Hi everyone! Guess what? I have discovered the coolest trick EVER! You ready? Ok - know you those things on the end of your arms (they’re called ‘hands’)? Well, they’re not just for sucking on or grabbing food! If you wave your arms back and forth at the same time, your hands will hit each other and make a noise called “clapping”! It’s soooo fun! I noticed my mom and dad would do this anytime I did something they liked, so I thought I’d try it out myself yesterday. Boy did I get a response! Now I want to keep doing it all the time! In fact, after I woke up from my nap this afternoon, my mom overheard me just sitting in my crib talking to myself and clapping over and over! I must have appreciated my nice dreams or something!
Hi everyone! Well, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I inherited my mom’s propensity for extremely bad puns…as the title above will soon prove! Anyway - lately I’ve discovered that there is this really cool ball that I can play with, that has holes in it so I can grab it really easily. Balls are lots of fun - my mom will roll it across the floor, and then say, “Go get the ball, Sutter - go get the ball!”. So I crawl really really fast across the floor and get the ball, and then I hold it out in front of me with a big grin and a giggle, as if to say “Hey, look what I got!”. Then I crawl really really fast back across the floor to my mom and give her the ball and we start all over again. And again. And again. (Adults love repetition - what is that? Must be developmental). So today we’re playing and then I decide I will take off with the ball and try to create a NEW game, which I call “Roll the Ball Across the Seat of the Chair”. It’s a blast, and I’m pretty awesome at it. Well, I was standing at the chair playing my new game, when I decided to try and see if the ball would roll across the bottom rung of our dining table. So I let go of the chair as I reached out for the table, and guess what? I stood for like 2 seconds all on my own, and then took a tentative step! I’m not even sure I realized I was doing it, but my mom freaked out and practically threw a ticker tape parade! She called my dad to tell him of my accomplishments, and seemed quite pleased overall. After that I was more interested in just cruising some more, but hey…when this walking thing happens I am ready! Look out world, here I come! (So does this mean that now I can ride my brother’s big kid bike?)
Hi everyone! Now that my four teeth are solidly in place, and I’ve gotten the hang of this climbing/cruising thing down pretty well, I decided I now wanted to work more on my chatter. Over the past week, I have started saying “ba ba ba” a LOT, especially whenever I see my Big Brother! Other times, like this morning, I try to say “Deh Eh” (so my parents claim), which also means Big Brother, because his name is Decker! I also say “ma ma ma” when I see Mommy, or when I am sad and upset. I also say “Deh Deh Deh” (Daddy?), “Neh Neh Neh”, and “Buh Buh Buh”, and “EEEEEEEEEEEEE!”. I think this babbling thing is pretty neat! Can’t wait to figure out how to tell my parents, “Give me a hamburger and some peaches and some ice cream!”
PS: I’ve been going to watch my brother at swim lessons, and it looks awesome - I kick my legs and squeal when he comes into view! (Practicing for when I get take lessons!)
Hi everyone! Well, my bottom two teeth must have been getting lonely, because within the space of about 24 hours or so, BOTH my top teeth (my rabbit teeth, as mommy describes them) broke through and now I have a matching set on top and below! Having doubled my number of teeth, I am feeling quite bold and keep making plays for my folks’ and big brother’s food. So far, I’ve been denied, except for getting to try licks of an ice cream cone, a fudgecicle, and bits of a soft yellow peach! Yum! I got a sweet tooth, that’s for sure! I’m also getting used to using a sippy cup, but so far it’s something just to kinda chew on, rather than throw back and chug like my big brother does with his juice. Maybe a little later!
I’m also busy making new and different noises! I can do ‘ma ma ma’, ‘deh deh deh’, and ‘yah rah yah rah’. And I really like to click my tongue and stick it out at people! PHBBBBBBBBBBBBBB!
Hi everyone! OK, I have this brand new skill and it is the coolest thing in the world and it’s all I want to do all day long until I start to get sleepy and a little clumsy and eventually fall over…STANDING! Yes indeed, I have finally figured how to coordinate all these great little limbs of mine and can now pull up to standing at pretty much any vertical surface I can get my lil’ ol’ mitts on. My personal favorite climbing places at the moment are the couch, the armchair, my brother Decker’s little chair and table set, the gate to the kitchen, and my crib rail (Mommy says she is glad they lowered it to the bottom level when they did!). Standing is awesome - you have this feeling of power and accomplishment, you can see a lot more, and the grownups seem to think it is a pretty neat thing so of course it’s fun to make them happy. My next step? I think I may try CRUISING! (Mommy asks me to wait just a little while for that if possible!)
So, I’m getting stronger every day and I’m really starting to get the hang of using these here arms and legs of mine! My latest discovery is that you can use your arms to push up onto your knees, so that your tummy is off the floor and you actually get some height! I’ve managed to get a couple of wobbly crawls forward so far, but I’m more busy trying to pull up onto everything I can! I can pull myself up onto my knees by grabbing onto my big brother’s bed cover, I can try to hurdle the bottom rung of our dining table chairs, and I’m working on pulling up to the couch! I’m super fast and will climb a lap as soon as it’s available, and boy oh boy am I having fun getting into all the places I’m not supposed to! I love to hang out under the table, crawl under the bouncy bouncy, and try to sneak into the kitchen or up the stairs. But - denied! My folks have put up these wooden things they call ‘gates’, and they’re like see-through force fields that keep you at bay from your desired destination! They’re pretty sneaky, these ‘rents of mine. But they seem to like tickling and kissing me, so I’ll guess I’ll stick around here for a while longer (at least until I can walk!).
Hi everyone! For some time now, my grandpa Cappy has been taunting me with the nickname “Toothless Poopypants”. Well, he can no longer call me that! Last Thursday (June 21, if we’re keeping strict records) morning, my daddy thought I was chewing on something I shouldn’t be, and swiped a finger in my mouth to fish whatever it was out before it could hurt me. Imagine his surprise when he found I was actually working over my first tooth! (Well, I guess it wasn’t THAT big a surprise, as all babies eventually grow teeth, apparently, but I sure had been taking my sweet time getting around to that particular milestone!). Anyway, yup I’ve got my first real chomper on the bottom rung, and so far it’s been ok. No real issues with crying/drooling and all that. Mommy bought me some teething gel and we haven’t had to use it (yet). But I sure am chewing on everything I can get my little mouth on! So watch out! (heh)
Hey, now that I have a tooth, can I FINALLY start eating some of that grownup food that everyone else gets to have? I’ve gotten to have licks of my mom’s apple core, and mashed up stuff of my own, but where’s my burrito, dagnabit?
Hi everyone! Well, on Friday my mommy took me to see Dr. Handelsman for my checkup, and the good news is that I am very healthy! The bad news is, I got two shots. Yuck! But I was brave and afterwards Mommy cuddled me and I even got a cool Bugs Bunny bandage! So…I am now 19 pounds exactly (I gained over 2 pounds since my last visit!), and I am now 28 1/2 inches long (a gain of an inch and a quarter). That’s 90th percentile for height, which means I will probably be a tall little guy like my big brother. Cool, huh? We’ll be able to get stuff down off the shelf for our mom!
I am also getting really good at this sitting up thing, if someone helps position me first. However, I am also trying to learn to sit up on my own from a laying down position. So far, what I’ve managed is to perfect a very good imitation of the ‘cheesecake’ photos from the ’50s - I lay on my side with my chin resting on my crooked arm, and I bend one leg, just so. Looking good, eh? Have a good week!
PS: I am discovering that there is a very funny monster named Elmo, and I think I would like to get to know him better. Mommy has a balloon of his head that she got for her birthday, and whenever I see it I flail my arms and get a HUGE grin on my face and try to talk to him! He just seems like a friendly sort!
Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I rapped at ya, but I’ve been hecka busy learning new skillz and growing bigger and stronger every day! I have a check-up next Friday - I wonder if I’ve hit 6 feet tall yet?
Anyway - one of the things I’ve been working on is learning this whole grownup-as-a-second-language deal (GSL), and I’m getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. Last night, after my mommy had put my big brother to bed and settled me into my carseat so I could keep her company while she ate her dinner, I decided that I should try out some of my new-found phrases and attempt to engage her in conversation. So, I used the word I’m most proud of: “Phhhhhbbbbb!!!”. The trick to this particular phrase is that you need to make sure you include lots of spittle as you blow the raspberry, and then immediately follow it up with a great big broad and gummy smile, with your eyes squinched up. Mom luckily got the message right away, and said “Phhhhhbbbb!!!” right back at me. So I repeated, and then she did the same. This went on for about 10 minutes, until Daddy came home and I got him into the conversation as well. Sometimes I varied with “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” (envision a squeaky teradactyl screeching), and they echoed back with this, too. We chatted for about 20 minutes total, and then I got tired and decided it would be more interesting to gaze up lovingly at the Elmo balloon that Decker got Mommy for her birthday.
When I’m not discussing world events with the ‘rents, I am busy busy busy tearing around the living room on my elbows and knees! I’m a mobile little guy, and there is a LOT of stuff to explore out there! Every once in a while I attempt to get up onto my knees and get my tummy off the ground, but most of the time it’s easiest just to scootch around on my belly super quickly. Mommy keeps trying to get me to sit up, which I can do but it’s not very interesting because then you don’t go anywhere! So mostly I humor her, give it a few seconds, and then keel over face first to continue on my merry way. One of my favorite places to try and explore is my bedroom floor, which I get to do when Mommy is reading Decker his bedtime stories or if she is putting away laundry. But, I’ve found this awesome forbidden territory and no matter WHAT I try, she will not let me under there - it’s the underside of Decker’s bed! He’s got great toys hidden under there, and I like to crawl under and get wedged and then bonk my head and cry. But for some reason Mommy doesn’t think this game is fun, and keeps putting the kibosh on it when I make my attempts. Oh well, she’s very tired - I’m sure I’ll wear her down soon enough and then I’ll just crawl under there while she falls asleep hanging up sweaters or something.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Mommy and Daddy have this big shiny piece of glass called a mirror in their bedroom, and sometimes Mommy sits with me in front of it and plays games and sings songs with me. Well, guess what? When you look straight in the mirror - ANOTHER baby and mommy look back at you! The baby is really nice, and he lets me reach for his hands and give him kisses and imitates everything I do! The mommy mostly smiles, which is nice, but not as interesting as someone playing high-five with you. He’s a pretty good friend - I like this kid!