It's all clear to me now...

After finally having been to a bridal shower, I now understand the idea behind parties that are referred to as "Showers" My family threw my Auntie Steph a party to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. My mom's family did the same for my mom, both for her wedding and for my then-impending birth. The term "shower" comes from the idea of showering the bride and groom (or in this case, the bride-to-be) with gifts...

I'm happy to know that there aren't thousands of people walking around filthy, hoping to get married so that they can finally shower.

Above is a quick shot of me in the most adorable hat that a baby has ever owned....below is my Aunt wearing a bow hat...the traditional way that bridesmaids find a way to get back at you for looking beautiful on your wedding day...by making you look like a huge goofball during your shower.

Next up....a full update on my latest trip up north!!  

An Update on "Showers"

I have just read that there are also Baby Showers...what is going ON here??!

"On The Road Again"

So...after hours of being in truly unnecessary traffic...Mom and I are in the home stretch....

I'm coming to Connecticut for Leg 2 of Baby Tour 2009! 

My mom is going up for my Aunt Steph's bridal shower, and I'm coming along for the ride! It's the first time Mom has had me by herself in the car for a long trip, and even though it has been hard, she has come through with flying colors...It literally took us almost an hour and a half to get through Delaware, when on a bad day it should take you no more then 42 seconds to get through that adorable little state.

I will see you Connecticut folks soon! Look how EXCITED I am!!!

Baby Tour 2009_Leg_1_Part_2

Well...I finally have a chance to get around to Part 2 of my first visit to Connecticut. (And right before I head back up there again for my Auntie's Wedding Shower.)

On a sidenote...I do question the logic of celebrating a wedding by taking a shower. My concern is that there are a bunch of dirty people walking around, just WAITING to bathe themselves until they get married. It doesn't make any sense to me, and frankly if I have to endure baths all the time, then I think that grown-ups should do the same....Plus, who is dating these dirty, smelly people? I have to do some more research and get back to you...

Anyhoo, while I was in Connecticut, my Gramma Mindy held a little "Coming Out" party for me. This is not what you think, everyone...it was basically just a big get-together for friends and family to come over to Gramma Mindy's and meet me. There was food, and I met TONS of really great people! I had such a blast, and proved that I could be a worthy "Community Baby" getting passed all around to the family.

Above is Amber...she is gonna be my Godmother in a few weeks. I have no idea what that means, but apparently it's a big deal.

This is the hoodie that my Gramma Mindy knitted for me. It is SUPER cozy, and it matches the little hat that she made for me up in Maine before I was even born. My parents picked out the yarn, and Gramma Mindy went ahead and knitted away.

This is my cousin Beth, and in the background my (Great?) Aunt Penny....Beth wears awesome hats, and does a great job holding babies...she is super cool.

Above is a wider shot of Grammy Mindy's kitchen. My Uncle Rich and my Mom look on as Beth imparts some wisdom on me. I am listening intently....

OR looking at her awesome hat.

While at my party, I met a local celebrity...this is my cousin Taylor. For such a big deal, she is actually pretty down to Earth, and she did a GREAT job of keeping me calm while Dad changed my diaper. She was a lot of fun to hang out with, and must be a GREAT big sister to her brother Tim.

Oh, and this shot was before she calmed me down. I was very upset since I was naked and being changed in the middle of a large party thrown in my honor.

Wouldn't you be upset? :-)

All in all...it was a great trip...Gramma Mindy threw a wonderful party, and the family all had a blast. 

As Mom and Dad packed up to go the next day, DaGramma's cat Layla stood guard over me.

Gramma Mindy made sure that I was secure in the baby bucket, and we headed back out to return home. 

We unceremoniously ended up having some car trouble on the way home. Initially, it sounded like a flat tire, but it turned out that the front undercarriage guard had just fallen off and was dragging on the ground. It sounded scarier than it was, but Dad rallied and taped that sucker back on! Duct Tape DOES fix everything!!

That's all for the trip...I promise that I will report on this weekend's journey to Connecticut 

Development 2

Here is a picture of me holding one of my rattle toys. If my Mom or Dad puts the rattle into my hand, I can now hold it, and shake it.

Of course, I haven't quite learned how to put the rattle DOWN yet, so I basically just shake it, and when I'm over it...I just panic, and start fussing until Mom or Dad takes it out of my hand.

I am also grasping at my bottle whenever Dad is feeding me. I just want to make his life a bit easier by giving him a chance to nap while I am feeding myself.

My first video post....

This is just a test to see how the video embedding works on blogspot.

This is a video of a new game that I enjoy playing....Mom or Dad will brush a towel or tissue against my nose, and I giggle uproariously.

I do a lot of cooing and "chatting" in the video, too.

Really, I enjoy the game...but I do it mostly for them.

Enjoy!

A retraction of my bath statements.

Mom and I were talking last night, and she informed me that the bath time that went down at my grandparents house was not all sunshine and roses, as I previously reported. 

Mom reminded me that I peed everywhere several times, forcing much laughter from my family, and much cleaning from Mom and Dad.

Now, obviously this is a matter of perspective. For me, everything went quite well. I had the opportunity to pee free (as I like to call it) without the confines of a soggy diaper, and ultimately I ended up clean, and happy. My parents, who had to deal with the steady stream of pee on a more grown-up level, were amused, but this of course made the bath slightly more trying for them.

I think what I did was completely reasonable, but my Mom wanted me to clarify for the sake of presenting every side of the situation.

Baby Tour 2009_Leg_1_Part_1

SO....a few weeks ago, I took my first Road Trip to visit friends and family in Connecticut...I kept meaning to write this entry, but other things kept getting in the way. I'm a very busy little man. My parents were jerks and had me way down here in DC, far from a large number of friends and family...

This of course leads to the first of, what will probably be, many trips back to The Constitution State.

The drive up was fairly easy...I slept for most of the drive, which Mom and Dad appreciated. I only ate once, and had a fairly pleasant drive the rest of the time. Weather was

supposed to be iffy, but it ended up clearing up as we all travelled up the East Coast...The trip took a bit longer than usual, but all in

all...my first 6 hour drive went very well!

The "check engine" light was lit for the duration of the trip, for no real reason except that apparently the

car thought that the instrument cluster was in need of a dash more yellow/orange.

There were two main segments of the trip...Mom's side, and Dad's side. (Leg_1 and Leg_2) I stayed with my parents on the first night at my Dad's place...Da Gramma set up a little port-a-crib for me in the bedroom, and I slept (Say it with me) like a baby.

I got to meet my Aunt and Uncle, and a few of my Dad's friends. This is a picture of my Uncle Steve and I. I look uncertain because I had just woken up, and Dad shoved me into Uncle Steve's arms.

Uncle Steve also smelled like bagels.

Below is a picture of me with my Auntie Stephanie. I was happily asleep, and don't remember much about this moment, but I was told that we had a lovely time, and that Steph was very excited to meet me. I am concerned, since I was told repeatedly that she had every intention of pinching my cheeks, and possibly eating me.

Below is a picture of me with Da Gramma. I was quite content, not having any idea that my first "On-The-Road" bath was on its way.

Behold, my first bath whilst traveling. It actually went fairly well. I was excited that I only got to have a glorified sponge bath instead of getting dipped in water as my parents tend to do at home. But, I got to be nice and clean for the rest of my visit to the Homeland. The first picture on the left is of me warming up after my bath, and the second is of my grandfather scrutinizing my cleanliness. I passed muster, and was allowed to continue being adorable on the rest of my trip...I'm still not quite sure what my Auntie Stephanie is laughing at.

The last two pictures are of me with my Dad's side of the family...the first is me with my Auntie Steph, and my Uncle Steve. The second picture is of me and DaGramma and NotDaGramma (Also known as Grandpa) I am only pouting in that last picture, because I had to leave such a fun, and loving family to return home at some point.

I am, officially, a "G Diaper Baby"

In an attempt to help the environment around us, and to help the environment of Mom and Dad's apartment smell less like diapers, Mom and Dad have started the transition to "G Diapers"

They are basically a different type of diaper. They are plastic-free, and flushable. They also decompose in about 50-100 days, as opposed to the billion years (or so) that it takes for regular diapers to decompose. They consist of 3 layers: The outer cloth layer, an inner plastic liner, and the interior flushable diaper refills. I am only a baby, and can't explain it nearly as well as the folks at G Diaper can. Visit www.gdiapers.com to learn more...it's SUPER cool!

Yesterday was our first day using them. All went well so far, although it was only Mom changing me, since Dad was at work. The product works almost exactly how it's supposed to. The only foreseeable problem right now, is that the G's are a little bulkier than my old diapers, but just by a hair. So basically, if I grow out of a pair of pants, there is little chance that Mom & Dad can squeeze "just one more" use out of a particularly adorable outfit.

This, of course, may turn out to be an unmitigated disaster...but if it works, we will become another progressive family that is being a little kinder to the environment.

Plus....look how cute my little butt looks in these "Little G Pants." :-) I even threw a smile over my shoulder because nothing makes me happier than my parents taking pictures of me in my awesome new futuristic diaper!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I don't own any real St. Patty's Day garb just yet. (Mom and Dad didn't find anything St. Patty's Day related that was cute enough for me to wear)

SO...I still had to represent the shreds of Irish heritage that I have by wearing my favorite green outfit. Sorry I look a little woozy...I had just gotten back from ye olde pub.

Or maybe I was exhausted, and Dad INSISTED that he just HAD to get a picture of my little green outfit. ::sigh:: Parents....

I hope you all have a great day...drive safe, and drink one for me!

Don't worry...as soon as I'm able, I'll be at an Irish pub with my Dad, more than likely wearing some form of Leprechaun costume.

Because he's a dork.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!
Sláinte!!!

Development.

I have started sucking my thumb. LOTS of babies do it, so please don't give me a hard time about it.



Also, my head control is pretty amazing these days, if I DO say so myself. Not only that, but with the help of mom and dad, I am able to do a decent job of supporting my weight when they help me. This is a game we call "Tall Baby"


Also, I went to my 2 month doctor's appointment. She told Mom & Dad that I am doing well. I am 24 inches long (Tall baby ISN'T just a game we play!) and I weigh 12 lbs 10 Ounces.

I am NOT a small baby.

The doctor (Well, technically a "Nurse Practitioner") went over a bunch of facts and figures, in regards to what percentiles I fall in for both height and weight. My numbers were, obviously, impressive, but not yet in the range of "Exceptional."

I am working on this discrepancy as we speak.

My Web Presence...

These last few days have seen a great advance in the technology that allows me to communicate with those fans of mine throughout the world that are not close by!

Dad has set up video chat with our little webcam here. Today, we had our first successful broadcast to my Auntie Stephanie, and my Grandma....I was able to see and hear them perfectly, and they were able to see me getting fussy and crabby right before I needed to get fed.

SO...if you are a far-flung family member or friend, and you'd like to webchat with me for a bit...let me know!!

I thought we had an understanding....

This is Norma. You may have seen her in an earlier photo on my blog, or if you are one of the lucky 6 people on the planet, you have actually met her. She is abnormally intelligent, which is sometimes helpful, but other times poses some problems.

She also tends to sleep ANYWHERE. And by anywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE!

(As I type this, she is next to me swiping at an emory board that my mom left out...she is quite intent on getting that thing lost under the couch)

The picture above is what we walked in on the other day. That's MY Boppy she is sleeping in. On the Boppy website, the Boppy is described as "an award winning baby nursing pillow ...babies also LOVE it for tummy time, and learning to sit up!"

No where does it mention this being a proper place for a cat to nap.

This is not yet war...but we are edging close towards it. Watch yourself, Norma...

Tummy Time

So....you may have seen in an earlier blog entry that Mom and Dad have been pretty consistent with tummy time. This is essentially a way to help me strengthen my neck muscles, and get coordinated enough to hold my head up without someone having to support my head all the time. 

Ever hear people shouting "Support the Head!!"?? This is not just merely an election slogan from "3rd Rock From The Sun" It is a call to action for people holding a young baby to support their heads, since they just kind of lob around for the first months of their lives.

My parents have been pretty consistent with my tummy time (And I even get a little extra curricular sometimes and have tummy time when I am laying on Mom or Dad's chest)

As you can see, I rarely need help with my head anymore, and have been progressing really well. These pictures are actually from a couple weeks ago, so I am doing even better than I was when they were taken.

Not bad, eh? I throw that little look over my shoulder that says, "Hey there...check it out. Impressed? How could you NOT be!"