Stay Cool

(That's what my T-shirt says.)

Sloppy Sunday Photo Shoot

It stopped raining. So, Mommy dressed me in the first jacket and hat she could find, and we went outside to get some fresh air.

Me & My Playhouse

Here I am again . . . playing in my playhouse. Mommy was trying to be sneaky by using the zoom, so I decided to play peek-a-boo with her from across the room.

15-Month Update

I went in for my 15-Month checkup and shots today. Mommy said I was a brave boy once again as I only cried during the injections. I got a Tigger sticker for my troubles. All was forgotten by the time we left the office. I continue to aspire my Daddy's lofty heights coming in at 33-1/4 inches tall, 95th percentile. However, even though I amaze everyone with how much I eat, I only weigh 25 lbs 2 oz, 62nd percentile. Doc says I'm doing great.

MOVEMENT: Why walk, when I can run. I love climbing on the coffee table, jumping on the couch, spinning in mommy & daddy's office chairs, hopping of the steps, and climbing into the car to pretend I'm driving. I'm starting to use my little red chair as a step stool much to my mother's dismay.

COMMUNICATION: I've been repeating and saying lots of new words which really amazes my parents. I signed "diaper" the other day for the first time. "Baby" is my favorite word at the moment. We've got two new babies to play with at my daycare. I like pointing out all the babies we see when we're out and about. I can identify my nose, ears, eyes, toes, and belly button. Still working on the other body parts.

EATING: I'm up to 14 teeth so far. Could be 15-16, but I wouldn't let the doc or my parents take a closer look. I've gotten pickier in my old age. I don't like veggies unless they're in a tasty sauce, like black bean sauce. I'll especially spit out any peas or carrots hiding in my food. Broccoli isn't too bad. I'll eat most fruits, but melons, grapes, and bananas are still my preferred choice. Pasta with red sauce is probably my favorite meal - the messier, the better. Rice comes in a close 2nd. Pad Thai with shrimp, eggs, and tofu is pretty yummy, too. Pizza is fun to eat. I recognize the pizza box right away when the 'rents order in. I'm eating four meals and 3-4 snacks a day - snack, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner #1, snack, and dinner #2. I still have a bottle of warm milk before bedtime. The doc says I need to get off the bottle by the time I'm 18-months.

PLAYING: I still prefer being outdoors. Unfortuantely, it's been cold. So, I have to settle for playing in my wagon indoors. I like climbing in and out of it. Sometimes Mommy will pull me around the dining room table. I still love balloons. Mommy keeps one in the car for me to play with on our ride home from daycare. I also got two mylar balloons for Christmas, so they're always wandering around the house someplace with my birthday balloon. I'm getting pretty good at throwing balls. A tennis ball is the prefect size. I like reading my books. My favorite lately is my Peek-A-Zoo book.

My New Playhouse

Mommy got me the cool playhouse to replace my cardboard one. It folds up flat. I like to tumble around in it. In this picture, I'm cooking on my lil stove.

Mr. Monkey

This is Mr. Monkey. I got him for my birthday last year. He follows me around when my parents want to keep me close.

Gadget Boy

I like playing with my Daddy's cell phone. It has LOTS of buttons.

Cheesing for the Camera

Sometimes, I will actually say "cheese" when my parents take a picture of me.

Fried Green Beans

T.G.I. Fridays has some yummy fried green beans that they serve with ranch dressing.

I have self-control.
I will not, will NOT eat the last one.

"Wah-er"

I really surprised my Mommy the other night by requesting some "water" and pointing to my sippy cup on the counter without any prompting.

MORE, More, more...

So, I surprised my parents a couple months ago by signing "more" and saying "moh" when my daddy gave me a bite of some tasty basmati rice at a Mediterranean restaurant. I definitely wanted some more of that. I have since been using that sign quite a lot. I discovered that not only will it get me more food, but when I'm hungry it will get me fed. I have recently learned that when Mommy reads to me, I can get her to read some more if I make the sign. I tried to get Daddy to take me back outside the other day, but that didn't work. I'll have to try again.

I've also learned a couple new words: apple and MINE.

Happy New Year!!!

Just got back from Alabama. Rain storms seem to be following us. When we arrived in Mobile a week ago, it was raining hard. I got to experience thunder and lightening for the first time. We had some big boomers that made me jump, but I didn't cry or scream. Mommy thinks I'm so brave. On the way back home, our flight from Houston got delayed on account of the 50-60 mph winds in San Francisco. When we finally got back to California, we saw lots of debris in the roads, down tree limbs, power outtages, but only a little rain.

Anyway, I had a great week. I got to sleep with my parents all week and play with Paw Paw & Mimi. It only rained in Alabama the first day. We ate out a lot. The first night we went the Cracker Barrel. I had popcorn shrimp and mac & cheese. The next day I got to meet my Aunt Kristy and my cousins Britian, Alec, & Kaitlin. We went to the Blu Rabbit's Paradise for pizza. I got to play in the toddlers castle and ride the indoor train. I also got more Christmas presents - lots of cool movies: Cars, Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Little Mermaid, Flushed Away, and Ice Age. Afterwards, we went to the Bel Air Mall to buy gifts for my cousins and Mimi. We didn't have room to bring much in our luggage. When we were done shopping, we met Uncle Tony for dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. New Year's was pretty low key hanging out with Paw Paw & Mimi. I heard a few firecrackers through the night, but nothing special. On New Year's Day, Daddy brought back steak bisquits from Hardee's for breakfast. Later, we went to Aunt Kristy's in Satsuma for dinner - more steaks, black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes, and rolls. I got to play outside with my cousins and their two dogs. Mommy pushed me around on a tricycle. We watched Shrek 3 and The Simpsons Movie before heading back to Mobile. Wedesday, Aunt Kristy and my cousins came down to Mobile to take a family picture, then we went $Two Dollar$ Bills' Kin-Folks Catfish Restaurant for catfish and fried pickles. I really liked the fried pickles. It's here that I discovered dipping sauces - ranch dressing for fried pickles, catsup for french fries, cocktail sauce for fried shrimp, and tarter sauce for fried catfish. I really liked eating the dipping sauces. I would dip my french fry, lick off the sauce, and dip it again and again. Our last day in Alabama we walked to Checkers for burgers and hot dogs. I ate two hotdogs and french fries with more catsup. For dinner, we went to Pintoli's Italian Cafe in Satsuma. I got to eat breadsticks with marinara dipping sauce and lasagna.

On the flight to Alabama, I slept 3 of the 4 hours of the first leg. My parents fed me non-stop for the last hour: banana, muffin, watermelon, and cheerios. I slept the entire one hour leg to Mobile. The flight back was just as fun. I didn't sleep or eat as much; although Mimi loaded us up with some yummy snacks - grapes, oatmeal cookies, chez-its, pecans, & vanilla wafers. But after running around at the airport during our 2-hour delay, I was content to snack occasionally and play with my magnetic drawing pad on the floor in front of Mommy's seat. My parents said I'll get my very own seat the next time we fly on account that I'm getting to big to sit on their laps.

S-P-A-G-H-E-T-T-I

Spaghetti is definitely on of my favorite foods. Actually, I like spaghetti sauce on ALL kinds of pasta. My mommy usually uses penne or rotelle, but Aunt Terry made me some REAL spaghetti. It was very yummy. My mommy says spaghetti noodles are a little messier. Whaddya think?

My First Sentence...

"I GET DOWN!" - said at the home improvement store when I wanted to go exploring.

Christmas Dinner

We had a yummy Christmas Dinner with my mama's papa's family, a.k.a. Cousin Sharon's house. I had lots of fun crawling up and down the stairs. That's me sound asleep in my mommy's arms.

Christmas Walk to the Park

We took my new wheels out for a trip to the park.

Merry Christmas!!!

This is the photo that was suppose to go out with the Christmas cards and letter that mommy never sent.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas. Some of the presents under the tree were the perfect size for sitting. Others were fun to climb on. On Christmas morning, I got to open lots of presents. I got a cool blanket, several new outfits & pajamas, books, tub toys, a shape sorter, squeezable train engines, and an RC car (that doesn't go in reverse so we have to take it back).

Mommy got me a mini-kitchen that was my favorite gift until they wheeled out my new wagon from Aunt Terry & Uncle Bill.

It's so cool. It's got a door, two seats, two cupholders, and a storage compartment in one of the seats. I was so excited, I didn't even wait till my parents put the wheels on it. It made a great see-saw. I kept shifting from side to side making it wobble. Even the box it came in was fun to play in. After the 'rents installed the wheels, we took it out for a stroll to the park once. I liked it so much, I wouldn't let them leave it outside when we got home. It resides in a place of honor in front of the TV. I like climbing in and out the door and sitting in the storage compartment. We took so long at the park that we were late to Christmas dinner at Cousin Sharon's. Actually, Mommy thought dinner was at 7PM, but really it was at 5PM. Luckily, we didn't miss the feast cuz the prime rib took longer to cook than expected. I got even more presents - some new books, a talking puppy, chocolate, and another blanket. The gifts didn't end. The next day, we went to the post office to pick up my gift from Papa Lum - a 50 piece Mr. Potatohead set complete with Mr, Mrs, and Baby Potato. Daddy was a little dismayed at all the little pieces he envisioned stepping on...Hmm, I wonder what happend to my Mr. Potatohead. We met up with the Petits for lunch. They got me a cool magnetic lap desk that I can draw on.

Word Explosion

I've been repeating several new words in the last couple days, like "cracker", "red", "yellow", "tickle", and "cheerio". My parents are quite proud of me.

bo-NA-na

So, I learned a new word this past weekend. When I say it, I get lots of attention, praise, and my favorite fruit. Mommy still slices it up; otherwise, I'll shove the whole thing in my mouth. I like it THAT much.

A Christmas Tree FINALLY!

We went to Lowe's to pick up an 9' Artificial Christmas Tree. I had fun riding in the racecar shopping cart. I helped Mommy set up the tree when we got home by climbing all over the box and trying to pull off the pine cones. Mommy only managed to get three sections up on Sunday. We put the top on after daycare today. It was like a mini-tree. I kept trying to look under it. I surprised Mommy by climbing up the ladder behind her. I only got up 2 steps cuz she was hogging the rest of the ladder. After she put the top on the tree, she let me climb all the way up to the top. I did it twice, climbing back down all by myself. The 2nd time I got to the top, I sat on the top step and leaped into Mommy's arm. To my protest, she folded up the ladder, ending my climbing fun.