It's All Good! (Except for the Fact That This Post Isn't Loading Good on the Page)

I'm sorry....Really sorry. I'm about as sorry as a baby can be for not typing for over an entire month. Right now, I am drooling and weeping uncontrollably - just as badly as when I don't get my warm milk ba-ba at bedtime. I hope you are happy now.

Lots of things have been going on - many exciting things, and many not-so-exciting things. Let me recap them for you, as I pop my binkey in my mouth and put my mind in motion:

1. I'm big. Really big. I'm nearly 10 feet tall now, or so my Daddy tells me. I've got thighs the size of small stadiums, and a cookie-filled belly that even Cookie Monster would be proud to own. As I age (and I am aging), the "fatty" look will surely not be attractive forever, so I am enjoying this stage while it lasts.

2. I have learned to wrestle like a boy. As a result, I beat up on my big brother and my Daddy regularly everytime they lay on the floor. My will is strong, and I know run this household effortlessly. They sleep when I sleep, they wake when I wake, and you can bet that if anyone has food - they better be sharing it. Especially if that food happens to be one of my important food groups: Jello, Potato Chips, Strawberries, Watermelon, or Kibbles & Bits.

3. My favorite toy in the house is the dishwasher. It's got lots of fun stuff to grab, and I like to play with the utensils. If the door is open and Mommy is loading the dishwasher, you can guarantee that I am unloading it just as quickly. However, I do like playing "clean up" as well, and will put things IN the dishwasher too. It just won't always be dishes - sometimes it's just me! In fact, I love putting my small toys into whatever holes or spaces I find. A favorite spot is Daddy's big base speaker. It has a nice hole in the front that is just the perfect size for my plastic balls. It's really fun to watch him try to get them out - as his hand doesn't fit through the hole like mine does.

4. I recently went to Hawaii with the whole family, and had a really good time. Well...about as good a time as a baby can have when you have jet lag, and you don't like to sit in restaurants, and you don't get to go to the beach because you'd eat the sand, and you fall asleep during a luau. But I got to spend a lot of time crusing in my baby carriage, and I spent a lot of time on the balcony looking at the ocean and all the people 36 floors below me. (By the way, no Michael Jackson-esque hanging off the balcony things happened. As tempting as it was on a few late nights, Mommy & Daddy had EXTRAORDINARY patience with me.) Here are some pictures from the trip:

5. Last week, while sitting peacefully on the floor watching my favorite TV show in the entire world (Sesame Street), I decided to just stand up. I'd spent the last few weeks walking around the house while putting my hands on couches, tables and walls. But I never thought to let go and just stand there. So, I decided to skip that "hang on and then let go" stage, and go directly to a standing position from a sitting position. I stood there for a few seconds and then just sat down. It didn't seem so difficult, and I don't understand why everyone made such a big deal out of it. Now, I'm standing up ALL THE TIME, and while standing I can play with a toy, or dance or reach for things. It sure gives me a different perspective from here...the doggy is not so large when I look down on her.

6. Speaking of the dog, I still think I'm a dog too. I battle her for her bed, her toys and her bones. I will growl at her when she's on my blankie, and I'll bite her if given the opportunity. I don't eat her food as much now, but I like to pick up pieces of her food and dump them in her water dish - then splash at the water trying to make the pieces jump out. When I crawl, I still carry my toys and my bottle around in my mouth. If you give me food on a plate, and I decide that I shouldn't throw the plate (which I like to do often), I will just stick my head down into the plate or bowl and eat the food like a dog...including the plate licking part afterwards. What can I say? I'm one cute puppy!

7. I found a new show that I like, as despite my love for Elmo, I have grown tired of Sesame Street. It's Teletubbies! Hurray! Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, La-La, Po! I especially like it when the baby in the sun giggles. I'll giggle along with him! Here's a picture of me while I watch TV (Folks, it just doesn't get more exciting as this!):

8. Two days ago, while I was standing, Daddy asked me to walk over to him while he was sitting down a few feet away from me. He stretched out his arm, and I took two stumbly steps and fell into his arms. Oh yeah. I'm just a few weeks away from running a marathon! I haven't really repeated that trick since, but everyone is waiting for me to take more steps! I'm sure it won't be long now! If I could just master that "walking on the feet bottoms" instead of "walking on my tip-toes" thing, I'll have it down pat.

9. I'm happy to be home now, and it only took me about a week to get back on Pacific Time. I really missed my toys when I was away, 'cause they are all noisy and stuff! I've got a really big ball, and I love to roll on it and chase it all over the house. I've got a new play house too, with "little people" in it. My favorite way to play with this toy is to open the house up and push all the people through the front door of the house to the "outside". If you dare put a person back inside the house, I'll just push them back out the door over and over again. It's MY house, and no one but ME can play in it.

10. Well, that's it! Now you all know what's been going on. I spend most of my days yelling for my brother, yelling at my brother, yelling for no reason, and generally making lots of noise. I have no "inside voice" yet, and if you find me an empty paper-towel tube or a vacuum attachment tube, I will yell in it REALLY LOUDLY, because I like how it sounds! When I'm not doing that, I'm using my own hand to do the "ba-ba-ba-ba" noise like an Indian war chant.

Life is good when you are a baby!