2024 Summer Olympic Hopeful?

Apparently, my dad has some high hopes for my athletic ability. I already seem to have a variety of baseball, football and hockey apparel as well as a large selection of balls, bats and other sporting accoutrement. Additionally, I have heard him say "Well, you do know each generation of Fletcher men seems to have an increased level of athletic ability". That being said, I am sure that whatever interests I may have in the future, be it sports, music or art, my parents will be very supportive of me. Notice carefully, that I did NOT include dancing in the above list. Mom would be delighted, but I am not sure Dad would be able to handle that!

Unfortunately, as evidenced from the pictures above, it looks like Dad may have something to worry about:) If you look carefully, you will see that I seem to possess a natural aptitude for acrobatics, rolling and graceful gestures. At first glance, this appears to just be me standing on my head and rolling around with my blanket, but those of you with a keen eye can see that I am practicing my ballet and synchronized swimming routine on land. 2024 Olympics here I come!!

Up, Up and Away!

One of my favorite new words is "Up". As you can see from the picture above, I am saying "Up" to my mom (who is taking the picture) to compel her to come and lift me up to the table behind the couch. I just love to sit on this table and sometimes will also then fall onto the couch and roll in the pillows. In reality, this is really not a very safe activity and mom claims no part in my fascination for doing this. Hmmmmm....

Anyway, the word "up" has become very useful for me. I say it over and over until I obtain assistance in hoisting my Peanut self into chairs, my high chair or onto the couch to sit with my mom and dad and watch Sprout TV. Of course, I MUST have my blanket, phone, shoe or water bottle with me, or else, I have to get down again, obtain the required accessory and repeat the process over again. This is really fun and sometimes I just get down for no reason other than to just go "up" and do it all over again.

Slip, Sliding Away

One of my favorite activities is to go to the park. There are a variety of things to do and I, of course, HAVE TO DO all of them each time I go. I have my own little agenda and it MUST be followed each visit. It is as follows:

Agenda item #1 : Play structure: There are three different slides, as well as tunnels and bridges that I like to play on. When crawling up the steps, it is important to remember not to eat the pieces of wood bark (it is a long story), but to pick each piece up and hand it over to my mother or other member of the Peanut's entourage. This portion of the park visit generally takes from 1 to 24 hours:). When I have cleared all the steps of bark, I can then proceed to one of the many slides and tunnels. To the horror of my mother, just a few weeks ago, I decided that I was now old enough and skilled enough to hurl my body, head first, down the big slide that is shaped like a tube. I found it incredibly hilarious and now do it again and again each time we visit. Granted the first time was a little scary for everyone (except for me), but now it is just old hat. Next challenge please!!

Agenda item #2: Toddle/run over to the green recycling can, the brown garbage can and the water fountain. I love to look at the picture of the green tree on the can and push on the water fountain button. It brings me great joy and amusement every time I do it. During our last visit, I even got to put my fingers in the water and stomp the water puddle underneath. Unfortunately, it was also about 45 degrees outside, so my fingers and toes were on the verge of turning purple by the end of the park visit. Note to self - don't do that when it is cold outside.

Agenda item #3: Toddle/run up to the upper level of the park where the doggies play. I love dogs and now understand that they have four legs and fur, are generally friendly, like to chase balls and some even wear sweaters at the park (what is up with that?). Anyway, I find them amusing and I like to make this funny "woof" noise and point when I see them. On many occasions, owners will give me a chance to pet their dogs or receive a doggy kiss. At one of my first visits, a dog even drooled on me, but my mom told the owner not to worry, as there was a possibility that I would drool right back onto the dog. What fun!?!?

See the above pictures of me on the play structure having fun.

Christmas comes early for MaMa

If you read my earlier post below, you know that I have been referring to my mom as "na-na". Yes, it is true....I have been taking my time to get acquainted with the letter "m".

Also, based on my previous posts, you know the following facts about me:

1) I am just so cute I can't even stand myself.

2) I have a sweet and gentle little soul.

3) I really love my mom

4) I am a Peanut

Therefore, after careful consideration of the situation and the facts at hand, I decided to cave in and begin calling my mom "ma-ma" on Christmas Eve. I haven't stopped either, as it seems to be very effective at getting her attention and adoration everytime I say it.

Hello? Why didn't somebody tell me to do this sooner? I even got some ice cream and some presents today (Christmas Day)....that's not a coincidence is it?

Shake your Booty (and your music maker)!

I love dancing and music! If I hear a zippy melody, I immediately become a little boogie machine. To provide more exposure to music and dancing, mom signed me up for a music class and I love it (most of the time - it seems to depend on my mood for the day and the selected genre of music). So far, in my class, I have been exposed to classical music, african drum beats, Zydeco and 50's music. Of those classes, I liked the Zydeco and 50's music the best. FYI - Dad has yet to attend the class with me for fear of looking like a dork, but maybe one day:)

We always start class with beating on the drum and welcoming all the other little attendees. Next, we play instruments and then break out scarves and balls. My favorite section of class, however, is the freestyle dancing. This is the section where mom and I partner up and show off our moves. Now, we are by no means the next Fred and Ginger, but I must say that we are pretty good. We have created our own version of the Peanut Twist and the Peanut Shuffle.

To further my interest in music, mom and dad gave me a music set for Christmas, which includes my very own drum, drumsticks, tone block, triangle, maracas and bell stick. The drum is my favorite so far; it has become my new mission to use all objects in the house to strike the drum (including my head and nose). It is so much fun and causes me to laugh hysterically! I also love the maracas and will play them on command when mom and dad say "Shake"!

I must admit that I have been going a little crazy. Since I opened this gift, mom and dad seem a little dazed and they keep muttering "what did we do?".

See the above pictures of me shaking my maracas and playing with my drum (really I'm just chewing on it).

Silver-Tongued Devil (Angel)

Just in the last few weeks, I have really started to get this talking thing down. I know how to say lots of words now and I like to say them over and over and over and over (are you getting the picture?). For a while now, I have been able to say "da-da", "na-na", "shoes", "cheese", "car", "truck", "dog", "duck", "yellow", "roll" and "banana" but I recently added, "hot", "up", "out", "water", "wash" , "nose", "toe", "juice" and "dirt" of all things. Granted, these words are not always spoken with perfect pronunciation, but I get my meaning across. Over and above the words listed above, I say even more, but mom and dad seem to have difficulty understanding me at times. Oh well....they seem pretty smart so I am sure they will catch on soon enough.

Up until now, for some reason, I haven't used the letter "m" widely, but I have started to say it more in the last few days. I heard dad tell my mom that I was running around the kitchen last night yelling "Ma-Ma", but alas, she didn't hear me. She thinks that dad was just trying to make her feel better. You may wonder why mom might feel bad? Well, for two reasons. The #1 reason is that I generally run around and say "da-da" over and over and over and over (are you getting the picture again?) It doesn't matter what I am doing, it is such a great word and seems to fit any and all situations. You should give it a try. The #2 reason is that I generally refer to mom as "na-na" only.

What mom doesn't know is that the complete and utter overuse of the word "da-da" is just part of the Peanut's master plan. To tell you the absolute truth, I am holding onto that little nugget of gold until I really do something that gets me into trouble. My plan is to whip it out with a cute, little smile on my face, look her directly in the eyes and clearly yell "Ma-Ma". I am sure that whatever I have done will be completely forgotten in a moment's time. She is such a softie, but I love her. The one potential flaw with my plan is that I have to be with mom when I do the bad thing. This is going to require great patience and reserve on my part as I am in deep trouble if I do it when she is not around. Timing is everything these days.

Talk at ya later! By the way, the picture above is me NOT talking, but just chilling with da-da, the man himself. Note that I also have my truck, my book about trucks and my truck blanket.

What's your sign?

Although I can say some words now (see future post), I have to give thanks to my mom, dad and my super nanny (that was for you Laurie) for teaching me a few signs from a "Baby Signs" workshop. When they first started to teach me signs, I thought that the three of them had literally lost their minds, but now I understand that they are just trying to "show" me how to communicate my needs and associate words with concepts and objects.

You wouldn't think so, but busting out a few baby signs magically eases many well known toddler frustrations such as wanting or needing love, milk, juice, food or toys...you know, all the really important stuff in life. Research has shown that signing can prompt me to talk sooner and can help me to cry less as my frustration levels can be reduced. The other big payoff of signing is that it is lots of fun. Peanut fans simply go crazy everytime I do it and I get lots of applause accompanied by goofy, silly reactions.

I get A LOT of use out of just a few signs and I am really starting to learn and/or create more and more. Here are my A-list recommendations. My favorite sign is for "want" or "more". My mom would tell you that this is because I want more of everything and anything, which in reality is pretty much true. I can also sign for "fish" which is very useful when we are looking at a fish-tank (almost never), but is more often used when I want some of those little fish-shaped cheesy crackers. Mom is concerned over what is going to happen if I ever get my hands on a real fish. That poor fish is basically destined to become my first bite of sushi...hmmm.

I can also sign for "done", "bird", "milk", "where?", "see" and "hear". Mom is trying to teach me the sign for "hurt", "please" and "thank you" and "love" but we are still working on those.

Maybe you think you are not into using signs. I'll let you in on a little secret! You probably use signs everyday too. My all time favorites are using your finger to point at things and the ever popular wave of the hand to say "hello" or "goodbye". I use these daily and they are the ticket for getting an immediate reaction and the attention of all those who adore me:)

Mom has yet to catch me on film using a sign, but you will notice in the picture above (from this Halloween) that I am using signs to say "I am a crazy boy! You better not mess with me because I'll get you"!

Allow me to introduce myself

Welcome to my blog! My name is Matthew aka "Peanut" and I was born on September 5, 2005. I live in the Bay area with my mom and dad. I am a happy, healthy little boy with lots of energy and a great sense of humor.

Why a blog, you say? Well, just the other day, I was sitting quietly on the floor (ha, ha) and contemplating how my extended family and friends must just literally ache to see current pictures of me as well as hear about my activities, development and new experiences.

I was prompted to talk to my mom. I inquired as to whether she could help me start my own blog to post a weekly update to my fans. Unfortunately, she replied with her usual yammerings about how she just doesn't have any time anymore. What is she talking about anyway? :) What else does she possibly have to do besides play with trucks, go to the park and bang things on her head? I will never understand her.

Sensing that some major persuasion skills were needed for this situation, I flashed a sweet, little smile and called her "Nana" and here we are. I am only 15 months old and I have my OWN blog. How cool is that?

From now on, check out my blog at least once a week. It promises to put a smile on your face each time you visit!