Call Me Toothy

Big news! I got my first tooth yesterday. I'm smiling in this picture, because it really didn't bother me at all - in fact, my nanny Callie was the one who figured it out, and she told my mom and dad. (I guess that's what happens when both your parents work... does this mean I can't expect fresh baked chocolate chip cookies when I come home from school either?)

But today, I feel the second one coming on, and this one DOES hurt! I think it's going to be a long night....

Umm guys?

This chair is too big for me!

The Oregon Coast

Gramma Tia came to town for a visit and we went to Rockaway Beach for the weekend. The weather was perfect for the Oregon Coast (according to Mom), chilly and windy one day, warm and sunny the next. We went for lots of walks in the sand, posed for pictures, and spent most of the day Saturday watching Tiger in the US Open. I can see why Mom and Dad like spending time at here.... I guess I just don't totally understand why I'm still wearing a hat and sock-gloves in the middle of June!

Fred and Barbi visit Portland

Grandpa Fred likes to email me quite a bit, so it was really fun to meet him and Barbi in person (email can be so impersonal, after all). We had a great time hanging out over the weekend taking in some classic Portland cuisine at the Tin Shed, McMenamin's Kennedy School, and of course Casa de Milverstedt, when Barbi whipped up some awesome twice baked potatoes. Gramps helped give me bottles (milk only, of course), and Barbi made sure that I stuck to my nap schedule. I'm a pretty lucky kid to have so many great Grandparents who really like me!

I really worked on some of my skills while they were here too. I got really good at grabbing stuff, and I even perfected the back to front rollover. Check out this video they took the morning they left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_8Gq5hKwzI

My 6th State!

Back on the road again. I think I'm starting to mold to my carseat. Now it seems like we're headed West, back towards Portland. We drove on all kinds of back roads... some of them don't even seem to have names. Yoder gave mom and dad some pretty interesting directions - kind of like "turn right at the second, no... maybe it's the third road, once you pass through Maybell, Colorado... you'll be in Wyoming in no time." Anyway, the road in this picture is one of my favorites - it's the last 30 miles before we got to the Wyoming border. I'm glad we are on this road trip.... I'm getting to see the whole West. Wyoming is my 6th state: Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Utah... and now Wyoming!

Happy Mother's Day

We spent my mom's first Mother's Day in Colorado, at my grandparents' house in Basalt. My mom just loves it when I actually sit still on her lap. It doesn't happen very often, because most of the time, I love to squirm around or try to stand up - basically, I pretty much never sit still. So, since today is Mother's Day, I figured I'd hang out with her for a few minutes on her lap. She loved it - and look at that big glass of wine too! And yes, we really did need those jackets, blankets, and hats, even though it's the middle of May... as a matter of fact, it snowed the next morning!

Where am I? And how did HE get here?

Last night, mom and dad put me in my car seat and started driving. Not so unusual... but the next thing I knew, I woke up and discovered that we're definitely not in Portland anymore! The first thing I remember is having breakfast at a place called Denny's, somewhere in the middle of Utah. I felt a little out of sorts until mom pulled out my best friend the Ugly Doll.... as you can see, I was surprised that he was even there, because I thought he lived in Portland!! Still don't know how he got here.... Mom and Dad told me that we are on our way to Colorado. They looked REALLY tired, by the way.... I think they stayed up all night driving.

Blue Eyes

Well, I guess it's probably not official yet, but I really think I'm going to have blue eyes, just like my dad. My mom still can't believe it! Check out these pictures though - they look especially bright when I'm wearing blue (or sitting in it, at least).

Where in the World Did Mommy Go?

I've been alive for almost 15 weeks - 103 days to be exact. Mom really hasn't left my side for more than 5 hours at a time - and that's only happened twice. So, I was pretty surprised when she told me she was leaving on an overnight trip with her girlfriends - she was going to be gone for more than 24 hours! I guess the offer of hanging out with friends at Timberline Lodge for the night was too good to pass up. I was excited to hang with dad though - so I got over it pretty quickly. Mom, on the other hand, was close to tears the whole morning before she left... I didn't really get it. Anyway, she had a great time, and dad sent her tons of pictures he took with his cell phone - so she always knew what we were up to.

2nd Prize!

In case you didn't know, Dad has been in a mustache growing contest for the last few weeks at work. He was doing pretty well on his own, but he decided he needed a little extra boost in order to really be in contention. So, since all the judges were women, he had the great idea to capitalize on my cuteness and my baby-ness. He dressed up just like me, and he gave me a mustache of my own. I wasn't given a lot of choice in the matter, and I'm not sure I want this sort of thing to become a pattern, but I'm still pretty proud that we won 2nd place!

Hood River

We took another trip to Hood River today. It's always fun to see Matt, Mara, and Cousin Teagan - but today it was extra fun because dad's other cousin Megan and her husband Rich were there too. Here's a picture of all of us.... and another one of just me and my mom and dad and Maddie.

The Big Rollover

Mom & Dad put me down on my stomach all the time (apparently, it's supposed to help make my neck stronger or something), but I just hate it! Today I finally decided I'd had enough, and I figured out how to roll over on to my back. Dad saw me do it the first time, but mom missed it because she was in the other room. I think mom was sort of mad about that - she spends all day every day with me, after all! Anyway, she came back in with the video camera, and I did it again. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660J6pAt6vo

My First Girlfriend

My mom spends a lot of time with her friend Christy, who lives down the street, and also works at Nike. She and my mom originally became friends because they were both pregnant at the same time, and now they're on maternity leave at the same time. There actually seems to be a big "mom circuit" here in Portland... movies, yoga classes, playgroups at the library.... that kind of thing. They definitely like to get outside, and they do an awful lot of walking. Sometimes I wonder if they are kind of crazy though - the other day they walked like 7 miles, just to go to pick up a piece of paper from Christy's vet - I mean, couldn't they have driven?! Christy has a little girl, Sophie, who's just 3 weeks younger than I am.... and I think I have a little crush on her. I think she's holding my hand in this picture - and I'm pretty sure it's not by accident.

The Blue Stuff

My first trip to see the ocean - wow... it's HUGE! I guess it's technically the Gulf of Mexico, but I try not to get too caught up in those kinds of details. I'm with my cousin AJ - he just calls it "the blue stuff".

Florida

Florida was great! Super hot the whole time... I just ran around (well, I guess I never actually RAN anywhere) in onesies the whole time - practically naked. Dad played golf with cousin Tony and Papa Bert almost every day.... mom and I hung out with Grandma Tia, Grammy Caryl, mom's cousin Becky, and MY cousins AJ & Meg. I can't wait until I can play with them! Come to think of it, at this point, maybe I should just focus on trying to sit up on my own - I'll probably need to do that before I can really play. I got to go for a swim in the pool for the first time. When I wasn't doing that, I was just laying out, mostly.

My First Plane Ride

Well, Mom & Dad sure travel a lot, so I guess I should have known that they'd be taking me on a plane too. It's tough to travel light with a baby - check out all of the stuff that we brought (and that doesn't even include my stroller!) I actually didn't love my first plane trip - I think it was because it was packed, and it was SO hot. I didn't really want to just sit in our seat, so I made mom walk around with me a lot.... By the end, I got used to it though, and it was actually kind of fun. Good thing, because I have 3 more plane rides coming up in the next week! Maybe I'll just sleep next time - seems a lot easier.

Wisconsin Family Visit!

I already got to meet my Grandma Ann back in January, but I was so excited this week, because I got to meet my Aunt Ellen and my Grandpa Tom too! They came to visit from Wisconsin, and we did all kinds of fun stuff. I remember going on a lot of walks, going to out to dinner a few times, and going to Hood River for the day. I also remember watching A LOT of March Madness basketball... rooting for Wisconsin is always fun. I fell asleep on Grandpa Tom's chest several times, and LOVED it when Aunt Ellen carried me around in the sling. They took great care of us the whole time - Grandma Ann cooked delicious dinners. I hope Mom and Dad get those recipes, because someday I plan to actually eat solid food! It was really great to spend time with family.... hopefully they can come again soon.

Doctor's Appointment

Today I went to see my pediatrician, Dr. Kristin Collins, for my 2-month visit. As you can see, I really like her a lot. She says I'm doing great - I'm a little taller than average, and I'm about average weight. I'll spare you the details on all those "percentiles", since it's probably a little boring (except to my parents - they seemed to find it totally fascinating). But she says I look just great, and that I am very responsive and very easygoing. She says my parents are lucky! I will admit that this picture was taken BEFORE the 5 shots I got in my leg... I was definitely NOT happy or easygoing with that part.

Cousin Teagan

My mom and dad took me down the road to Hood River to meet my new baby cousin Teagan. She was born just 9 days ago, on March 6th. Her dad, Matt, is my dad's cousin. Teagan was born 3 weeks early, so she was pretty small - only 5 lbs, 5 oz. I actually thought I was still small - but then I saw her. Now I know that I'm pretty much an adult. I am huge!

Forest Park

Today it was raining when I woke up, for the second day in a row. I really don't like it when it rains - yes, I know I live in Portland, but it's been nice most of the time this winter. So, even though it was rainy, we decided to go on a hike in Forest Park. My mom LOVES Forest Park - lots of trails to hike and run on. We went with my friend Sophia, her mom Christy, and their dog Mazie. The dogs were CRAZY - running all over the place. It was super fun - and we didn't even get rained on!

The Non-Activity Gym

My activity gym is normally pretty fun - lots of stuff to look at and play with. Usually, I play in it a few times a day. This morning, I got up, ate breakfast, and started hanging out here, still in my pajamas. I was asleep within minutes - I want my money back on this thing.

Shower Time

You might remember that I don't always love the bath. So lately, Dad has been taking me into the shower with him, which I like a little better. Afterwards, I LOVE to be wrapped in my hooded towel - that's the best part.

8 Hours of Sleep!

Last night I decided I'd give my parents the best present ever: I slept the whole night! Yup, they put me in my crib at 9:45 p.m., and I didn't get up until 5:45 this morning. That's the other thing - it seems I've been banished from the cozy bassinet in Mom & Dad's room to my OWN crib, in my OWN room. I guess that's because I'm a really loud sleeper. I go through my entire repertoire of noises pretty much all night long, and when I was sleeping with them, we would all wake up a lot. Once I wasn't in there anymore, we all slept much better. If I ever wake up, I guess I just look around a little, and go back to sleep. Mom & Dad can definitely hear me if I cry - but they don't hear me every time I move. You know, I do like it in my room - it's kind of cool to be on my own.

Future Babysitter

I can't wait for Morgan to babysit for me. She's only 9 right now, so it will be a few years, but I already know how great she's going to be. She also LOVES to read to me, and by then, I'll probably be able to understand what she's saying a little better.

Are You My Mother?

Mom has been reading to me almost every day. Even though I don't totally understand all of the complicated plots of these board books, I still really like it when she reads. Today she read me "Are You My Mother?", which she says was one of her favorites when she was a kid. I liked it too - I laughed and kicked my feet the whole time.

Sun River 2008

Way before I was born, my parents planned a trip this weekend to Sun River with some of their friends. They weren't totally sure they'd be able to go, since I was only 5 weeks old, and I'd be the only baby there. But, they decided to give it a try, and it was so fun! Dad went to the mountain with EK, Nick, Marie, Maren, Annie, and Andrew. Mom and I went snowshoeing with Michelle, Christy and Danielle (that's me in the Ergo carrier on Mom's chest). Mom & dad seemed to do a lot of laughing, playing cards, and drinking the rest of the time.

Little Smiler

Well, now I'm even cuter than I was before, since now I have officially started smiling. I'm best at it first thing in the morning, especially when someone is up close and smiling and talking to me. Apparently, it's tough to get an actual picture of my smile, so here's a little video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UChOx1Wrek

Sling

Mom always says that the sling is her last resort, when nothing else seems to calm me down. I guess she wanted to put me to sleep tonight. So, she put me in it at 7:45 p.m. (It kind of feels like I'm being put back into her womb - that's why I look a little shocked). But this next picture was taken just 3 minutes later - I guess I must like it in there.

Me & My Dad

I really like hanging out with my dad. Sometimes I like to just lie around on his chest, but other times he takes me places. Today he took me in the Baby Bjorn to get coffee with EK, Nick, and Dylan. They call it the "Father Support Group", since all of them are going to be having babies too in the next few months. I'm not sure why they need a support group - nothing really changes when you have a baby... really, it's SO easy!

Best Babysitter

One of the great things about having Grandma Ann here is that she wanted to stay home and babysit while my parents did fun stuff without me. This morning they went for run for the first time since I was born. I'm pretty sure they were back in less than 7 minutes though. Mom - I thought you were supposed to be a runner?!? I'm still waiting! Anyway, tonight they went out to dinner with Kelly & Adrian. I didn't actually like that too much - I cried pretty much the whole time they were gone.

Grandma Ann

My Grandma Ann came to Portland to meet me this weekend. I loved waking up in the morning and having her hold me first thing. I can't wait for her to come back in March (with Grandpa Tom and Aunt Ellen - so it's going to be even better!)

7 lbs, 15 oz

I had my 2-week Doctor's appointment yesterday. I guess they want to make sure I'm doing okay - like that I'm healthy, and gaining enough weight and stuff. I think they also want to make sure that my parents know what they're doing, and that they aren't freaking out too much. Anyway, the appointment was good, and I guess I'm gaining plenty of weight. Here's a video my mom took this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YACHcNADGls

The Farm Family

Yoder, Nancy, & Aunt Gina came to visit this weekend. Even though I was only 10 days old and it was pouring rain almost the whole time, we still managed to do some fun stuff. Everyone was fighting about who got to hold me next - that made me feel pretty good. We even went out to eat at Jake's, which is Yoder's favorite restaurant. Aunt G wore me in the sling the whole time.... I made lots of my little baby noises, and I've never been happier!