mouthbreather

Me and mama didn't get dressed all day today and just spent the day in our pajamas. I have a cold. I don't know what her excuse is.

My nose is running, my mouth is running and my eyes are running. I can't breathe through my mouth and have been tired all day. Other than that I'm feeling great. I don't get why mama and daddy are chasing me around with tissues...
I didn't sleep well last night so neither did mama and dada. I cried for them about a half-dozen times last night... On an unrelated note, we're out of coffee.

Oh and I'll have pictures from Christmas up soon. I've just been so busy playing with all my cool new toys. But I'll do it soon.

When Uncle Brad Comes Over...

I get to play xbox! You see, persistence pays! If you climb on, around or over someone enough, they'll let you do what you want. Plus, uncle brad is a pretty cool guy. He showed me how to play the skateboard game and I did pretty well. You're supposed to run into walls and things, right?

sugar highs

I've been waking up super early lately so that means I get tired super early too. Last night I was rubbing my eyes at 5:30. Mama made me a nice dinner but I wasn't really in the mood to eat. I ate my corn and my crackers though. And then I ate my chicken. And some of the peppers. But not the pasta. So then I thought I was done but mama asked if I wanted dessert. And yes! I did!

She smooshed up some banana and put a bit of whipped cream in it. It was scrumptious. A few minutes later, as I was racing by, I heard daddy say the sugar had kicked in. I don't-know-what-he's-talking-about-I-feel-fine-wow-let's-go-gotta-run-dining-room-kitchen-family-room-kitchen-dining-room-throw-the-ball-kick-the-ball-wow-I-feel-fine-what-sugar-get-out-of-my-way-I'm-moving-now-come-on-bailey-you're-such-a-slowpoke-nice-tree-a-little-blurry-though-wow-that-wall-is-coming-up-fast.......

Last Night's Zoolights

So my friend Carson went to zoolights a few weeks ago and told me how much fun it was. So mama and I went with Oma and Opa to see the zoolights last night. Wow, it was cold! But I was all bundled up and I got to see lots of animals. I didn't realize that there were so many animals that glow in the dark... We got to see some real live penguins and monkeys and elephants. It was so much fun. I had to say "wow" and "wowee" every few minutes...

For dinner we stopped at the cafe and had some chicken fingers and fries and some milk in a monkey cup. Mama had hot cocoa and she put a little bit in my monkey cup so I got to have some nice chocolate monkey milk! Oh wow, it was lots of fun. After the monkey milk kicked up my blood sugar level, I was raring to go again.

There were silly people with blinking lights on their clothes. And there was a train! The train says "woo woooh"! It really does! Opa and I sat and watched the train for a minute. It was loud but so way neat.

Fact of the Day

Mama and Daddy tell me I have good taste in music. In the last few days I have been caught dancing to the likes of Chris Isaak and the Allman Brothers. And of course, "Old MacDonald". That one really gets my groove on.

Also - a tidbit for today; a french fry does not fit in one's belly button.

The Cookie Hunter

Last week one of mama's friends at work gave her a pudding cup because she helped him with something. Yes, we know it's weird. But anyway, she let me have it for dessert the other night. It was chocolate. And it was very tasty.


This is me in mama's hat. She gave it to me and I wear it now. It's quite trendy and awfully warm. Mama and I go on lots of walks now at night to go and look at the Christmas lights. I finally figured out that I can cross the streets as much as I want, as long as I grab mama's hand first. So we spend a lot of time on our walks crossing back and forth across the street. Sometimes I also get to pick the direction we go. At a corner...which way? This way or that way? Ah, that way!....No, that way!...No...I think we should head back in the other direction!

I walk by myself the whole time on our walks. Long walks. Sometimes 30 minutes. Some of that time is spent walking through people's yards, checking out their decorations up close. But most of the time, I do stay on the sidewalk. Except when I suddenly need to cross the street.



This morning the three of us went over to one of mama's friends house because she wanted to take Christmas pictures of the little girl Emmeline. You may remember that I went there a few months ago. Mummy Susie had more cookies that she called biscuits and they were the waffles with caramel inside. Yum. I took bites when nobody was looking. And finally they let me have a whole one for myself but then Emmeline crawled over and took the cookie from me. Hey!













You can see her here, going for my cookie. She's like a predator stalking her prey. Watching, waiting, looking for an opportunity to POUNCE! That was a little traumatic and I was kinda glad when we left.

When we got home I took a nice nap and after I got up my Baba came to see me and play with me. Then about an hour later, my Oma & Opa showed up. They opened the door and walked right in! And so did their dog Loki. I have a hard time adjusting with them sometimes and today was no exception. My lip came out and I melted down. Baba tried to console me and then so did daddy and then I went to mama and cried on her shoulder for several minutes. I was shuddering and tearing and after a while things were OK but it was rough there for a while. Then we went out to dinner and I was really good. I got to drink milk from a straw and had fries and chicken fingers and bites of grandma's tacos.

I think Christmas is coming! I hear lots of whispering. I hope there's something good in it for me.

My weekend.

On Saturday daddy went out to help clean up in Vernonia 'cause Great Grandma H and Auntie Barb made a big mud puddle mess in their shop. Sounds like that would have been fun to play in. Why didn't they let me go too?

Yesterday while I was napping it started to snow. When I woke up it was still snowing a little but the ground was just wet, not white. Mama gave me lunch and then she baked cookies for me and then we went out for a walk in the snow. Mama and I had a nice weekend together. Daddy says that mama is going to be at home for two whole weeks pretty soon so that will be excellent.

Mama made a yucky casserole for dinner last night. She was making yummy noises while she was eating it, but she was just trying to fool me into eating it too. She put a bite in my mouth. I chewed it a little but it was gross so I took it out of my mouth and put it in her bowl. If she likes it so much she can have it!

Family photos and other stuff.

It was snowy last weekend! We didn't have much action at our house, but mama insisted that we get our family picture done so we went up to daddy's fire station where it was white and pretty. We ended up with some nice pictures and we already got our Christmas photo cards back. I didn't get to hold one for long, but before mama grabbed it away it looked pretty nice.



Me and my daddy. By the way, I call him "daddy" now, not "dada" (too much). "Dada" is for babies. "Daddy" is a much more mature way of calling for the big guy.











All three of us. They didn't use this one for the Christmas cards, but I like it a lot. Mama wouldn't let me post the ones they put on the cards. She said it should be a "surprise".

Whatever.



This was me goofing around in the fire station. Maybe this will be my coat one day!

















Mama and I went shopping today. She pulled out her plastic card a bunch of times. I hope she got something for me.

The salesladies all really liked me. One of them wanted to talk to mama but I was running circles around the Macy's cosmetics department. She tried to tell mama that I was almost too pretty to be a boy and that I was so beautiful and blech blech blech. And then another lady said "what a cute little boy" and then took another look and hesitated like she was suddenly unsure whether I was a boy or not. Hey, I'm a dude! Get over it already!

It's not nice to call me big words...

Mama calls me fastidious. She won't tell me what it means but she does it when I pick up little pieces of fuzz off the floor, try to wipe a goober off the glass coffee table, or put my toys back where they go.

Drawers and doors are also targets. If anything is open, I must close it. Sometimes for fun I will open up all of the drawers in the kitchen.

Here I am opening them.

Here I am closing them.

O Tannenbaum

I think I forgot to mention that we got a tree last weekend.

We got a tree last weekend.

It's fake. Mama and Daddy didn't want to bother with a real one this year. That is totally bogus. Anyway, it looks pretty good even though it's not real.

I don't know why they didn't put any of the good ornaments down where I can reach them. They put a bunch of lame wooden Santas down on the lower half of the tree.

Attack of the Clones and Buckets have Jaws.

Tonight when mama got home she got me a quick snack then we hit the road. We went to the craft store for some such nonsense. Then it was dinnertime! So we went to Burger King since we were already out and mama needed to put gas in the car.

They had a big play structure with cool looking tubes. "OOOAOH". But we were there for serious business, eating, not playing. Mama got me a chicken nuggets kids meal with milk and there was a toy in it. I ate two nuggets and many many fries. Mama let me sit at the table like a growner upper, no high chair or booster seat or anything. I was super good and didn't spill or fall or anything.

Mama had a diet soda, I think. It had a straw in it. I like drinks with straws. She forgot to get a straw for my milk so she went back to the counter to grab one. By the time she had turned around, I had her soda cup in hand and it was tipped all the way toward me. My mouth was all set to go to town on that straw but I only got a tiny sip before mama snagged it. It was for the best. It tasted eechy.

Right before we left the restaurant, mama remembered that she didn't want kids meal toys coming home and it was too old for me anyhow. She looked around for a kid to give it to and we had to go over to the play tubes to find one. She found a nice looking boy and asked him if he wanted another toy. What a silly question! Of course he wanted it and he was really excited and his mama asked him, "What do you say, Ian?". What the...? How many of us are out there? I was led to believe I was an original.

On the way home mama looped around the neighborhood the long way so I could ooh and aah over the light displays. What a nice time of year.

I have a super bad rash on my bottom so when we got home I got to run around naked for a little while. Then it was bath time. Bath time is such a fun time. I love to splash.


Mama washes me with a washcloth and I'm learning to use it too. I can wash my belly really well. When mama washes my hair I'm OK now when the water goes into my eyes. And I love it when she turns on the faucet. Sometimes I'm able to turn on the shower and the water comes down like it's raining.


I really like laying down in the water on my tummy so my whole body is under water except for my head. It's like I'm swimming! Mama if you're reading this you need to sign me up for swim lessons soon...


Tonight we played a new tub game where mama takes the little bucket and holds it in the water, with the handle sticking out of the water. Then she makes it swim in circles and sings two notes, "duh-dum" over and over. Then the notes get faster and faster, and then the bucket ATTACKS! It leaps out of the water at my little toys or binky or whatever I'm holding and it thrashes around in the water! It is so funny! I laugh and laugh! I know when it's going to ATTACK because the notes get faster and so I start giggling before it even happens. I like to make my tub toys kiss and so tonight they were kissing goodbye when the shark was circling because things did not look so good for them.

Pooped in the tub.

I guess the title says it all. I was in the bath tonight and right before we got out, I let loose with a big turd. Mama should have seen it coming, I had been making gas bubbles for a while.

Mama wasn't happy; she had a headache and was already running out of patience. I had to run around naked for a little bit while she cleaned up. She's lucky I didn't pee on the floor too.

Night Lights

Tonight after mama got home from work, we walked around the neighborhood and looked at the pretty Christmas lights. Mama took me up to this house that has lights and music and a santa and a penguin that came out of a box and a skiing polar bear and a reindeer. I think that's all. We stood there for a while and watched it and I danced a little. I loved it!

Mama said it was time to go. I was not ready! She picked me up and I screamed and cried for two blocks but she didn't take me back. I was so mad! I think she even laughed at me a little. How dare she...

We found other houses with lights too, though the other ones didn't have the music and high class stuff that the first one did. I stopped crying though so I guess I must have forgotten how upset I was. Anyway, we saw a lot of houses and lots of pretty lights. I don't know why I haven't noticed them before...what's going on with everybody putting up lights at the same time? You'd think something was going on...

Mama gave me a little red light to carry on our walk. It flashes and blinks. I didn't drop it or turn it off once.

Finally mama said it was time to go home and have dinner. We had been out for a long time, it was really late, almost 6:30. We got home and mama pulled up my sleeves and washed my hands. I pulled my sleeves back down after my hands were clean. I don't like them pushed up like that. While she was getting dinner ready I kept busy by clipping the seatbelt on my booster seat. I can get the clips together but not apart again. I used to scream for help but mama taught me to ask nicely, so I just say "mama" sweetly and she comes running. Sometimes she'll lean over to unclip it and I give her a kiss when she's done. I gave her two tonight. Yeah, you can say it. "AWWWWW".

Froggy Fur Elise

The other night, mama was changing my diaper before bed and was singing a silly song with made up words. It was a funny song because it was about my being poopy. Hee hee!

Then I recognized the tune, it was the same one that my frog music box plays. When mama was done, I asked her to wind up the music box so I could hear the music. I think she was proud of me that I recognized the song. And I was very proud of myself.

My Thanksgivings

I had two Thanksgivings this year. And unlike last year, I got to eat the same good stuff that the grownups did.

Thursday's dinner got off to a rough start. I've not been sleeping real good, 'cause it's cold at night and I slip out of my blankies. And my naptime that day was off too. I don't have a good excuse for that. So mama got me up from my nap and got me dressed to go. Normally that's fine, but she put this button up shirt on me that I really didn't want to wear. Well, I got real upset and had tears about it. Even milk and a snack didn't help.


So we got over to Grandma and Grandpa R's and I saw their house and started crying. Mama was mean and took me in anyway. Uncle Doron was there. I just needed a minute and it ended up being OK. I saw their kitty and their doggie, Loki, who was playing with my doggie Bailey.

We had some good dinner and lots of fun. We had turkey and potatoes and beans and, um, rolls, and some other stuff that I can't remember. But it was good and once I felt better I ran around like crazy.

Friday night we had dinner at our house. So I had to stay out of the way all day while mama and dada got ready. Mama cooked a nice big turkey and candied yams and stuffing and rolls and, um, pumpkin pie. Grandma and Grandpa D. and Auntie Amy and Uncle Doron came over, and so did our neighbors with their new babies. There are two of them. And they're really little.

We had a really good dinner but I didn't eat very much. I saved room for the pie.

One of the babies was fussy and after mama ate her dinner, she held him so his dada could finish his dinner. I went over to check things out and make sure that she wasn't getting too attached.
This is MY mama and me with baby Desmond.

Then the babies needed their dinner so mama gave the girl baby her bottle.
Here's MY mama with baby Rowan.

I had a really good time. I showed everybody how I could chase Bailey around and slide down my slide and how loud I could screech. Everybody was really impressed. It was a pretty good Thanksgiving.

At the Fire Station

Today after my playtime with Carson, his mommy and daddy took Carson and me to dada's fire station. We ran all around the big garage where all the trucks were and climbed on the trucks and in the trucks. Carson loves trucks but he had a hard time at first getting in them. We both ended up having a lot lot lot of fun. I think dada and Carson's daddy had almost as much fun as we did.

Things are marvy

Boy, I sure like my barn. The animals make fun noises. Mama says there's a stable and more animals that go with this and maybe Santa will bring them for me. I don't think I've met this "Santa" fellow but if he would bring me toys then he's OK by me.

Rocking on my elephant again... I like to bring my little Lego man with me. He sits on the elephant's head. Mama named the little Lego man "Steve" but I think that's a silly name for a little Lego man. I think I'll call him "Oleg".















Mama says I have a shoe fetish. But that's not true, I just have a favorite pair of shoes. They are my brown leather hippy sandals. And I love them. Sometimes mama or dada will put on my sneakers or slippers. But I get upset and ask them nicely (ha! ha!) to put on my other shoes. This weekend, mama got out my Nikes from the suitcase under my crib that has all the stuff that's too big for me. They are really neat, black and red, and they just might be my new favorites.

Did I tell you I can walk up and down the stairs by myself? I hold the wall or the rail and step step step. No more crawling for me!



Mama got a new toy this weekend, a new tripod for her camera 'cause the other one broke. She played with it all night last night. She took lots of pictures of Dada and me, but mostly me.

WOW

A lot has been going on lately. One thing is that I decided the time was right for me to start talking a little more. I mean, I communicate a lot over the internet here on this blog, but there's something to be said for actual interpersonal interaction.

Who am I? Mama

Who is that? Is that Grandpa? Baba

How is dinner? Yummy

What does the kitty say? Yeom

What do you think of the sock there on the floor? Wow!

Please don't bother me...I'm very busy.

Just some stuff.

I am, like, totally a rock god. Carson and his mama gave me this guitar. I played with it lots every time I went to their house. It's very nice and loud and so much fun to play with. I don't understand why Carson's mama wanted it out of their house tho.















This is Carson. When he was at my house this week he was reading to Bailey. I think he was teaching her animal sounds. She's actually pretty good at them already. Next time maybe he should help her work on her shapes. She's terrible at those.














Teamwork! Here, Carson is helping me rock on my elephant while he sits on Nemo.

Grandma R gave me a Halloween card. I like to look at it while I'm eating. It's pretty gunky from getting handled so much during mealtimes.

I LOVE to buckle the straps on my booster seat. I'm really good at it. When I get everything snapped together, I have to yell for help and mama or dada unbuckle them for me so I can go at it again. This is actually a good way to keep me occupied for about ten minutes.

Me and my dog.

DUDE!

Okay, so this was from last month but it's a good story. So one day, my friend Carson came over. We had lots of fun. We played with my blocks and with my play house. Then I climbed up on the platform on my play house. Of course I had my juice with me.


Then I went down the slide. Wheeeee! Boy, that was fun. I should do it again.

So then I went around and through the door and back up onto the platform.

Wait a stinkin' minute! Do you think this is some sort of handoff?

So this dude takes my juice cup and runs off. What's going on here?

Like, no hard feelings, man.