We are having a lazy day around here. Patrick and I had our usual New Year’s Eve celebration (PJs, champagne, resolutions and celebrity death predictions) … and managed to stay awake until almost 2 a.m.!

Tomorrow, Joe goes back to school after a very relaxing winter break. Patrick’s folks weren’t able to make it down from New York for Christmas, so we  crashed the party at my parents’ house in North Carolina instead. Joe had a good time with his cousins, who are always so sweet with him.

His big gift this year was an iPad! It’s an awful lot of money to spend on a 3-year-old (I hope he doesn’t expect us to make a habit of that!) but his speech and occupational therapists use one with him and highly recommended us having one at home. I loaded it with the apps they suggested, but what he seems to love most is the camera:

He could stare at himself all day.

Other news in Joe’s world:

1. He dances! We have caught him bouncing and bopping his head to some of his favorite tunes, and he seems especially fond of the “Contemporary Bollywood” station on Pandora. Adorable.
2. He’s eating like a champ! He still make us do all the work, but the variety of stuff he’s consuming has gone way up. Marshmallows are a new favorite.
3. He makes messes! This is not something most parents get excited about, but it’s a huge developmental milestone for Joe. When you leave the living room for a few minutes, you come back to this:

Here’s to a new year full of more fun surprises from this kid. What did we ever do for fun before him?!