T'was a month before Christmas...

... since my last post, all manner of critters were stirring but Hurley the most. Sorry, it's the holidays and I just couldn't help myself. So much has happened since my last post. I tried rice cereal for the first time, I had another doctor's appointment (ugh, and more shots), and I've really been practicing my tummy time routine... oh yeah, and of course, I had my first Christmas!

I'll start with the rice cereal. Mommy and Daddy decided that I was old enough to try it, since I turned 4 months old on the 14th. I don't know what they were so excited about - it was so strange! It was so different, and trying to eat off a spoon was a completely new experience. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for any of that yet... although I hear pureed carrots are pretty good, so maybe I'll give those a try sometime.


















This is me, not enjoying my rice cereal!


My doctor's appointment went as well as can be expected. Especially since it ended with a needle in each thigh. I handled the first like a champ, or so I'm told. The second on the other hand was a different story. The nurse said the second was "thicker" and we aren't sure if she meant the vaccine itself or the needle being used to inject it into me. All I know is I didn't like it, not even a little bit. Mom and Dad have gotten pretty good at calming me down though. Do you know how fun it feels to have a Kleenex lightly brushed across your cheeks? I do!!! The doctor told us that I am growing just fine. I have doubled my birth weight (now fighting in the 13.2lb. weight class). He also said that my head was in the 50th percentile for growth, while my body was in the 15th. Mom and Dad say I have a big brain. I guess that's a good thing?


Christmas was a blast! I got to have my very first Christmas morning with my Mom and Dad, and Hurley and Puff, at home. We opened some presents and Dad read me a touch and feel Petting Farm book. Mom cried while recording video of story time. Probably something she should get used to as I have no plans of getting any less cute. After Mommy "put herself back together" she helped me open a present from my Great Aunt Michelle. It was the funniest little round cow that vibrated and played music when you touched it's nose. That was just the beginning of the noisy toys though.


















Me and my Daddy, reading a story Christmas morning.



















Me and my Mommy, opening presents! I think Hurley was a little jealous :)

Later we went to my Nana D and Pappy's house where I slept through almost the whole visit. Mom and Dad opened my presents for me, which I am really thankful for. I got some cool new cloths, stuffed animals, toys and a whole set of Dr. Suess books. Mom and Dad got really exited about those, so I guess I can't wait til they read them to me. After that we went to my Great Aunt Doris and Great Uncle Wayne's house. I got to see my cousins Brynn and Kieran, opened some more presents (to include some really cool clothes and toys, not to mention a giant panda that's at least twice as big as me), and took a nap in my Nana's arms. Mom and Dad had some dinner, and then I was feeling left out so Dad let me have a bottle that Mom brought for me. A little while later we went home to feed the crazy (previously mentioned) dog, and swap our opened presents for some wrapped ones we still had to give away. Then we went to my Aunt Beth's house. There I got to see my other cousin Ava. More presents too!!! I don't know what to do with all the swag I got. I guess I have lots of time to figure it out though. I got a GlowWorm, a basketball hoop that boosts my self confidence by cheering at me, and a really cute elephant. Lots of people wanted to hold me so I didn't sit still for very long. After a few hours Mom and Dad were joining me in my rendition of The Twelve Yawns of Christmas, so we decided to head back home. Once we got everything out of the car and into the house, we changed into some PJs and settled in for the night. It was a big day!


















All the excitement of Christmas wore me out!


The next day I slept, and then I slept and then I slept some more. Oh yeah, I had a few breaks in there for eating and messing my diaper of course. Mom and Dad stayed in their PJs all day too. It was so nice to just vegetate at home for a whole day. That's what the holidays are for, right?
On Sunday Mom dressed me in my new Steelers onesie (finally!!! whew!) only to find out that we couldn't watch the Steelers game. No harm, no foul though. Turns out the Steelers stomped the Browns 31-0! Could it be the power of that onesie? I'm not saying it is, but can you prove it's not? All I know is I have a feeling I am going to be spending quite a few of the upcoming Sundays wearling Steeler black and gold. Especially since the Redskins sort of poo'ed the diaper with their season.

I'm off to take another nap. What can I say, I want to be well rested for all these new toys I have to play with. That and I guess Mom and Dad could use the time to get themselves some dinner. Good night to all and to all a good... oh you know the rest.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi, everyone! Well, this has been an exciting week! I got to celebrate my first Thanksgiving... I'm not really sure what that is, but I do know that I got to spend a lot of time with my family, and that everyone was eating a lot of food. Mommy and Daddy said they were the most thankful this year for me, and if I had to pick something, I think I would say that I'm most thankful for Mommy and Daddy, too :)


















This is how Thanksgiving started - which was before the tryptophan!



















I woke up in time to go to my great-aunt and great-uncle's house.
I got another short nap while I was there, though!


First, I went to my great-aunt Doris and great-uncle Wayne's house for dinner. I got to meet my cousins, Brynn and Kieran, and my great-aunt Jeannie and great-uncle Ronnie. Meeting and hanging out with all those people made me tired, so I took a little nap in my travel swing while Mommy and Daddy talked to everyone. My Nana D played with me when I woke up while Mommy and Daddy ate a bunch of turkey and mashed potatoes.

I also traveled to my Aunt Beth's house for dessert, and I got to spend time with her, my Nana K, and my great-grandfather, who we call "Oupa." He came to visit all the way from South Africa, so it was nice to spend some time with him. I hope I can go visit him sometime - maybe my Mommy and Daddy will take me to see him and my other family in South Africa soon!


















This is me with my Daddy, Nana K, and Oupa - Daddy made sure I was
wearing his favorite bib for dinner! :)


Apparently, Thanksgiving is what Mommy and Daddy call a "holiday," so they got to stay home on Friday and spend some time with me. We played and relaxed, and I took a lot of naps because I was so tired from all the excitement of Thanksgiving! Then on Saturday, we all went to my great-aunt Michelle's to have dinner so we could spend more time with Oupa before he had to fly back home. I stared at him a lot because I knew it would be a while until I would see him again.

Mommy and Daddy and I relaxed after we got home, and have pretty much been relaxing today, aside from a trip to get groceries. Mommy and I have been sneezing a lot lately, so I'm glad we're home today!

Well, I should probably go - halftime just ended, and the Redskins are playing the Giants, who Daddy says are pretty good. Until next time!

Growing Pains... Aches... Coughs... Sneezes...

So I haven't posted anything for a little while, but you'll have to forgive me. I have been busy fighting off my first cold. Please, hold the applause... It all started with Daddy not feeling very well, and coughing really loud. It even scared me out of my sleep a couple of times. I'm getting used to the noises though. After a while of Dad not feeling well, me and Mommy started coughing and sneezing. I guess that went on for about a week or so. I know I got to spend two whole days at home with Daddy because he had time off. Then I got to spend another weekday at home with my Mommy because my coughing was pretty bad and Daddy and Mommy didnt' think it would be a good idea for me to leave the house. All I know is I got lots of cuddling, hugs and kisses. We are all starting to feel better, and Mommy and Daddy keep talking about how strong my immune system (whatever that is?) must be.


















This is me not feeling very well. I'm still as cute as it gets though.


Even though none of us were feeling well, we still found the energy to smile and laugh and have some fun. In fact, Mommy and Daddy kept talking about how happy they were that I was in as good a mood as I have been. What can I say, I like to smile. Since I was in such a good mood, Mommy and Daddy took me to meet my Oupa (that's Afrikaans for Grandfather, even though he's my Daddy's Oupa, I don't know the Afrikaans word for Great Grandfather yet). We got some pictures of what Daddy was saying was four generations. So I am pretty sure we are going to post those soon. And speaking of Grand parents, my Nana D stopped by for a visit today. I thanked her by spitting up on a nice Sunday jacket that she had on. All jokes aside, I was just happy to see her and my Pap again. I missed them!


















You're looking at the business end, but this is actually a really cute frog
that I have grown quite fond of. Don't believe me? Try to pry it from my Kung Fu grip!

So apparently I also like to grow as I can't fit into any of my "newborn" clothes anymore. I can't even fit into my 0-3mo. sleep sacks. Mommy and Daddy went out and bought me new jammies today, so don't worry about me. I still sleep like a baby.

Mommy and Daddy keep showing me pictures of this really cute little girl named Zoey. My favorite is the one with the "Pebbles" do. I am really looking forward to meeting her and her Mommy and Daddy.

Well I am getting kinda hungry, and my little fingers are getting kinda tired. So I am going to wrap this up here. I hope everyone that reads this is doing well. I will do what I can, between naps, messy diapers, and growing too big for my clothes, to get another post up soon. Til then...

A momentous week...

I'm not quite sure about waking up so early these days... but at least I get to sleep in the car!


This week was pretty exciting, for me and for Mommy and Daddy. Mommy had to go back to work this week, so I got to spend my days with my Aunt Michelle. We had lots of fun playing, and we even took a walk yesterday since it was so nice outside. I love spending time on her porch swing! Mommy said she missed me a lot, but that it's nice to know I'm being taken care of so well :)

When I woke up Mommy at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning for my middle-of-the-night snack, she wasn't watching the usual relaxing music channel - she turned on another channel to watch somebody named Barack Obama talk for a few minutes. She was so happy and smiling listening to him, and told me that I had been born at a very important time in history, because our country had just elected its first African American President. I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about how hopeful they are for my future, which made me really happy. They tell me all the time that I can do anything I want to do, and be anything I want to be... hmmm... maybe I'll run for President someday!

On a different note, Daddy's been coughing and sneezing all week, and now Mommy is, too. They don't seem to like it very much, so I hope they feel better soon (and that I don't start coughing or sneezing)! But I am pretty tired (I still haven't quite adjusted to my new wake-up time of 5:30 in the morning), so I'm going to go take a nap now. Until next time!

Home schooling...

Wow, have I learned a lot in the past couple of weeks! Daddy taught me how to make coffee, and Mommy taught me how to make spaghetti last week. Mommy and I are baking a pie together right now, so I don't have much time to post the details of my latest goings-on. I'll keep it brief :)

I had my first shower last week - I have decided, however, not to post the pictures that Mommy insisted on taking. She finally let me have some modesty! Daddy and Mommy took me to the doctor's office again on Friday - it seems like I'm going there an awful lot, but they insist it's normal. The doctor said that I'm 10 lbs 7 oz now, and 22 1/2 inches long - she said I'm in the 10th percentile, so I'm "petite," but that I'm growing just right! She also said my head measured in the 25th percentile, so Mommy and Daddy think I have a big brain already, hehehe :) I don't understand why I have to get shots every time I go, though - the latest round of shots made me really sleepy for a couple of days. As you can see, I was so sleepy that I even slept right through the errands that we ran the next day!



















I also watched football this weekend, of course - I was happy that the Redskins won again, but Mommy's Steelers lost a hard-fought battle with a team called the Giants. I was pretty confused, because they didn't LOOK giant, but then again, I'm pretty small, so everything looks big to me!

Well, I'd better go help Mommy with the pie... I can't wait to help Mommy cook things that I can actually eat! See you again soon!

Searching for a costume

So I'm snoozing in my bassinet yesterday morning, minding my own business, and I hear Mommy and Daddy say that we're going out to look for a Halloween costume for me. No problem, I think to myself - this could be fun. Then they dress me in the little get-up you see in the picture below... say it with me... "This isn't my Halloween costume??" I thought I could go trick-or-treating as a bug collector!! My Mommy kept saying how cute I looked in plaid, though, so I guess I'm okay with that.
























So we went shopping to a couple of places - the first store didn't have a great selection of costumes that were small enough for me, so I showed my disgust by spitting up all over my Baby Bjorn. The second store had a cool monkey costume, but whoever thought a "0-9 months" size designation made sense for those of us who are under 15 lbs. is crazy! We didn't spend much time there, either, since Daddy had to carry me around the store in the car seat, so we went back home. Luckily, Daddy got online and found a really cool costume for me, so trick-or-treating should be pretty fun! Too bad I don't have any teeth to eat Halloween candy with.... I'll be sure to post a picture of my costume in a couple of weeks!

Time flies!

Wow, time really does fly when you're so busy eating and napping! Haha! Seriously, I have had a very busy week or so since my last post. Mom and I have been running errands a lot lately - I think she wants to get me used to traveling and going different places. I've been pretty tolerant of all the coming and going, but it was a little much when she wanted to spend an hour at Target the other day - I mean, c'mon, I am a boy after all. We just don't like "girl shopping!" I think I heard her say that she is taking me shopping again tomorrow with her and Nana D... I hope she was kidding.

On a high note, the Redskins pulled out another win this week. I love watching the games with Daddy and Mommy - I even got to wear some official team gear this past Sunday! Go 'Skins!


















Daddy and me - Redskins fans for life!

Mom and I hung out at home yesterday, which was a nice rest for me. I got to spend some time kicking those funny plastic animals in my bouncer - all the music and lights really crack me up! Mom's friend in Ohio, Ms. Trisha, sent me some really comfy clothes that I've enjoyed wearing this week - my favorites are the onesies that she tye-dyed herself! :)


















Having a fun time in my bouncer, feeling groovy :)

Well, apparently I need to go get a bath - Mommy and Daddy keep saying I'm stinky. Until next time!

Go 'Skins!!

I just wanted to show everyone how happy I am that the Redskins beat the dreaded Dallas Cowboys this weekend! I'm also excited to watch some of the Steelers game with Mom and Dad tonight (during the commercial breaks of "Heroes," of course!)

Go 'Skins and Steelers!!

What a week!

I was really busy this week, but I'm finally taking a few minutes from my weekend napping to update everyone.

I got to visit my Nana D and Pap for dinner last Saturday, which was my first trip out in the car, other than my doctor's appointments. For some reason, all that traveling worked up my appetite, and all I wanted to do at Nana D and Pap's house was eat! Of course, that took all my energy, and I had to take a nap with Nana D.



































(Top): This is me and my Pap - he's making sure I get my dinner!
(Bottom): My Nana D is great at letting me get my beauty sleep :)


Mom and Dad gave me another bath this week - I think I'm starting to get used to the whole weird experience, but I'm still definitely more comfortable in my nice warm robe than sitting in a tub of water.



































(Top): I really hope this picture doesn't come back to haunt me....
(Bottom): This is me, wondering why Mom and Dad insist on bringing
the camera for my bath time!


Then Mom took me to see Mom-Mom and Pappy, my great grand-parents, and their dog, Jewel. I wanted to eat as soon as we got there, and I got fussy with Mom for not understanding that napping in the car makes me really hungry, but Mom-Mom held me and calmed me down so I could eat in peace :)


















Me and my Mom-Mom


Like I said, it was a really busy week, and I'm exhausted, so I'm going to get back to napping on Daddy's chest now. 'Til next time!


















This is Daddy, teaching me the finer points of the Playstation 3...

My Not-So-Secret Identity

I have to say this has been a pretty decent week. The weather has been beautiful, and Mommy's taken full advantage of it by taking me and our crazy dog, Hurley, out for walks around the neighborhood almost every day. At first I was a little mad because the sun was awfully bright, but once I felt the soothing rumble of the sidewalk under the tires of my stroller, I fell right to sleep! I think Hurley had fun, too, sniffing the ground and barking at the other dogs in the neighborhood. One day, a butterfly flew around the stroller and decided to hitch a ride with us!


















This is me just lounging in one of my favorite things - my bouncer!

I think I'm having what I hear my Mom and Dad say is something called a "growth spurt," which apparently means that I'm always hungry. I have been hungry a lot, and sometimes I eat so fast that I spit it all back up, which makes me cranky and even hungrier! Mom has to do a lot of laundry when that happens, because she has to change my clothes at least twice a day. That's okay, though, because I have a lot of cool outfits that my family and Mom and Dad's friends gave me before I was even born!


















This is one of Mommy's favorite outfits, because she likes to call me
her "Stinky Boy."

Yesterday was a fun day, because I got to stroll around the neighborhood again and then Mommy played a rousing game of "I'm-gonna-eat-your-fingers" (she just pretends she's going to eat my fingers because I'm always flailing them about and punching her and Dad in the mouth). Then when Dad came home, we played our favorite game - "Bounce Ronin"! It's a lot of fun, but most of the time it wears me out and I fall asleep before the game is over :)


















I'm Captain Adorable - Ronin's just my secret identity! Just kidding.
This is when I fell asleep last night after Daddy was bouncing me. Daddy
didn't even get a chance to put me down!

Today's shaping up to be pretty eventful - I'm already on my second outfit (which tells you the morning we've had so far), and later today my Nana K is coming over to visit me! I can't wait!

My first bath!

After my dinner this evening, I got to try out my Rainforest bath! Mom and Dad filled it with nice warm water and some other stuff that bubbled and smelled good. I didn't like it too much, though, because even though the water was warm, I'm still too little to be completely under the water, so I was cold... and I HATE being cold!


















See, I told you I don't like being cold!


Once I was clean, Mom and Dad wrapped me up in my favorite soft towel, and I was more comfortable.


















Comfy and cozy in my towel


Mom and Dad also rubbed some lotion that smelled good on me, and dressed me in the new sleep sack that my Nana D gave me, and I was so warm and cozy that I fell right to sleep :)


















Me and my Nana D

A Blog First!!!

Well my Mom and Dad started a blog site for me today. I would have done it myself but my fingers are too small to use the keyboard and I'm not too good with letters yet. With most of my time spent sleeping, eating, and trying to figure out what all this stuff I'm looking at is, I'm glad Mom and Dad were willing to help me out on this one.

Anyway, I was born one month ago today. It's been a pretty exciting month. So exciting that I am often overwhelmed and have to simply take a nap. When I am awake though, I am finding my voice (not to mention the volume knob on it) and practicing for my future as a burping contest champion. Which reminds me, I absolutely love eating; this liquid diet thing really makes things easy on those of us that are dentally challenged. I think I might even be faster at eating than the crazy dog that runs around my house.


















This is me a couple days after I was born in the nursery at the hospital.
Sleeping of course.


As far as my health goes, I have been to see the docto's a couple of times and they tell my Mom and Dad that everything is looking just fine. My umbilical cord finally came off a little over a week ago and now I have a cute little belly button (or so Mom and Dad keep saying). I am gaining weight quickly and already had my first "growth spurt". Don't ask me what a "spurt" is though. I am only a month old after all.

Mom and Dad keep taking all kinds of pictures of me. I think they said they were going to put some on this blog for me, so you all can see just how cute I really am. Keep checking back too because we have big plans for this blog. More news and pictures, and maybe even a new look for the page as a whole.


















This is the mural that Mom and Dad painted for me in my nursery.
Let me tell you, I find myself getting lost looking at the walls.



















This is the most recent picture of me.
I am guessing it was taken during yet another of my many naps.

Well, trying to dictate this without knowing how to speak yet has really taken it's toll. I think I need another nap. While it's off to la-la land for me, I hope you have enjoyed reading my first blog post and seeing my cute mug in the pictures. Til next time...