First hiking trip

Happy Birthday to me!

Mommy knows it's been awhile. She's sorry. Today was my birthday, but my party is Saturday. Instead of cake pictures, here's a movie all about me!

Time with friends

What a good time I've been having lately! I'm 9 months old now, and I've been crawling for about two weeks. It sure has changed how things are around here. I have my very own playroom now, but I keep crawling out of it to explore the rest of the house.

Some people have come to visit me lately, including my Uncle Dan, who shares my name, and Cousin Wendy. They brought a cute puppy named Joss who kept trying to play with me. I guess he thought I was a puppy, too.

My best bud Tony and I had our first sleepover. We played, took a bath, and were so tired afterward that we slept really well. I think our parents had a good time, too.

My first Christmas

I had a great first Christmas! I got lots of presents and got to see so many family members and friends. Up top, you can see me with some of my favorite presents: a D&D onesie from Uncle Dan, Aunt Annie and Jack and Wendy; a big stuffed dragon from Scott; and a music play table from Mommy and Poppa.

On Christmas Eve, we went to see Nana and Poppy in Morristown. They were happy to see me, of course, and we had a great time.

Then, on Christmas morning Mommy and Papa and I opened presents from Santa. I was very excited to come in that morning and see the tree and all the presents. There's a picture here of Papa carrying me in on Christmas morning, and me grabbing for my new dog toy, Patrick.

We went to Gran and Bear's house next, and I had a great time with them and my aunts. Later, we went to my great-grandmother's house for lunch.

I can't wait for next year!

Tha cute

Here are some photos of yours truly. Mommy thinks they're cute.

Also, I got my first tooth last week, the bottom left one.

Of Thanksgiving and ear infections

Well, it all started with a birthday party. My cousin Trey (who lives all the way in Arizona) had a first birthday here in Tennessee. Of course we went, and we had a great time. There were lots of toys, and I put them all in my mouth.

Soon, it was Thanksgiving, and I had a cold. Mommy and Poppa didn't think it was anything serious, so we went to see Nana and Poppy and my cousins, and Gran and Bear and my aunts anyway. I played with everyone, and I especially enjoyed playing ball with my cousin Corey. Nana also had a dinosaur and a motorcycle toy that were lots of fun.

My cold got worse and worse. Mommy and Poppa got really worried when my clogged nose got so bad I couldn't eat or nurse. We took a fun trip to the emergency room way past my bedtime. I got to meet lots of nice nurses, and I slept right through the doctor examining me. It turned out I had an ear infection, so I got some pink antibiotic stuff I have to take twice a day.

I'm a lot better now, but last week on Monday I got my first tooth! It hurt a lot, but it's kinda cool to have. Mommy's just wondering when we can expect the next one.

I'm ready for my close-up

Mommy and Poppa took me to Mrs. Ruth's house to have some six-month-old pictures made. Mrs. Ruth is the photographer at the Shopper, and she has a nice backdrop and studio set up at her house.

Of course, once we got there, I couldn't be bothered to smile. I mean, why should I if I don't feel like it? Besides, when I didn't smile, Mommy and Poppa and Mrs. Ruth and her daughter Miss Caroline jumped around and made funny faces and sang and danced, so that was really interesting.

Here are Mommy's favorite pictures.