Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! I have had a terrific Halloween week. It started when my parents volunteered to babysit my 2-year-old friend Elizabeth. She was really fun to play with and we even went on a wagon ride together. I liked watching her walk around and talk to my parents. I can't wait to be two years old.

On Tuesday, Mom and a friend took me to a pumpkin farm in Marble Falls. We had a lot of fun. The best parts of the trip were taking a hay ride, looking at goats and eating a fresh strawberry popsicle. Mom thought I was funny because the whole time I ate the popsicle I made little mmmm noises and when it was gone, I screamed my head off. Who could blame me? It was the most delicious (aka sugary) thing I've ever eaten.

The trip was also fun because we finally turned my car seat around so I am facing forward. I have to say that it makes the car rides much more enjoyable. I like seeing where I'm going instead of where I've been. It's also fun looking at Mom in the front seat when she's driving.

Now that its starting to get cold, Mom made me a little hat. It has cute little ears so it is kind of like a Halloween hat. Mom is getting really good at sewing. I like my hat.

This morning, Mom and I went to a Halloween party. I was excited to have another opportunity to wear my shark costume and I got to crawl around with lots of new friends. Their names are giraffe, Yoda, sock monkey and space man. I was also happy to share some yummy pumpkin bread and pumpkin dip with Mom.

This afternoon we visited Dad at work because his company had a Halloween party. It was neat. I got to crawl all around his office and see lots of other kids in their costumes. And we got to go trick or treating at lots of different tables they had set up. Mom and Dad haven't given me my share of the candy yet though. They say they're "investing" it for me. There were also games, like pulling plastic ducks out of a pool. I did really good at that one. It was quite a party. Dad is lucky that he gets to just play all day long like that. That was probably my last chance to wear my excellent Halloween shark costume this year. We sure got a lot of good use out of it.

Here are pictures from all of my Halloween fun.

Playing in the Sand

This week was full of new surprises. Monday night Mom decided it was time to transition me from my little tub in the kitchen sink to the normal bathtub. We waited this long because Mom and Dad have bad knees and thought it'd be hard to take care of me in the tub. Anyway, the first night didn't go so well - I cried and clung to Mom the whole time - but each night I liked it a little more. The past couple of nights I've had a great time playing with my toys, so tonight for the first time, Mom and Dad put me in all by myself. I loved it! I played with my toys, splashed and kicked my feet the whole time. It's great.

Tuesday we went to Mayfield Park to have our photos taken. The park was great - colorful peacocks watched us the whole time, and it gave me something fun to look at while Mom and her friend tried to get me to sit still.

The next day we went to story time at the library. I was a little nervous with all the kids and moms around, so I snuggled Mom and then curled up like a turtle on the ground and tried to hide from them. After a while, I started crying so we left. I think I will like it more next time. We had a better time after I woke up from my nap. We met my friend Ellie and her mom at Champion Park, where we played in a giant sand pit! I was happy to see Ellie and the pit was fantastic. I loved feeling the sand drizzle through my fingers and it was fun crawling around in it. The other cool thing about the pit is that dinosaur bones are hidden in the sand. Mom couldn't believe how much I liked it and says it's a good thing Bubbie and Papa got me a sandbox for my birthday. Now Mom just needs to set it up for me.

I had a hard time sleeping Thursday night and Mom was tired, so at 2:00, she gave up trying to get me back to sleep in my crib and brought me to bed with her. Since she thought I'd fall out of her bed, we went to sleep together in my new big boy bed. It was pretty exciting. I fell asleep right away and did great the rest of the night but Mom says I'm a bed hog because I turned sideways and took all the space.

Friday started out a little sad. A tree in our front yard died, so some guys came to cut it down. We were bummed to see the tree go, but it was fun watching them work. The afternoon was better because we went to a party at Dad's office. Everybody liked watching me crawl around and I had a good time eating a banana, pointing out the holes in their childproofing, sneaking up behind people and grabbing their feet.

So far this weekend has been just as fun as the rest of the week. We took a nice walk in the cool weather and visited our farmer Miguel this morning. This afternoon we went party hopping. The first stop was a birthday party for my friend Haley, where I had a great time playing in some sand and in a teepee. It was also neat because I got to wear my Halloween costume - I dressed up as a shark - and eat blueberries and cheese. We wrapped up our day at a pumpkin carving party but we had to leave before the main event because I was tired out. I did have time to eat some grilled cheese sandwiches though, so it was worth it.

To see some pictures of my fun-filled week, including the sand pit, my shark costume and the bathtub, click here.

Jumping bean

My parents took this video of me in the morning.

15 month doctor's appointment

I had my 15 month doctor's visit today. Wow - I really don't like going to the doctor. Today, I let everyone in the office know it. I even freaked Mom and Dad out a little bit with how vocal I was about my dislike of the doctor. Of course, by the time we were leaving the office, I was back to my normal happy self.

Today, I got three shots (yuck), but I also found out I have been going through a huge growth spurt. Must be all of the yummy food Mom and Grandma gave me last week. I weigh 23 lbs, 3 ounces (25th percentile!) and am 29.5 inches tall (10th percentile). My head size is 46.5 cm (25th percentile). You can see a detailed growth chart by clicking on the chart to the left or clicking the one on the right side of the blog.

We are all relieved that the visit is over.

Dinner with friends

Having Dad back has been great. Today, since the weather was so nice, Mom, Dad, and I took the dogs to the dog park. We took a really long walk, and I got to ride on the swings. Matty and Peepa seemed very happy to be outside. When we got back, Mom and Dad really mixed up our routine by giving me an early bath. I cried some to let them know that they had forgotten to feed me dinner, but they hadn't really. They were just getting me ready to go out to eat. We met up with Dad's cousins Chuck and Kim for dinner at Chuy's. Mom and Dad love Chuy's Tex-Mex, and they thought I would like a Chuy's taco, but I was still a little overwhelmed from the day's activities. Mom and Dad seemed happy enought to take my leftovers home - maybe I'll like the tacos more tomorrow. It was very nice to see Chuck and Kim again - I hadn't seen them since I was very little.

Grandma is fun

Dad went to Portland, Oregon, this week for work but Grandma saved the week by coming to visit. We had a blast! Grandma played with me, read to me a lot, and gave me loads of kisses and yummy barbeque from Rudy's. We also did a lot of shopping. We had lots of things to find because she and Mom were getting my big boy bedroom ready for me. I won't sleep in there for a while, but Mom says for now we can play and read in there, and eventually we'll take naps in my new bed together. So far it's a fun room, and Mom says I'll have lots of fun adventures in there one day. I like crawling around, looking at all the colors, and I've already tried out jumping on the bed. Grandma did a good job. She left today and we miss her already.

Yesterday was really exciting when Daddy came back. I looked at pictures of him all week while he was gone, but it's nowhere near as good as the real thing. Today we celebrated his homecoming and some nice, cool weather by taking Peepa and Matty to the park. Mom and I are glad he's home.

You can see pictures of my visit with Grandma and my fun day with Dad today here.

Cold

This morning Mom and I tried to leave the house but we had to go back inside to change our clothes because it was COLD (probably 80 degrees). Luckily, Mom hit a consignment sale over the weekend where she found some cool clothes for me to wear this winter, so I was ready. It was fun remembering what socks are - I haven't worn those in at least six months. Here you can see a picture of me in one of my fun new outfits.

I've also been a little under the weather with a cold this week and I had to go to the doctor yesterday. I didn't like it much, but the good news is she told Mom and Dad to give me popsicles. Dad gave me one with dinner last night, and he said it was like I've been eating them all my life because I knew just what to do with it. Yum!

Breakfast with Dad

Mom had to work this morning, so I got to spend some more quality time with Dad. This morning, we went to Hoovers, a delicious home-style breakfast place in Austin. I got my very own buttermilk pancake. We met up with some of Dad's friends that I haven't seen since I was a few months old. It was a fun breakfast, but Dad was so concerned with not forgetting my toys, bib, and other things that he forgot the leftover blueberry pancakes. Dad, I am very disappointed. Here are a few pictures.