1/2

As of St. Patrick's Day I was officially 1/2 years old!  We didn't do anything to celebrate so here are some recent photos of me looking adorable while playing, eating, and just hanging out.

Playing in my jumperoo and kicking the ball on one of my playmats!

Contrary to what Mommy says, I do sleep!

In my JJ Cole outfit at the Helix soccer banquet and trying my first bite of sweet potatoes.

Actually for my birthday, we went north to Point Mugu/Port Hueneme/Ventura for Daddy's work and to visit the Platz family.  Auntie Chinh was smitten and the Great Grandparents were super impressed with how strong I already am!

FOOD!

Tonight, after getting the go ahead from our pediatrician, I tried my very first "solid" meal of rice cereal.  And of course, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!  Check out the video (above) and pictures (below) of me and mommy making a complete mess while I sit on the dining room table in my Bumbo.  Daddy did an excellent job recording the event.

     

Rollin'

We haven't been up to a whole lot lately.  Mostly just coaching and trying to figure out a daily routine including naps and sleep.  I still want to eat every 3 hours (this includes during the night) so Mommy gets frustrated with the lack of consistency.  Even so I still have time to hang out with my boys:Mommy and Daddy also realized that I love to hang out upside down!  I can be in the midst of a good screaming session and burst out laughing if they just invert me.  Here are some photos of me playing and getting tickled on Daddy's lap:

I am also figuring out how to roll from my back to my tummy.  I know Mommy likes to put me on my tummy, and that when I'm in that position I can push myself up and try to push off stuff with my legs, but I still don't go anywhere.  Ergo, I get easily frustrated with the lack of mobility.  Here is a photo of me rolling onto my tummy for the first time (without the aid of a soft, slightly depressed bed) and my best second effort.  No one told me how tiring this stuff could be!

Wild Animal Park

Last Friday, Mommy took me to the Wild Animal Park with Grandma Sue and Auntie Sammy.  It was my first real outing other than soccer games and walks around the neighborhood.  Mommy carried me most of the day in our Baby Bjorn.  I like facing out and being able to see everything!

Our first stop was at the African elephant barn.  We saw a few of the big elephants and even a couple of the babies!  They are a lot better at getting around than I am.

Next we went to Condor Ridge and visited the California Condors.  Mommy told me she used to watch and study them at the WAP and introduced me to Sespe (one of the captive condors).  I wasn't as impressed as she hoped.  They just looked like big ugly birds to me.

After that we meandered through the Heart of Africa trail and saw some lions, a lot mo

re birds, an okapi, gazelle, rhinos, giraffes (my favorite!), etc.  Lunch time came, we all ate, and then went to see the gorillas.  Mommy read about gorilla babies and how they are just as helpless as us human babies when they're born.

At the end of the day I was super tired and started to fall asleep in Mommy's arm.  Yet she still managed to get a few photos of me with the girls and with the famous rhino statue.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

So when you're only 3 months old, there isn't a whole lot to do on Christmas. Mostly other people coo at your Christmas-y pj's and open your presents for you. And apparently Mommy and Daddy didn't do such a stellar job at taking photos of me...Mommy will have to ask other people for theirs! Here are some cute ones though:

Helping Daddy unwrap my present...

Playing with Mommy on Christmas morning

Don't I have the most adorable face you have EVER seen?

Apparently the holidays wore me out though...here's one of Mommy and I doing some after-Christmas shopping at Target. Please note how I am completely passed out in her arms!

I also wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year despite not even making it to the east coast celebration. Instead I woke up Mommy at 1 am so she wouldn't miss out too much!

Tagged!

My friend Dahlia "tagged" me awhile back but Mommy is slow on the updates. I guess it means that I have to share 7 things about myself that no one knows. Since I'm only (almost) 4 months old, there isn't a whole lot to me...

1. I can roll from my tummy to my back.
2. I can say lots of things in lots of different volumes, none of which are intelligible yet.
3. I love to watch football on the magic box. I don't seem to care whether it is the NFL or NCAA.
4. My favorite toy is my Lamaze tug block. It helps me roll from my back onto my side. Once I'm there I don't know what to do with my arms to get myself on my tummy though.
5. Once Mommy stopped swaddling me at night, I promptly reverted to waking up every 2-3 hours again. She had one blessed week of 7 hours of sleep. She misses my swaddle sacks.
6. Fireplaces are great! Warm and entertaining.
7. I'm ticklish underneath my armpits and on the bottom of my feet.

Ok, that's all for now. And since Dahlia is the only other blogger I know...I can't really tag anyone else.

I know Mommy and Daddy and some other relatives have some cute Christmas pictures of me to share soon though!

A Little After Thanksgiving

Yes, Mommy realizes that it's been almost 2 weeks since Thanksgiving, but she wanted to share all of the great photos of my first family holiday!

The day before Thanksgiving, Mommy's best friend Courtney flew into town from Minnesota - brrr!  So Courtney, her fiance Tom, her brother Eric, her sister in law Mary, and mom Deko all came over to visit.  Mommy was a little slow with the camera and the boys were a bit hesitant around me so here's a photo of me with Courtney:

On the actual day, Mommy and Daddy took me to Grandma Sue and Grandpa Dan's house for some football watching and a traditional turkey dinner.  I of course took a nap - for 3 hours - right up until the turkey came out of the oven and then Mommy had to feed me before she got to eat.  But I behaved for the most part and even sat in my car seat at the table while the adults finished eating!
The day after Thanksgiving, Mommy and Daddy drove with me up to Ventura to visit the rest of the extended family including my Great Grandparents, Great Aunt & Uncle, and Mommy's cousins.  We spent the night there and came home on Saturday.

My great-uncle Greg holding me while I look cute.

Me smiling on my great-grandma Virginia's lap.

Me hanging out with great-grandpa Marvin.