Happy Birthday Cousin Caroline!

I just want to wish a happy second birthday to my cousin Caroline. I hope it's a good one! Have a piece (or two) of cake for me!

Ridin' Around

Due to the generosity of my grandparents, I now have several modes of transportation to get me around and no longer have to rely upon Emma. After all, I surpassed her in weight a couple of months ago, and I think he back is starting to buckle.

Once it gets warm enough, Mom says were going to take the Tot Rod outside. But until then I get to practice using it indoors. I liked it so much that I started crying every time it stopped.

(Side bar: Before you comment Aunt Katie (or anyone else for that matter), Mom realizes she's a "hot mess" in this video. However, she decided that Christmas is a good excuse to stay in her pj's all day and her feet got cold after a while. Hence, the lovely wool booties.)

My First Christmas

The milk and cookies must have worked because I woke up Christmas morning and Santa had left me presents under the tree.

He got me another Elmo. This one sings a pizza song along with a talking pizza. Just watching it made Maggie hungry.

Before we unwrapped presents, Daddy and I opened my stocking.

Then onto more unwrapping.

Daddy got me a pull-toy puppy. This one doesn't try to eat my snacks like some other puppies I know.

This is Mommy and Daddy's present. Snot nose and all, I was their favorite present ever.

After the present opening (and a long nap), I came downstairs to find my tot rod charged up and ready to go. I can't wait until its warm enough to use it outside.

All in all, I had a great first Christmas!

Getting ready for Santa

After we got home from church on Christmas Eve, I got ready for Santa. First, we put out milk and cookies. Well, I actually threw two of the three cookies on the floor, but Mom said that's okay because Santa abides by the 5 second rule. She also told me that Santa prefers chocolate soy milk. Mommy and Santa have similar taste.

After the cookies I got snuggled in my PJ's, and Daddy read me 'The Night Before Christmas.' It's one of our new family traditions. Then I was out like a light...until 4:15 a.m.

On the second day of Christmas...

Nana and Poppy came over to celebrate on Christmas Eve, and they brought with them a whole lot of presents. I wasn't quite sure where to begin (can you see the look of intimidation on my face?).

Mom helped me out to help speed the process along. No one was quite sure how that was actually going to work out, given her penchant for incredibly slow present unwrapping, but she actually did okay (and even ripped the paper several times).

Nana couldn't wait for me to open my Elmo Live. Can you see why? I get tickled every time he talks to me.

Poppy and Rudy enjoyed watching me open gifts as well. Don't they look excited?

I saved the bog box for last after Mom warned me not to get too excited about a bog box because it could just be a refrigerator box full of books that your parents already own (Aunt Stephanie will probably be the only one who gets that reference). Anyhow, I was in luck. No used books here...I got a new Tot Rod (it's a battery powered, parent-controlled kid car for those of you not part of the Toys R Us scene)!

Holy spoiled baby! Mom and Dad said I don't need anymore toys until I'm at least 16, when I may require an updated version of the Tot Rod.
(Side note: notice the missing sock. I think the sock bandit must run in the same circle as Santa.)

Nana and Daddy brought Mommy and Daddy an awesome present of their own: a new couch. Well, new to them at least. No more vacuuming dog hair! Mom says that this is the best present Nana and Poppy could have given her.

On the first day of Christmas...

Because I refuse to sit in a car seat for any longer than 20 minutes nowadays, Mom, Dad, and I decided to stay at home this year for Christmas. That meant that I got to have three Christmas celebrations (and present openings): one with Grandma and Grandpa, one with Nana and Poppy, and one with Mommy and Daddy.

We celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa last Saturday. I was a little overwhelmed at first, but I quickly got over it.

Mommy and Daddy had to help me a bit with the present opening, but I started to get the hang of it after a while.

The bags with the paper inside were my favorite.

And apparently there were presents inside too. I just stopped at the tissue paper. Daddy liked this one in particular. It's a Steelers football blankie, kind of like my blankie bear, but a little more manly.

I also got a new chair that's just my size and a little car to ride around (or be driven around) in.

Here I am practicing my driving before Mom took the wheel guards off.

I also got a new push toy. However, I'm not quite ready to push it around, so I took the easy route and just sat inside. I could get used to this.

Adventures in Babysitting

Mom and Dad had a busy weekend this past weekend full of all sorts of fun activities that they didn't invite me to. Since Grandma was in Portland for my cousin Katie's birthday, I discovered what it's like to have a real babysitter. Saturday night a girl named Lauren came over right before I went to bed and stayed with me while my parents went to a Christmas party. I liked her a lot...until I woke up around 11 p.m. and realized Mom and Dad weren't there. I got over it though, and Mom and Dad soon came home. On Sunday, Mom and Dad went to the Colts game, so I went to the Browning's. Mom used to go there every day when she was a baby, and she turned out alright, so I figured it was okay. And boy was I right. They have twin grandsons that come over and play a lot, so I was in toy heaven. So much so that I didn't even cry once, not even when Mom and Dad left. Unfortunately, Mom failed to get any pictures of me (or the Christmas party), but she did take some pictures at the game.

Mom and Dad looking like tourists in their own city.

Peyton Manning himself.

What a cute couple (man, their kid must be adorable).

View from the seats.

Movin' on up

It's official. I'm moving out of the infant room at school and into the crawler room. They say that my crawling shenanigans have become a hazard to the little ones. The move won't officially take place until after the New Year, but I'm in transition mode now. This means that I spend part of the day with my crawling pals, including a new meal...snack time (according to Dad, if I take after my mommy, I'll love any snack they put in front of me). Right now I'm just on Cheerios, and I've gotten much better at eating foods of the non-pureed variety. However, I'm still having trouble with my pincer grasp and can't seem to get them from the table to my mouth (side note: Cousin Max, I hear your a champ at eating puffs. I need some tips on this getting the food in my mouth thing.). Here I am practicing at home.

Happy Birthday Cousin Katie!

I want to wish a very happy third birthday to my cousin Katie! Congrats on no longer being "old and a half" and turning three. Have fun swimming and eat lots of pink cake for me!

Eight months old!

I turned eight months today. Mom and Dad can't believe how fast I'm growing up. I'm exploring and learning new things every day, like how to open doors, drawers, and anything else that has nobs. I also learned how to turn lights on and off. Mom's been showing me how to turn off the light every night after we're done with my bath, and I recently started doing it myself. All in all, I'm a very happy baby and make my parents' lives better every day.

As she does every month, Mom captured a few pics to mark the occasion. Thankfully, her new camera snaps pictures very quickly because I don't sit still for long.

Okay, I sat for long enough. Now let me chew on that camera!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

We put up our Christmas tree on Saturday night. My type A mom had to put on all of the standard ornaments first to make sure they were evenly spaced. Then Dad and I came in to help put up all of the fun ornaments. I was amazed at all of the lights.

I helped Mom by trying to grab all of the ornaments as she put them on.

After awhile Mom's arm got tired, so I rode around in the Baby Bjorn.

Dad made his own Baby Bjorn.

Here's the finished product...

I think it looks much prettier with the lights off. I did a good job for my first tree decorating, huh?

Growing like a....bobble head?

My doggie hat was starting to bug me, so Mom recalled that my friends, Susie and Jay, had given me this Cubs hat before I was even born. So why is this significant? Well, the tag on the hat says "Toddler," meaning 1-2 year old. Whomever determines those hat sizes obviously has never met me because it fit like a glove. At this rate I'll be able to wear Daddy's hat pretty soon. On another note, I had to go to the doctor this week to make sure my ears have cleared up (yes, they have) and found out that I weigh 19 lbs., 4 oz. (with clothes and diaper). That's up by 1 lb., 2 oz. in just one month!