Today, I Am a Man.

Howdy! Summer is over and fall is here, and Mom and Dad are having to make peace with the fact that I look like this now:

Yup, definitely more 'little boy' than baby! I can say my entire alphabet, and I can read out letters on everything from street signs to T-shirts.  I can count to eleven, and am starting to recognize numbers on sight, too!  Not only that, but Mom and Dad have caught me stringing words together a few times.  "Mama, read it," and "Ollie's shoes" were big hits.

 I even get my own seat on an airplane, most of the time. Sit on your lap and be read to?  I don't think so, my good man.

Still, I try to make time for fun. You tell me what's better than spaceship pajamas and a hat with skulls on it (or 'monkeys,' as I claim)!

Well, there's always wearing just a hat with skulls on it.

Watch this space!

The Summer of Airplanes...

So I've had a pretty exciting summer so far, and there are loads of pictures in the flickr account of me hanging out with Nana, Granddaddy, Great Nana, Papa Don, Tia and Tio, Isa, Joseph, Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma. And that's not the half of it!

But in order to make sure we at least post something, Dad has elected to share this video:

Watch this space!

And the Living Is Easy . . .

Peek-a-boo!

What? Don't look at me like that. Sure, it's been almost two months since my last post, but it's summertime! You can't expect me to be sitting in front of the computer all day when there's so much to do. For example, I've been entertaining Grandma and Grandpa:


Perfecting my fastball at the drive-in:


Drawing at my drawing table:


And showing Mom and Dad the proper way to wear a shirt:


In the past couple of weeks, I've really ramped up my vocabulary and dexterity. I've gone from "kkkk" to "kitty," "bak" to "book," and "knah" to "knee." Mom and Dad are delighted and amazed at how many words I know. I love paging through books and pointing out all the things I recognize, from stars and hearts to hippos and lions.

They're slightly less thrilled that I now can climb up on couches, chairs, and even beds. When I want to get a look at what they're doing, there's no way they can stop me now! It's a good thing for them that usually I'm more interested in playing with legos, or drawing, or wandering around going "gootagootagooDAH!"

Here's a video of me doing one of the things that I do best:

April's Fools. . .

Woah, another month gone already? Yeah, I'm as shocked as you are.

So let's see . . . spring has finally sprung in Minneapolis, and we're spending more time outside and upstairs instead of cowering under blankets in the basement. Here's a couple pictures of me on the glorious Easter Sunday we just had:

Mom and Dad got bikes and a trailer for me, which is awesome, and this helmet, which is less than awesome.

But at least we can get out in the open air. More importantly, we can get out to the zoo! I've added "bear" and "monkey" to my word list, to go along with "fish." This guy is a kitty, or, as I call it, "kkkkkkk."

I've also become a little more interested in my fellow babies. Here's a lunch date with Olivia, who mom and dad tell me is my intended.


So right now Grandma and Grandpa are hanging out with us, and life continues apace. Not much to report, so I'll just say check out the flickr for even more adorable pictures (and some pictures of the bathroom remodel).

Watch this space!

Growing and Globetrotting, Part II.

Well, since nothing really exciting has happened in the last few days, after this post we're all caught up! So at the beginning of February, we finally got a few days that were warm enough for me to be outside, so I got to play in the snow. I 'got' it a little more than I did in December. I actually picked up some snow with my mittens, and threw it at Mom and Dad! This winter thing seems all right.


On Valentine's Day, Mom and Dad took me to a sushi restaurant! They wouldn't let me have any sushi, but I got to try tofu, tempura, miso soup, and rice. I also ate with chopsticks!


Okay, I was fed with chopsticks. Same difference.

What else happened in February? Oh, right . . . a little thing called DisneyWorld.


As you can see, I was pretty excited. Okay, while it's true that I took a few naps both days we were there, I did have a lot of fun, too. I got to go on Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Flying Carpets, the Tiki Room, even Nemo's Undersea Adventure and Figment's Imaginarium! And, of course, I met the Mouse himself:


There are a ton of pictures in the Flickr set, if you want to see all of the Disney adventures. Mom and Dad had a great time, and I thought it was pretty interesting (between naps), but I really had the most fun in the pool and the little sandbox by the pool. Can't wait 'til summer! As you can see, I've really got to work on my tan.

Watch this space!

Growing and Globetrotting, Part I.

Well, it's been a long time, and I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to. There's been plenty going on, and it's getting harder and harder for Mom and Dad to get good pictures of me, since the only time I'm still is when I'm asleep. But no excuses! We'll try and step up the post frequency for the rest of the year. I'll split this post into two, so it doesn't get too long.

So since we last spoke, I had a great birthday party with my friends Addy, Lila, and Mason, and a lot of Mom and Dad's friends. Erin and Mom made me some fantastic cakes:


And I got to have one all to myself. Now, I've seen pictures of babies making fools out of themselves on their first birthday, smashing cakes and eating them double-fisted. I thought it was much more dignified to take slow, tiny pinches.


No need to get messy.


Okay, maybe a *little* messy.

We rounded out January with a visit to Auntie Lisa and her baby, Orion. He's a few months younger than I am, so he can't walk yet, but we still had fun playing together.


And yeah, he's pretty much taller and bigger than I am. Mom and Dad don't mind if I stay small, but it's a little embarrassing. I mean, here's me taking a nap with my friend, Addy. You'd never know she's three months younger than I am!

And why didn't I get any camouflage?

Anyway, January was a pretty awesome month. I learned how to say "please" and "juice," both of which are coming in handy, and I started actually playing with my shape sorter. I'll be working on cold fusion any day now.

Watch this space!

How do you measure a year in the life?

So here I am, a whole year old. Mom and Dad tried to deny it, but they found themselves saying things like, "our toddler," and "well, when he was a baby, he --" No denying I'm growing up! I hardly ever crawl anymore, I eat what Mom and Dad eat, and I'm trying my hardest to talk. Right now I can handle "Momma," "Papa," "Dog," "Book," and "Juice."

So it's been a pretty crazy month! We got all bundled up and went to get a Christmas tree from Uncle Scott and Aunt Becky. Here's a rare shot of the whole family together:



I got to ride in a little sled through the snow, and we found a great tree! Dad put lights on it, and more lights, and then some lights, and it looked awesome when we were done.



Then Nana and Granddaddy, Aunt Sissy and Uncle Ray, Tia Andee and Tio Francisco and cousin Isabel all came to visit for Christmas! I got so many special presents: clothes, blocks, books, and puzzles. As you can see, we were all pretty impressed with this one.


Even though Isabel brought a stomach plague unto our house, we still found time to have fun as a family. Here we are at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, after the gastrointestinal pyrotechnics had passed.


After that, we went to Tucson to see Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma, Tessa, and Auntie Erin. Grandpa hung up a swing for me to swing in, and they got me my first horse! I also got the kind of quality spoiling you can only get from a Grandma.



In Arizona, I doubled the amount of food that I eat, but I still run around so much that the doctor says I need to gain some weight. Dad muttered something about how the doctor never tells him that. I don't think I look underweight -- how do I look from the back?


So here we are, a year into this crazy experiment. Mom and Dad are relieved they've managed to keep me alive and healthy, and that I'm such a mellow, happy baby -- er, toddler. They tell me every day how adorable, smart, and strong I am, and how much they love me, and I think they mean it! Of course, then they warn me not to peak early . . . anyway, they say I'm the best thing to ever happen to them, and I'd have to say I feel the same about them. Thanks for reading these posts all year, folks, and we'll try to post more often in year two.

As always,

Watch this space!