My SECOND flying lesson!

Daddy's been itching to continue my flight training ever since my first ground school lesson way back on July 4th of last year. I was all of 3 weeks old at the time, so he wanted to make sure I didn't forget everything he taught me. So today we all headed out to the University of Oklahoma airport in Norman, OK for my very first flight!



Daddy was very thorough in showing me what all the controls and instruments do. I was fascinated as you can tell!



Mommy sat in the back seat with me to keep me company. I had to check to make sure her microphone was positioned properly, and that Daddy's shoulder strap was secure. With that bit of the preflight done, we were ready to takeoff!



Here we are just getting airborne. I have discovered that the microphone cord sure does taste good, and seem to be oblivious to the miracle of flight that we are undertaking.



But Daddy is such a good pilot and so smooth on the controls (he told me to say that) that I ended up just taking a little snooze near the end of the 40-minute flight. Daddy says we flew over our house and downtown OKC.



Here we come in for a nice landing. Good flight Daddy!

Big news, I've got a new skill!

Can you guess what it is?



That's right, I can stand all by myself now! Daddy held on to me as I stood up, and then let go of me. I didn't even wobble! I probably stood there for 15 seconds before I decided I had sufficiently proven myself to Mommy and Daddy and went back to crawling.

Walking is sure to follow soon! In the last couple of weeks I have become really good at cruising around, even walking while pushing things like chairs or the coffee table in front of me. So soon enough, look out, here I come!

My favorite drawer

For some reason, I really like emptying this one drawer in the kitchen. If someone is in the kitchen, you bet I'll be there with them, and one of the first things I'll do is empty this drawer! (That is, unless the dishwasher is open, then I'll go for that. Or the refrigerator - I find that especially fascinating and you've never seen a baby crawl faster than when I hear that big door open.)

Daddy thinks I'm very cute when I start flinging things out of this drawer!

Having fun with Daddy's face (again!)

Daddy thought this was really funny and wanted me to tell about it. Tonight he was sitting on the couch holding me so I was standing in his lap facing him. He turned his head to the side once, and I took advantage of the opportunity by of course sticking my fingers in his ear, much like this past Sunday. Well, he turned his head back to look at me but I wasn't quite done yet, so I reached out to his chin and turned his head away again! Then I went back to my aural experiments. We repeated this several times - every time he'd turn his head back around to face me, I'd push his chin around so I could get to his ear. Apparently he couldn't figure out that I was busy poking and couldn't be bothered!

Yum, tortillas!

Mommy and Daddy wanted to go out to eat today so they decided on Mexican food. Of course, the food comes with tortillas, so Mommy tried to feed me one, since I've been doing so good with crackers. She tore off a tiny piece but I wasn't really interested in it, until I managed to get my hands on the WHOLE tortilla and tear off my own chunk! (I can do it myself, thank you very much.) Then I was very interested and nibbled it slowly, just like the cracker yesterday. Tasted so good that I ate a little too much a little too fast, and you know what happens when babies do that. But after Mommy and Daddy cleaned up a little, right away I wanted some more!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! This was Mommy's first Mother's Day, so I hope I let her know how much I love her. In the morning we were invited to one of Daddy's coworker's houses out in the country for breakfast. There were about 15 or so other people there so it was quite a lot of fun, and I got to be cute for all of them. Mommy and I had an especially good time because they have a dog, some cats, and even a horse that we got to meet! We stayed there a couple of hours and then headed home.


Here I am helping Mommy celebrate. And look at all my teeth (the other top one is just starting to come in too)!




That afternoon I got a nice long nap on Daddy's chest. He does not seem to mind, so I like sleeping there. Before I fell asleep, though, I had a lot of fun laying next to him on the couch and poking at his nose, ear and mouth. Every time he'd turn to look at me I'd let out one of my little laughs. Then he'd turn his face away and I'd go right back to investigating his various facial parts. Lots of fun!

I also ate a cracker this afternoon, which may not seem like that big of a thing, but Daddy thought it was especially cute they way I was eating it. I was sitting in my high chair, looking out the window, with the whole cracker in one hand. I'd take a little tiny nibble and work on it for a minute or so, then take another little nibble, just taking my time enjoying the cracker and the scenery out the window. It probably took 15 minutes to finish the cracker, but hey, I'm in no hurry!

My first taste of ice cream!

Started off as a great day, I woke Mommy and Daddy up, and then just an hour or so later, got tired and fell asleep again. But I sure was cozier now! (Try not to look too excited, Daddy!)






Later we all went out to lunch (Indian food) and I got to try some Naan bread. It was pretty good! We then stopped by Cold Stone Creamery for a little treat. While Daddy and Mommy ate what seemed like a wonderful and tasty dessert, they fed me peas. Oh boy, aren't they good to me. You can see how excited I was by that. But then, Mommy put a little bit of ice cream on her spoon and held it out to me. Well, I knew right what to, open my mouth wide and let her put that spoon in! I got my first taste of ice cream and it was wonderful! My eyes got real wide and practically glazed over, Daddy says. Of course now I wanted more and Mommy obliged me by giving me a little bit more. Mmmm, this is much better than that other stuff they've been feeding me. Of course, Mommy decided that a few little tastes is enough, and Daddy tried to go back to feeding me peas. I sure wasn't real happy about that, but I was hungry, so I did finish them off.

Daddy is convinced I'm going to turn into an ice cream addict like Mommy. I think he's right!

Mommy's slippers

Today Mommy and Daddy caught me doing something which they thought was pretty silly - but I was fascinated by it! I had a piece of paper wadded up and stuck it in Mommy's slipper which was on the floor. Then I looked at it for a moment, and took it back out. Put it back in, took it back out. Over and over again! Mommy and Daddy aren't sure what was so interesting, but they think it's really neat to see what things I find to be interesting as I learn about the world around me!

I feel so much better!

First, I want everyone to know that I am back to my normal self, maybe even better! Today was quite the day, let me tell you.

It started off really early. Since I couldn't eat anything before my surgery, Mommy and Daddy thought I was going to be a little cranky when I woke up. So when Daddy picked me up out of bed at about 5:20 AM this morning, he was very careful not to wake me - I even slept through him putting me in the car seat, and slept all the way to the hospital. When we got there, I did wake up, but I was a really good girl and didn't fuss at all! We checked in and finally they called us at about 6:30 into the pre-op room. I got to put on a little hospital gown and they put a pulse and blood oxygen sensor on my big toe, which I thought was very exciting and pulled off right after the nurse got done checking my vitals and left!

I crawled around on the hospital bed for a while, and Daddy and Mommy held me a little too. The nurse anesthetist and the doctor came by to talk about the procedure, and then went to get the operating room ready. We all had a big family hug then! I was still being really good and not fussing at all, even though I had been awake a long time without eating! At about 6:55 the nurse came and picked me up and we went into the operating room while Mommy and Daddy went to the waiting room.

It was quick and easy! They put a mask on my face and I went to sleep. The doctor said he first vacuumed out a lot of pus from both my middle ears, which was causing all the infections. He said things were pretty red and swollen. Then he put the tubes in, and was done in about 15 minutes. When I woke up, though, I wondered where I was and didn't see Mommy or Daddy, so I did get a little fussy. Finally, at about 7:30 they wheeled me on a gurney back into a room where Mommy and Daddy were very eagerly waiting for me! I saw Daddy first and tried to crawl off the gurney to get to him, reaching as far as I could with my little arms, fussing up a storm until he was finally able to pick me up. Then all was right with the world again, as Mommy says, and I quickly calmed down as Daddy and Mommy held me. They fed me a bottle, which I sucked down really quickly (I was really hungry by then), and we waited around until about 8 when the nurse let us leave. We got in the car and I fell asleep right away, and slept until about 10:30! I was tired!

But once I woke up, it was like nothing ever happened. I played with Mommy (Daddy had gone in to work), we went for a walk to the park and played on the swings, I took an afternoon nap, just like normal!

Mommy and Daddy sure were nervous, this being my first surgery, but fortunately things all went well and I can hear better and hopefully won't get any more ear infections! What a day!

Piper's going to have surgery on Wednesday

Our little Piper has been having a lot of problems with ear infections for many months now. The antibiotics she has been on each time have helped the symptoms, but the infections just come back again and again. After consultation with our pediatrician and with a specialist, the conclusion is that inserting ear tubes will help greatly reduce the number of ear infections, reduce pain and swelling of the eardrum, and enable her to hear much better (we've noticed lately that sometimes we have to speak very loudly to get her attention). But she's such an angel, always giving us that beautiful 5-tooth smile anyway.

So on Wednesday (the 30th), Piper will be having these ear tubes inserted. It is a very common procedure, with near 1 million children each year having it done, and the tubes are tiny and not visible outside the ear. But since it does require a general anesthetic, we're both a little concerned for our precious girl. We're glad that she'll be able to hear much better and learn to talk some more, but the next couple of days are sure going to be nerve-racking, as we consider the ever-present risks that any surgery presents.

Please keep our sweet little darling in your thoughts and prayers, and we will update everyone on how it went.

Russ and Rachael

What a beautiful day!

Today we went into downtown Oklahoma City where they were having an art festival at the botanical gardens. What a great day, sunny and nice without much wind. I got to look at thousands of people (and believe, there were a lot of interesting people to look at!) The botanical gardens were nice too, lots of grass and flowers and trees. Mommy and Daddy were acting really goofy toward each other the whole time, I finally figured out that their first date was at a botanical garden, so they were truly in fine form today, smooching and all kinds of other silliness.


We stopped for lunch (for me anyway!) on the side of a big grass hill. Here's Daddy and me on the hill.





There were lots of new things that needed to be tasted, like the grass we were sitting on! However, Mommy and Daddy didn't think it was as great an idea as I did and kept taking the grass out of my hands (and mouth). :(





There were lots of older kids (older to me that is, meaning anywhere from 2 on up) rolling down the hill on their sides. Well, we all know what a child Daddy is, so he of course had to try it out too. It was so fun, he went a second time! He sure looked silly, especially when he could barely stand up straight at the end. Mommy and I were much more reasonable and just played at the top of the hill.





We really had a wonderful day. It was great to get out of the house and do something together!

I helped Daddy play the piano!

I heard him playing, so I crawled on over, stood up (using his leg for support), reached up and started my own accompaniment! I can get the real high notes and the real low notes all by myself, but the bench is in the way of the others. Fortunately Daddy got the hint and set me on his lap to play. I really let loose, filling the house with melodious arpeggios and harmonious chords!

See, I can reach the keys all by myself!

Food flinging

I really got carried away eating today, and managed to fling some food on the wall. I've been good so far and mostly keep my food on my tray or on myself, but I hit Daddy's hand with the spoon in it just right today, and fling! The wall never looked better with pureed green beans adding some color!

Grandma and Grandpa visit again!

Today Grandma and Grandpa Roslewski came down from Tulsa again to spend the afternoon with me (we all realize they don't come down to see Mommy and Daddy anymore, it's me!) We got to go to the park and I got to swing on Grandma's lap just like Daddy used to do when he was my age. I'm sure I am much cuter though. I had a lot of fun!



I got thirsty, so Mommy tried to let me drink some water from her big bottle. I thought I knew all there is to know about bottles, but these ones are tricky. I did manage to get some in my mouth, but most got on my shirt instead! More practice is clearly needed.



I had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and I hope they come back again soon!

Propping myself up on my elbows

Just this week I figured out that I can investigate things on the floor by propping myself up on my elbows! I know this sounds silly, but before I would crawl over to something, and then sit up to play with it. Now I can just lay flat on the floor and investigate that molding or floor tile to my heart's content! Makes things much easier and more comfortable too.

Tooth number four?

On 3/28 Mommy and Daddy saw tooth number 3 coming in, and although you can still just barely see it, it looks like I'm getting tooth number 4 (my upper right tooth) already!

And Daddy thinks he may even see the beginnings of number 5! It's the next one on the top right (okay, Daddy just looked it up, it's the "upper right lateral incisor"). More to come on this recent development!

Mommy and I are being silly!

Mommy liked my new hairstyle so much, she decided to try it herself. She thinks it looks really silly! I think she's right! Now we just have to get Daddy to put his hair up like this. That might be a bit of a problem though...



And if you look closely, you can see my first upper tooth on my left, my third overall!

I like to bounce!

This exercise ball may be bigger than me, but if Daddy holds on to me I can bounce, bounce, bounce! I think it's a great time. I also like to hit it like a drum, but then it usually rolls away!

Guess who did my hair today?

It's been growing so long that it gets in front of my eyes and now needs to be put up. Unfortunately, I've got longer hair than Daddy, so he doesn't really know much about all the latest hair styles. But it sure looks cute this way!

Lip smacking

Recently I've taken up lip smacking! I think I'm trying to imitate Mommy and Daddy's kissing noises when they give me kisses. It's fun and I get my mouth all scrunched up into funny shapes. But it does make a good smacking sound!

I can get dressed all by myself!

See? I found Daddy's T-shirt and somehow got it over my own head. Mommy and Daddy aren't quite sure how I did this, but when Mommy turned to look at me, there I was!

I've started playing around with all kinds of fabrics - pillowcases, Daddy's other shirts, just having a fun time flipping them over my neck and shoulders, or dragging them around the floor. Fun!

Bathtime!

I have so much fun during bathtime! I just love to splash water all over the place and get Mommy and Daddy nice and wet. Here's a little video clip of me doing just that! What fun!

My last day in the "Barney"?

It had been getting warmer but this morning was pretty cold, so I had to wear the "Barney" one last time (maybe)! for my car ride to day care. It's warm and cozy, but Daddy thinks I look like Barney the dinosaur when I'm in it. Of course Barney's purple and this outfit is blue, but nobody ever said Daddy was good with colors!

My third tooth

It's finally starting to come in, my first upper tooth and my third tooth overall. It's been over two and a half months since I got my second one, so it seems like a really long time. Daddy will get a picture as soon as you can really see it!

I told my first joke!

Today as Mommy was changing my diaper, she asked me, "Who's got a big buddha belly?" And without hesitation, I answered right back "Dada!" We both thought it was very funny and had a good laugh. For some reason, Daddy didn't think it was quite as funny though!

I like to help Mommy in the kitchen

Kitchens are fun places! Lots of drawers and cabinets to open. Now that I can crawl around really well, I get to explore all kinds of neat places. I especially like opening a cabinet and watching the door swing shut. It's a lot of fun, and I can do it over and over and over again!

It's Easter Sunday!

And I got all dressed up! Do you like my dress? Mommy's roommates from college, Lanette and Nylene got it for me. Thank you Lanette and Nylene!

First overnight trip

After we saw Stan and Nicole, while at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Daddy came up to join us and it turned into our first overnight trip! Mommy and Daddy wanted to have a little adventure and see how much stuff they had to bring. It was a lot of stuff - play pen, high chair, clothes, diapers, toys, all the important items a little girl needs. But it was really nice getting to spend a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa.

It was a tough day. Here I am having a pre-nap nap with Grandma.



Then of course my real nap.



Of course, then Grandpa looked like he needed some help napping, so I helped him out.



But a baby can't nap all day, I had some serious playing and exploring to do! I got to meet their dog, Shadow, again. Of course I had met her before, but not since I got REALLY good at this crawling thing. Now Shadow was much more interesting, since I could chase her around the house playing tag. All day! I even found her hiding up on the couch. She couldn't escape from me!



Of course, all this crawling around is bound to make a little baby tired! So it was time for yet another nap! Grandpa was nice enough to let me nap on him again. He's pretty comfy, but Daddy is still my favorite!



I hope we get to go up there again very soon!

Got to see Aunt Nicole and Uncle Stan again

Today I got to see "Aunt" Nicole and "Uncle" Stan again. They were my first overnight visitors way back when I was just 8 days old! Stan's family is from Tulsa, and they were in town visiting from Phoenix, so Mommy and I took a road trip up there this morning to show them what a big girl I have become in the last 9 months! Daddy came up later and we stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We had a great time. I got to play with other kids too! Here are some of the people I met.

And here is Stan holding me up so I can get a better look at the fan! :)

In the afternoon, Mommy dropped me off at Grandma Roslewski's house so her and Nicole could go do grown-up stuff. I don't know what that means, but it was probably BORING! So I got to play with Grandma, which was really fun! But more about that later.

Have you ever seen a happier girl?

I love coming home and seeing Daddy, can you tell?

Try #2 at feeding myself

I tried to feed myself again, with not much better results. But I sure did have a lot of fun getting food all over!

Did I just say Mama?

Both Mommy and Daddy thought they heard it from me this morning! Unfortunately for Mommy, I haven't repeated it as often as I repeat Dada, so no recording yet!

I can feed myself crackers!

Or Cheerios even!

We went back to the park!

For the second day in a row, we got to go to the park! It was a great day. I got to swing for a long time! I could have stayed there the rest of the day. I also got to go down the slide, which wasn't as fun as the swing, since my shoes kept gripping the slide on the way down. But I'm sure I'll like the slide too once I figure it out.

What a fun day!

I think I called Dada by name this morning!

While Daddy was changing me this morning, I looked right at him and said "da-da". Not dadadadada or la-ma-da-da-la. Daddy thinks that I actually meant "Da-da" this time, and it of course would be the first time I've done it!



Still can't get the hang of saying "ma-ma", though, that one's tough!

My first time at the park!

Mommy and Daddy have been taking me out for walks the last few days due to the great weather we're having. Well, today we stopped by the local park along our walk. It was really fun! I got to see other children and doggies, but the BEST part was when Mommy and Daddy put me on the swing! It was an infant swing so I felt nice and safe and got a huge grin on my face. Daddy was standing in front of me and every time I'd get close to him, I'd squeal and stick my tongue out. I liked it! I hope we go back very soon (Daddy says of course we will, but this time with the camera.)

Watching Daddy at the grill

Today was a really nice day, so Daddy went outside and grilled up some dinner. I was with Mommy in the kitchen when Daddy went outside, so I just had to see what he was up to. I saw him through the glass door and made sure he knew I was there with one of my nice loud squeals! And when he looked over at me I gave him the biggest smile.

But he didn't want me crawling around outside, so I had to stay and just watch him through the door. :(

Holding my bottle? Easy!

I know I've mentioned that Daddy has been making me hold my own bottle for a few weeks now. I'd still much rather have him do it, but it's not so bad doing it myself if I really have to. In fact, I even impressed him today by holding it in just one hand! See, I told you it was easy. Aren't I just a little showoff?

Tried to feed myself today

Today Mommy gave me the chance to try to feed myself. Well, after flinging the food on my hair, on my face, all over the tray, on my bib, and of course on Mommy too, I actually did manage to get the spoon in my mouth!

Too bad there wasn't anything left on it!

We'll keep trying though. I'll get it right one of these days.

Piper Roslewski, D.D.S.?

Recently I've been quite fascinated by mouths. Not my own, of course, I've been sticking my fingers in my own mouth for quite some time now. But now, if I can get within arms' reach of Mommy or Daddy's mouth (or anyone else for that matter), in my hands go! I find it quite interesting. Daddy thinks maybe I should be a dentist when I grow up. He says that dentistry is a fine profession and I can make lots of money and support him and Mommy in their retirement! (Quite a dreamer, isn't he?)

Mommy was able to catch Daddy's latest checkup in photos!

Say AHHH!


Now this is a first, I haven't ever stuck BOTH hands in before, but I do what I need to do.



And back to my mouth where they belong!

See I am high crawling!

I finally reminded Daddy to get a video of me doing some real crawling, so here you go! I've been crawling all over the house now. I like to follow Mommy and Daddy (but especially Daddy) wherever they go. I also have figured out that if I crawl over to Daddy and pull on his pant leg, he'll pick me up! It sure is nice being able to get around on my own, but it sure scares Mommy and Daddy sometimes!

Trying to get the hang of the "sippy cup"

I'm trying to figure this whole sippy cup thing out. I've got the hang of the "get it in the mouth" part, but past that I'm not quite sure what to do yet. I'll figure it out soon, don't worry!

Am I the "Mad Bluebird"?

Recently I've taken up making a "grumpy" face. I'm not really grumpy, it's just a fun face to make! Mommy and Daddy think I look a lot like the "Mad Bluebird" photo. What do you think?

Compare me with:

Does it get much cuter than this?

Daddy doesn't think so!

I finally got it!

Well after days of trying, I finally got that elusive remote control. I even sometimes figure out how to turn the TV on with it, which surprises Mommy and Daddy. I am getting really good at pulling myself up to standing, and do it as much as I can!

How about a picture of me crawling?

No video yet, but here I am crawling over to see Mommy. You will notice that I'm bringing my doll with me - pretty clever, huh?

What a busy reader I am!

Mommy put all my books on the bottom shelf so I can get at them easily. But sometimes I just can't make up my mind which one I want to read!

I was very cute for Daddy today. He was standing up next to my play mats, and I crawled all the way over to him, looked up at him, smiled, and said "Eh", which he properly interpreted as "Daddy, please pick me up." So he did! I love Daddy!

I'm clapping now!

Today I learned how to clap! Daddy and Mommy have been helping me clap for a couple of months now, singing songs like B-I-N-G-O and I've thought the clapping was the most fun part. Well today I showed them by clapping all by myself, for no reason at all other than I was laughing and happy. And just to prove I could do it, I did it again as both of them watched. It's fun!

Sleeping on Daddy

Now I've come up with some pretty weird sleeping positions in the past, and Daddy thought this one was right up there with the rest of them. I was tired!