I'm 15 Months Old!

And growing like a weed :) 20lbs 12oz and 31 inches. My doctor says I'm "perfect," and of course mom and dad agree. I may have a milk protein allergy, though, so I have to switch to soy milk and no cheese or yogurt until we figure it out :( And then I got 3 shots which have made me cranky all day. We also discovered that Infants Motrin does not agree with me - I had a crazy reaction to it and was WIRED all night on Saturday. Never again at bedtime - mom was up with me over 15 times before I finally fell asleep for the night and even that was after going to bed 3 hours later than normal.

Here are some photos from the past month. I discovered that I like ketchup :) Note the shaggy hair...


Mom and dad finally took me to get my hair cut!!! I hated every minute and screamed through the whole thing. I didn't even want the graham crackers daddy was offering me.


Less shaggy hair :) But kitty stole my toybox and I wasn't too happy about it!


I got to enjoy the snowstorm for a little while on Saturday. We could only find one of my mittens, so mom and dad made me wear socks on my hands - how silly???








Sledding in the driveway!


Here's the deck when I went to bed on Saturday night! Check out the table - there's at least 2 feet of snow.


Here's the front of the house before any plows came through.


And the tree!


I'm looking forward to seeing everyone for Christmas! Grammy and Grampy Clements will be here Thursday, Laurie, Dan, Courtney and Kaylee will be here Saturday, and Grandma and Grandpa Coble and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa will be here on Sunday! I see lots of packages with my name on them under the tree and can't wait to open things!

Hope everyone is doing well and I'll see you soon!

Winter Wonderland!

I woke up yesterday morning to almost a FOOT of snow! It hadn't stopped by the time I went to bed last night and we have over 2 feet by now :) Even though I'm not feeling too well, mom and dad let me go out for a little while in it. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but ended up having fun :) The photos of me in the snow are on the other camera, so we'll try to get those posted later.

This photo is from about noon yesterday. The snow was piled up against the front door!


This was the view out on the deck.


Lots has happened in the past month, but mom and dad have been too busy with work and getting ready for the holidays that they just haven't sat down with me to update the blog! They tell me that I will get a visit from Santa next week - I don't know quite what to think of that either, but I think he'll be good to me since I've been a good girl this year. There is a big tree in the living room that has lots of pretty lights and ornaments that I would *love* to play with. Mom and dad tell me I can't play with them, but I do like to point and say "tree."

Will write more later - I want to go play for a while before lunch time!

WE ARE...

PENN STATE!!! I had much more fun at the Penn State football game today than I did at the last one. Perhaps it was because it wasn't raining today or perhaps it was because the game didn't start after my bedtime - regardless, the outcome was just as miserable!

Mom got me up super early yesterday, fed me breakfast, then strapped me in the car. Even though I *really* dislike being tied down for any length of time, it worked out ok - I slept the first half of the trip, then mom sat in the back with me and read books to me and played with me to keep me occupied. Traffic wasn't bad at all and we made it to the parking lot in just over 3 hours. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a tailgate. With a blanket on the ground, I was able to crawl around a little and made mom and dad take turns walking around with me. I ate a huge turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch :)



After lunch we met up with one of dad's colleagues - the one who was kind enough to get the tickets for us! They had a great tailgate and we walked around a lot there before walking in to the game. I took a quick nap on the way in to the game, but woke up promptly when we got to our seats. There were over 110,000 people there and it was LOUD! This was the 300th game played at Beaver Stadium! Mom and dad also told me that they were there for Joe Pa's 300th game as well when they were in school. Here is the view from our seats.





Mom and dad pointed out Joe Pa to me.



It wasn't a great game, so we left about half way through the 4th quarter. I got changed into my jammies and we got out of the parking lot in about 10 minutes, so it wasn't too bad.

Poor Razzy had to go to the vet last week and has been isolated since Tuesday in a room by herself :( She started limping, but we don't know what happened to her. The vet (Dr. Katz, ha ha) gave her 3 days worth of pain medication - apparently the only pain medication that won't kill a cat and told us to have her "rest" for a week. So she's in the guest room just chilling on the bed. If she's not better by Monday, we have to have her sedated and x-rayed, so we're all hoping it's better by then.

I learned how to say "bye bye" and say it all the time now while waving. That's about all that's new from here. Happy Football day everyone!

Happy Halloween!

I enjoyed my costume much more this year than I did last year :) While I didn't go trick or treating, I got to participate in the Halloween Festival at school. They had a petting zoo, pumpkin patch and a costume parade. I had a blast and even got to take my pumpkin home!

The cow tried to lick me!



I got to pet the goat.



I stood in the "pumpkin patch" for a while, but didn't want to actually pick up a pumpkin.



Later, I got to wear my lion costume and go for a buggy ride around the playground. All the other kids from my room fell asleep, but I powered through.



I love to climb on EVERYTHING these days - couches, stairs, tables, buggy's...



Mom and dad took me to a real pumpkin patch yesterday and I had a really great time. We'll post those pictures shortly, but I told them next year I want to spend more time there - they had a big slide that looked like fun, a pumpkin cannon (dad wanted to try that one), a rubber ducky derby and much more. We were only there long enough to go on the hayride and walk through the pumpkin fields. It was a nice day, though and we all had fun. We stopped and got some pear cider on the way out and I LOVED it. I think it gave me a sugar high, though, because I was up almost 3 hours past my bedtime last night!!!

I'm learning new things all the time and mom and dad can't keep up with me anymore :) I can now feed myself with a fork! I kept grabbing at mom and dad's fork, so they gave me my own to hold and wouldn't you know, I figured out how to stab the food and put it in my mouth. I now eat an entire meal with a fork by myself. I also say kitty very well now, but a lot of other things are still "b." At least I say "mom" now. I walk all over the place now. My new thing is to grab mom or dad's finger and make them walk around with me - I don't *really* need to hold on, but I like to have the company. I have at least 12 teeth now - I won't let mom open my mouth to count exactly how many, but there are definitely at least 5 on the bottom and 7 on the top. That's probably why I've been so cranky lately.

What else? Mom, dad, Jay and Steve all ran the Wolftrap 5K a few weeks ago. It was mom's first 5K and she finished without walking which was her goal. Steve was kind enough to slow down and stick with her, so that kept her going, despite the nasty and unanticipated hills. Dad far exceeded his goal in terms of time - I'm so proud of him! I cheered for all of the runners and got my picture taken with the "Wolfman." The next day, we watched Molly run the Marine Corps Marathon. I was a bit cranky, but I clapped for her every time we saw her (that I wasn't sleeping, at least). She did a great job and we were able to see her 3 times along the way.

Mom made Aunt Terry's macaroni and cheese today and I loved it as much as I did at my birthday party - thanks for the recipe Ter!

I'm sure there's more, but that's all the energy I have for the evening. Take care!

Proof that I can walk :)

Assuming mom taught me how to upload the video correctly (just kidding - assuming she actually figured out how to upload it), here's a short clip of me walking to the kitty (also affectionately known as "b"). Everything is "b" lately.



Mom thinks I need a haircut soon - what do you think? She says it looks like I have a mullet, but I don't know what that is :(

Mom and dad (and Uncle Jay and Uncle Steve) are running a 5K on Saturday, so I get to play with Aunt Molly while they run - huzzah! Then on Sunday, we get to go watch Molly run in the Marine Corps Marathon. Go Molly!!!

I'm officially a walker!

That's right! I've been taking a few steps here and there for well over a month, but when mom picked me up from school on Thursday, I walked from the toy area the whole way across the room to meet her! It's all over now - they won't be able to keep up with me. I already climb up the stairs quite well and am super fast at crawling. I've also learned to say (or imitate as the case may be) "Thank You," "ball" and "Pooh" as in Pooh Bear. I point to the Pooh Bears on my wall and get excited.

It's been really cold and rainy here this week, so mom's been making me wear my new coat and hat. I think it's a little ridiculous, but I guess it's cute enough.



My new favorite toys are a stack of red plastic Solo cups - they keep me entertained for a really long time. That and a pan and spoon - makes so much noise and lets mom make dinner while I bang away. I also love to pull all of the newly folded clothes out of the laundry baskets, which mom says isn't such a big help.

Breakfast time for me! Happy Saturday...

Ready for the White Out!

Even though it was pouring, we were committed to being part of the White Out for the Penn State - Iowa game last weekend. Mom and dad found me a white PSU shirt that was big enough to go over my sweatshirt. Not the greatest photo because we were either in the car or in the rain ALL day, but you get the idea.

I'm a whole year old!

I can't believe mommy hasn't let me update my blog in over a month! We've just been so busy that we haven't had a chance to sit down and update. I'll try to fill in the details of the last month, but of course the most important detail is that my FIRST birthday was last Monday!!! I had a very nice birthday weekend and got to visit with almost all of my family and friends. Aunt Terry came to visit me on Thursday and she got to stay until Sunday. I *almost* said TerTer - she kept telling me that TerTer was easier to say than Laurie. Then Laurie, Dan, Courtney and Kaylee came on Friday after I was in bed. Not long after I got up on Saturday, Grammy and Grampy Clements and Grandma and Grandpa Coble came! My Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Coble and Great Great Aunt Faye came later in the day on Saturday, as did a lot of mommy and daddy's friends. Daddy was kind enough to smoke another couple of pork shoulders for my party and mom made a bunch of cupcakes (yum). Thank you Aunt Terry for suggesting your mac and cheese recipe - even I could eat that (and LOVED it!)

My party was a blast and I hope everyone else had a great time too! Mom and Terry put together these photos to hang on the wall for everyone to see (OK, Terry did all the work, mom just picked out the photos). Eventually, mom will put the pages into a book, but for now they're still hanging up.



My party had a cupcake theme, so mom made a giant cupcake for me and "regular" cupcakes for everyone else. I even had a cupcake dress.



Thank you everyone!!! Everyone was so generous and thoughtful - I think I'm loved :) I was a little overwhelmed opening my gifts, look at this whole table! There's more hiding in the wagon behind mom.



Mommy and daddy got me a wagon - dad had "fun" putting it together for me :)



There was a slight icing malfunction and the icing on the pink cupcakes melted the night before the party, and the icing on my cake started to drip as well. Everyone said it made it look like a Dr. Seuss cake. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the giant cupcake...



I finally decided that picking the pieces of candy out of the icing would be a good idea. Daddy really wanted me to just dig into it, so he showed me how.




I still wasn't so sure about that, so mom cut a piece of the cake off for me to eat. That made it a little more manageable - it reminded me of the Pound Cake that Uncle Jay gave me at Wolftrap! After I had eaten my fill of cake and icing, mom took me straight to the bath tub.




In other news, I had my 12 month well baby visit last week. I'm 19lbs, 15oz and 28.75 inches. Everything is going well and I'm 25%-50% across the board which is consistent (and therefore good). I'm still on track or ahead developmentally. I am almost walking - I've taken 2 steps several times over the past few weeks and can stand up from a sitting position without holding on. I have 8 teeth and 2 more on the way in. I say "daddy," "kitty," "uh-oh," and "dog." I babble "mom" but don't use it consistently. I recognize a few other words, but don't consistently say them. If you ask me where the dog is, I can point to a picture in a book. I'm very vocal now and have a personality all my own.

I also had my follow up appointment with the orthopedist. I had another x-ray and my hips look perfect. He usually follows up at 18 and 24 months, but my hips look so good that he said we could skip the 18 month check and just come back at 24 months if mom is still concerned. I guess that made the 14 weeks of having to wear the harness all worthwhile.

Unfortunately I had the experience of my first Penn State game :( I say unfortunately because they lost miserably to Iowa. It rained the entire day, it was cold, it was an awful football game, and it started at 8pm which is already past my bedtime. Mom ended up sitting with me in the concourse for all but 5 minutes of the game so I didn't get completely soaked. I was so unhappy and just wanted to get down, but mom said she couldn't let me get down and crawl, so I had to say in the carrier. Eventually I fell asleep. I slept until we got back to our hotel, then I woke up and wanted to party for the next hour - I don't think mom and dad were too amused at 2:30 in the morning. On the bright side, our seats are AWESOME! Hopefully I'll get to see more of the Ohio State game in a few weeks. Mom and dad got me a really cute Nittany Lion hat and put a Lion Logo on my cheek - I'll post pictures when we get them off of the camera.

I also want to welcome my new friend to the world!!! Mom's friend Kim had her baby a little early...Daniel Reilly Caughey was born the day after my birthday - he was 6 weeks early, but it sounds like he is doing well. I can't wait to meet Kim, Mike and Daniel!

Bye for now - hope everyone is doing well!

My shiner...

For Erin, here's a photo...it really wasn't too bad at all, but it was pretty swollen which you can't see in the picture. Tell Emma that this is what happens when you climb things you're not supposed to...






















I stayed home from school today and mom and I went to the doctor this afternoon. I'm 19lbs 4oz (with my diaper on - the nurse took pity on me for not feeling well and didn't make mom take it off). I still have a fever, but it's lower than it was. If my fever is still down in the morning, I'll go back to school tomorrow. My lungs and ears are clear, so we just have to let it run the course again. Hopefully I'll start sleeping better once this runs its course too - I've only been in bed for 2 hours so far and have already been up 4 times. It's looking to be another long night, but I just don't feel well!

That's all for now - hope everyone is doing well :)

A rough week...

I got my first "shiner" this week :( Mom got a call at work on Monday and the first words were "it's not an emergency...BUT..." I recently discovered that I can climb things and I must have slipped while climbing on the exersaucer and hit my eye. It looked pretty bad Monday night, but by Tuesday morning you would never know what happened. I'm so mobile now that it's bound to be the first of many bumps and bruises.

I've not been napping well at daycare, so that's added to the rough week. Mom had to travel for work on Tuesday, so I got some daddy time in the morning and he picked me up from school, but I only had one nap all day which clearly is not enough for me. Mom got home around 7 and I was already ready for bed (that's about an hour early for me!) I may be transitioning to one nap a bit early, but when that one nap is only a half hour, it's not enough.

Let's see - what else is new? I now say "uh-oh" pretty much in the correct context. I'll drop a toy and look at mom and dad and say uh-oh. I also say what sounds like either daddy or kitty all the time - it's not always clear, but it's a two syllable "word". I can associate those words with either dad or Raz, but it all pretty much sounds the same. If I see a picture of a kitty, I point to it and say kitty (or daddy as the case may be). Same with daddy - there's a picture of our family on the door to my room at school and I point to the picture and say daddy. My 7th tooth has finally come in and I'm starting to get a few more - I bite EVERYTHING. I have all 4 incisors on top, 2 incisors on the bottom, and a lower cuspid - that one hurt! I'm so wiggly now and don't always like to be held - there is a lot of up and down these days. Mom makes me wear shoes most of the time in case we're out and I want to stand :) Mom says that bathtime is torture for her now that I refuse to sit down. I don't know why she won't just let me stand up in the wet and slippery tub! Needless to say, my bath's have turned into me screaming and mom washing me very quickly! I can also now walk behind the car that mom's Aunt Jenny gave me! But if I push it on the hardwood floor, the car moves quicker than my feet and I fall down. And I FINALLY drink from a cup - I decided that I don't like the traditional sippy cups, but do great with a cup that has a straw. Now I can't get enough water which makes mom happy :)

Daddy was out of town last weekend, but mom and I had a fun weekend with friends! I got to meet mom's friend Sarah, her husband Jake, mom Cookie and daughter Lily! Lily will be 2 in December and we had such a good time. We went to the Splash Park in Germantown and Lily was nice enough to share her toys with me - she had a really cool ball that looked like a shark and a paintbrush - brilliant! Mom really wants to go back to the Splash Park now. Then we went to dinner at Buca and I got to eat spaghetti and meatballs. Sarah was hoping that my appetite would rub off on Lily, but she didn't seem too interested in eating. I thoroughly enjoyed the spaghetti, though :) Mom didn't get pictures, but really should have!!! We'll just have to get together again.

I got to go to the fair on Sunday with Arabelle and her mom and dad! We saw lots of sheep, goats, cows, and pigs. I especially loved the pigs - they squealed at me and I clapped my hands at them.

Tonight I was supposed to go to see David Beckham play at RFK stadium. But to continue with the rough week, I came home from school yesterday with a fever and it has spiked to 103.1 so far today :( Mom stayed home with me tonight and I'm bummed that I will miss my first Beckham game. Maybe it's for the best since it's pouring anyway. Mom talked to my doctor today and they definitely want to see me on Monday if not before, so keep your fingers crossed that the fever starts to go down before then. I've also started coughing again - have to love those daycare germs. My doctor said that I'll have a great immune system by the time I start kindergarten, though!

Daddy did great in the race!

We had another busy weekend, but I had a really good time. We were planning on going to go to the Washington Freedom game at the Soccerplex on Saturday evening. Well, daddy managed to win us tickets ON the field! He won a trivia contest hosted by the back up keeper, Kati Jo Spisak and we got two free tickets on the field. It was great - they had chairs set up on the side and there was even enough room for me to sit and play with my soccer ball in the grass. It was a whole new perspective on the game.

We had a LONG day on Sunday. Mom got me up at 5 am and we headed down to Leesburg so dad could run the 10K. We got there around 6:30 and found Jay and Molly pretty quickly. Shortly before the race, dad went to warm up and mom and I started walking so we could see him about a mile from the start. We saw dad, Molly and Jay, then walked down a side street to meet back up with them at about mile 5 on their way back. Molly ran the 20K, so she had to go farther before she turned around and came back up the trail. We saw dad and yelled at him and took his picture, but he didn't see us :( After he went by, mom took me up the trail where the runners were. We stayed to the left side and got out of the way of bike riders coming towards us. Then we saw Jay and told him there was only a half mile to go - I think he was happy about that :) Mom and I walked the rest of the way to the finish line and found dad and Jay after they had gotten cold washcloths and some food. We waited for a while, then walked back down to see Molly come across the finish. I'm glad to say that all three of them finished with flying colors :) Now I'm getting excited to "ride" in my first 5K in September! Daddy beat the time he was aiming for and said he was going to take a week off, then start training with the stroller for the 5K. Mom is running in that one, so dad said he'd push me. Should be interesting!





















I fell asleep on the walk back to the car after the race...



After the race, we went back to Jay and Molly's house to get changed and relax a little. I discovered the *best* toy there - a tennis ball!!! Kona didn't really want to play with me, but she was good and shared her toys :) She even gave me a ball to bring home with me! When we left there, we went to the DC United - Real Madrid game at Fed Ex field. We managed to get my stroller and diaper bag in to the stadium (we apparently found the right security guard, unlike poor Ken and Marie who had to fight with guest services), so that made things a little easier. Daddy was really excited to see Real Madrid play, especially since they have picked up some big name players. Mom ended up sitting with me in the concourse for nearly the whole game because it was SO hot. Marie and Arabelle came and sat with us too :) We lost the game, but it was tied at zero at half time, so that's pretty good! It took us almost 2 hours to get out of the parking lot thanks to the useless volunteers directing traffic. Mom said she was going to boycott Fed Ex because of that. I don't blame her - I was much less than thrilled myself.





















This is the aftermath of a very hot and sticky day - check out my hair :) Needless to say, I got dumped in the tub after dinner!

It's almost Friday again!!!

We've had a pretty good week. We ended up not going to Wolftrap last Friday to see Blue Planet. It was supposed to rain and mom had a horrible commute and wasn't in the mood to get back in the car. So we just hung out and I got to go to bed on time which is always a good thing. We got to see Steve and Angela's new house on Saturday and I loved it! But I wanted to play with Coco and she's just not as complacent as Raz is, so mom and Angela tried to keep me away from her. Maybe we can play when I get older and am not so enthusiastic about small creatures that move.

We celebrated dad's birthday with our friends on Saturday night. I got to go to one of dad's favorite places - Pat Troy's Ireland's Own pub. I was only there long enough for dinner, then mom and I came home, but everyone else seemed to have a good time. I understand that dad and Angela got to sing the unicorn song :) Dad's actual birthday was on Sunday and we all had a pretty low key day, which dad said was perfect. I hope so!

Not much else new here, but I am looking forward to the weekend again (are you sensing a theme here?) Dad's running a 10K on Sunday, then we're going to the DC United - Real Madrid game at Fed Ex field. It's supposed to be pretty hot, so we'll have to make sure to pack some ice in a cooler and some wash cloths!

I've been giving mom and dad a hard time at bedtime again, so mom took me out for a walk the other night in hopes that it would tire me out. I got to swing for a little while and had a blast! I even started to understand the motion of swinging - I would lean back and kick my legs out when I was swinging back, then lean forward when I was coming forward - that was a big improvement over the last time I was on the swings. I still fought going to sleep, but at least we got some fresh air. I've been going on "buggy" rides at school and that's been fun too - they can fit 8 kids in it and we walk around out on the playground. I'll have to ask mom to get a picture, because it's pretty cute.





















Bye bye for now!

Officially in Double Digits!

A week late, but that's right - I'm 10 months old now! It seems very hard to believe. This time last year, mom and dad told me they were painting the house and moving in and getting ready for me. Now they are chasing after me, laughing with me, reading to me, and having fun with me every day. What a difference a few months makes.

I am crawling all over the place now and can pull myself up on pretty much anything - the sofa, my toys, a pant leg - you name it and I can stand up on it. I even get so excited some times that I move my hands and forget that I'm not holding on. That's when I usually tumble. I clap my hands all the time now, give high fives, wave, and imitate raspberries really well. I am entirely off of baby food and eat "big people" food on my own now! Shredded cheese is a favorite and much to dad's chagrin, I LOVE broccoli :) Razmatazz has decided that she's had enough of me. Now that I can get to her quickly, she's started to get a little snippy with me. She "bit" at me the other day, but just in a playful way to tell me to go away. So mom and dad have to watch me very closely when she's around! Now that the stairway gates are up, poor Raz can't (or won't) get over them.

We had another fun filled weekend last weekend and have another one coming up this weekend! Grammy and Grampy Clements came to visit me last Friday - I had so much fun showing off all of my new tricks - crawling, standing, making my "scrunchy face", eating real food, chasing after the kitty, the list goes on and on. I blew raspberries at them too. Mom told me that they got stuck in some awful traffic going home, but I hope they had fun while they were here!

Saturday, we went to a birthday party at Arabelle's house. It was her grandpa's 70th birthday and her mom set up the baby pool for us to play in. I had a BLAST, but would not sit down in the water. Now that I'm a "big girl," I'm fine standing - no need to sit! Arabelle was so nice and shared her toys with me. She also though it would be funny to dump a bucket of water on her other grandpa's head while he was teaching her how to blow bubbles in the water.
























Having fun with my friend Arabelle!
























Happy Baby :)




When we left there, we went back to Wolftrap. We had tickets for the symphony performance of John Williams music. The skies were somewhat ominous on the way down, but dad kept checking the weather channel and it said it would be fine. WRONG!!! Right after we got there and got set up, the skies opened up and it POURED! It was so windy and was just a torrential downpour. Luckily I was in my stroller and had a pretty good shelter. Mom propped up the umbrella over the stroller and fed me my dinner while trying to hide under the umbrella to stay dry. My chicken got soggy, but I didn't seem to mind. The rain finally subsided and mom sat at the front of the lawn with me until it started to rain again. When mom tried to duck under the roof, the ushers told her that she had to move, so we ended up hiking back up the hill and hanging out under some shelter for the rest of the show. We couldn't see anything, so it was not ideal, but the music was great anyway! I really enjoyed the music from Indiana Jones - I danced and bounced in mom's arms. We're going back to Wolftrap tomorrow night to see Blue Planet. Hopefully it won't rain this time (although the forecast looks like it's calling for rain)!

School has been fun this week, but I'm ready for another weekend at home with mom and dad!

Not ready for another week!!!

We had another fun weekend and I'm not ready to go back to school tomorrow! Mom and dad took me to the DC United game yesterday. I enjoy the tailgate much more now that I can try to escape from the blanket :) I can even eat most of the tailgate food now, so at least that keeps me occupied for a little while. I've been eating the chicken there for a while now, but mom let me have some cheese ravioli and watermelon this time. Yum yum yum. Arabelle was really nice and shared all of her toys with me and mom got me a new DC United soccer ball at the game. We got to use the third row of seats in the Jeep and dad finally agreed that it was a good idea to buy this car, even if it only gets 15 mpg ;) We were able to fit us, Ken, Marie, Arabelle, all of our chairs, the canopy for shade, a cooler, and all of the toys for Belle and I! We didn't have our camera there, but if someone else happens to have taken photos, we'll gladly post them here!

Mom and dad just signed up for the Screaming Eagles 5K in September, so mom's hoping she has enough time (and motivation) to train for it. We went and bought her new shoes the other night and she says that helps. Dad says he's going to run with me in the stroller - I'm excited I get to go for a ride. Dad is also running a 10K in a few weeks, so wish him luck!!! Mom and I will be there cheering him on.

Today mom and I went shopping and dad took a photography class. I've not been feeling well the past few days and my schedule has been way off the past few days, so we couldn't get much done, but she did manage to get me some cute new clothes :) Dad really enjoyed his class and I was waiting up for him when he got home, even though it was WAY past my bedtime. I just needed some daddy time before I was ready to conk out.

Here are some photos from the past week. I'm getting much better at standing and am the wiggliest baby ever! It takes a ton of energy just to keep up with me :)





















See my pearly whites??? I even let mom brush them twice a day!!!!




















I'm barely holding on - sometimes I let go and stand for a few seconds, then fall down.





















I fell asleep and mom laid me down on my back. I immediately turned over and tried to sleep like this...


Have a good week everyone!

Fun filled weekend!

What a whirlwind of a weekend! On Friday, mom and dad took me to see my first symphony performance at Wolf Trap. It was a show called "Video Games Live" and featured the scores from many of the games that mom and dad played when they were younger. But it was performed by the NSO (National Symphony Orchestra) and had video explanations as they went. I had such a good time and danced my way through the first half. I got a little wiggly and mom made me get in my stroller and she walked me around and I fell asleep for the entire second half!

Saturday, I got to stay with Aunt Angela and Uncle Steve while mom and dad went to see Billy Joel and Elton John play in concert at the Nationals Stadium. I had a lot of fun hanging out with Steve and Angela and mom and dad had fun at the conert. I hear that the concert lasted for 3.5 hours and was really good :)

To add to the fun, I got to meet my Uncle Jeff, Aunt Lee Ann, and my cousins Jennifer and Christine on Sunday! They have been traveling the entire east coast for the past few weeks touring colleges and visiting family and I'm so glad they were able to stop and play with me for a while!

Here are some more recent photos.



















Showing off my teeth - I still have 5 - 3 on the top and 2 on the bottom.























My favorite facial expression. Makes mom and dad laugh every time :)






















I was VERY sleepy when we got home from Wolftrap on Friday night!






















My cousins Jennifer and Christine!






















Aunt Lee Ann!

Happy 4th!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had an enjoyable 4th of July. Dad tells me that this is his favorite holiday (other than maybe Christmas) and I can see why! We went to see the fireworks last night (in suburban VA, not in downtown DC) and I really enjoyed them. I was pretty fussy and wiggly leading up to the big festivities, but once the fireworks started, I stared for about 15 minutes, then just wanted to go to sleep. Mom definitely paid for keeping me up so late, though - I was up SCREAMING from 4-5:30 this morning, then decided to get up for the day at 7, ready to go. We didn't take too many photos yesterday because it was pretty dark by the time we got to where we watched the fireworks, but here are some from earlier in the day.




















I'm about to attack the kitty - she's in serious trouble now that I can crawl! Her ears stick right out there - perfect for me to grab on to!




















Happy as can be now that I can pull myself up on my table!

A fun weekend at Great Grandma Speichers!

Just an FYI - mom put links to the online photo albums on the right hand side of the page...there are a lot more photos there than are actually posted in the blog.

I got to go visit Great Grandma Speicher with mom this past weekend! Dad went to RYLA and Jenny and Kaitlin were visiting Great Grammy, so we decided to go visit for the weekend. I did NOT like the car ride up - especially with mom driving, there was no one to keep me entertained and I screamed for a long time. I hadn't met Jenny or Kaitlin before and we all had such a great time. I just wish they lived closer :( Or that Kaitlin was looking at colleges closer to here because I'd love to have her come babysit me!

Jenny gave me my first "car" - doesn't it look like fun? I love it, although I can't quite push myself on it yet. I can play with the toys on it and sit on it and wave uncontrollably. And guess what??? I'm a crawling fool now! Mom says that she and dad are in trouble now, but I don't understand why! I had crawled a few times before, but now it is consistent and I'm quick to get from one side of the room to the other. I'm also getting very good at waving hi and bye to people and if you blow me a kiss, I sometimes do what could be construed as kissing back. Mom just put away a bunch of my "baby" stuff like my bouncy seat and bassinet - I guess that means I'm growing up.

Here are some of the photos from last weekend.




















My new car!


















Waving to Great Grammy in my new fishy outfit





















Upside down binky doesn't bother me. I've heard that my cousin Beanie was really good at spinning her binky around with her tongue if it was in the wrong way - I get to meet her next week and I'll have to ask her to show me how!





















I love my car and my puppy! And now I can crawl from one to the other...




















Four generations of the Speicher family


I hear that this is a short week since the 4th of July is on Saturday. That means I get to stay home on Friday!!! Happy 4th everyone!