I call him "Blue"

OK, so maybe I wasn't as clever as I could have been when I named my favorite stuffed dog. But he's one of the first toys I got and my vocabulary was a bit limited at the time! My Uncle Patrick and Aunt Kimberly gave him to me when I was a newborn, and we've been inseparable since. He hangs out in my crib and we snuggle when it's time to sleep. The only strange thing is that he seems to be getting smaller. He used to be half as long as me, and now he's only as long as my leg. Odd.

November 18, 2007 (2 weeks old)

July 23, 2008 (37 weeks old)

...and I'll have yours too

This morning, Mama gave me a double-serving of my oat cereal with pear. I ate it all, and then I ate half of Mama's oatmeal with blueberries.

As you can see, eating solids has not been a problem with me so far. I will eat pretty much anything you give me, and if I don't like the taste, I'll grimace but I'll keep eating. Once, I even threw a temper tantrum during dinner (Mama took the spoon away from me), but that didn't stop me from eating. I'd scream and cry but keep my mouth wide open like a bird. Mama would give me a bite and I'd close my mouth to swallow, but I kept screaming with my mouth closed ("MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! MMMMMMM-MMMMM-MMMMMMM!!!"). When I was done swallowing, I'd start screaming out loud again. I ate my entire dinner like that.

That was only once though. Normally I am very well-mannered and happy to eat. Of course, by "well-mannered" I mean "grabbing everything I can reach and sticking my fingers in my food so that I can smear it on my face".

Here are some pictures of me before a meal, excited to be in my high chair because I know what's coming.

On the move

In honor of my military family heritage, I've decided to employ a modified Army crawl as my preferred method of mobility. It's not a true Army crawl, as I am currently choosing to use only my left arm to pull myself across the floor. That means that I end up a bit to the left of wherever I'm trying to go, but I can usually correct my course or do a few rolls to get back on track if necessary. I might consider using my right arm at some point, but for now I'm doing just fine. I get where I'm going and I can use my right arm to reach for or hold onto toys as I move.

A surefire way to get me to move is to put Mama or Daddy's cellphone anywhere near me. I covet the Blackberry. Is this why it's called a "Crackberry"? All I know is that I'm addicted. I can spot it from across the room, and I will do anything I can to get to it so that I can push the buttons and try to chew on it.

Captured on video for the first time

She got me.

I was happily babbling away in my BOB while Mama took pictures of me with her little PhD ("Push here, Dummy") camera. I'm so used to her taking pictures that I didn't think anything of it until I realized that she was pointing the camera at me for an awfully long time, and she wasn't pushing the button. That's when I remembered that she can film short videos with her camera too. Nooooo! I was planning to keep my little babbling talent a closely-guarded secret, maybe selling first video rights to the highest bidder sometime later this summer when I need a few bucks for new toys.

Alas, my plans have been foiled. Here's the incriminating video, showing a few seconds of my babbling. Note how I nonchalantly look around as I state my opinion (much like my Daddy), and especially how I utilize the full range of motion of my mouth (also like my Daddy). I end with a few cool-down stretches of my mouth, because I know that it's just as important to ramp down as it is to warm up.



And just for fun, here's another video. I start with just a hint of babbling and mouth stretches, followed by some single -- and then double -- leg kicks. I then let out some squeaks and squeals, sending a quick supersonic shout-out to my dolphin and dog buddies (Wassup, Cow?). As a finale, I give an impressive show of foot-in-mouth flexibility. It doesn't get better than this.



So there you have it: my babbling, caught on film. I have to remember to keep an eye on Mama. She's a crafty one.

Oh!

Today I finally managed to get some toasted oat cereal in my mouth! Mama has been putting them on my Bumbo tray to let me grab, because she knows that I'm developmentally ready to eat them once I can pick them up and feed them to myself. Prior to today, I just banged on the tray to make them fall off, or I'd scoop one up in my hand and smush it. But today I decided to do what Mama does: I picked up one "oh" very carefully and put it in my mouth. Then I did some magic trick (Mama's not sure what I did, because it did not appear to involve any chewing) and the "oh" was gone! I looked at Mama for more, so she put another one on my tray. She let me do my magic trick on three of them before she decided that it was making her too nervous because she couldn't tell if I was chewing, swallowing or just saving them in my mouth to choke on later. She let me chew on her finger for a bit (although it felt suspiciously like she was checking around inside of my mouth for stray "ohs"), then she even let me have an extra fix of the milk-drug (making sure my throat was clear?) before she put me down for my nap.

Oh yeah, I pick them up with my left hand. Mama's not sure if that means anything yet. While I may show a preference for my left hand right now, it's still a little too early to determine if I'm a true lefty like my Uncle Jim.

Triops has three eyes...

...and I've slept through three nights! Maybe this will be my regular pattern. It seems to work out pretty well, although Mama is wondering if I'm getting up too early or too late. I go to bed at 6:30 PM and get up around 6:30 or 7 AM. Then I nurse voraciously (it's been a long night!) and I start complaining and getting cranky and wanting to take a nap by 8 AM. So Mama's wondering if I'm really UP up at 7 AM, or if that's just when I want to nurse and then I should go back to bed for a little while. Or perhaps I'm actually up at 6 AM and just hanging out in my crib, which is why I'm already tired again by 8 AM. That theory may have some merit, considering that when Mama or Daddy get me out of my crib in the morning, I've pulled all of the stuffed animals down and have them strewn about the crib.

I've also started babbling. Before, I was saying sounds like "mmm mmm" and "nyum nyum" and "SHRIEK!!!", but now I say, "BAAA BAA BAAA BA BA BAAAAA". And when I say it, I make sure to open my mouth really wide and hitch my jaw to the side. Mama says it makes me look like a drunken sailor. She's trying to get a video of me babbling, but every time she pulls out the camcorder, I stop. Because this is my thing and I will not allow my talents to be exploited.

If you're wondering about the title of this post, it's referring to a song by They Might Be Giants that we really like. Mama's friend Sita gave me the CD and we listen to it all the time in the car. I was thinking of it this morning because I finally got to meet Sita yesterday! We went for a long walk around Gasworks Park, the Burke-Gilman trail and Fremont and Mama and Sita had a nice time catching up. I had a nice time chewing on my monkey blanket. And pulling on Sita's necklace and bracelet. I was going to go for her hair, but Mama rescued her from me before I got that far.

No need to worry about Cowboy

People often ask Mama and Daddy how Cowboy is with me. Here's a video that does a pretty good job of illustrating our relationship. He likes to be nearby and watch me, and sometimes he gives me a lick or two, but he generally leaves me alone. He knows to leave my toys alone and he never tries to get on my play mat or come into my room.

I, on the other hand, try to grab and pull and tug on him whenever possible. Since I can't crawl yet he's got the upper hand (paw?), but soon I'll be able to chase after him.

Roll-y + grabby = toys for me

Here's a video of me showing off my rolling + grabbing skills. Although I can't crawl yet, I manage to get around pretty well in order to get the toys I want. And of course, the reason I get the toys is to immediately insert them into my mouth. My motto is, after all, "Go in my mouth."

All night long!

Well I did it. I slept through the entire night without getting up for my milk-drug. I went to bed at 6:30 PM (with a bit of fussing, so I didn't actually go to sleep until a little after 7 PM), and didn't get up for food until 6:30 AM. Way to go, me!

This might be a fluke, however. I haven't yet decided if I intend to do this on a regular basis.

Here's a little something to show you just what a cheery guy I am (when I'm not throwing a temper tantrum because Mama or Daddy took something away from me):

Wait for it...

After such unabashed cuteness yesterday, Mama's making me post a video that shows the other side of my charming personality.

I'm learning new skills all the time. While Oliver has 2 teeth, Jammy is finger-walking, and Lilah is pulling herself up, what is my latest accomplishment? Tantrums! Oh yes, can I ever throw a tantrum.

Here's a video of me expressing my thoughts about Mama taking a piece of peach away from me. You may think at first that the sound isn't on, but don't worry. You'll hear me loud and clear within moments.

Happy Happy!

Happy 4th of July to you! And happy 8 month birthday to me! Here's a quick video of me hanging out in my 4th of July outfit from Gramma Hill. I'm really cute. And now I even answer when Mama says "Hi" to me. I don't say any words yet, but I either grunt (like my Grampa Walt) or yell (like my Daddy).



In other news, I've been conned. I don't know how she did it, but today Mama got me to eat a whole serving of peas all by themselves. No pears mixed in or anything! I was halfway done before I realized what was going on, but by then it was too late to fuss about it. Besides, they're actually not that bad.

I also got to eat some brown rice mixed with pears, which I REALLY liked (I'm thinking the "pear" thing has a lot to do with it). And since I'm such a big boy now, I got to eat solids at breakfast time too! So now I'm eating three solid meals a day, plus nursing 6 times a day. My days are really filling up! I'm only up for 12 hours out of every day, and with my 3 meals + 6 nursings + 3 naps, I pretty much have something scheduled for every single hour that I'm up. Who knew life could be so busy for an 8-month old?

Yesterday, I got to meet new baby girl Madeline. She's a really pretty girl! I touched her foot, but she ignored me. Only 5 days old and she's already playing hard to get. Mama told me that I always have to be a gentleman with her, or her daddy will come after me with a shotgun. Her daddy laughed, but I could tell he was serious about it too. I'd better be polite.

Keystone State

As I mentioned in my last post, Mama, Daddy and I went back to Pennsylvania last week so that I could meet all of my PA family and get baptized. We spent all day Thursday flying (and even did a surprise stop in Cleveland!) and then got to spend Friday through Sunday with my Grampa Walt and Grandma Joan. I also got to meet Allison, Travus, Gaia, Matt, Melissa, Kylie, and Lindsay, and I got to spend lots of time with Buncie and Kenny too. It was really fun to meet everyone and show them how handsome I am and how good I am at screeching and squawking.

I was hoping to meet my Uncle Jim and Lone, but the same storms that caused our diversion to Cleveland on Thursday shut down the airspace in New York City on Saturday.

Baptism

I'm a baptized boy!

Mama, Daddy and I went back east so that I could be baptized with my Grampa Walt, Grandma Joan and my Pennsylvania family at my great-grandma's church in Sharon, PA. Pastor Tom had a really nice beard like my Grampa's, and I was so comfy in his arms that I almost fell asleep during the baptism. Everyone said I was so good and didn't complain at all during the baptism (but they didn't know that Mama's been practicing with me in the bathtub to make sure that I don't mind having water sprinkled on my head).

Here's a video of part of my baptism. I'll write more about my visit with everyone soon, but right now I need to take a nap -- I have to rest up after a long day of travel!