Yee Haw
I've discovered a new and wonderful thing I can do with my walking skills---mount my big, stuffed pony. Now previously I used my pony mainly as a kind of springboard for flipping over when chasing Daddy around and around it. It turns out it has an even better use--I can now climb onto the pony and go for a ride. Daddy makes it bounce up and down while he sings the theme song from Bonanza (Mommy thinks it's bizarre that he knows all the words to this). Sometimes I like to ride my pony Don Quixote style, backwards. The pony doesn't seem to mind though.
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Shoes
I've posted some pictures of me walking around in my new shoes. I walked around in Sonoma today as well. You can find them here.
I've posted some pictures of me walking around in my new shoes. I walked around in Sonoma today as well. You can find them here.
Viva Mexico
Yesterday I got to have my first restaurant meal ordered just for me. We all went out to Chevy's, a mexican chain restaurant. It's very baby friendly. For one thing, it's quite loud at all times, so any contributions I make to the overall din are hardly noticeable. (Not that I'm loud, I'm really not.) For another thing, the place is filled with balloons, which I think may be one of the world's greatest inventions. Mommy and Daddy ordered quesadillas and they ordered me a kiddie quesadilla plate too. This featured some sort of corn stuff as well as quesadilla and French fries. Now normally when you put a plate in front of me, my first instinct is to fling it. But not tonight. I was in the mood for a fiesta, so I sat nicely eating the stuff from off my plate---including the corn stuff, which shocked Mommy.
Viva Mexico!
Yesterday I got to have my first restaurant meal ordered just for me. We all went out to Chevy's, a mexican chain restaurant. It's very baby friendly. For one thing, it's quite loud at all times, so any contributions I make to the overall din are hardly noticeable. (Not that I'm loud, I'm really not.) For another thing, the place is filled with balloons, which I think may be one of the world's greatest inventions. Mommy and Daddy ordered quesadillas and they ordered me a kiddie quesadilla plate too. This featured some sort of corn stuff as well as quesadilla and French fries. Now normally when you put a plate in front of me, my first instinct is to fling it. But not tonight. I was in the mood for a fiesta, so I sat nicely eating the stuff from off my plate---including the corn stuff, which shocked Mommy.
Viva Mexico!
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Walkin' Shoes
A big milestone for me. Mommy took me out to the shoestore today to be measured for my first set of walking shoes. I am a size 5 1/2 wide. I was given a balloon and a Polaroid of me in my new shoes since it was a big event.
A big milestone for me. Mommy took me out to the shoestore today to be measured for my first set of walking shoes. I am a size 5 1/2 wide. I was given a balloon and a Polaroid of me in my new shoes since it was a big event.
Apparently there are two competing brands of first-walking-shoes, an Italian brand called Elefanten and Stride Rite. The shoe saleswoman recommended I wear Stride Rite because of my meaty ankles. They have a slightly lower top. They also seemed to fit my feet better. Apparently, Euro children have pathetic birdy-ankles so the higher topped shoes are better for them. I immediately tried out my new shoes, walking from shoe display to shoe display and knocking my favorites to the floor. My favorite shoes were a pair of red strappy-front sandals for older girls. I carried one around with me for a while. Happily, since my feet grow so fast, I'll get a new pair in just a short time---just like Mommy's shoe shopping!
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
A Walk in the Park
I'm nursing another cold that has me coughing all the time. This is absolutely no fun. The way I figure it though, I've had so many colds that I'll soon have antibodies for every germ in the universe. Then I'll really have a good time.
In the meantime, my preferred way of getting around is walking more and more often. Last night when Daddy was playing hide and seek with me, instead of crawling around to catch him, I got up and walked/jogged over to him. It's pretty strange with him crawling and me walking. I also got to walk around a great park that Daddy took me to on Sunday. They had swings, which I love, a sliding board, and a big plastic tube to crawl through. At the end of the secret passageway coming out of the tube is a big steering wheel. I quickly got up and got my arms on the wheel so I could "steer" the play area all around the park. The designers of these parks sure do know what babies like.
I'm nursing another cold that has me coughing all the time. This is absolutely no fun. The way I figure it though, I've had so many colds that I'll soon have antibodies for every germ in the universe. Then I'll really have a good time.
In the meantime, my preferred way of getting around is walking more and more often. Last night when Daddy was playing hide and seek with me, instead of crawling around to catch him, I got up and walked/jogged over to him. It's pretty strange with him crawling and me walking. I also got to walk around a great park that Daddy took me to on Sunday. They had swings, which I love, a sliding board, and a big plastic tube to crawl through. At the end of the secret passageway coming out of the tube is a big steering wheel. I quickly got up and got my arms on the wheel so I could "steer" the play area all around the park. The designers of these parks sure do know what babies like.
Friday, March 21, 2003
Blood, sweat, and tears
When Mommy picked me up from my crib this morning, she was quite startled at the carnage. It seems that I had a bloody nose during the night and ended up bleeding all over everything, my jammies, my blankets, my bedsheets, and myself. Despite all the bloodshed, I was in reasonably good spirits in the morning. Mommy thinks that this happened at least partially becuase I recently discovered my nostrils and have been exploring them diligently (like I explore everything else) these past few weeks.
When Mommy picked me up from my crib this morning, she was quite startled at the carnage. It seems that I had a bloody nose during the night and ended up bleeding all over everything, my jammies, my blankets, my bedsheets, and myself. Despite all the bloodshed, I was in reasonably good spirits in the morning. Mommy thinks that this happened at least partially becuase I recently discovered my nostrils and have been exploring them diligently (like I explore everything else) these past few weeks.
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Outings with some of my Lady Friends
Yesterday, I went to my friend Sophia's 1st birthday party. There were eight other babies (5 girls and 3 boys) and their mommies plus the birthday girl. We played with Sophia's toys and had good things to eat. There was even a snack tray full of Cheerios for my cohort. I enjoyed some vanilla ice cream and a bit of cake too.
Today, I spent the morning with my daddy while Mommy went to a doctors appointment. Then, after lunch and a nap, Mommy and I went to have a play date at my friend Chloe's house. Chloe is a month and a half older than I am and an expert walker, so I was proud to show off my new walking abilities to her. Chloe also demonstrated her impressive climbing abilities to me. Boy, I can't wait until I can climb up on the furniture and stand up, like her. (Mommy seemed less excited by this prospect.)
Chloe and I played with her toys, and I was especially taken with her cat, Mia. I petted Mia many times and had to work hard to contain my exuberance so that I did not upset Mia with excessively enthusiastic petting. We also pushed big plastic boxes around the room, and when Chloe sat in hers, I decided to put other things in the box with her so she wouldn't be lonely in there. We also played some especially exciting games of peek-a-boo with our mommies.
Chloe and I also had dinner at her house (our daddies were both out tonight so the mommies decided to get together). Chloe eats all sorts of things that I think are yucky. Ravioli, avocado, salad, tofu... I just don't understand the appeal. Each time I was offered one of these things, I quickly dropped it on the floor so Mommy would think I'd eaten it. Just give me the old standards, banana, cereal bars, bread, crackers, and Cheerios, and I'm a happy man. Mommy did manage to sneak that wierd avocado into my diet by spreading it on my yummy, crusty bread tonight though. How tricky of her!
Monday, March 17, 2003
The Old Ball Game
Recently, I've been extremely interested in playing games involving balls of all kinds---baseballs, footballs, even frisbees (if that counts as a ball). Yesterday morning, as soon as Daddy arrived in the living room, where I was playing, I quickly scurried to the toybox and pulled out a baseball. I then held it up proudly and brought it over to him. He rolled it to me a couple of times. Next, it was off to the toybox to get my San Diego Chargers football, which I also presented to him. Later, I got out my green football and my frisbee to present to him. He seems to really like playing these catching games and so do I.
Recently, I've been extremely interested in playing games involving balls of all kinds---baseballs, footballs, even frisbees (if that counts as a ball). Yesterday morning, as soon as Daddy arrived in the living room, where I was playing, I quickly scurried to the toybox and pulled out a baseball. I then held it up proudly and brought it over to him. He rolled it to me a couple of times. Next, it was off to the toybox to get my San Diego Chargers football, which I also presented to him. Later, I got out my green football and my frisbee to present to him. He seems to really like playing these catching games and so do I.
Sunday, March 16, 2003
Put One Foot In Front of the Other
My walking has really taken off since Friday. I went to music together on Friday and walked all the way across the room several times, to my mommy's delight. This weekend, I have kept up the pace, and I'm walking all over the place, often carrying things with me. I am very proud of myself!
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Photos from Miami and the story of My Easter Photo Shoot with Rosie
Mommy has posted the digital photos from the Miami leg of our Florida trip. You can see me with my cousins, Meryl, Libby and Matthew here.
Yesterday, I put on my Easter outfit and went to JC Penney to have my photo taken with a live bunny rabbit. The bunny I met was white, and she was very soft and friendly. Her name was Rosebud, or Rosie for short. At first, I was a little nervous around Rosie, but then I realized that she is like my guinea pig, Licorice, except with longer ears, and I decided that I liked her. The photographer gave me some small, nerf-like Easter eggs to play with, and I practiced throwing them since my Daddy has been training me to be a pitcher. The eggs made me feel good since Mommy and the photographer would cheer when I threw an egg and then the photographer would take my photo while I was looking in the direction of my throw. I also tried to give the bunny the eggs, sometimes. I didn't throw them at her, but I did carefully place them on her head!
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Fit and Trim
Increasingly, I've been faced with the problem that I'm often mistaken for a girl. Now maybe it's because of my big blue eyes or my big smile, but Mommy seems to think that it's mostly becuase of my long flowing locks. I've never had my hair trimmed in my life and it's gotten quite long on the sides, coming down to my shoulders. Well, Mommy had had enough of that and decided that I should have my hair trimmed. Initially, she wanted to make a big thing about it and go to a specialist "baby barber". Naturally, this option would have entailed considerable expense, but on the upside, I would have gotten a balloon. Daddy was skeptical of this since he feared that the baby barber would be too zealous in cutting off all my curls. So the compromise was that Mommy would trim my hair a little, which she did yesterday. It's pretty much the same everywhere except on the sides, which are shorter. Since I don't really have a style for my hair (it goes where it goes), this arrangement seemed to work out just fine. I still have my nice curls, but things are not so long and shaggy on the sides. Mommy took me to a park to celebrate and people even guessed that I was a boy. Hooray!
Increasingly, I've been faced with the problem that I'm often mistaken for a girl. Now maybe it's because of my big blue eyes or my big smile, but Mommy seems to think that it's mostly becuase of my long flowing locks. I've never had my hair trimmed in my life and it's gotten quite long on the sides, coming down to my shoulders. Well, Mommy had had enough of that and decided that I should have my hair trimmed. Initially, she wanted to make a big thing about it and go to a specialist "baby barber". Naturally, this option would have entailed considerable expense, but on the upside, I would have gotten a balloon. Daddy was skeptical of this since he feared that the baby barber would be too zealous in cutting off all my curls. So the compromise was that Mommy would trim my hair a little, which she did yesterday. It's pretty much the same everywhere except on the sides, which are shorter. Since I don't really have a style for my hair (it goes where it goes), this arrangement seemed to work out just fine. I still have my nice curls, but things are not so long and shaggy on the sides. Mommy took me to a park to celebrate and people even guessed that I was a boy. Hooray!
Photos!
Mommy has just posted lots of lovely pictures from our trip to visit Uncle Dave, Aunt Julie & Cousin Emma. See if you can spot Emma's dimple. There is one especially good dimple shot of Emma with Aunt Julie. It is a red letter day for photos, since Aunt Julie has posted pics on her site today too!
Monday, March 10, 2003
Rodney and me
I spent the day with Daddy yesterday, so that Mommy could actually go out and do something fun (as though hanging out with me is not already ridiculously fun). As usual, Daddy took me out on one of his endless walks and we had several adventures together. First, we discovered a new park with infant swings. I'm always initially a little skpetical of the idea of beig swung ridiculously back and forth, but I quickly warmed to it. I especially enjoy it when Daddy pushes me by my feet and yells "feeeeeet" while doing it. I also liked removing my Cal baseball cap and watching it sail through the air as a swung by.
Next, Daddy took me down a hiking trail and I got out and walked along side him for some ways. I can tell that he's really looking forward to hiking with me, but for now he has to settle for mini-hikes on relatively flat terrain. Our hike took us through a big almond orchard, which smelled kind of neat.
Later in the afternoon, I spotted a frisbee on the ground. It was a bright green color, and I made Daddy pick it up for me. I laughed as Daddy through the frisbee in the air and ran to catch it. We even played catch a little bit. I would hold out my arms and (with perfect aim) Daddy managed to launch the frisbee between my arms and the little tray in my stroller, so I could catch the frisbee. I even threw it a few times too, trying to imitate the backhand flipping motion Daddy uses to propel it.
The best part of the day was watching the dogs. A couple near where we lived had set up adog obstacle course for their border collies. Apparently, these dogs compete in jumping and other skills at local competitions. They were magnificent, running and jumping over bars. They didn't knock over a single bar. The part that most fascinated me was a loong yellow tunnel. I would have liked to crawl through the tunnel myself, but there was no room with the dogs running through it. Finally, I got to meet a very nice Boston Terrier named Rodney. Rodney is very friendly, he gave me some kisses. He's also an Aidan-sized dog, perfect for me to stand next to and pet. Daddy said I did a much better job gently petting Rodney compared to my attempts to pet Licorice.
It was a great day!
I spent the day with Daddy yesterday, so that Mommy could actually go out and do something fun (as though hanging out with me is not already ridiculously fun). As usual, Daddy took me out on one of his endless walks and we had several adventures together. First, we discovered a new park with infant swings. I'm always initially a little skpetical of the idea of beig swung ridiculously back and forth, but I quickly warmed to it. I especially enjoy it when Daddy pushes me by my feet and yells "feeeeeet" while doing it. I also liked removing my Cal baseball cap and watching it sail through the air as a swung by.
Next, Daddy took me down a hiking trail and I got out and walked along side him for some ways. I can tell that he's really looking forward to hiking with me, but for now he has to settle for mini-hikes on relatively flat terrain. Our hike took us through a big almond orchard, which smelled kind of neat.
Later in the afternoon, I spotted a frisbee on the ground. It was a bright green color, and I made Daddy pick it up for me. I laughed as Daddy through the frisbee in the air and ran to catch it. We even played catch a little bit. I would hold out my arms and (with perfect aim) Daddy managed to launch the frisbee between my arms and the little tray in my stroller, so I could catch the frisbee. I even threw it a few times too, trying to imitate the backhand flipping motion Daddy uses to propel it.
The best part of the day was watching the dogs. A couple near where we lived had set up adog obstacle course for their border collies. Apparently, these dogs compete in jumping and other skills at local competitions. They were magnificent, running and jumping over bars. They didn't knock over a single bar. The part that most fascinated me was a loong yellow tunnel. I would have liked to crawl through the tunnel myself, but there was no room with the dogs running through it. Finally, I got to meet a very nice Boston Terrier named Rodney. Rodney is very friendly, he gave me some kisses. He's also an Aidan-sized dog, perfect for me to stand next to and pet. Daddy said I did a much better job gently petting Rodney compared to my attempts to pet Licorice.
It was a great day!
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Tilden Park
Yesterday, I got to go to a terrific park, Tilden Park, which is located in the Berkeley hills. It was a beautiful day yesterday, clear and sunny and around 70 degrees, so we went for a ride to the park together. On the way, I got to see views of the SF bay from out the car window. Once we arrived, I got to go on a steam locomotive at the Redwood Valley Railway. It's not the usual sort of locomotive, since it's kid sized. It reminded my Mommy of the train she and my Daddy used to ride at Angela Park. The train at Tilden went through woods and around the edge of mountains. There was a tunnel too. I was not sure what to think of the tunnel initially, but I sort of warmed to it.
After the train ride, we rode deeper into the park until we came to an old-fashioned Merry-Go-Round. It has all sorts of animals that went up and down, horses, dragon, and lots of other critters. I rode on a horse with Mommy. The best part was the lights and the music. The carousel has lots of fabulous lights, and I took time out to point out every one of them in case Mommy missed any. I then walked around the park while Mommy and Daddy held my hand---sort of my first hike. It was a great day.
Yesterday, I got to go to a terrific park, Tilden Park, which is located in the Berkeley hills. It was a beautiful day yesterday, clear and sunny and around 70 degrees, so we went for a ride to the park together. On the way, I got to see views of the SF bay from out the car window. Once we arrived, I got to go on a steam locomotive at the Redwood Valley Railway. It's not the usual sort of locomotive, since it's kid sized. It reminded my Mommy of the train she and my Daddy used to ride at Angela Park. The train at Tilden went through woods and around the edge of mountains. There was a tunnel too. I was not sure what to think of the tunnel initially, but I sort of warmed to it.
After the train ride, we rode deeper into the park until we came to an old-fashioned Merry-Go-Round. It has all sorts of animals that went up and down, horses, dragon, and lots of other critters. I rode on a horse with Mommy. The best part was the lights and the music. The carousel has lots of fabulous lights, and I took time out to point out every one of them in case Mommy missed any. I then walked around the park while Mommy and Daddy held my hand---sort of my first hike. It was a great day.
Friday, March 07, 2003
Words 2
I am also very good at saying "cat" and "hat." The other day, I called a cat by name when I saw it on TV and, that same day, I also said "hat" when I saw some parents buying their baby a sunhat on a TV show. I also rather consistently say "hat" when my mommy puts one of my hats on her head. In addition, I say something like "sh" when I see a brush.
Today, in the lounge of the Nordstrom's women's bathroom (which also has a "mother's room" for nursing mothers and changing tables so most local moms of babies and toddlers pass through whenever they are downtown-- an excellent marketing strategy on Nordstrom's part, I must say), I enjoyed warmly greeting everyone who came in or out with my bright and sunny, "Hi." I am a very popular fellow when I smile and greet people. I tried to give my friend Sophia a hug while we were sitting together at Nordstrom's, but I was a bit too enthusiastic and we both fell sideways. Oops! She didn't seem to mind. She shared her toy phone with me.
Words
Words are really useful things. While I'm not yet so good at making words that sound exactly like Mommy and Daddy's words, I'm getting better at making words in a language they can understand. Of course, I still have my old favorites like "ights" and "mamamama", but I've added lots of new words as well. Whenever I see a glass or a bottle, I say "ice". My parents aren't sure if I mean literally "ice" since the glasses or bottles are cold or if "ice" is a corruption of "glass". When I see a fan, I make a distinctive swinging motion with my hand and say "ffff". When I see cheese, one of my favorite foods, I say "chchch", and when I'm hungry for milk, I say "mm...mm". Of course, when I want Mommy and Daddy to name something, I say "aht", which means "what's that?". The amazing thing is that Mommy and Daddy can actually understand my language now. This is so much better than communicating by crying and whining.
Words are really useful things. While I'm not yet so good at making words that sound exactly like Mommy and Daddy's words, I'm getting better at making words in a language they can understand. Of course, I still have my old favorites like "ights" and "mamamama", but I've added lots of new words as well. Whenever I see a glass or a bottle, I say "ice". My parents aren't sure if I mean literally "ice" since the glasses or bottles are cold or if "ice" is a corruption of "glass". When I see a fan, I make a distinctive swinging motion with my hand and say "ffff". When I see cheese, one of my favorite foods, I say "chchch", and when I'm hungry for milk, I say "mm...mm". Of course, when I want Mommy and Daddy to name something, I say "aht", which means "what's that?". The amazing thing is that Mommy and Daddy can actually understand my language now. This is so much better than communicating by crying and whining.
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Steps to Recovery
I'm starting to feel better. Lately, I go through phases where I have a good amount of energy followed by periods of sleepiness. By the evening, I pretty much was back up to my usual energy levels and was playing happily. Before this, I was sleepy. I like to find new and unusual places to sleep and I found a really good spot yesterday. I crawled under the middle of Mommy and Daddy's big bed and fell asleep there. Mommy looked all over for me and it took her awhile to find me. It's such a snuggly spot.
I'm taking a lot more steps on my own now. I like to walk, especially when someone holds my hand, but now I'll walk a little bit even when there's no one to hold my hand. I don't walk for far or very confidently, but still I'm liking the freedom of getting around on my own.
My appetite is starting to come back as well. Yesterday, I ate an entire cereal bar. These cereal bars are great, they're my favorite food. Mommy and Daddy have taken to calling them "crack for babies" becuase of their addictive quality.
Daddy thinks my baseball career may be looking up. While I was in Florida, I played lots of games of catch with Daddy using a real baseball. I like how real baseballs make a satisfying "thunk" when you throw them. Best of all from Daddy's perspective, more often than not I throw the ball with my left hand. Daddy always gives me lots of hugs and kisses when I do that. He still dreams of my being a left-handed middle reliever like his hero Jesse Orosco.
I'm starting to feel better. Lately, I go through phases where I have a good amount of energy followed by periods of sleepiness. By the evening, I pretty much was back up to my usual energy levels and was playing happily. Before this, I was sleepy. I like to find new and unusual places to sleep and I found a really good spot yesterday. I crawled under the middle of Mommy and Daddy's big bed and fell asleep there. Mommy looked all over for me and it took her awhile to find me. It's such a snuggly spot.
I'm taking a lot more steps on my own now. I like to walk, especially when someone holds my hand, but now I'll walk a little bit even when there's no one to hold my hand. I don't walk for far or very confidently, but still I'm liking the freedom of getting around on my own.
My appetite is starting to come back as well. Yesterday, I ate an entire cereal bar. These cereal bars are great, they're my favorite food. Mommy and Daddy have taken to calling them "crack for babies" becuase of their addictive quality.
Daddy thinks my baseball career may be looking up. While I was in Florida, I played lots of games of catch with Daddy using a real baseball. I like how real baseballs make a satisfying "thunk" when you throw them. Best of all from Daddy's perspective, more often than not I throw the ball with my left hand. Daddy always gives me lots of hugs and kisses when I do that. He still dreams of my being a left-handed middle reliever like his hero Jesse Orosco.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Back from Florida
We flew back to California yesterday. I slept for most of the time, so I didn't even notice as we flew from state to state. Right now, I'm not feeling well again. I started to get sick during the middle of visiting my cousins and have not felt better since. One day we were supposed to go to Sea World to visit the fishies, but I had a fever and Mommy and Daddy decided that the fishies would have to wait. I hope I fell better soon.
In addition to my not feeling well, we had another problem. I got into my second car accident. As Daddy was waiting for people to pull out of a parking space on a rest stop on the way to Miami, a woman currently in a parking space decided to back out right into us. She put a big dent in the bumper but happily no one was hurt. Daddy was pretty annoyed that the car was hurt though.
In better news, I got to meet my cousin Emma for the first time. She's a lot smaller than I am but still very cute. One thing I noticed is that she seems to cry a lot. I told her that in just a few months she'll be big like me and will be able to crawl around where she pleases and even to pick up and eat food herself. Speaking of food, this cold has totally killed my appetite. I've been eating very lightly the past couple of days.
We flew back to California yesterday. I slept for most of the time, so I didn't even notice as we flew from state to state. Right now, I'm not feeling well again. I started to get sick during the middle of visiting my cousins and have not felt better since. One day we were supposed to go to Sea World to visit the fishies, but I had a fever and Mommy and Daddy decided that the fishies would have to wait. I hope I fell better soon.
In addition to my not feeling well, we had another problem. I got into my second car accident. As Daddy was waiting for people to pull out of a parking space on a rest stop on the way to Miami, a woman currently in a parking space decided to back out right into us. She put a big dent in the bumper but happily no one was hurt. Daddy was pretty annoyed that the car was hurt though.
In better news, I got to meet my cousin Emma for the first time. She's a lot smaller than I am but still very cute. One thing I noticed is that she seems to cry a lot. I told her that in just a few months she'll be big like me and will be able to crawl around where she pleases and even to pick up and eat food herself. Speaking of food, this cold has totally killed my appetite. I've been eating very lightly the past couple of days.
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