunny when an airplane flew over and, of course,

Dawson noticed it.

Above: Dawson LOVED the bunny!

Above: Dawson pointing to the bunny's nose.

Above: We were letting Dawson get used to the bunny

before we started pictures.

Above: Dawson and Mommy on the playset at

Creekwood Park where we went Friday morning.

Above: Dawson watching some other kids run by.

Above: Dawson pushing his toy in our backyard.

Above: My best attempt at getting a picture of our playgroup

on Wednesday afternoon. It's hard to get 5 young kids

in one area long enough for a picture.

Above: Our Easter snacks for the Easter Party/Play Date

on Wednesday afternoon.

Above: Our Easter cupcakes.