L'Shanah Tovah

Today we observed Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I got to try some special holiday food Mom made - brisket (thanks Grandma for the great recipe!), potatoes, and apple kugel (a noodle dish with apples and cream cheese) - for the first time. Yum! We also went to the children's service and tashlich, where we threw bread crumbs into a creek, at our temple. Mom and Dad said they'll explain what all this means when I'm older, but for now I had a good time seeing all the other kids and hanging out outside. I hope everyone has a sweet new year.

On the moon

This weekend was full of fun. Saturday we went to the moon. Well, maybe not the moon exactly, but a place that looked a lot like the moon, McKinney Falls State Park. Since we've had such a drought, there wasn't much water or falls, but that just gave us more land to get to walk over. We hiked around, saw holes in the rock that Mom said might be dinosaur tracks and found some ruins of a 150-year-old grist mill that was washed away in a flood in 1869. Peepa and Matty got to come and Mom and Dad were impressed with the rough terrain I could handle in my jogging stroller. They can't wait to come back with Peanut and me when we're older. Maybe next time there will even be water so we can swim in the falls!

This morning we went to mom's friend's house, where we sang lots of songs about things like spiders and a wagon ride, danced, and then had some snacks and played outside. I got to see some friends I've met before and I made some new ones. It was great and I can't wait to go back again soon!

You can see pictures of our trip here.

Big News

Mom and Dad gave me some exciting news today. I am going to be a big brother. While I'm not exactly sure what that means, they assure me that I will be up to the task. So far I've been able to glean that I will be getting a little brother or sister, though no one knows which. For now we're calling him or her Peanut. I am not sure how this new little present will arrive, though I have included an illustration I found on the Internet that I think explains the process.

They say all this is going to happen in the middle of April, around Mom's birthday. Here's a picture of Peanut. Right now, he or she is upside down.

Starting to cool off

The weather here is finally starting to cool off. In Austin, that means it's been in the 80s. It also means we can start to play outside more often. Today, Mom and Dad took me to the Arboretum where I got to crawl around in the grass. I was a little nervous at first, but after a few tentative starts, I figured out that grass is really fun. Mom and Dad got some ice cream and I got to hang out with some giant cows.

Mom and Dad took me on lots of walks this week as well. Yesterday Dad took me in my wagon with Matty to go get sno-cones. It was a fun walk, but when we got there, we found the sno-cone place was closed. Disappointing.

I surprised Mom with a new trick this week. She put me down in my playpen for a minute, and I managed to take my diaper off without taking off my pants. She still hasn't figured out how I did it. I would tell her, but a magician never reveals his secrets.

Mom and Dad are also excited that I'm starting to eat more things. I have been eating lots of eggs with cheese and even some veggies - green beans and zucchini. They say if I keep eating things that are green, I will grow. We'll see about that.

Here are some pictures from my outings to the parks this week.

Surprises

Today was full of surprises. First, when we woke up, it was very cool outside - around 70 degrees! Mom was so happy, after breakfast, she put me in the car. I was surprised to see Matty looking over the back of the seat at me. I thought it was pretty funny. Next, we drove downtown to Pease Park, where we took a nice, long walk. Matty liked being off his leash so much, he ran right into the muddy creek. Peepa didn't get to come with us because Mom says she doesn't have enough hands to handle all three of us at once, plus Peepa is crazy, so I'm hoping Peepa can make it next time.

We all hope it stays this cool for a while! It's great!

Who needs parents?

Last week I got a package in the mail. It turned out it was from Oma, some covers for my crib rails that I like to chew on. I'm sad I can't chew the wood anymore, but Mom says it's for the best and they are good to hang on to while I jump in there. Plus they make my nursery look nice. Thanks Oma!

I've also been having a good time throwing things (especially out of playpen) lately. Everyone says I'm going to be a pitcher one day. Dad says if I want to do that, I need to work on being left handed.

The really exciting thing that happened this week was that we went to Pennsylvania again to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I love seeing them, and this time was no exception. They always have lots of yummy food, fun toys, and great hugs for me. This trip was a little different because Mom and Dad went to a wedding in Philadelphia so they left me with Grandma and Grandpa for a night. It was their first night without me. They were nervous, but I was really proud of how they handled it. While they were gone, I had a blast. I hung out with my cousins Amy and Mianna. Mianna, who is five years old, was especially nice to me. I also got to play with Little One, Grandma's cat, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Daniel, Great-Grandma B and Mom-Mom and Pop. Grandma and Grandpa also took me to Grandpa's company picnic, where I got to meet lots of new people, made lots of friends, and got a cool puzzle to play with at home. I was a little shy at first, but after a little while, I really opened up and enjoyed it. Grandma gave me lots of yummy chicken to eat.

It was a fun trip, but we had to come back to Austin today. Mom and Dad said I did great on the airplane again. It was also nice to see Matty and Peepa. While Little One was nice, Mom thinks I'm more of a dog-baby.

Mom and Dad didn't take very many pictures of me this weekend since they were in Philadelphia. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures from Grandma and Grandpa soon to post. In the meantime, here are some pictures of me in Austin before we left, and some pictures Mom and Dad took during their time in Philadelphia.