Bipedal preambulation

Today I decided to take my first steps! Only a couple of them at a time -- just enough to get from Mama to my Moo-Moo Cow. But I'm so proud of myself when I do it, so I laugh and clap. After all, I'm very clever, aren't I?

Mama hasn't been able to get a video yet, but she'll try to get one in the next couple of days if I agree to cooperate. In the meantime, here's a picture that Mama thinks is funny. I wasn't very happy when she went outside without me.

Bet you didn't know lunch could be so much fun

Merry Christmas everyone!

Can't write much now. Must play with toys.

Snowshoeing in Greenlake

Mama, Cowboy and I went snowshoeing around the neighborhood today (well actually, Mama's the only one who wore snowshoes). It's been snowing almost non-stop since yesterday afternoon, so there's lots of snow to play in! Cowboy seems to really enjoy it, even though I still haven't made up my mind about it. I don't cry when Mama sets me down in it anymore, but I'm still not sure if I want to move or touch it. Mama thinks part of the problem is that all of my shoes and boots are soft-soled, so they get cold and wet quickly. I think the problem is that the snow is cold and wet, soft-soled shoes or not. Mama tells me that once I'm running around and learn about the joy of snow angels, snow balls, and sleds, I'll change my mind. We'll see.

C is for cookie

So far I haven't been a big fan of sweets. I haven't liked cake or cupcakes, and I've had lots of them already: my birthday cupcake (red velvet), my birthday party cupcake (apple pumpkin), a cupcake (carrot) and some cake (pound) when I was in Colorado, and a cupcake (banana) for Oliver's birthday. But today, I had a treat that I really like: a sugar cookie. Oh yum. Mama made a whole bunch of cookies for a party tonight and she shared one with me after lunch. Sugar cookies are her favorite, and I can see why! Tonight's party was canceled because we're supposed to get the big winter storm of '08, so now we have a houseful of sugar cookies. Yay!

Friday photos

(The first two Friday photos are old because Mama forgot that she had them on her iPhone)

1. Checking out the Christmas tree options
2. I want this one
3. Loitering in front of the house again
4. Why do Mama and Daddy think it's so funny how I just stand here in the snow?

Does plaid make me look fat?

It snowed again today and this time I didn't mind it so much. Maybe because this time Daddy didn't smear snow in my face the second we got outside? Anyway, I hung out with Mama while Daddy built a snowman. Mama set me down on the sidewalk and I just stood there. I'm not convinced that I can move when I'm all bundled up in my snowsuit, so I think the best idea is to just stay as still as possible.

I like the snowman Daddy built because he's got the same proportions as I do: round with a big head. My neighbor friend Ella came over to say hi and meet the snowman too and we looked pretty cool in our matching boots. I guess this snow thing isn't so bad...

Pamperin' my crib

Mama and Daddy should know better than to put my diaper stacker where I can reach it from my crib.

Let it snow

But please let it snow elsewhere. Or at the very least, if it must snow here (which Mama and Daddy seem to want), please refrain from putting me in it.

Today Mama and Daddy got me all decked out in my snowsuit and warm boots so that I could play in the snow. Apparently I didn't mind snow at all last year (baby shredder), but I must have just been too young and foolish to know better. It's kind of similar to how I didn't mind that Santa guy when I was only 5 months old. It takes maturity and experience to learn about what you like and what you don't like, after all.

Anyway, once I got on the snow, I immediately -- and loudly -- made my thoughts about the whole situation very clear. Even though I look exceedingly handsome in my snowsuit (not many people can pull off head-to-toe plaid, you know), I prefer to enjoy snow from the safety of Mama or Daddy's arms.

Friday photos

1. Trying out Oliver's rocking horse for the first time at his birthday party. All of the older women (2-5 years old) seemed to LOVE it, so I figured it would be fun.
2. Not a big fan of the rocking horse. I started crying right after this picture.
3. Trying it out again about a month later. Still not a big fan, but Mama says I look cute. And once I get the hang of it, it's a great way to pick up older women. And you have to admit, the hat is pretty studly.

Sick of it

I've been sick for at least a week and you know what? I'm SICK of it! My nose is always running, my upper lip is chafed from having my nose rubbed so often, I cough and hack, and I drool constantly because I can't breathe through my nose. I'm tired of this. At least Daddy got me a nice Froggy humidifier for my room so that I can breathe more easily AND I have a friend to keep me company at night!

One thing this cold has not affected is my appetite. Big surprise there, huh? Although today I wouldn't eat the grilled cheese sandwich Mama made for me. I'm not a big fan of grilled cheese. I much prefer the pan-fried sesame noodles with bok choy that Mama made for her lunch and ended up giving to me instead. I also like the cheese sticks that we shared for a snack (if by "share" you mean "I hang onto Mama's cheese stick while I eat mine, and then I eat Mama's").

I'm still working out whether I want to take one or two naps per day. Today was a one-napper, but yesterday I took two long naps. The day before was a one-nap day. I like to keep Mama on her toes.

Speaking of which, I also like to be on my own toes! I'm quite good at standing up on my own now, although I haven't tried to take a step yet. I do like to stand and clap my hands or wave my toys in the air. I also really like to walk with Mama or Daddy's help, and I barely need to use their fingers for balance anymore. I just like the security of knowing they are there.

I've emotionally recovered from that traumatizing "Santa" encounter last week, and I hope that I never have to do that again.

Me myself and I (plus two more)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Eep!

Friday photos

That's a lot of Santa pictures for one boy!

All the pictures except the middle one were taken last May when I did my little Santa photo shoot. The middle picture was taken today, and I was much less pleased with the whole Santa thing this time around. I can't believe Mama just plopped me down on this guy's lap and expected me to smile! Right after this picture was taken, I burst into tears and screamed into Santa's face. They didn't get any good pictures of that though.

Mama keeps singing this to me

At first I thought she was making up the words (like she does for most other songs she sings), but this one really was written just for me!

Since we're talking about food...

What? We weren't talking about food? Oh sorry, that must have just been me. I'm a little obsessed with it, you know.

I like to be fed, I like to eat with my fingers, I like to try to eat with my own spoon, and now I really like to feed Mama too! She has to make me extra food now (even more than before) because I like to share with her. If I'm eating finger foods, for every third or fourth piece of food I put in my mouth, I like to put one piece in Mama's mouth. I won't eat my next piece (but I do hold it in my hand so it's ready to go) until she eats the one I offer to her.

I also like to eat Mama's food. For dinner tonight, she made me some pasta with homemade tomato mascarpone sauce. It was pretty good until I noticed that she was eating something else: a bowl full of Taiwanese noodles in spicy sauce. I kept staring at it and trying to grab for it until she finally gave me a little bite, warning me that it was kind of spicy so I might not like it. Is she kidding me? After that one bite, I refused to eat the rest of my boring pasta and sauce. She ended up sharing her noodles with me instead.

Eventually she'll figure out that she can stop making me my own special meals and just give me some of what she eats. I like it better.

No reason

Just adding this picture of Mama and me taking a walk because the Bat Boy picture is kind of disturbing. I need something cheerier at the top of the page.

I can already do the echolocation

I'm practicing my Bat Boy impersonation. It'll be even better once I get more teeth.

I yam what I yam

My latest achievements:

• I bit Oliver on the hand today. Hard. Hard enough to make him cry for at least several minutes. And then when he was crying and his mom was comforting him, I pulled on his mom's leg and looked at Oliver like, "What's going on buddy? Why are you crying?"
• In spite of biting him, I recognize and enjoy Oliver's company. When we were little, we played near each other without really paying attention to one another. Now we follow each other around and play with the same toys together. Which, incidentally, is what led to me biting his hand.
  
• I like to stick my tongue out.
• I'm still enjoying my food. To give you an idea of what I eat, here's today's menu: an adult-sized serving of oatmeal and blueberries plus one banana for breakfast; stew (red potatoes, parsnips, leeks and spinach) and apple-apricot sauce for lunch, and an egg stir-fry (with baby bok choy, leeks and tomatoes), rice, some taro root mantou, and carrots and pears (mixed together) for dinner. Plus two snacks and several cups of milk. Yum.
• I spend more time just standing around without holding onto anything.
• My hair is getting unruly -- long and wispy in places, shorter and wavy in others. It kind of looks like I have a combination of a comb-over/mullet/mohawk/buzzcut.
• I say "MA-MA" very clearly now, and I still practice with "DAY-DEE".
• I talk to Cowboy during meals (he waits underneath my high chair while I eat). I lean over the side of my high chair so I can see him and have long and active (albeit one-sided) conversations with him. I also consistently call him "GN".
• I don't like it when food spills on the table in front of me, so Mama has to be really fast about cleaning it up before I notice it. Sometimes I pick it up and put it back in my bowl, but I usually prefer to just sweep it onto my lap or the floor.
• I can't decide if I'm taking one or two naps per day. I'll take one nap for a day or two, then switch back to two naps. I still sleep 13 hours at night (6:30 PM - 7:30 AM).
• I throw full-body tantrums. I scream, squirm and kick my legs frantically if someone picks me up when I want to crawl. I throw myself face-first on the floor and either bite the floor or bang my head on it (good thing we have those padded floors in my playroom) when I don't get what I want. If I'm not on the floor, I throw my head back and/or try to bite whoever or whatever is near (Mama, Daddy, the table, a book, a toy, etc.). This is just a preview of what's to come.
• I like to head-butt people and things. I do it softly though, so it's different than my head-banging tantrums. Oliver likes to head-butt too, so we spend a fair amount of time touching foreheads.

The picture above shows those big chompers I used to bite my friend. Watch out, I'm armed and dangerous now!