Favorite Foods

As of today, my favorite food is carrots. Hands down. They are sweet and a great orange color that stains everything. I really do not enjoy prunes at all, but I think I might like bananas and maybe peas. Oh and oatmeal is pretty good, too. Mom says I get to try avocado tomorrow if it ripens by then. My friend Max loves them and I can't wait to try it. There is another fruit that I've come to really appreciate in the past 2 weeks: raspberries. Not the kind you eat, but the kind you make with your mouth. I just love blowing raspberries, especially when I have an audience. Check it out!

Pool Party

Nothing says summer better than a pool party with your friends! On Thursday, mom and I went to my friend Tyler's house to hang out by the pool with our friends Desmond, Max, Juliana and Lydon. While the moms ate and relaxed poolside, we all hung out together and caught up on how our summers are going. I told them all about our trip to Michigan and they thought I was so cool since we flew on a plane. Well, Juliana had flown before to Las Vegas so she is cooler than me. The water in the pool was pretty warm and felt great. It was sunny and about 75 out so it was the perfect day. Thankfully mom remembered my sunscreen and hat so I didn't even get a sunburn. Mom says nothing ruins summer faster than a bad sunburn. I'll take her word for it!

I Love Michigan!

Mom and I got back from our trip to Michigan this past Wednesday night. We spent a whole week there and we had a blast! We flew there and it was my first time on a plane. I was a little nervous at first, but mom gave me a bottle at takeoff and I slept the whole way out there. Turns out flying is very relaxing. Grandma Bina picked us up at the airport and I was so happy to see her and grandpa Cal again. We stayed at their place a few nights and I loved waking up in the morning and spending time with them while they drank their coffee. Oh, and they have two cute and fluffy daschunds, Annie and Buddy. They were soo soft and I just loved touching their fur. It did make me miss my Emma though. Thankfully, their neighbor, Laurie, has two pugs that I got to visit with. Sam and Ella are black pugs and it was nice for me and mom to get a pug fix.

While we were there, mom and I went to grandma and grandpa's country club and I met a ton of grandma's friends (I do love the ladies!). We also went to the zoo with grandpa Cal, grandma Joyce, aunt Karrie, uncle Matt and aunt Nikki. I just loved my uncle Matt and he makes me want to grow a goatee since he looks so cool (mom says I have a long time before I can grow a goatee, but she said I could get a fake one in the meantime). I loved seeing all the animals at the zoo, but my favorites were the seals and the butterfly house. There were butterflies everywhere and they flew right in front of my nose, it was so cool! The next day, we stayed over at my uncle Matt's house with grandma Joyce. We had dinner at mom's favorite place in Michigan, Olga's, and she loved it. I can't wait until I'm old enough to eat there since it smelled so good.

We also went up to Tawas for a couple of days and stayed with mom's friends Nickie and Todd. Their friend, Keri, was also in town and it was fun hanging out with 3 ladies. We took a long walk the next day and I got to meet a new friend, Olie (I think that's how he spells his name but I could be wrong). He was 3 months old and his mom is pretty cool. We hung out at the beach and the ladies ate some yummy chocolate from the chocolate shop in town. When we drove back to grandma and grandpa's house, 2 of grandma's friends stopped by for a quick visit. Then my uncle Matt and aunt Karrie came over for a little while before we had to leave for the airport. It was sad to leave everyone but I was so excited to see dad when he picked us up from the airport. And I loved seeing Emma when we got home, I missed her so! Dad says I looked so grown up since my front teeth were grown in more and I had a little more hair. I thought dad looked the same and I loved when he held and kissed me! It's good to be home!!

Cooking is Fun!

Today, mom and I went to a baby food cooking class with my friends Lydon, Desmond and Julia (and their moms, too). It was in Boston at Aura Restaurant and it was delicious! They had lunch for the moms (mom loved her vegetarian spring rolls) and then the chef taught us how to make baby food while we all watched. She made us curried carrots and then a yogurt and peach smoothie. Mom let me try the carrots and they were soo yummy! Mom couldn't believe how much I liked curry at such a young age. Guess I have a good palate. Mom wouldn't let me try the yogurt yet since I'm not old enough but she said it was tasty. My friends looked like they had a great time, too. I really like hanging out with them and catching up on the latest baby gossip. Afterwards, we hung out a little more while we waited for the valet to bring our cars. Check us out in the photo above.

Tomorrow, mom and I are getting on a plane and heading to Michigan for a week. I can't wait to meet my uncle Matt and aunt Nikki! We're all going to the zoo on Saturday and I can't wait to see the gorillas (hope it's not too hot like it's been here this week). I think dad will miss us, but thankfully Emma will keep him company while we're away. I'll miss them both but I'm looking forward to the adventure with mom!

Funny Videos

Mom has been having some troubles uploading videos to the blog so she decided to post them on You Tube instead. Just click on the links and you'll be redirected to the videos. Here's a funny video of me eating cereal for the second time. Boy am I messy! Here's another video of me laughing while dad tickles my toes. Mom says I have a contagious laugh (I hope I don't get anyone sick!).

Can I Really Walk?

Here's a video of me taking my first steps this weekend! Well, it's more like dad making me take my first steps but I do look cool in my outfit (thanks, aunt Shawn, Paige and Jessica!).

Solid Foods

Mom has been trying a few new things with me over the past few days. We started with rice cereal and that was kind of bland but interesting. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I'm definitely getting the hang of it. Then she switched me to peas. I really wasn't sure if I liked them or not since I've never had anything green before. Dad said they smelled and tasted bad, but I started to like them after a few tries. If anyone knows about rice cereal, it can be a little 'binding'. I'm sure grandma Bina would recommend Metamucil but mom says my stomach is too sensitive for that. Instead, she gave me some prunes. I've heard that fruit is delicious, but I have to say that prunes are definitely not my favorite. You can't tell from the pictures above but I'm hoping I can get to like prunes. Oh, and the second photo is me showing off not 1 but 2 bottom teeth! Mom discovered the second one on Friday when she was feeding me the prunes. Guess the peas are making me grow up quickly!

Cereal is Yummy!

Mom and dad could no longer stand me drooling all over and staring at them while they ate, so they decided to give me rice cereal for the first time today. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I loved having a bowl and a spoon on my tray. Then mom put a little on my spoon and put it in my mouth. I was shocked at first since the texture was totally different than anything I've had before and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I'm still trying to get the hang of swallowing so about half of what mom feeds me ends up on my face and bib. Mom says that's O.K. since I'm learning and it's only my first day. It was fun to try though and I can't wait to try sweet potatoes and bananas!

Hanging with Mom

Sorry I'm writing this post so late, but we were away at the Vineyard this weekend and we don't have a computer down there. Anyway, our trip to the Children's Museum on Friday was so fun! Mom and Michele got a great work out pushing Max and I around Boston (they even got some yummy drinks from Starbucks on the way back) and we all enjoyed the wonderful weather. The museum itself was kind of fun, but it's definitely meant for bigger kids. I really liked watching the bigger kids interact with the exhibits and I can't wait until I can do it, too. But Max and I had a good time hanging out with our moms and each other. It's nice already having some best buddies!

But the bigger news from this weekend is that mom discovered I have a tooth coming in! She was soothing me on the trip to the Vineyard on Friday and I pulled her thumb into my mouth. She quickly discovered that sharp bottom tooth starting to poke out from my gums. I thought all the drooling would have clued her in earlier but I guess she didn't believe it.

So Grown-Up

Since I'm getting so big and grown-up, mom and dad decided to break out my high chair. They also call it my big boy chair. Whatever they want to call it, I love it! It sits me up kind of high, right at their level when they're sitting at the table for dinner. Plus, the seat straps onto an existing chair so it takes up hardly any space unlike my other toys (sorry, mom!). Mom puts me in my seat and then sits me right outside the kitchen so I can see what she's making for dinner. It's great to be able to keep an eye on her, especially when she's been talking about something called rice cereal. It sounds delicious and I think she's going to let me try it next week, fingers crossed! I really like the fun place mat that came with it. It has numbers on one side and letters on the other with lots of funny pictures. It's always nice to have something to read while you're waiting for dinner. I can't wait until I get to eat real food with mom and dad. Their food looks so yummy and I can't help but stare at them while they eat. Hopefully they're getting the hint that I'm ready to try solid foods. Maybe someone could put in a good word for me?

Meet My Toes!

Over the past week, I've made 10 new friends: my toes!! They are so much fun! They're always up for playtime and they are always around. Too bad they get sweaty and stinky so fast. Mom is such a trooper, she nibbles on them anyway to make me laugh. Speaking of which, I am a total giggle machine these days! Everything is hilarious and makes me laugh. It's so great being so easily amused. Dad says I'm kind of like my uncle Marc in that respect, whatever that means. Anyway, back to my toes. They are so funny and just the right size for my hands. It's also giving my legs a good workout. At this rate, I'm going to have a stomach of steel in no time!

Have You Met Emma?

This was a big week for me as I discovered the wonder and amusement that is Emma, our pug. She is soft and cuddly and always has a kiss or 5 for me. I don't know why I never noticed before, but Emma is soo much fun! Mom was holding me low (just above the ground) and we started chasing Emma. She darted around and it made me laugh and laugh! I couldn't believe how much fun it was! Then we came inside and Emma wanted to play with her squirrel, so mom held it for her while I sat on her lap. Emma was a riot trying to bite the squirrel and take it from mom! I really couldn't stop laughing at that. Now I can't stop staring at her when she comes near me. I just want to reach out and pet her soft fur and caress her velvety ears. Mom tells me that I need to be gentle with her, but it's so hard not to grab on to her since she's so soft and lovable! I'm so lucky to have such a great furry friend!!