Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A Survey, as answered by Gus

Peter (and his Mommy) over at Working to be Worthy posted this survey, and Gus thought he would play along too. It's not a bad way to spend an evening. Hope you enjoy!  
(also--writing from the point of view of your child: cute or annoying? When I was reading Liana's, I thought it was cute, but writing this just seemed rather twee. Oh well)


~*THE BASICS*~
Your Name- Gus
Nicknames- Gussy, Gus-Gus
Birthday- November 10

~*HAVE YOU??*~
Been kissed? everyday by my Mama
Eaten an entire box of Oreos? we don't really have Oreos here in England (I mean, you can get them, but they are not Britain's favourite biscuit), and my mama almost never buys cookies anyway, so no.
Been on stage? Not as a performer, but I did climb up onto the dais during the vows at Uncle Tim and Aunt Becky's wedding. Mama was a bit mortified, but I don't think the happy couple minded too much. 
Seen the Eiffel tower? never. I have been to France, but not Paris.

~*FAVORITES*~
Shampoo: Earth Friendly Baby bath gel goes in the tub to make bubbles, although I really only use water on my hair--all the cool kids are doing no 'poo!
Color: orange
Band: any that sings The Wheels on the Bus on youtube
Commercial: I do not appreciate it when ads come on before my WotB videos. Not even the really cute (according to Mama) Google+ father's day one with the newborn baby pictures.

~*YOUR FRIENDS*~
Do you have a crush on someone? I share my love out equally
Do you have a best friend? Luke and Hattie and I are pretty tight
Who do you go to the mall with the most? Mama, but she usually just takes me there to do errands (although she does let me ride the mechanical bus and digger while we are there!)
Who have you known the longest of your friends?  Well, I met Hattie and Luke on the same day. Mama's cousin Isabelle is my birthday buddy, though, so we have a pretty special connection there, even though we don't get to see each other too often.
Whose parents do you know the best? I always get excited when we are going to see Claire and Anna (mums to Hattie and Luke, respectively) 
Who are you jealous of? I'm not really the jealous type. I do like to push Hattie's blocks cart around and around her house, though--definitely wish I had one of those at home!
What is your usual quote? "Mama come too!"

~*IN THE LAST 24 HOURS HAVE YOU*~
Cried? Oh yes. I wanted to go for a walk, and Mama said that I had to have a clean diaper before we could go. I was not impressed.
Eaten fluf? I was pretty sure it was a breadcrumb that I picked up off the floor, but Mama was not convinced. 
Helped someone? I love to help with the vacuuming and laundry, but we didn't have much of a chance to do that today.
Cut your hair? I do not like to have my hair cut. So no. 
Gone for a run? We went to the garden centre today, and I had a fantastic time running back and forth with Grandma and Grandpa, looking at all the animal garden statues.
Been kissed? Many times, by some of my favourite people (i.e. parent AND grandparents)
Said “I love you”? When we were going to bed tonight, Pa said "I love you very much", and I replied "Love very much". 
Written a letter? No, I'm not really much of a writer. 
Hugged someone? As above with the kissing.
Been Scared? No, I always have someone around who is big and strong who loves me and looks out for me.

~*WHENS THE LAST TIME YOU*~
Showered? I take baths, mostly, but it's been a few days now. Mama and Pa can never seem to remember when bath-day rolls around!
What are you wearing right now? T-shirt and diaper for bed.
Are you tired? Shattered.
Are you hungry? Not really--I had plenty of milk at bedtime.
Are you talking to someone online? No. Mama misplaced the webcam, so no skyping for me at the moment.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What's new with Gus

Gosh, I do not know why it has been so long since I last wrote anything here. I do know, however, that every day I spend not writing makes it harder to write an update on what Gus is up to these days. So, I am going to take 10 minutes and write what I can by way of update. Let's go!

Gus is such a chatterbox. He really does talk nonstop. He is always surprising me by picking up new little phrases and things. Yesterday, we were watching youtube videos of The Wheels on the Bus (he loves this so much), and I asked him which vid was his favourite. He just answered, "Don't know." I thought to myself, when did you start sounding like such a grown-up person?!  I also love it when you ask him something and he responds no, like that was the most ridiculous question in the world, and obviously the answer is no. He is just so funny.

Cars and trucks and buses have overtaken animals as his favourite thing, I think. Buses in particular seem to be well-loved, and he gets very excited by the idea of Jon riding the "big green bus" home from work. Similarly, his favourite book at the moment is Richard Scary's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. Which he identifies by name. This book can keep him busy for ages. There are so many pictures in the book, and each one tells a little story. And he narrates every. single. one.  Luckily, I don't always have to read it with him. There is one page with a massive pile-up, and the other day I was in the next room from Gus while he was reading, and I just heard him say "Oh no! Two cars fall down!"

His pronunciation of various sounds and words is getting much better, which makes me a bit sad. The word shoes actually sounds the way it is meant to be pronounced, rather than being a string of sounds that could not be replicated by anyone else. And I heard him use the word chicken instead of cluck-cluck a couple of times this week. Oh, they do grow up fast!  And I don't take nearly enough videos of him talking!

He's also started doing the actions that go along with songs, such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Wind the Bobbin Up. He is quite a shy little guy, though, and you can especially see that when we go to somewhere like Rhyme Time at the library. At home, he shouts instructions about which song or verse to sing next and does actions and is generally really engaged when we sing songs together. When we are in a group, though, he just sits quietly on my lap, hardly even smiling, just watching all the other kids and their parents. He does seem to enjoy it, but I guess he likes to observe more than jump into the middle of things. Not too much unlike his Mama, actually.

Wow, that actually took 20 minutes, and I feel like I've only touched the surface!  I'll leave you with some pictures from this month.



Another favourite pasttime. I am definitely not complaining!

A vintage bus show. Gus was in Heaven!! (even if it doesn't look it by his expression)

Wading in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in London

Looking out the front door at the truck and cars

Painting

Multitasking--vacuuming the back yard while on the phone

Lifting weights with Pa

Driving a fire truck. Why can I never get a picture of him smiling?!