Thursday, June 25, 2009

Skinny Dipping

Does it count if I have to wear a hat?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Chillin'

Just trying to stay cool here, folks. Mommy and Daddy are going to buy me my very own A/C unit, but until then I will nap in the pack 'n play in their room, thank you very much.

And yes, I know my diaper's falling off.

Shampoo Bananaland

For those of you not in the know, that's Townie for Champaign-Urbana. What is my mother teaching me, you ask? Good question.

Anyway, we went down to Champaign-Urbana last weekend for a whirlwind trip. First, we got to celebrate Derek and Mia getting married. It was a lovely wedding (though I didn't get to go to the reception). We are so happy for them! I'm embarrassed to admit that my parents got no photos of the beautiful bride and groom -- just me, as usual, and my new friend (and Sam's cousin!) Amaia.


The next day was Father's Day, which found me conveniently in the same town as both of my grandpas, and of course my Daddy. Grandpa Bob sang to me, and we went out for pizza with Grandpa Steve. And yes, it is my new favorite food.


Finally, we raced back to Chicago to score some fun time with Calder, who was visiting from Los Angeles. I'm so happy I finally got to meet him!

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Joy of Self-feeding

The highly entertaining solution for when baby refuses to be fed. Mmm...



[Subscribers, please click through to see the video.]

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Noisy? Check. Strong? Check. Coordinated? Well...

I'm working on it. The yoga really helps.




[If you saw the earlier version that was supposed to have a video... we just couldn't get it to work. Sorry! You'll have to trust me on the noisy part.]

Monday, June 8, 2009

Nine (and a half) Months Old!

Well, shoot. It's been almost two weeks now since you turned nine months old. It's gardening season, and it's hard to stay inside at the computer when there is so much to be done. A word of warning to you, my dear... one day when you're living your big, independent, adult life you may realize, all of a sudden, that you've turned into your mother. And you may *actually* not mind it so much. So apparently I'm an avid gardener now. Grandma herself did not see this coming!


Anyway, so you're a big (holding steady at 75th percentile), independent nine month-old these days. If you're hungry, you grab some food (you insist on feeding yourself these days). If you're thirsty, you pick up your sippy cup and have some water. If you're bored, you move around to your toys or you get my attention to play. If you could use the bathroom, you'd be pretty much self-sufficient!


Seriously, though, the crawling thing is coming along. You're still dragging yourself around at this point, but you get up on hands and knees pretty regularly. You also finally rolled from back to front. Only once, but it was very exciting. Your small motor skills are coming along well. You can turn pages, feed yourself (obviously), and you love fingering things, especially fasteners like buttons, zippers, and snaps. You are pretty content to sit around fingering things, chewing, talking, and observing, which is probably why the moving thing isn't a big priority for you.


Speaking of talking, I'm happy to report you finally said "ma-ma" and even "mommy". You had been spoiling Daddy pretty regularly with a "daddy" when he'd go get you first thing in the morning, and one day I finally got my due. Daddy brought you into our room to drag me out of bed, and you said "mommy". If Daddy hadn't been there to confirm, I would've thought I was dreaming! You can also say "ball" in context, and you occasionally attempt "dog". It is really thrilling to watch you figure things out.


You are becoming such a little socialite. We've been taking you out a lot lately, and you love charming everyone around you. You recently learned to wave, and have been trying that out on strangers to reward them for taking an interest in you. You are even starting to get comfortable playing with and being held by other people. Grandpa Steve came to visit, and you and he got a long just great. He held you, pushed you in the swings, took you for walks, and you guys played together a lot. It made him (and us) so happy.


You are a delight to everyone around you, but no one more than me. Now... I've got some gardening to do.

Love,
Mommy

Friday, May 29, 2009

Locomotion

Whew! There has got to be a more efficient way to do this.




[Subscribers, please click through for the video.]