Rainy days are here to stay?

I love the outdoors! This summer was great - especially August. Mommy was off on maternity, and the two of us (three, counting Bean) would play in the backyard from early in the morning until my nap, and then I'd play outside after dinner until Daddy made me go to bed. In fact, this being Kentucky, we've had plenty of nice days well into November; and Mommy has made sure that I've taken advantage of everyone. She opens up the back door and the window opening onto the backyard, locks the gate with a padlock, and lets me run loose while she telecommutes from the kitchen table. I love to race up and down the backyard --- though beware! I sometimes count to three, four, or even five before saying go --- and I also love to kick balls and play with my t-ball set.

I've learned to pretend to be a bird and a frog and a bunny. I love to pull up the dandelions and hang from the clothesline pole in the backyard (with Mommy's help, of course). The big tree that Poppy cut down is another place I like to play.

It looks like my summer is about over, though. It's rainy today and getting colder, and I just don't understand why Mommy won't take me to the park. The other day, it was a little warmer, so she let me play in the rain.

At least I take nice, long naps in the afternoon! It gets so dark in my room with my favorite blackout curtains... I highly recommend them.

Anyway, it looks like Saturday may be 60 and Sunny. Here's hoping!

A day like any other...

So I haven't blogged in a while, but Mommy's feeling the need to start writing again, so here we go!

Mommy was too busy for me all day, so it was a pretty sad day for us both. We got up like usual, but the weather has gotten too cold for me to play outside. This is certain to be a long winter for everyone involved.

Then, about 10, Mommy had a meeting through Skype, and I decided about then that it was time to be really loud and obnoxious around the house. Luckily, the nice people she was skyping with all had children and were very understanding. The good thing is, when Mommy is trying to get something done, she lets me get away with most anything. I got several pieces of Bark (=Ghiradelli white chocolate), although it was a little counterproductive for her as I was quiet for a few minutes while I ate but then hyped up later on all the sugar. Bark is one of my favorite things in the entire world.

After that, Mommy left for a doctor's appointment. Last Thursday, I pulled on the iPad charger and blasted Mommy's big toe on her right foot. The nail immediately turned purple, and the last few days, the blood blister has swollen to the point that the nail is detaching from the nail bed. It's a really bad boo boo, to say the least. She went and saw both Dr. O (family) and Dr. G (specialist) today, but unless she's in chronic pain, they both said she should leave it alone. Apparently, the nail will fall off within a month, and it will take 5-6 months for it to heal. I can still remember the expression on Mommy's face when the iPad hit. I ran and hid!

So Aunt Leslie and Abby came over to play with me today. It was lots of fun! I got to play with Abby yesterday, too. She's my very best friend.

Long time, no blog

So Mom really got behind and hasn't helped me blog since before Christmas. So much has happened since then. I started walking. I went to Gatlinburg. I turned one. I'm quite the little man (or LM, as my mom would say).

Probably my favorite thing to do right now is dance. I cannot hear a single song without breaking out into full body movement. It doesn't matter if it's classical or rock, on the radio or being hummed, if I even *think* about music, I get to wiggling and giggling all over the place. I would say that my favorite song right now is "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen (1963).



I'm also in love with climbing on everything. Daddy gave me an easy chair a few months back, and I love to crawl up in it and jump onto the couch. Sometimes, I'll kick back sideways and enjoy a bottle, but mostly it's a prop for climbing.

My favorite place to be is outdoors. Don't try to move towards the door because I'll beat you to it! I stand and scream and cry at the door if you leave me inside, and I don't care who you are. Take me with you!

Stairs are also a treat. Luckily for Mom and Dad, we don't have any stairs inside the house to worry about, but we do have some off the back porch. They were a little steep for me, so Daddy made me a little step out of some scrap wood. Of course, I don't want to use the step (that would be too easy), but it was sweet of Daddy all the same! :o)

What happened to November?

Mommy is really slacking these days, and my blog is waaay behind. So much has happened!

At the end of October... I found my feet. My MeMaw keeps telling me these stories about how my mom would suck on her feet for hours at a time when she was my age. I keep trying to tell MeMaw that I am a little more rotund than Mommy was, and it's harder for me to keep my feet in my mouth if I can even manage to get them all the way there.



Most of November was spent perfectioning things I could already do: holding up my head, rolling over (back to front, and front to back), pushing up with my legs, and "talking."

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I went to my Grandma's house in Morehead. A year ago, this was the day that my parents found out I was on the way! Everyone was there: my great-grandparents, my grandparents, my great aunt and uncle, and my Mommy's cousins. Tatie and Tonton were there, too. Unfortunately, there was no food for me. :(

On Thanksgiving, I went to MeMaw and Big Daddy's. Finally, my Mommy gave me a little taste of Pumpkin Pie. I think I liked what I had, though Daddy and Mommy had to argue about whether or not it was a good idea to let me have regular food.




Daddy turned 31 on November 28.



On November 30, I held my bottle for the first time. This is something Mommy will never witness since she doesn't mess with bottles.

Finally, December 1, I had my four month appointment with Dr. Kuduk... even though I was almost 4 1/2 months old. I got some more vaccinations, but I hardly even cried. As my Daddy says, I am a big man! Here are my stats:

Weight: 19 lb, 13 oz
Height: 28"
Head: 16.75"

Bye bye, tummy time!

Today has been a great day! I went over to MeMaw's house while Mommy was at work. At some point, she laid me down on my belly in the crib and left me alone for a few minutes. I was in there screaming (as I tend to do during tummy time), and then all of the sudden, she heard me start squealing with joy. When she came back in, I had rolled over against the side of the crib and was staring up at her. That was my first time rolling over, and when MeMaw called Mommy to tell her, Mommy almost cried. However, Mommy said that my rolling over was kinda like a tree falling in the woods... if no one was there to see me, did it really happen?

Mommy had Trunk or Treat down at church tonight. She dressed up like a medieval maiden (a little girl asked her if she was the grim reaper) and passed out candy. I came down for a little while, but it was overcast and MeMaw didn't want me out in the cold.




After Daddy and Mommy took me home, they decided to give me the opportunity to turn over for real. After about 15-20 minutes of general fussing and getting my butt up in the air, I finally gave a big heave and made it over. At 14 weeks, 3 days, I can roll from my tummy to my back!

October 21 - Catching you up...

I hadn't written in almost a month, so I thought it was about time to catch you up with what's happening in my life!

I am growing and learning by leaps and bounds. Mommy and Daddy just can't get enough of watching me smile, coo, and squeal. I'm starting to laugh, though it's more like cackling. Now, when I'm on my stomach, it's a different story. I hate tummy time! However, I'm getting some good lift out of my arms and legs. Mommy swears that I will be turning over any day now. Of course, I show more promise turning over from back to stomach. Boy, if that comes before turning from stomach to back, I am gonna be one angry lil' man when I inflict tummy time on myself and can't escape!

I have been sleeping very well for the last 3+ weeks. Mommy doesn't even remember the last night that I woke her up for a 2am feeding. She reads about other mommies on babycenter or facebook who are struggling with babies older than me who aren't sleeping good. Yay me!

On Sunday, I went to Morehead to see my great-grandparents and my great-great aunt Margaret, who was up to visit from McKenzie, Alabama. Mommy said that maybe we could go down and visit her next summer. That would be great! She might take off all my clothes and let me chill in my diaper only since it gets so hot down there.

I've also started reaching for and even grabbing some things. I don't have a lot of coordination yet, but Mommy is hopeful. She's even started using some baby signs ('diaper' and 'milk'), even though there is no way I will be ready to use them for many months to come. She's so silly!

September 29 - Facing the firing squad

Today was my 2 month appointment with Dr. Kuduk. I should have known it was going to be a bad day. Mommy asked Daddy to check on me before he came to bed, and unbeknownst to her, he put a blanket on me... again. Mommy has told Daddy over and over again that I wear the sack so I don't need a blanket and that a blanket could smother me, but Daddy is more worried about my getting chilly than my dying from suffocation.

ANYWAY, about 5 this morning, I woke up and started screaming at the top of my lungs... not hollering, screaming. Mommy woke up and was confused because I never do that. She came in to find me kicking and screaming, completely covered from head to foot by the blanket. Who knows what happened? Mommy worries that a devil came in and covered me up. But boy, she gave it to Daddy when she got back to bed! It scared her to death to find me there like that, and she threatened to kill Daddy if he ever put a blanket on me again unless he was planning on being there right there with me.

Moving on... Mommy is apparently an idiot because she rushed me and Daddy out the door just to find out that our appointment was a full hour later than she thought it was.

Regardless, I was Mr. Charming. I slept in the waiting room, and when I got to the examination room, I was all smiles. I chatted up Daddy and Miss Tammy, the nurse. I weighed a whopping 16 lbs, 9 oz and was 26.5" long! My head circumference is 16.5"... so at least my brain is growing, too.

I loved seeing Dr. Kuduk. He talks to me and listens to me. I feel so special! He told Mommy and Daddy that I was doing great and completely off the charts in terms of growth. Maybe I'll grow up to play basketball... for the Cardinals, of course! I smiled, cooed, and squealed the entire time. Mommy thought she would burst with pride and happiness.

After Dr. Kuduk left, Miss Tammy returned to do the dirty work. First, I got an oral vaccination. That wasn't too bad until the end when I got a little choked. Then, I got three shots! It was terrible. There I was, minding my own business, smiling and cooing, when Daddy grabbed my leg and held it down. He knows I hate that! Then Mommy tried distracting me while Miss Tammy shoved a needle in my left leg. There was a brief period of realization and then I let out a huge wail! Then I got two more shots in my right leg.

I actually calmed down pretty quickly after that, though I've been a little fussy today since then. I do have a cool transformers band-aid and another spiderman band-aid to show for my pain and suffering...