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!

'Tis the Season to Be Busy...

Well, I know it's been a while, and it'll probably be another while before I get another post up. Mom's been busy with the end of the school semester, and Dad's been busy writing for Kingdom of Loathing, and we've all been busy getting the kitchen remodeled! I do love the new kitchen, though; so thoughtful of Mom and Dad to bring all of my snacks down to my level!

The kitchen cabinets got in right after Grandma and Grandpa. I enjoyed spending time with them while Mom and Dad got the kitchen ready, and then spending more time with Mom and Dad while Grandma and Grandpa worked! Even though it was hectic, we had a great Thanksgiving with Mom's aunts and uncles and cousins. Are they my second cousins, or once removed, or -- ah, forget it.


What else -- oh, yeah, apparently Minnesota's football team is doing well this season.


We're all looking forward to seeing Dad's side of the family for Christmas. I'm practicing my walking, talking, and singing for the occasion.


Yup, it's hard to catch me crawling these days, unless I really have to get somewhere fast. Most of the time, I'm walking. Sure, I look like a drunken midget, but hey -- I'm new at this, okay? Anyway, this video's over a week old -- you should see me cruise now.

Watch this space!

P.S. Dad says this batch of pictures had an incredible number of adorable pictures, and that you should go here to see them all.

Ready For My Close-up.

Well, Dad hasn't loaded any new pictures in a while, but at least he uploaded the last six months' worth of videos to Youtube. Here's a sample, and you can see 'em all at http://www.youtube.com/ollienite.

Halloween and after.

Well, here we are chugging into November. Thanksgiving is coming, and I'm practicing eating solid food so I can take full advantage of the holiday. These days, Mom and Dad can mash up some of whatever they're eating and I'll eat it. Now, if I could just get the rest of these teeth in, I could *really* chow down. . . .


The weekend before Halloween we had another wedding, this time for Raederle and Salsa. I got to get all dressed up again, and this time I told Mom and Dad I couldn't be seen at another wedding in my suit. I'd already worn it twice, and I simply had to have something new to wear. Fortunately, Old Navy helped a brotha out, and we found a most excellent shirt and some slacks for me.


Last weekend was my very first Halloween. It's a weird age to celebrate, though. My dissected frog costume was awesome, but I can't have any candy, so what's the point? Oh, right -- to look extra cute and get a lot of attention. Hopefully next year I'll get my sugar high, too.


I've also been enjoying hanging out with Mara and Adam. As you can see, Adam and I are rapdily becoming best buddies.


Other than that, there's not much to report. I'm still climbing on everything I can get a handhold on, and talking non-stop. I'll repeat "mama" and "papa" if you want me to, but I still don't quite get what they mean. I just know it makes Mom and Dad really happy when I say them, so I try and oblige. What also makes Mom and Dad really happy is that I've discovered the joys of playing by myself. I like to crawl into the nursery and pull out my toys, and I'll spend twenty minutes just playing and talking to them. It's a good chance for Mom to do homework and Dad to do . . . well, whatever Dad does.


Hopefully Dad will upload some of the thirty dozen videos he's taken of me recently. I'll link you here if he does.

Watch this space!

I Am the Pumpkin King!

Well, it's been a fun couple of weeks! I cut two more teeth in the past week, and Fall has finally fallen. Since I'm a winter baby, I've been overheated all summer, and now I can finally enjoy hanging out in long sleeves and pants. My new clothes are almost unbearably stylish, aren't they?

I'm getting closer and closer to standing on my own. I can stand up without holding onto anything now, and can stay up for almost ten seconds! Fortunately, all the practice is making me better at falling, too. I hardly ever bonk my head on the floor any more, and Mom and Dad can trust me to play with some of the more advanced toys without constantly shadowing me.


This weekend was pretty cool. On Saturday, Mom and Dad took me to the Waterpark of America. Then they took me home, and I spent the night with Abby while they slept in a hotel. I missed them a little, and they missed me a lot, but we all got through it. Now that I'm sleeping through the night in my crib, once I got to sleep I didn't notice they were gone.

On Sunday, we all went to tromp through the pumpkin patch! We got a big pumpkin for Dad, a smaller one for Mom, and even a little one for me. They had a little petting zoo, too. I wasn't sure about the goats, but I really liked the pig!


Then we went to our friend Claire's house and I got to play with some people closer to my age, for a change! Sofie's really fun, and super-cute...I wonder how she feels about younger guys?


I'll leave you with one of the rare pictures of our whole little family. Are we not lovely?

Fall has fallen!

As you might have noticed, the more mobile I get, the less time I have to sit down and write a blog. I have to keep a couple steps ahead of Mom and Dad at all times, so it wouldn't do to get caught sitting at the computer! These days I'm all over the house -- whether it's crawling across the kitchen floor looking for tiny scraps of food, or the living room looking for tiny scraps of paper, or standing up on the furniture and cruising around until I fall over, or playing with the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, I do try and keep busy.

So what all has happened in the past few weeks? Well, the 16th-19th of September, we went to KoL Con VI in Mesa, Arizona. I got to go to a couple of the Con events, but mostly I hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. It was nice to get in the pool again! Grandma and Grandpa got me all kinds of new toys, as is their right as grandparents, and I really enjoyed spending time with them.



Oh, and I also got to meet my biological father, M.C. Frontalot. We weren't quite sure what to make of each other.


When we got back, Mom and Dad knew that the weather was about to turn cold, so we went and picked up a few items for fall and winter. That's where I got the swell hat in the picture up top. We didn't get anything extravagant; just the essentials.


It's a good thing we did all that shopping, because last week Mom and Dad decided to go to the apple orchard, and picked the coldest, rainiest fall day you can imagine. The apples were big and beautiful, though, and delicious! I got to eat a few slices of apple when we got home, but they still won't let me have any pie. Ah, well.



Mom and Dad finally let me have my room back, and I've taken to sleeping through the night in my crib. That's good, because my room is the warmest room in the house, and theirs is the coldest! Mom and Dad said it'll probably snow soon, so I'm keeping an eye out.


Watch this space!

Huzzah!

Yup, Mom and Dad took me to the Renaissance Festival again last weekend. Only this time, Mom made me a costume! We got to see a lot of our friends, like Andy from Four Pints Shy:


The only scary part was when the gypsies stole me. Well, scary to Mom and Dad -- I was having a blast. I think it's because they've always threatened to *sell* me to the gypsies, so they didn't want to give me away for free.


In the past few weeks, I've gotten more and more sure on my feet. I love to pull myself up on furniture, or people, or anything that'll sit still. I'll stand up on one edge of the couch, then walk along the whole thing! Mom and Dad want to encourage me to walk (though I'm not sure what's in it for them), so they bought me a toy that I can walk behind. It's supposed to be for older babies, but I'm advanced, so it's not a problem for me.


Right now, we're in Mesa with Grandma and Grandpa, and I'm meeting all of the weird people Dad works with. Nana and Granddaddy haven't sent any pictures of when they were here, so I'm still waiting on those. For now, I'll just leave you with a picture of me at Psycho Suzi's, doing my best tiki impression:


Watch this space!