It ain't right!

So they think this is funny; a Before and After, if you will. It is easier to toot sitting up and they tell me this is good training for the future!! I should double check with my Uncle Troy if all this reading material is really necessary!!! :0)
In other news, I had a great time with my new friends yesterday and can't wait to see them again. Mommy sure does miss Keri and Megan. They are AWESOME mommies, they each have 2 kids. Megan has TWINS. It was fun to watch all the big kids eat at the table...I am looking forward to that.
Mom and dad are going out for Restaurant week tonight, so I get to hang out with Oma and Opa!!! Fun times.

School is IN!

Well, school started for everyone yesterday, even me! Mom has decided that I am big enough to get a schedule working. She claims it will keep me happy, but I think it is probably the beginning of a life with an old school hag!! I am starting to show that I am stubborn and she is taking it as a personal affront!
Her first thing was to make me take a dang bottle, that I told everyone I didn't want. She has some bribery system set up. I take the bottle now, but I am on to her scam. She is also regulating my sleep. That is not so bad, but when I wake up she makes sure I am up and calm by putting me in that jogging stroller. My dog pulls me pretty fast, but by the 1/2 way point I start to sleep again!!! HA HA.

My Grandma made it home from Wisconsin and brought us some fun stuff. Mostly, I enjoyed the pictures of my cousins Syndey and Jordyn and Aunt Lisa, Uncle Steve, Uncle Rick and Aunt Sandy. Syd is a great photographer and I can't wait for her to come see me so I can have a photo shoot with her!!!

In my pictures today I am wrapped up snuggly in my new afghan that my Great Aunt Pansy sent back to me that she MADE!! It is so cozy, I love it.

Also for those still scoring at home, the sling has made a run for the lead!! Here I am in the sling. I know it doesn't LOOK comfy, but it isn't too bad. Mom can at least vacuum with me in there and I usually sleep after I puke on her!!! (did I mention that me and mom are probably gonna butt heads for the next few years....I gotta get in my licks now!!! )

Have a great day, I am going to meet some new friends for lunch today. Canaan, Colton, Charlie and Kate! Mom is meeting her good friends Keri and Megan....we should be a crew...poor wait staff. Table for 8, no we just need 3 chairs, please!!!!

Lots to Celebrate!

This weekend, we had lots to celebrate. On Friday it was my Oma and Opa's anniversary!! They have been married for 44 years, how cool is that? Then, Sunday was Oma's birthday. So we all went out for dinner on Saturday to our favorite Seafood dive close to downtown by where Mommy used to live. We had LOTS of fun and then went to get some Italian ice cream. My Dad thought he would be funny and give me a tiny taste of his, and I loved it. So, it looks like we have ANOTHER thing in common....we love raspberry stuff!
We don't have too much planned this week.
I did get signed up for Gymboree classes...mom is sheepishly taking me after her tirade on how goofy it would be. Turns out, I really liked it and it will be good for all of us. We are doing it on Saturdays so Dad can go with me and then because I am so young, mom can take me on the other class days if they don't fill up. So we are really getting up to 45 classes for the price of 15. 15 is a rip off on the price, but 45 is a bit more palatable. We start on the 8th of Sept., so I will keep you posted. ALSO...My dad and I are going to start a free thing that same day probably called Daddy Adventure Days. It is where all of the Dads of the kids in that MOM class that I go to on Friday get together and go on field trips that this cool lady Linda Morley leads. We will get to go to places like Whole Foods, and Airplane museum, a hardware shop, a chocolate shop, a pumpkin patch.....pretty cool. Some Saturdays are gonna be jam packed with fun for me, but I will be able to make up my Gymboree stuff during the week if my days with Dad are more fun and want to go long!!!

Lots of my friends and loved ones started school today, so we are on a new page of life...what to do for free as unemployed folks. We will let you know what comes up. Mom's friend Kelly and my new friend Grant (not the older wicked smart Grant, but a NEW younger Grant...probably just as smart though...but he's only 6 months old right now) may get to hang out with us a lot. His mom is not working anymore either and they are way way fun to be with.
So maybe we will all start jogging or working out or walking and stuff again.
OH on that note, mom and dad have signed up for a 10K in September...pretty ambitious. It looks like I am gonna get drug around in that stinking stroller for a long time now.
At least it keeps the scenery changing!!

oh, here we finally caught Dad's favorite face...it isn't the full blown face, but it gives you an idea!!

Its been a Hard Day's Night

and I am sleeping like a LOG!!! Went down at 8:30 pm after 2 full hours of wailing and screaming and crying, but am still asleep at 7:27. I really only slept about 3 hours yesterday during the day. So I think that the past 2 days have finally caught up to me. Mom is going to get me up at 8:00 so I can eat and go to my class at 9:30. Holy cow, I am probably going to mess the schedule up big time now. So hopefully, I will get to nap some today and get somewhat back on track. Meanwhile, 12 hrs of sleep, ain't bad.

I got to see my Grandma Mary C. this week, it was great to see her. She had been out of town for a long time. Mom talked to my Grandma yesterday, she is coming back from Wisconsin NEXT Monday, I think. Also, my Oma and Opa are home finally! So its like winter in Arizona for me...all the snowbirds are coming south! :0) Just kidding, I LOVE all of them and am happy they are home.

Today is my Oma and Opa's wedding anniversary. They have been married for over 43 years now!!! WOWEE. That is impressive. Sunday is Oma's birthday too. So we will see what fun we can drum up for them this weekend. I will try and report back on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Circus has come to town!

I slept 8 hours straight last night!!! Granted, I did not sleep for more than an hour and a half TOTAL yesterday all day. Mom and Dad (specifically Mom) are trying to decide if that is a good trade off!!! We are trying to go to bed a little earlier, everyone says that is better for me...but it sure isn't better for mom cause now she gets up more. Dad doesn't really see the problem! :0)
But anyway, Mom woke me up at 7:00 to eat and go for a walk. Here is our rigged up jogging stroller and Cheddar. You should see the 3 of us on a jog. It certainly looks like the circus hit town and 3 escaped!!! We are really lucky that Cheddar is such a good dog. She sits at every corner and waits to be told she can cross the street...Thank You PetSmart and Shannone! It has been a lifesaver. This is the first trained dog that Mom or Dad has ever had and they are BIG FANS of puppy school now that I am here!
I also am now big enough to sit in my Bumbo seat that Carla gave me!!! I really like it. I ate dinner at the table with mom and dad last night...so it looks like Family Meals may be starting for us all. Ched can kiss me much more when I am in this seat, so I would rather be up high than low, but I do like looking at her run around the house.
For those still keeping score at home, we have had some successful sling-age. I helped mom vacuum downstairs in the sling today. Now mom is questioning how much she should put me in there. I will probably get really picky and mess her up big time! But, she'll figure it out...in the meantime, I am enjoying throwing her all the curve balls I can.
Hope everyone has a good day, Mom hopes I nap a bit because she needs to go grocery shopping!!!

Going it alone!

well, last night was a big night. I got to sleep in my own room all night long by myself! I had been sleeping there for little bits (after 2:00 am), but last night while dad was playing hockey, I started out there! Dad thought I had been stolen when he came home from hockey because I was not in my cradle, but my big boy crib in my own room! I am starting to smile a lot nowadays and have LOTS of different faces that I can make.
Dad got a new camera (supposedly super great), so one of these pictures was taken with it, can you tell which one? Mom really can't, but Dad tells her everyone else will! Me, I am just sick of ANY camera in my face, so I could really care less!
Well, I am officially 2 months old, this picture is really goofy, but it shows off my big smile. I also do a lot of cockeyed smirks that make mom laugh a lot. Dad's favorite is my pouty face, but he can't catch it on film yet!!! I am pretty quick with it and by the time you realize that is the one face that cracks you up, I am done with it.
Lastly, Cheddar is starting to taste those stupid dove that sit on our fence. She gets really upset when you walk outside and disturb her hunt. This morning there was a dead dove in the yard, we are trying to decide if it was a) Cheddar b) neighborhood cats c) the Amdro for fire ants or
d) West Nile (that is dad's theory). It was nice for mom to find out that Cheddar doesn't really have an appetite for dead birds. It made for an easy clean up when she didn't have a dog trying to fight her for the bird.
Lovely...as if me and dad don't keep her busy enough, now she is a dead bird cleaner uper!!! Makes me laugh! Have a good day, I am angry and yelling at mom right now.

I'm HUGE (for a pygmy)

Good News from the doctor! I am healthy and FAT. I have grown a LOT since my last visit. I am now a whopping 23.5 inches tall...mom and dad think i am HUGE because I am in the 74% range now. I also am 53% in weight weighing in from the blue corner at 11 lbs 9 oz. Not sure of my reach yet but I do have an undefeated boxing record now. I can knock the crud out of my chicken on my exercise mat and I have landed a couple good right hooks to the dog's nose!

As of the last week or so I am learning that I can make some cool noises. I am ALWAYS moving my tongue and mouth trying to come up with a new one. I also have begun to smile!! That is so fun for everyone; however, it does make them all act incredibly odd around me now...this "hi! What?" thing you adults have going seems a bit boring. My dad is the only one who I enjoy talking to because he is trying to teach me words like "calculus" and "transistor"...none of this one syllable bologna!

Okay, Picture updates...me and my dad are peas in a pod in our fishing hats...look how much we look alike...okay, I know its a better picture of me, but my dad is a good looking dude in real life. Oh, as a side note...the doctor said that if my eyes were going to be brown they would have changed by now!!!! They could still turn out hazel or green or something but for now...NO BROWN, mom is really happy that she may actually get a trait in me! Thanks Grandpa Don, we did it!!!

The next is our very artistic "dad and me shoe" picture...it is to show off our glamorous bowling shoes with our feet next to each other. As you can see, my dad is giving me some pretty big shoes to fill as I get older. Hopefully, I will turn out to be 1/2 the man he is...he is pretty great.

Finally, it is the 2 boys of the house in our ready to hit the lanes!!! Dad said I could borrow this ball when I get big enough...he has a few to choose from...remember, Pizza Bowl, Frank Dafazzio, Milwaukee...

Anyway, I did pretty good with my first round of vaccinations yesterday. I was a little fussy, but ended up sleeping quite a bit once I calmed down. Dad came to the appointment and decided that he was NOT a fan of me getting stuck with needles, so he may be out on the rest of the shots...but I am glad he was there to comfort me!

Have a great day, I get to hang out w/ Oma and Aunt Sue later today while mom gets her hair done. Should be 100% entertainment for me!!! I love those 2 old birds!!! :0)
just kidding, they are great.

8 weeks, can you believe me?

Holy cow, today I am 8 weeks old!!! I can't really even believe it. I am growing up so fast! I am almost too big for one pair of my pajamas already!! Tomorrow I have my Dr. appt and I will get to see how big I really am. I also get my first round of shots, not looking forward to that...neither is mom!!

So, yesterday I got to meet more new people!! Mommy's really great friend Jill (I know, another one...it confuses Dad!) Cox and her mommy. It was so much fun to see them. Mom tells me they are super special people to her. There were so nice, Mrs. Cox gave me a new Bible song CD, which is really exciting. Mom has trouble singing on the hymns to me and these will be much more exciting to me. We are hoping to get to see a lot more of them. She is a teacher too, so is going to get pretty busy soon.

THEN, my Mandy and Jill came over to see me yesterday afternoon. It has been almost a week since I saw them, and I missed them lots. I pretty much just slept the whole time with everyone...mom likes to sack me out before company so she can have "adult time" with people...I don't think she gets that they would probably rather see me than her, she's pretty old news!!!

Then, I got to go out to Fudrucker's with my Oma, Opa, Grandma and Aunt Sue!!! I got held the whole time and the old folks love me. After that, my Grandma had some coupons so we all went to Sherridan's Custard stand. Since it was so hot, we all brought it home to eat and played catch with Cheddar. So, before they all left, we got a photo of me with all of them. My grandma leaves today for a trip up to her home and then Opa, Oma, and Aunt Sue are all leaving on Friday to go to Phoenix and then Colorado. I will miss all of them while they are gone. I will just be stuck with mom and dad....boring.

So, the other picture I am in my new fishing hat. My Opa and Daddy are gonna teach me to fish real soon. Mom is trying to convince dad to take a bowling and fishing hat picture soon...my daddy has a hat just like this...Mom says we look like Gilligans in them. Peas in a pod we are. Dad just calls me Mini Me. BUT...thanks to my Grandpa Don and his recessive gene (sorry, mom is always talking science to me), I look like I am going to keep my blue eyes, so mom is thrilled that she got something in me!!

I will let you guys know how the Doctor and shots go tomorrow! Have a great day!

About time!!

Here I am with my Aunt Brittany and the cool cross stitch she made for me! Look how beautiful it is. She sure is a cool lady. She doesn't look like a football player huh? She obviously was the Dallas Diamonds poster girl!!! She blew out her knee and isn't playing anymore. BUT she sure is talented. She can sew too!

So, it is about time. I haven't seen my Oma or Aunt Sue all week and we get to spend some time with them today after our class. Today in class is some gig called Gymboree??? Guess it is supposed to be all the rage, but mom is leary about it...you know she thinks she can coach me in gymnastics on her own (and slap a cd on while we do it!). BUT we shall see, i am sorta excited even though i am sure i am too small to get it. After class we are going to Oma's for the day. I didn't sleep real well last night, so I will probably crash out most of the day. It is gonna be a hot one...100 degrees!!! We'll try and find things to do that keep us cool.
Have a good day.

Travelin Man

I finally got to see my Aunt Jill again since she has been back in town!! I sure did miss her loving on me! Look at my RAD new bowling shoes and bowling pin that she gave me!! I can't wait to hit the lanes with my dad. For those of you who don't know, my dad is a REALLY good bowler...he grew up in Milwaukee, Land of Frank DeFazzio's Pizza Bowl...apparently up north bowling is WAY bigger than it is down in the south and everyone is on leagues...Aunt Jill grew up in Michigan and she is the bowling queen too, so is Uncle Bill (king, not queen). When mom bowls with the 3 of them, she wants to use the bumpers...because she is the Gutter Queen. All she really does is provide comic relief for them. But now...I can get my magic going too!!! I will have lots of great coaches around me.

We have been super busy lately...but it doesn't seem like we get much done, but we haven't been home a whole lot. Days are filled with grocery shopping and running errands, like to the dry cleaners. My Grandma has been spending lots of time with us lately as she recovers from her surgery, so that is fun. She had to put her puppy down the other day, so she was hit with a double whammy...not fun at all. She still could use lots of prayers!

Let's see...OH, my Aunt Brittany came over last night and ate dinner with us and hung out for a while. It was so good to see her finally. She made me a BEAUTIFUL cross stitch to welcome me to the world and brought it over. Mom is going to put pictures up as soon as they hang it. I also got a cute picture with her loving on me....I am such a lucky boy. She used to be a professional football player, so she can teach me a lot of cool plays when I get older if I decide to play football...I think that is the ONLY sport my daddy didn't play. She is the Volleyball Coach at mom's old school and we are going to try to go see her team play next week. I think I might like all those lights around me...and i KNOW i would like to see Aunt Brit again soon. My dog sure had a good time with her too...she is a good play pal.

Oh, we went to lunch with one of my mom's super great friends, Rachel yesterday...but I slept the whole time. I am really looking forward to seeing her again too!

I will try to update more really soon.
Have a great day.

Movin on!

Well, I am 7 weeks today and as of Friday, 11 pounds!!! Quite the Hoss. Today I am moving on to some new territory. I am trying out my big crib for naps...didn't last super long because I needed my diaper changed and it woke me up. I DO NOT LIKE dirty wet diapers...and I will let you know about it!

I also tried sitting in the corner of the couch for a bit this am...it looks like i am laughing having a great go at it. In reality, i am fixin to cry...but pretend I didn't tell you that!

My novelty has finally worn off with my dog. She is pretty much done not being the center of attention. In 2 days, she has eaten 2 toys and spends a lot of time outside looking at doves on the fence instead of me. We are about the same in her mind, but at least the birds take flight and give her a run around the yard...I just sit here. So, she is pretty bored with me. Soon enough though I will be a menace to her and she will wish I was boring again, I am sure!!! You can sorta see the 2 doves on the fence that she is pointing at...she tries to stalk them and sneak up on em...usually for HOURS she will sit in the yard sneaking up on birds. Today I was eating in my room and a dove flew up on the window sill. She freaked out and stood on point the WHOLE time it was there...her bones even creaked she was so still. Poor dog was salivating through the 2nd story window. Mom was afraid she would try and jump at it, but she didn't...she is really a smart puppy. Mom needs to work with her on just hand signals while I am taking a nap...that will help fill some time instead of cleaning the house!!!

Okay, I am off to find new stuff to learn!

More Ice!

Well, here I am again at the hockey rink! Dad had an early game again and I am starting to feel like a rink rat. My Aunt Sue is holding me, she sure is fun and I am so glad she is here visiting. I hope I get to see her lots more. I am going to see her later this week too!!! She is my Oma's big sister!
Well, Dad won his game and made an assist. But best of all, he did not spend as much time in that box! Still hung out there for a while, but not nearly as much as last time. So, maybe his is not really Angry Rob, but Slightly Irritated Rob now!!!

Well, Cheddar is as good as new, except that we think she laid in an ant pile while mom and dad mowed the lawn yesterday. I see why mom and dad call her Trainwreck! My Grandma is doing much better, but her puppy is really sick. He broke his back and is not able to get around much. He is such a good little doggie, it is sad to see him so hurt. I think Dad and Grandma are going to the doctor again today with him. He is Grandma's buddy, so she is really sad. Keep her in your prayers.

Other than that, not too much else going on. I went to a pool party all day Saturday and I am really looking forward to being big enough to get in that great big bathtub like the other kids. They keep telling me I have to wait until next summer, because i am too small for the chemicals. Dad is looking into swim lessons as soon as I am big enough!
Yesterday we went to Oma and Opa's for lunch. It was good food...of course, i didn't get to eat with everyone, i had to take mine to go and eat it hours later. Opa is a great cook, he can even make carrots good. I got to see my Uncle Troy for the first time since he came to see me at the hospital and his whole family. I sure have a lot of cousins. It was a very busy day. I slept very good last night again, so that must be a good thing for mom and dad.

Poor Puppy!

Here I am again all snuggled up at the ice rink...my dad was in the penalty box, so I took a nap :0)
Well, it is gonna be a busy day. Grandma went home yesterday, but she might come back for a little while...she was a little stir crazy I think. BUT my Great Aunt Carol is coming to visit later this afternoon and that will be fun. Me and mom are going to the MOM class at the hospital again for a couple hours and then we are going to meet some friends at the mall to walk. Mom says that Bailey is my prom date...she is a cool girl with really great parents. Mom was in their wedding and they are really great friends. I didn't know I lived in the Middle East with arranged Prom dates!!!

Dad is at the animal hospital right now with my puppy. She woke mom up at 3:00 hacking like she was getting sick. Then she started bobbing and weaving and foaming at the mouth. Mom thought she had a seizure or something and kinda freaked out. So she woke up dad (I was already up trying to poop) and they decided that Cheddar needed to be looked at. Last I heard, it was some new antihistamine that the vet gave to us to give to her...she was just really weak and tired. I think we are throwing that medicine out!!! Apparently Mom has over reacted and is operating under the "better safe than sorry" mode. Dad had them run xrays, just in case too. So, there goes my first set of golf clubs and hockey skates....dang dog.
Just kidding, I really LOVE my dog...we are best buddies.

Okay, let the day begin...I am actually still sleeping, but everyone else is up and going!

WOWEE, Hockey!

What a day! First of all, I am having so much fun with my Grandma staying with us. Tonight she gave me my bath and she was sooo good at it. She is getting very strong after her surgery and pretty soon, she is going to be able to hold me again!!
I had some some special visitors today. My Great Aunt Nancy and Cousin Karin and 2nd cousins Emily and Katie came to meet me today. They were so nice, brought mommy some flowers. They played with me and Cheddar for a long time. They sure are nice and I hope I get to see a lot more of them. The girls were REALLY good at holding me...I think they will be great babysitters someday!!! There was another really big rain storm today and they got caught in the rain so they got to hang out a bit longer than expected (which was lots of fun for me, but I sure didn't envy them driving home).

And for the final event of the day you can see my pictures!!! I went to my daddy's hockey game tonight. I only made it through 2 periods, but it was lots of fun. My Opa is showing me how to hip check a guy into the boards. He and Oma bought me this cool Stars cap, I really look like my Dad in it!!! Grandma and Aunt Sue were there too, but we didn't get any good pictures of them. Well, I wanted to get a picture of my Dad and me on the ice after the game but I couldn't make it that long without eating so mom and Grandma had to take me home. BUT, we did get some pictures of Dad on the ice and in something they call "the box"...he was in that box for quite a while tonight...his friends on the team call him Angry Rob, must be a connection there somewhere!! Anyway, it was a LOT of fun and I really liked watching the black shirts skate around on the white ice.

We will update more soon!