I'm Back

Well, I've returned home and am now trying really hard to get used to my bed, my food, my bathtub, and mom's hectic schedule. But, I'm coping. As lonely as I might be without all of those friendly faces like my Papa, Nonni, cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Nana, Granddad, and the list goes on. My travels were so much fun and I was so glad that we could keep you sorta updated on the fun things we did.

Nothing spectacular though in regards to new developments. I'm still not sitting up, I still have no teeth, and I am still not crawling. However, I am talking like crazy (if you can call it that) and am army crawling with much more ease now. I have been getting my share of solid foods. We started with sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots while I was in SC. Since returning home, I've branched out to Avocado. Mom is definitely being more gourmet now that she's back in her own kitchen.

I hope all is well with everyone and I look forward to seeing all of my loyal readers soon!

1/2 Year Birthday

Wow, am I getting old! It's hard to believe that I'm already 6 months old. (I know this is especially difficult for my mom.) So many things have happened and life is so exciting. I know now that there is a huge world out there for me to explore and I'm just getting a taste of it, literally. I've so enjoyed sharing all of my news with all of you and look forward to recounting the exciting moments to come in the next 6 months of my life! I've been told I grow and learn by leaps and bounds during this portion of it.

Who is This? Please Help

Well, I'm not talking yet and that's a good thing because we're still not sure what to call my... Here I am with ... having much fun jumping on her countertop. (I highly doubt that I will be allowed to do this next time that I visit.) So, please cast your votes and offer suggestions for what my ... should be called.

Grandma (Although, my Aunt Trish isn't real excited about this one.)
Gram (Slightly better)
Nanny
Nonni (Italian word for Grandmother)

Now, we are aware that despite our best efforts some other endearing term may come out, but we'd like to give something specific a try first. ... better watch it though, she's been saying YaYa to me a lot, I might just call her that.

Swimming

I said it was hot in my last post and it sure is. So, we've been going to the pool every other day
while we are here. I love the water, of course, we all already knew this. But now, I've taken to extreme swimming for babies. Yep, I'm out of the floaty and dog paddling it on my own here in the water.






























Living dangerously on the edge for mom. She keeps trying to keep my head out of the water,
little does she know that I keep purposely dipping it in.

I've gone to the pool now with my Aunt Trish, my Papa, and my ? (see next post for details). I know that mom would enjoy getting a tan here and swimming laps, but she's been a real sport in getting her work out just with me. (Unfortunately, it's just a work out, it doesn't come with post workout recovery time!) Oh, and don't worry, my mom has been very diligent about keeping me in the shade and I have sunscreen on. The hat that mom insists I look so cute in...I'm not really liking it while I'm in the water, the brim gets in the way.

Playing with PaPa

Me and my PaPa have been playing a lot together. He is trying really hard to help me build muscles so that I can crawl or sit up. But so far, I'm just getting better at squirming and wiggling to where I need to go. Man the carpet is hard on the knees! Good thing that mom brought this blanket, but it is definitely not large enough to contain me.

My Papa, he growls at me and does something similar to the Jim Carey "The Claw." He also eats my feet and my stomach. This makes me squeal like a taradactile, (I'm still not laughing quite yet but getting closer every day) which makes him laugh like snagglepus. Regardless, we both smile a lot when we are together.

This picture is just for my dad. I wanted him to see me up close and personal since I know he misses me so much! I miss him a lot too, especially our morning playtime on the weekends! But my mom has given me kisses and hugs from him every day, possibly more than he gives me when he's around. I know he tells her to give me those kisses and hugs, he must miss me a whole lot!

Signs of Sitting Up

Yep, I'm tripoding it. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, mom will get a picture of me unsassisted and fully upright. Who knows, maybe PaPa and Grandma will get lucky on my upcoming trip and see a whole bunch of firsts. Maybe a tooth, first crawl, and a first time sitting up. I'll keep you posted as always on any new developments.

Happy 4th of July

What a 4th! I started the day in Kansas City, we had lunch, went to the bookstore and then started our trip to Joplin where we ended the day with some big fireworks. Here I am in my star spangled baby outfit and loving the fireworks. They're very similar to when mom and dad clap their hands for me and it makes me smile big.

Hope you all are having a great holiday weekend! We'll be back in Texas on the 7th so mom and dad can spend some time together and I can rest up for another big trip. Yep, I'm a travelin baby. I'm off to South Carolina on the 11th to see my other set of grandparents! I'll continue to keep you posted with the places we go and the new things I get to do away from home!

Great Gram Rankin

We took a trip to Princeton, MO today to meet Great Gram Rankin. It wasn't only a first meeting for me, it was a first meeting for my mom too! We had a nice time and I stayed behind with Nana while Great Gram showed mom and dad the sites of our family history. One day they will recount this to me no doubt. We made Great Gram very happy as it was an entire family trip.

Finally! Aunt Katherine

Here I am with my Aunt Katherine! (Mom says this looks like double trouble.) I finally met her this weekend when I went to Kansas City. She made a trip over from Columbia where she goes to school...yep, she's trying to make me into a Missouri Tiger already, along with some help from Nana. Maybe they'll send me a onesie with the tiger on it. Although, I better keep this a secret from the Longhorn and Aggie friends I have back home. I had a great time with Aunt Katherine and smiled a lot for her. She thought I was awful cute and well behaved for a little one. (Mom thought we looked awful cute together and saw some resemblance in those eyes of ours.)

Already Driving?

This looks pretty serious. Dad's letting me in on the finer points of driving including the fact that I can't do this until I'm 16. In fact, he's letting me know that despite my best effort at looking cute, I will be going back into the car seat.

Me and My Cousins

I love hanging out with my cousins! Cousin Will takes really good care of me. He gets me toys and shows me (and sometimes mom) how they work. Cousin Chanie and I have a great time hanging out together and she is teaching me a ton. She's just learning how to walk but is a master at crawling and was showing me exactly how to do that. She also talks and blows kisses which were things that I tried to imitate, but now with much success at this point. Although, I have gotten the "ba" and "ma" sounds down with her help. We wish we were al closer together because we did get along so well. Hopefully, our next visit together will be before the holidays and I'll be crawling and have teeth, just like Chanie.