Post-Christmas blues

Daddy always has all of our Christmas decorations put away by January 2nd. Today he decided to do it early and took all of it down (once he has his mind set on something he does not stop until it is done- Mommy calls it OCD). I woke up from my nap and all of a sudden the trees and santas were gone! I am so sad that Christmas is over, but luckily some places still have the holiday spirit. Today we went to the Gaylord Texan resort to get one last look at Christmas. It was so neat there, I loved it! I sure hope that they don't catch that OCD stuff.

Christmas celebrations

Sorry to have neglected my family friends on my holiday activity updates, but since getting back from our trip we've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to "play" on the computer. First of all, Santa showed up at our pajama playgroup! He even brought me a gift, but I didn't want to get near him (as evidenced by previous post) so I had to be coaxed. He gave me this cool book that looks just like the one I saw Mommy buy a few days earlier.

Next, Mommy and Daddy came to my Christmas party at school, but I was so distracted by Mommy being there that they decided to leave during circle time.

After mass on Christmas Eve, the neighbors came over for dinner and I played with the kids for a bit (sorry no pics, I went to bed early that night). I woke up at my usual 7:30 on Christmas morning to open up my gifts from Santa and the folks. Santa got me a little four-wheeler, and I like playing with it, but apparently I have a fear of driving so we'll have to wait a couple of months to fully utilize all the features. I overheard Mommy make some comment thanking God that it wasn't expensive (how would she know what it cost and what would it matter to her how much Santa paid?).

All of us (even Chopper) went to Nona and Papa's for dinner, and Papa got out some of Daddy's old toys to play with. It was a bit lonely though without the rest of the family; the Kidds (including Kyleigh and Mikinley) spent the day with Uncle Tom's family and the Nechamkins were in Russia . . . meeting my future cousins (currently named Polina and Anton)! But, at least I got a lot of undivided attention from my grandparents . . . what else would be expected?

Of course, we had a little party for this year's Holiday Bowl with the Horns beating Arizona State. Although Daddy is happy about the win, he is still disappointed that we didn't make it to the BCS National Championship this year (and he will never recover from the loss to those awful Aggies).

Overall, I had a great second Christmas and I hope that everyone else did as well!

Visiting Santa

2006 (6 months old)

2007 (19 months old)

Poor Santa.

No tan lines . . .

That's because I didn't spend too much time in the sun. The fog in Galveston on Sunday delayed the arrival of our ship by several hours and then we weren't even able to leave until Monday afternoon . . . which made us miss our first port time at Montego Bay. So we headed straight to our second destination at Grand Cayman island . . . along with tropical storm Olga. We instead arrived in Cozumel a day early and then went to Progreso (Yucatan, Mexico) the following day. Since there weren't any fun toddler-friendly excursions, Mommy and Daddy took turns entertaining me in port while the other had a good time without us. Unfortunately I didn't get to splash in the ocean since our plans kept changing, but the pool was fun and I did do some shopping in Mexico. The ship was huge and even had play areas for kids (and "camps" for kids over two). I must admit that I had a hard time adjusting to being away from home and my bed (unlike Reese and JP) and gave the family a really hard time, but we had a lot of quality time together on the ship- thanks to the fog and Olga. What matters most is that Lola and Papo had a great anniversary!

* Papo- I'm sorry that your head was cut off in one of these pictures by the border (I was cut out completely in our group picture!).

Off to the Carribean

I will be "out of pocket" for a whole week to celebrate Lola and Papo's anniversary. The whole family is going on a 7-day cruise to the Carribean. I've never been on a boat before, but I'm sure that I'll like it since I love the water. Plus I get to play with Reese and JP everyday. And just in time for the trip, I got a brand new cold that I can share with everyone on the ship!

Happy 40th Anniversary!

Next Sunday (December 16th) is Lola and Papo's anniversary. They were married 40 years ago in Michigan. After all these years they are proud to have two children, three grandchildren, and one granddog. Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Christmas Decorations

Daddy always has the house decorated and the lights up by Thanksgiving Day. Last year I wasn't able to appreciate the sights and sounds of Christmas, but now I really enjoy looking at it all. I drag my parents around the house to show them the decorations (as if they did not know they were there). I drag them outside to show them the lights. And if you were to come and visit, I will drag you all around, too. Thanks to Mommy I even get to see mall decorations a lot!

We have two Christmas trees and my folks weren't sure how I would do with them this year, but I've been very good about leaving the ornaments where they belong. I only like to look at them . . . especially since they taste so bad.

Animal Noises

Daddy went deer hunting this weekend (poor Bambi) so it was just Chopper, Mommy, and me (Mommy always calls herself "single" whenever Daddy leaves overnight). We did a lot of Christmas shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Actually, she did all of those things and I was just there making those tasks more difficult.

During dinner Mommy videotaped one of my "tricks." You see, within the last few months I developed a new love for animals and vehicles. I point them out wherever we go. I may not be able to verbally name any of them, but I can make many of the animal noises and Mommy caught some of them on camera. I'll have to learn what a deer "says" to make feel Daddy guilty for shooting two of them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am very thankful for many things. Besides my parents and my milk, I am also thankful for my extended family. Lola and Papo came to Dallas so on Thanksgiving Day we had lunch with the Termulos, and in the evening we had dinner with the Hoges. Most people stuff themselves with all the great food, but my eating habits have changed dramatically so I ate close to nothing. At least I won't have to go on any of those post-holiday diets I hear so much about. I'm pretty satisfied with my chicken-nugget/fish-sticks diet.

For the first time I got to play with both sets of cousins in a single day, but as usual they all outlasted me and I needed some sleep. Oh, and I'm also thankful for my bed, blanket, and noisemaker.

Ready . . . get set . . . go!

Before bedtime I like to practice my throwing technique for my future as a pitcher (or quarterback). Don't worry, there will still be time during the off seasons to volunteer my time and talent . . . and model. I'm quite rough around the edges right now, but keep in mind that I'm only 17 months into my life so I haven't yet developed all my motor skills. Plus, I'm not exactly practicing with a regulation ball.

16-Month Pictures

Here are pictures of me at 16 months. I was so cute back then.

Q.T. Butt, M.D.

I refuse to wear anything on my head and since most of the cute Halloween costumes out there require some form of head gear, my options were limited. So this year I decided to dress up as a doctor like my Papo (internist) and Uncle Cesar (pediatrician). But, I'm going to be a specialist so that I can make the big bucks (and of course, give it all to charity). Mommy wants me to be a plastic surgeon so that I can keep her looking young.

Nona monogrammed my costume "Q.T. Butt, M.D." for me and I had a few opportunities to wear it: During my school's costume parade . . .

My playgroup's annual Halloween party at Kiely and James' house . . .

and Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night . . .

Comparisons

Here I am (on the far right) at 17 months old for our group shot during this year's Halloween party:

One year earlier when I was 5 months old (still taking three naps and late for one of them), this was our picture with the same group but a few less kids (I am on the far right again):

Which party do you think I (and ultimately Mommy) enjoyed more?

Grandparents

I have been blessed with two sets of great (as in awesome) grandparents. Nona and Papa (Daddy's parents) live here so I get to see them weekly, but Lola and Papo (Mommy's parents) are in San Antonio so I don't get to see them that much. However, if they all lived here they would certainly be fighting over me!

Last Thursday my folks had to work (Mommy had to work for another speech therapist) and they missed my first costume parade at school. So Nona and Papa came to see me. There were a few other "Nonas," but I had the only "Papa" there. I guess that those kids aren't as loved as much as I am.

Then my parents left for the Texas-Nebraska game in Austin on Saturday and Nona and Papa stayed with me until Sunday. (Sidenote: There are a lot of things my parents do that I don't understand, like that work thing, but why they don't bring me to those fun games is beyond me.) I kept Papa really busy since he didn't seem to mind that his Huskers lost to Daddy's Longhorns. I had a great time because Nona wouldn't let me cry and Papa took me to the park twice a day. Papa even let me climb on some scary playground equipment . . . and I got to bust my lower lip! Now I look real tough so I'm going to intimidate that "scratching" boy in my class. I'll teach him how to fight like a man.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents! Daddy, you're one lucky man! Mommy said that this has been the best five years of your life.

(Sorry about the quality of this picture- I had to scan it from the wedding album which is heavier than me.)

Pumpkin Patch(es)

Last Sunday Mommy and Daddy took me to a pumpkin patch for the first time. I never made it last year; I was taking so many naps there was never enough time to get out of the house (remember, I love my sleep and can make everyone miserable if I don't get it)! So this year, I got to see all the animals, go on a hayride, and play in the pumpkin patch. Except for the strong winds, it was a great day to go out there. Not only did I get to take home a pumpkin of my own, I brought home severe allergies! That's ok because I got a new prescription. Mommy kept talking about how expensive it was so it must be a good one.

On Wednesday we had a playgroup at a different pumpkin patch. It didn't last very long though. The winds were even stronger that day so after a good whiff of all the animals, getting dirt in my eyes, and being knocked over by wind gusts a couple of times, I had had enough and we got the heck out of there. Sorry, no cute pictures with the pumpkins that day.

What the . . . ?

This is my school picture. No, I'm not joking, it really is. I had obviously forgotten about it because I certainly would have warned Mommy weeks ago that I had my blanket during the pictures. For those of you who didn't know, I suck my thumb when I go to sleep. Mommy started sending the blanket that I sleep with to school for nap time. However, whenever I am having a rough time, the "Mrs. Jennifers" give it to me, and now I have associated my blanket with sucking my thumb even when I'm not going night-night. Get it? It has gotten to the point that if I even see my blanket I start sucking my thumb. So, as you can see I was having a difficult time during picture day and this is what I looked like . . . with my blanket . . . sucking my thumb . . . out of my crib . . . captured in a photograph . . . for eternity. Sorry, Mommy. Hopefully this does not come back to haunt me one day. How embarrassing that the Class of 2024's valedictorian sucked his thumb.

Romantic breakfast

A huge storm blew through the area overnight, and we woke up without power (at least the sound of the rain outside matched the setting on my noise maker). I was quite confused about the darkness and not getting my waffles this morning, but I was able to enjoy my yogurt by candlelight. Unfortunately, I'm still new to eating utensils and it was a little hard to see what I was doing, so I really wasn't enjoying anything.

(I know that it's really hard to see in this video, but I still look super cute- Mommy even said so!)

Almost tall enough

Sorry that I have been slacking off lately with my posts. I am now consistently on one nap a day and have been really busy occupying my folks. I have been learning a lot of new tricks including opening doors; I usually do it when I'm purposely being kept out of another room. When I have both hands free, I can lean in and reach all the way up to pull on the lever- Daddy thought that he had several more months to toddler-proof the doors (just like Mommy was hoping for several more months of two-nap days). I just can't wait to to be tall enough to play with the water dispenser, I mean, get my own cup of water.

War Wounds

Today at school I got into my first fight, but it was apparently one-sided. He scratched my right cheek (like a girl); I just cried. When I got home from school, I got into another one-sided fight with the wall. It hit me on the left side of my forehead (when I wasn't looking); I just cried that time, too. Thankfully, my wounds will heal before I start my child modeling career.

15-Month Pictures

Last week I turned the big 1-6 months. Here are pictures of back when I was only 15 months old. I sure do miss those days.

Bookworm

I have grown to love books more than any of my other toys (but still not as much as I love sleeping). I enjoy looking at them, walking around with them, and having my parents read them to me. Sometimes Mommy tells me to go look at my books so that she can get a break (again, from what I'm not sure). There is this one book (Dog is Lost) that I like the most because Mommy has read it to me since I was two weeks old. She often tries to hide it because she gets so tired of reading it over and over again. But, I've got her number and I know when it is missing from my bin. Nice try, lady!

Visit with cousins

This past Saturday Reese and JP came to visit me. They, however, were not in their game day gear. I guess it's because their daddy's alma mater, Notre Dame, isn't doing well (don't worry Ninong Cesar, the season is still early). . . unlike Daddy's horns (take caution Daddy, the season is still early)! Hook 'em! Here are some pictures for Lola and Papo.

Reese in my crib . . .
Chopper making sure that I share . . .

Trying to get a picture with all three of us . . .

Daddy holding JP for some reason (where was I at this time?) . . .

Traumatic Day

Mommy has been wanting to go back to work but she was never able to figure out what to do with me. She didn't like the idea of a daycare and it's hard to find a nanny just for two days a week. So, last spring she enrolled me in a Mother's Day Out program. While I'm there, she is going to start her own private speech therapy business. I don't know why I wasn't consulted in all these decisions being made. I had no idea what was in store for me . . .

With the exception of the day I was born, today was the most traumatic day of my life. Mommy and Daddy had been really nervous about today (now I know why) and felt sorry for my poor teachers (that part I don't understand). My teachers Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Jennifer (it's unlikely I'll get their names wrong) were really nice when they greeted us this morning, but the next thing I knew Mommy and Daddy just LEFT ME THERE . . . FOR THE WHOLE DAY! I was really upset, but still ate all of my lunch and even took a nap there. Later in the afternoon they told Mommy that I did well, but I know the real story. Despite all the tears I kind of had a good time there, but I just hate being away from my folks. Hopefully that "school" thing is just a one time deal.

Do you like my new lunchbox?

Mrs. Jennifers

Don't leave me here!

Ready to go home in the afternoon (where are my shorts from this morning?)