Caught in the Act

Now that I can get around by rolling everywhere, I like to get into as much mischief as possible. Unfortunately, Mommy always catches me.

For goodness sake, does there have to be a frog in every picture?!

I'm pretty old now...

I am nine months old now. I am feeling good about things because I am making great strides in many areas.

First, I had my well-baby check-up earlier this week. I am 19 pounds, 10 ounces and 29 1/2 inches long. The doctor also said that the hole in my eardrum completely closed up! I am so excited, because I can't wait to swim this summer in my wading pool.

Second, I am learning how to inch my way around my activity table (if there were a contest to see who could do it the fastest, I would lose, but at least I am trying, right?)

My greatest pride is that I am SO close to crawling. Sometimes, I get up on all fours, then slide on my chest to get places. Other times, I rock back and forth so forcefully, both my legs move forward at once! I even moved my hand forward today; that was a mistake because I got off-balance and fell on my face. I hope I learn to crawl pretty soon, because there are lots of things I would like to get my hands on.

Linus and Lily, Part 2

Last weekend, I got together with my cousin, Lily. We went up to my grandpa and grandma's camper.

On the trip there, Lily screamed her brains out almost the whole way. I tried to explain to her that Mommies usually don't like screaming and crying while they are driving, but she wouldn't listen to me. She was mad that no one had told her how long the trip was. I told her to try writing to the stork, because I know when I complain to my mommy, it usually doesn't help.

Once we were there, it was really fun. We got to go to the park, we shared our toys, we got to meet a lot of people who thought we were adorable (not a surprise), and I got to stay up past my bedtime!!!

The only negative thing was that I still had to take a nap during the day. I really thought that since I was so good for the long trip up, I might be rewarded by not having to take any naps--not so.

Mommy took a lot of pictures while we were at the camper. She learned an important lesson: it is not an easy task to get two babies to look AND smile at the camera at the same time. Here are just a few of the pictures she took.

no one looking, no one smiling

me looking but not smiling

me looking AND me smiling

me not even around

It Figures

You may recall from a few weeks ago that there were suspicions of a wheat allergy. Well, it turns out I am strongly allergic to wheat. That means I can't eat anything that was made with wheat. Mommy and Daddy found out that A LOT of foods have wheat in them, even things like hotdogs and ketchup!

Two days after we found out, I had another reaction, this time to only one Goldfish cracker! I am now the proud owner of an Epipen, which is to be used when I have trouble breathing during a reaction. Luckily, Benadryl usually works, because I have already had too many experiences at the hospital (I still haven't forgotten my one-week stay in the NICU).

Hopefully, I will outgrow my wheat allergy before I go to school, so I can have treats that all my friends bring to share.

My New Toy

Mommy and Daddy just bought me this new toy yesterday. They think I need to practice my "standing-up" skills, so they bought me this musical table. It is pretty cool. I know I look pretty serious in this picture, but it's serious business trying to stand AND play at the same time!

I really want to learn to crawl, but it is just so hard!

Oh...you saw me playing in the cupboard?

I don't think I'm old enough yet to wear my pants up to my chest--but thanks anyway, Dad.

I Told You So, Grandpa!

Since I was born, everyone in my family has been telling me I am a carbon copy of my grandpa. I have his chin, cheeks, eyes, and hair color, just to name a few things I inheirited. Mommy and Daddy joke around a lot and tell strangers I am adopted because I don't really look like them at all. The only person who doesn't see the resemblance is Grandpa! He recently sent me pictures of himself as a baby. I attached the pictures below, so you can be the judge.

The first picture is of Grandpa as a baby.

The next picture is a similar one of me.


The next picture is of Grandpa when he was nine months old, like me!

Here is a picture of me with a similar pose, from an earlier posting.


The next picture is the real kicker, because it is of my GREAT-GRANDPA! I look like him, too!

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

My mommy is the greatest in the whole world. To show her how much I love her, I had flowers sent to our house for Mother's Day.

Here is a picture of the flowers I sent.

Here is a picture of the card I wrote all by myself!

Daddy and Me

This week was so fun! My babysitter was on vacation, so Daddy stayed home with me for three whole days!

The first day, Daddy and I watched the Discovery Channel. My favorite show was The Deadliest Catch. Daddy and I read books, we wrestled, and we planned for Mother's Day. Daddy and I were so busy that by the end of the day, I fell asleep on the floor while playing with my toys.

The second day, Daddy and I went to the park. Daddy taught me all about dandelions and what happens when you blow on them.


I also learned about grass.


This is what happens to you when you try to eat the dandelions and grass...not cool.


The third day, Daddy and I went to the park again. I really got into the swingset. I kicked my legs and waved my arms whenever Daddy would swing me really high in the air.

Playing Around

Look how much fun Dad and I have together!

Ups and Downs

This week has been full of ups and downs.

Up--I got up on all fours and started rocking back and forth for the first time last weekend. I think I might be crawling pretty soon!

Down--I went to the doctor for a recheck on my ear. A couple weeks ago, I burst my eardrum. I have a very large perforation and it hasn't started to close up yet. I hope it does pretty soon, so I can go swimming this summer!

Up--I was involved in an infant cognition study at a local university. That was pretty cool. The study was to find out how infants learn the difference between beginning and ending sounds in words. I got a t-shirt and Mommy and Daddy got a gift certificate!

Down--I got a cold AGAIN! I have heard that babies get sick a lot, but I have had tons of colds since December, with only a few days in between each one where I actually feel 100%.

Up--Grandma came to babysit me for a whole day! She took me to visit Mommy's classroom and her students. I helped Mommy give a spelling test. I called out whenever Mommy tried to give the students one of their words and then I ripped the whole test page out of Mommy's textbook! I told Mommy's students to stop doing their homework; I was just doing my part.

Up AND Down--Last Sunday, Mommy and Daddy gave me one of those biter biscuits for the first time. I was so excited because biter biscuits are for big babies! Things were going great and I was chewing on it for about an hour when all of a sudden, I started wheezing really bad and broke out in a nasty case of hives! Now I am awaiting blood test results to see if I'm allergic to wheat products.

Like I said, it was a very up and down week for me. Hopefully, things will be more stable this week!