Toddler updates

Here are some things the toddler has been up to (we still call him The Baby around here a lot, though this kid is definitely toddling now).

Matthew is afraid of these things: shredder, printer, when the Staples button says "that was easy," being unexpectedly not able to see me.
But he is not afraid of these things: balloons popping, other sudden loud noises, dogs, dunking himself completely in the bathtub or kiddie pool by accident, falling directly on his face.

Also, he's not walking like a zombie anymore. He moves his arms like a grownup person. A wobbly grownup person, yes, but still, no more toddly zombie arms.

Matt's success of the week is that he has finally stopped crying when we go to the gym and I leave him in playcare. He loved it in January, but then I had to take a break for surgery, and he cried every time I walked out of the room for three weeks after rejoining. We went almost every weekday for all of April, and finally he likes it again! Three days of no crying now. And yesterday, he didn't want to leave when I went to get him!

New fascination: Airplanes. Matthew will hear an airplane and get really excited. He makes a particular happy sound when he hears them. If we're inside, he'll walk or crawl over to the window, look out, and point at the sky. If we're outside, he'll whip his head around trying to find it in the sky, holding his arm out toward it and making his happy noise. Yesterday we saw probably six planes. Jackpot!

New hobby: Walking, walking, walking. Walking in circles while holding toys. Walking around the house to check on everyone, especially if we're in different rooms.

But... when we're outside, my definition and Matt's definition of going for a walk are very different. Mine: One foot in front of the other, moderate pace, destination in mind.
Matthew's: Step, step, sit down. Look at ants. Poke with finger. Get up. Step. Sit down. Pick grass and put in mouth. Get up. Step, step, step, step. Point at neighbors and screech loudly. Try to walk up hill. Fall on face. Giggle. Get up. Step, step. Grab leaves on shrubbery. Smoosh in grubby little fist. Drop on sidewalk. Sit down. Grab leaf again and pull apart. Poke with finger. Get up. Look for airplanes. Sit down. Try to pull hat off. Get up. Step, step, step. Turn around. Walk really fast all the way back to where we started. Pick up stick. Put in mouth. Wave stick wildly... You get the point.