Harrison

Harrison has taken quite an interest in photography. He has two old cameras in his toy collection, including an old Pentax Spotmatic… He loves looking through them… But what he loves more is real cameras.

When I borrow Grandma’s Canon EOS300D he immediately wants to use it. I spent a couple of minutes showing him how to use it (where the shutter button is) and how to review the photos (pressing the ‘Play’ button) and off he went.

At other times, whenever anyone brings out a camera he wants to have a go.

The other day he took some especially good shots, I thought.

Here’s the link to the Flickr set I’ve made for him, and a few selected shots.

Harrison’s Photos (on Flickr)

Yesterday we went to a car boot sale. A man there had some kids stuff that i was interested in. There was a Blues Clues bowl and plate set and a Bob the Builder sheet set. But Harrison didn’t want those - what he wanted was the Disney Princess cup with a straw. So thats what he got! It’s pretty, it’s pink, it has princess written on the side - what more could a boy want?

Since getting SKY Harrison has discovered “Bob, the Builder”. He has 3 Bob shirts - which he would like to wear all the time, if possible. I have just won a Trade Me auction for a duvet - so when that arrives that should be extremely exciting for him!
However, in case you were thinking that Harrison was getting too manly, on the weekend we watched “The Swan Princess”. Harrison sat on the couch and watched the whole movie without getting up. Apparently he has a thing for Disney Princess movies!

Yesterday Harrison turned the big, uh… Zero Two.

It was a nice quiet(ish) affair at home, the grandparents, a few friends and some assorted kids. Harrison now has all the ‘Little People’ stuff in the world (actually, no he doesn’t, there is HEAPS more, but he has a lot). He also has a Magna-doodle thing that Mel and I seem to like a little more than he does, although he’s also very fond of it. But his drawing isn’t as good as ours, and we can use it to practice for Pictionary, so we’ll keep using it.

There was all the good party food; cheerios, sausage rolls, chips, dip, little pies, pizza… It was great and Mel made it all from scratch (assuming, in some cases, you consider opening the packet to be ‘from scratch’). AND, better than that, there was a cake! A great fish cake - not the Thai sort that comes stacked up for $20 at the local cafe, but a chocolatey delicious (egg-free) cake in the shape of a fish complete with colourful icing and lollies. It was great! Harrison was more interested in the savoury offerings (and eating the candles) but it was clear he appreciated the effort Mel went to.

Photos were taken, and will follow soon(ish).

So, is this the terrible twos now?

no big news but he is still the cutest thing ever!
We tried his suit, for the wedding, on him yesterday and he looks adorable!
We have a new favourite game “where’s the ball?” this consists of me hiding the ball and getting Harrison to look for it - hilarious last night when I put the ball up my top and he actually couldn’t find it! He made me open my hands to show him that it wasn’t there! The ball is about 10cm across so ……
I guess he hasn’t learned that sort of thing yet!
He says “where is it?” “go” “gone” “ball” balloon” and his new words from being up at Nana and Poppa’s on the weekend are “out” and “stay”.

Okay so he isn’t actually a baby anymore but Harrison is the cutest little thing in the world.

I have been told off for not updating so here we go.

Harrison likes to say no and shake his head. Harrison likes balloons, okay for us, not so good for Aunty Jessamine. Harrison has a “blanket” which he will fetch from wherever it is before he’ll sit on your knee to have a bottle. Harrison likes to say “ready…go” before he does something spectacular - like attempting to jump. Harrison gives kisses to his mummy and daddy. Harrison is a water baby, he likes the paddling pool at Grandma and Grandad’s house, he likes the mudflats and he likes to run around under the hose. If Harrison decides he doesn’t want something you can tell him to go and put it in the bin, and he will. Harrison likes to sing, dance and play musical instruments. Harrison likes to try and put CD’s on but hasn’t quite mastered the radio yet. Harrison likes to sit with his daddy in the mornings and watch TV. Harrison likes to tickle people and say “tickle, tickle”. Harrison will pat his hair when he looks in a mirror. Harrison knows where his tummy is and likes to show you. Harrison likes to “bark” at dogs. Harrison loves to go to Glenfield Mall and play in the playground - he has built up his confidence and now goes down the slide all by himself. Harrison likes to have books read to him and he also likes to read books to himself and to others. Harrison loves to be chased.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment.
Harrison starts “drama” classes this week - hopefully there will be a lot of music and dancing.

When Harrison was a baby we were totally motivated by his laughter - our goal was to make him laugh, in whatever way worked out. When we found a way to make him laugh we would repeat that thing as until it stopped working. And then we’d try to find something new.

Well, in the last 6 months or so Harrison has decided that his goal is to make us laugh. When we does something that makes us laugh, we will repeat the action, normally until it stops working. Sometimes, however, his repetition is not as funny as the original action - but we play along. When he spins around and then falls over, we laugh, so he spins around again, and falls over in a slow motion way. We laugh.

Hopefully the laughing, on both sides, will continue for a long time.

On a completely different topic Harrison is “talking” a lot more. Most of it we can’t understand but sometimes there are little sentences that are so obvious.
Last week he ran up to me, grabbed my skirt and said “I got you.”
Then last night he was playing ball with Grandad and would say “Ready…….GO!” and then throw the ball.
And he was chasing Dylan around the couch and said “where is he?”

Then there’s cat, dog, fish, dad and daddy, mum and mummy (very occasionally), grandad, cracker, hello, yes and please.
I’m sure theres more but I can’t think of them.
There’s also pointing at stuff and saying “goh” which seems to mean “pass me the thing there that I am pointing at.”

Has been and gone.
Harrison seemed to enjoy his day. First thing in the morning was openening his stocking. He got distracted by the balloons that came with it for about 5 minutes and then was pleasantly surprised to find there was more stuff for him. Magnets were put on the fridge, stickers were stuck to his chest of drawers (this is where they go) and little toy cars were pushed around the room.
After breakfast it was off to Grandma and Grandad’s house. He played while Dylan and I started preparing food.
Then present opening time. This meant I would pull out presents from under the tree, pass them to Harrison, he would hold them for a second and then pass them back to me to unwrap for him. He would then play with the item for a moment then point at the pile of presents for more.
Then it was back to preparing food for me and Dylan and more playing for Harrrison.
We had lunch soon after Nana, Poppa, Aunty Jess and Aunty Em arrived and then it was time for present opening for the adults and a sleep for Harrison. Then swimming and relaxing for the adults and more sleep for Harrison.
We then had dessert followed by Harrrison opening the rest of his presents.
The day was rounded off by Trivial Pursuit, cheese and crackers and a DVD for Harrison.

Over all I think he enjoyed himself although it was a big day for a little man and he had a big sleep afterward!
Favourite toys seem to be a soft toy Nemo, a Fisher Price Little People School Bus (and people for inside it), a Xylopiano (a cross between a xylophone and a piano) and his train set.
He also got a drum set from Aunty Em but we haven’t opened it yet. I’m sure he’s going to love that one as hitting things to make noise is something Harrison does extremely well!!!
The train set has been put away until Harrison is a little older - maybe a month or two.
Maybe we’ll get it out and play with it in the night.

Today, the day before Christmas, Harrison had his first haircut.

It wasn’t a proper haircut with a cape, offers of coffee, a perky apprentice and a jaded gay stylist. No, it was just a little trim. For the last month or two Harrison’s fringe has been getting in his eyes and annoying him. So the cut was just a trim to resolve that.

We’ve been putting it off, but this morning I took the scissors and decided to do it. So now Harrison’s hair is out of his eyes and I am never again allowed anywhere near him with scissors. Melanie claims I have ruined his good looks (hopefully they’ll have returned by his teen years) and took far too much off. Maybe I did, maybe not, but his hair is out of his eyes, and he doesn’t look like a freak or anything.

Anyway - I won’t be cutting his hair anymore (although nail cutting is still my job).