It's the holiday season!

Here I am with Daddy lighting the Chanukkah menorah earlier this month. I really enjoyed the festival of lights. The candles flickered so much, and they were very pretty, as was the song. With all of the great gifts I got, I especially enjoyed some of the books from GG as well as all of the great boxes and wrapping paper. That paper stuff is really super neat! Hopefully mommy will put some more pictures on her desktop, so that daddy can showcase me playing with my new stuffed dreydel and other great pics!

I feel good about posting this one now. This was our family holiday card this year. Don't I look dapper?!?! Uncle Stu snapped this shot at Uncle Mike and Aunt Mingy's wedding. I miss them, now that they live so far away......too bad they have to endure Philadelphia winters! :)

Finally, here is the first of what I am sure will be many Christmas shots. Uncle Andy and Aunt Helen are in England for Christmas, so we celebrated with them last weekend. I got this nifty new red rocking chair, and am trying to be friendly to this guy who is a real grinch. Geez oh man. He doesn't even acknowledge me. Harumph.

Oh, and while I still don't have teeth, I am eating everything under the sun, including pizza crust, gingerbread cookies, and some really smelly cheese daddy was eating earlier today. And, organic cow's milk is pretty tasty, but I really prefer water and mommy's milk.

Our kitchen should be done it's remodel this weekend, so looking forward to getting to try out my new "breakfast nook." Another place for me to throw food on the ground.

I'm looking forward to spending lots and lots of time with mommy and daddy over the next week! YAY!

Notes from Month 10

So, just some highlights (so to speak) from this month:

- I'm not gaining enough weight, so mommy and daddy are now feeding me full fat yoghurt, cheese quesadilla, cottage cheese, and pretty much every food you big people eat. I see Dr. Howie again on Tuesday, so hopefully I've put some meat on my bones.
- I'm totally sitting up.
- I'm now starting to pull up.....I climb "Mount Mommy" and play with my activity table sitting up and pseudo-standing.
- I spent an evening with Great-Grandmom Mary and Aunt Karen....they are cool.
- I now say Da DO, Ba Ba, and I really do know Da Da means Daddy.
- Mommy thinks I said DOG, but I'm not sure.
- I've had two colds and an ear infection.
- I am definitely understanding what mommy and daddy are saying.
- My crib is now on its lowest setting, and my bumper has been installed.

Finally, I am so happy I got to spend a lot of time early this month with my Great Pop-Pop. He came to visit me in March, then I saw him in July and November. He isn't here any more, and I will miss him a lot, but I am very glad I got to know him, and that I brought a smile to his face. I love you Pop-Pop (9.22.23 - 10.16.10).

Philly - November 2010 (Uncle Mike & Aunt Mingy's Wedding)

I took my second airplane trip this month, back to Philly......this time to see my Great Pop-Pop and also to celebrate Uncle Mike and Aunt Mingy's wedding.

It was great getting to spend so much time with the family. Pop-Pop played with me in his bed and fed me Cheerios. GG spent lots and lots of time with me.

I dressed up in a nice outfit for the rehearsal dinner....I looked very dapper indeed. Check out the picture with mommy and daddy and the happy couple right before their big wedding. Good for Uncle Mike for going through with it.....Aunt Mingy seems like a catch! :)

Here are some pictures from the trip with some of my favourite people.

Halloween 2010

BOO! Happy Halloween. I am a giraffe...what you aren't surprised?!?!? You must know my mommy! :)

I have handed out candy to lots of trick-or-treaters, and even went around the neighborhood myself to get some sweets....well, not myself, mommy and daddy were with me to supervise. Daddy went as a daddy with a superman baseball cap, and 3 days of scruff.

Tomorrow we are off to Philly, for Uncle Mike and Aunt Mingy's Wedding. Woo Hoo! Wishing them a lot of love.

Oh yes, by the way, I'm skinny. I saw Dr. Howie on Friday for my 9 month check-up, and while I am growing tall (26 1/2 inches), and my head size is groovy, I've lost 2 oz. in 2 months (14 lb. 14 oz). Oops. I'm off the chart. I guess while mommy and daddy have been dieting, I have too. I am an LA baby!!! More fat and fried foods coming soon to my tummy. Yummy.

Cheerios!

Today, I ate cheerios! I watched daddy take one off my tray, then put it in his mouth.....then mommy did it.....so, I figured what the heck, and did it too! It was fun. They clapped for me. It taste's good (my first sugar). I ate almost a dozen cheerios. Nice afternoon snack. The floor ate almost twice as many. Hee Hee.

Pumpkin Patch #2

So, while we were at the pumpkin patch, I discovered something new and cool - HAY! I dug it. And Mommy & Daddy even let me roll in it.

It's awesome!
So, they had these really funky looking pumpkins called Turban Squash. We had to buy this one because I liked it so much. :)

Here we all are with my favorites!!

Pumpkin Patch

Mommy and Daddy took me to the pumpkin patch today! There were so many pumpkins and I got to play with a lot of them.

I wasn't in my happiest mood, but I rallied when I saw the sea of orange and all the other kids having fun.

My first Fall

I'm now 9 months old, and when I see Dr. Howie in two weeks, we can see how much I have grown. But, the last few weeks seem to have been much more about Daddy than me. First, Daddy went to Europe for two weeks, for something called "work," then he was sick when he got home. Just when he was getting better, he got vaccinated for the flu, and it caused him to get very sick all over again. Poor daddy.

But, I took these pictures with him, and now he seems a lot better. :)

Daddy has started using the word "danger" with me, every time I go near an outlet. It makes me smile at him, and I do it more.

I can get to the outlets quickly, because I am doing the army crawl like a pro. I'm in the kitchen, then around the coffee table....good stuff. I still don't like sitting up, who needs it?!?!?!


I'm loving going to MY GYM every wednesday, and have some super nice friends at MONDAY'S MOMMY & ME. Coming up in the next couple of weeks:
- Our kitchen is getting remodeled. Adrian has promised to keep the dust to a minimum.
- Halloween - I'm going to be a giraffe.
- Uncle Mike and Aunt Mingy's Wedding - and my second airplane ride to get there. An entire week with the family in Philly.

Love to Mommy, who has been taking care of both me and daddy. I love you mommy. :)

A couple of weeks ago, we all went over to Grammy & T's house for a BBQ. T makes the best chicken that I've ever had! Yummy. Next time, I might even get to try some. :) Uncle Andy fed me my dinner that night. I had some veggies and fruit - not quite ready for the big time food of the BBQ.

However, that didn't stop me from helping T out and giving him a few pointers on the grill. I even wore my cooking outfit that Aunt Helen made for me. Thanks for the yummy dinner, Grammy & T! Here we are in the park for the Labor Day Mommy & Me picnic. All my friends were there. We had fun, but I am teething, so I may have been a little off my game. Hope I'm feeling more up to it soon. I get to see them again today for a little while and then my mommy has to leave early because she has an audition.

The rest of the pictures.........(post #2)

DA DA and the Army Crawl!

Wow, it has been an exciting couple of weeks for me, and I know you all want to hear about my new accomplishments.



I'm not sure the order these photo will pop-up in, but here is what I have been up to:

ROSH HASHANAH
This week I celebrated my first new year. Mommy and Daddy ate chicken, apples and honey. I got the full experience, minus the honey of course. Pureed goodness!!! :) Plus, GG sent me a great book about Sammy the Spider and his New Year experience with the Shapiro's. It was a very good book.

FRIDGE SHOPPING
It seems that we will be overhauling the kitchen in the coming months. I've been to quite a few granite yards, and also to look at appliances. I know the house will be quite a mess once Mommy gets around to hiring a contractor, but the new kitchen should be spiffy, indeed. Here's a shot of me inside a potential refrigerator option (did I mention I love looking inside the fridge at home!!!

ARMY CRAWL
So, I'm moving on my face......yeah, got a problem with that......at least I am moving forward without rolling. It's a whole new freedom.

SITTING UP (Sort of)
Well, a little bit, anyway. But, I still don't like it so much.

DA DA!!!
My biggest accomplishment of this post. Earlier today, during breakfast, I said DA DA. Then I said Da Da Da Da.......I did it about 4 times, but only when Daddy was in the room, so, I think he understands I am talking to him. He seemed all excited and pulled out the video camera and was all smiley and stuff. Woo Hoo!

I got to Skype with my Pop-Pop last weekend. I'm very glad he is home. Also, Uncle Mike and Aunt Mingy apparently made it to Philly, as I saw them yesterday on the computer-thingy. Hope Aunt Mingy has a good first day on the new job.

Finally, go mom and dad. While they have been trying to fatten me up (next Dr. appointment is in about 6 weeks, and I still need to be "on the chart), they started dieting a couple of weeks ago, and look fabulous. Way to go!!!


In the coming weeks:
- Birthday celebration for Mommy and Uncle Andy.
- Annie & Peter's wedding anniversary celebration.
- Daddy will be going away for 10 whole days. Too bad for Daddy (and Mommy too) :(

Love and kisses

My first "real" food

Just a quick note - today, at a Labor Day picnic at Briarwood Park, I grabbed a slice of cucumber and started eating it. Well, I have no teeth, but managed to eat the middle part anyway.

7 Months - The end of summer?

Hello friends and loved ones. Here are some new pictures that I wanted to share as summer technically and officially comes to an end. Mommy and Daddy are questioning the entire summer thing, as we really only had about 3 weeks of very hot temperatures....something about the best summer of Daddy's life......mine too!!!

Anyway, this first picture is from last week's "mommy and me" monday group. We spend time with some of my friends every monday at someone's house. I love Alec, Max, Dillon, Elena, Tenee, Ryker, Phoebe, Jake & Charlton.......they are my friends.


So, eating has become a big and important part of my life. For being such a little guy, I really pack away the food, often eating 3 full servings of food (jar, container or 2-3 cubes of homemade mommy food) at each meal. I'm eating breakfast around 9am, lunch around 2pm and dinner around 7pm, when Daddy is home so he can feed me! Yes, I have managed to put myself on a schedule.

Some details you might want to know:

FOODS I EAT:
Rice Cereal
Oatmeal
Avocado
Prune
Sweet Potato
Carrots
Green Beans
Pears
Peas
Bananas
Apples
Squash
Pumpkin
Lentils
Blueberries
Yogurt
Apricot
Chicken
Corn

MY NORMAL DAILY SCHEDULE:
7am - Wake Up
Morning Nursing and Playtime (maybe some music)
9am - Breakfast
Late Breakfast Playtime (mommy showers / maybe a book)
11am-12:30pm - Naptime #1
Afternoon Nursing
Early Afternoon Activity/Errands
2pm - Lunch (sometimes out)
Mid Afternoon Activity/Errands/Playtime/Books/Music
3:30-5pm - Naptime #2
Playtime/Daddy Time
7pm - Dinner
Evening Playtime/Books
8:30pm - Bathtime
9pm - Evening Nursing and Bedtime

Here's me on my playmat. While I am rolling over, and starting to scooch forward (getting close to crawling), my biggest claim to fame is picking things up with my feet. I think I get this trait from mommy. It makes getting things into my hands and mouth much easier!

Here's one to leave you with. A peaceful moment in the chair. I'm still not loving sitting, but with my cooing, moving and shaking, and rolling.........sitting up and crawling can't be more than a couple of weeks away......teeth too!!!!

Love you all lots!

E - A - G - L - E - S EAGLES

Today, I watched my first Eagles game. I am hooked. They are the best. Go EAGLES!

Also in today's news, as you all know, I am a bit on the small size, so mommy and daddy have been feeding me A LOT for the past month. I have been eating Lentils, Apples, Pumpkin, Squash, Bananas, Peas, and I now even like Avocado (sorta). So, after a month of pumping the food into me, I am back ON THE CHARTS.......15 lbs!!!! Yeah, I'm back to 5th percentile. Go me.

So: 15 lbs., 25", 16 1/2" head circumference

Tomorrow, daddy leaves on his first international business trip since I was born. I'll miss him while he is in Iceland and England (and at Uncle Mike's Vegas bachelor party en route), but I have mommy and Aunt Becky here to keep me company in the meantime.

Bye bye.

Sleep

Just a short note to say sleep is great.......it is great for me, it is great for Daddy, and it is certainly great for Mommy.

To that end, I now have 2 daily naps, in my crib........at about 10am and 3pm. It is very relaxing and I wake up refreshed. Oh, and I'm pretty much consistently sleeping through the night as well (8:30-6:30 ish). It's nice to have a routine, and this one is working for me!!!

:)

More from Philly - July 2010

Me with my great-grandmom....

Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon.....

This is me with my Aunt Becky.......

Bath time took place in GG's new kitchen. Now there are two "G's" in the house.....the kitchen is amazing!

Aren't I a big boy. Check out me in a big-boy chair reading my favourite book.

The entire trip was a lot of fun, starting with the excitement of the plane ride, to my first rental car, to a party at Pop-Pop's pool all afternoon with so many family, friends and food.....then M&M's summer pre-wedding party......and of course lots of time with GG, getting to see the house Daddy grew up in, my first adult restaurant, and lots of time with family.

Plus, exciting news afoot for Aunt Mingy.

A fun time and I think I'll go back in November!

Philly Trip and Party Time

GG and me - - - GG's sun room.........

GG and me just hanging......

Me with my Uncle Dave.......

Me with cousin Laura.......

Too and I hangin' out at the pool. He didn't want to come in!

Lucky me - Two Great-Grandparents

Not too many people are lucky enough to have a great-grandparent, let alone two....and that is exactly what I've got, despite mommy and daddy nearly being "over-the-hill" themselves!!!

On my recent trip to Philly, I got to spend time with both my Great Pop-Pop (Daddy's Mommy's Daddy) and my Great Grandmom (Daddy's Daddy's Mommy). It was so nice getting to spend time with them, and I think we got some good pictures together!