Me and Ripken

One of the best things about crawling is that I get to see Rips (thats our nickname for Ripken) whenever I want. I don't have to wait for Mommy or Daddy to take me to see him. I don't think he is that happy about it-he seems to run the other way when he see me coming.... but I love it!
I love talking to Rips so I made my way to the gate and we struck up a conversation.

It was time to take Rips outside so I made my way to his leash and got it ready for him. Stay tuned for a video of me and my buddy Rips...he gets me so excited and makes me laugh!

I CAN CRAWL!

Check me out! I am mobile.

So I had to help Daddy baby-proof the cabinets.

Toys?

So, yes, I like my toys...especially kicking my soccer ball around while Mommy or Daddy walks with me....
and of course, there is my ball pit and my car carrier that I always enjoy playing with, but....

since I can get myself around a room so much faster now...I like trying new things like pulling all my jackets and bags off the wall ....

and, it doesn't matter where I am , there is always something to get into! On this day, Daddy's shoes were a lot of fun!

New Seat!

Hello! I finally got my new carseat! It is so much bigger...I have more room to move around in this one. Of course, Daddy did all of his research to find out which seats are safest and this was one of the best out there (thanks Daddy!). It was also recommended to us by Aunt Sue and Aunt Mickey, so thanks to them as well! I will probably be in this one until I am somewhere around 4 years old...so I guess I better get used to it!

Under the Weather

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been a litle under the weather. I got a cold and then I passed it on to Mommy and Daddy! So we have all been a little sick these past several days. Mommy and Daddy joined a new a gym and when they go to work out, I go to the daycare at the gym. This place is beautiful, lots of toys and other kids to play with and some really nice ladies that babysit me. I guess I am not used to being around so many other kids all the time and I probably just caught what one of them had...no biggie. Mommy says it can be a good thing because it helps me build up my immune system-I guess I will understand that some day. So we will get back to taking pictures, and more posts this week.

Thank goodness I have my ND blanket to keep me warm and make me feel better!! (thanks again Aunt Sue!!)

9 Month Check-Up

Ok, so here are the stats from my 9 month check-up with Dr. Harrell:

Weight: 18lb 13 oz

Height: 28 1/4 in

So I put on 2 lb 12 oz since my 6 month visit ( I like food!) and I grew a little over 1/2 inch. Dr. Harrell said that I had such a huge leap at my last check-up that it was to be expected that I may not grow that much this time. It is really true that we go through "growth spurts" and I had a big one right before the 6 month check-up. No shots this time-yeah! She said everything else looked and sounded good so I am set until my 1 year check-up!

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

9 MONTHS TODAY!

Well, I have been busy growing up in the past month! Here is the update I promised you....

First of all, I am still sleeping soundly through the night and I have been for a couple of months now. I go to bed around 7pm and...I am a bit of an early riser, usually up between 6-6:30am. But as you can tell from this picture, I am well rested!
I guess this picture says it all. I am walking now with help. In fact, whenever someone picks me up I always reach back for the floor because all I want to do is cruise around! I love to stand by couches, or my new activity table. I know how to sit up from a laying down position and.....THIS JUST IN, TODAY, ON MY BIRTHDAY, I PULLED MYSELF UP INTO A STANDING POSITION. Mom and Dad were shocked so I did it again for them to prove it was not just a fluke. Dad says this means the mattress get dropped...whatever that means!

So now I have both bottom teeth and 1 top one fully in, and the other one is making it's way down. I am eating a lot of table foods now, not just the pureed stuff. I snack on cheese, avocado, banana, carrots and broccoli, cheerios, pancakes and whatever Mom and Dad might be having for that meal too. Of course, we still avoid any foods that have soy, eggs or peanuts in them. I can feed myself (with my hands) really well and I prefer that. Mommy calls me "Mr. Independent"

And last but not least, I moved into my own bathroom and my own tub. Howard-the duck tub that I had been bathing in- is not big enough anymore for me and all my toys. In this pic, I am helping Dad fill the tub for my evening soak.

Stay tuned tomorrow....it is my 9 month check-up with Dr. Harrell and we can't wait to see how big I really am! We already have to buy the convertible car seat because I don't fit in my infant seat anymore...I am too long. So this should be a good check-up!

Post Christmas

We arrived at Grandma Judy and Grandpa Wayne's house on Friday night 12/26 (due to a 3 hour delay from NJ to IL). I knew I was in for some crazy times! I am the 11th grandchild on this side of the family and the oldest are 11 years old....so think about how many of us little people there are running around! But it is always a good time........

Me and cousin Eva. She kept asking Mommy if she could hold me. I gues you could say she likes me!
More cousins and Eva's brother and sister...Joey and Cindy

Me and my Godmother-Aunt Liz. Mom and Dad left to go shopping for a while and when nobody else could get me to take a nap...good 'ol Aunt Liz got me to relax and go to sleep!

One of my many gifts...the Vtech Driver from my cousins Anna and Nathan

This was a cool gift! Aunt Sue made a blanket which also folds up into a pillow but it has the ND logo on it! That Aunt Sue can make anything!

Again, I could go on and on with the pics from my first Christmas but there are way too many to post them all! It was so much fun to be with everyone. The next time I will see most of them is for my 1st birthday in April!

I have more new updates coming soon. I had so many milestones over Christmas that I have to share them all with you....so stay tuned for those coming soon!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning came early. I was up and ready to go at 6am. I snuggled with Mom on the couch a bit before getting to the good stuff...
Some pretty good stuff I raked in! Believe me, this is just a glimpse of what I got..there was so much more throughout the day but this was a good start! Thanks Santa!

The party started around 2pm. Here I am just relaxing with Grandma Mary and cousin Danny.

There is a story behind this...This is called the corn toss...I don't know that much about it except that we play this every year at Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ed's. Grandma has boxed frozen corn that we toss into a pot. Everyone takes a turn tossing the boxes in and the person who get the most in the pot, wins a prize.

This being my first year, I did not do so well, but I did enjoy playing with the corn and the pot!

There are so many pictures I could share from my first Christmas at Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ed's but I thought I would just choose a few to show what a great time I had. Lots of family, good food and fun!

We left to go to Grandma Judy and Grandpa Wayne's house in Chicago the next day so stay tuned for that update coming soon.......................

Christmas Eve

The first leg of our Christmas journey took us to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ed's house in NJ. On Christmas Eve, I got to spend time with my cousins Danny, Lexi and Brendan before settling down to sleep in anticipation of Santa's visit!

A hug and a kiss from Lexi...
Whew, it was a long day of playing! We all needed a break so here Danny Lexi and I are just chilin' by the Christmas tree.

Later, Grandma Mary let me open one of my gifts (of course, I like the paper better). It was some new bath toys! So I used them in my bath on Christmas Eve.

Then Daddy and I settled down to read "The Night Before Christmas"...

and then I "had just settled down for a long winter's nap".....

More to come.....