Trick or treat!

This was my second Halloween, and the first where I could actually walk around to our neighbors' houses. Mommy and Daddy got me all dressed up as a cute pink poodle and we headed on out before the older kids started going around (of course that means everybody above age 2!). We only went to a few of our neighbors' houses but I wanted to show everybody my costume!

Here I am sitting on the front step with Daddy, all ready to go!



As we headed out, I really wanted to take one of the real pumpkins with me. Even the small one was pretty heavy, but I got it most of the way down the walk by myself. You may remember this is the pumpkin I picked out of the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago!



First stop was to wish Smootchie a Happy Halloween. She's a very friendly cat!



This is me outside our first stop, Bob and Mary's house. You can see the Nestle Crunch bar I got from them. This I think is my favorite candy bar - I got lots! Of course Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me eat them all, but I did have one and really liked it!



When we went to Jim and Carol's house, their friendly dog "Lexi" came out to say hi. Maybe my costume fooled her!



Our other neighbors Patty and Dave always have a very scary house at Halloween, with all the spooky decorations. I was a little scared at first, but when I saw they had a dog too, I ignored all that silly stuff and wanted to say hi! Wendy is a toy poodle, just like I was tonight! Maybe that's why we got along so well. She even has the same color bows in her hair!



Our last stop was at our next-door neighbor Amy's house. Her house had a very spooky witch hanging outside. I kept my distance, but when Daddy came over I grabbed his hand and walked right past the witch, no problem. I knew Daddy would keep me safe!



After we went back home I got to see lots of other kids come to our door. Mommy kept giving out candy to anyone who knocked. What a strange holiday. But I think I'm going to like it!

Daddy tried to trick me, but I knew better!

For dinner Daddy was having some chicken nuggets and he offered me some. I took a little bite of his and I liked it! So he put the rest of that one plus another on my tray to see if I'd eat them. Of course I grabbed one in each hand and ate the rest of the first one right up! I still had the other whole one in my left hand, but I started getting fussy and pointing at Daddy's plate - I wanted another one for my right hand! Daddy, thinking I just wanted one in each hand, took the one from my left hand and broke it in half, giving them both back to me. This usually works, but I kept on fussing - I even turned on the waterworks and got a few tears going for full effect! Finally Daddy handed me another whole nugget, and guess what - I immediately calmed down and got back to the business of eating.

Look, Daddy, you can't fool me anymore! I may only be a baby, but I know 1/2 + 1/2 doesn't equal 2! (After all, I am your little math geek in the making. Like Daddy, like daughter!)

I was such a good girl today!

Today was a really good day for me. Daddy says I was a little angel ALL day! This morning when he woke me up I gave him a big hug and smile. When he changed my diaper I didn't fuss at all. Then we played "Where's Piper's nose (head, belly, foot, knee)?" and I got them all! It took me a moment to remember where my knee was, Daddy just taught me that one yesterday. He said he could see the "gears" turning in my head for a few seconds until I figured it out.

Then I had some milk and oatmeal for breakfast. The oatmeal I wanted to eat off of Daddy's big spoon, and I ate all of it. I didn't fuss much when Daddy brushed my teeth or when he put my jacket on, either. I was really on my best behavior!

When Mommy drove me in to day care, I just happily babbled to myself. Then she dropped me off, and I ran over to Ms. Angela (my teacher), gave her a big hug, and said by-bye to Mommy.

When Mommy picked me up, I was really cute too. I ran over to Mommy as soon as I saw her and gave her a really big hug! Then I waved by-bye to Ms. Fern and we headed out. I will admit that I did get a little fussy on the way home, but that was kind of my fault for dumping out all the Cheerios Mommy had given me to snack on.

I saw Daddy when we pulled into the driveway and smiled and waved really big. I was patient as he unstrapped me and got me out of the car. The neighbor cat Smoochie came over to say hi so I got to pet her a little, and scream at her like I've taken to doing recently. I do mean it in the nicest way, though!

We went inside and I played with Daddy and my stuffed animals a little, and we had dinner. Now, I am a picky eater, but I did eat most of what Mommy gave me. After dinner was bath time. I usually love the water play but hate the actual washing, and especially washing my hair - oh it's awful! But today I was really pretty good, not fussing too much at all. Mommy dried me off, I had some milk before bed, and Mommy was able to clip my toenails without me kicking all around. Mommy and Daddy sang to me before bed, laid me down and I gave them a big smile and fell right asleep.

I was just so full of hugs, smiles, and a good mood today that Daddy thought I should tell all of you!

15-month well-baby checkup

I know you're probably thinking, "Wasn't she 15 months old last month?" No, your math skills don't need any work, I am 16 months old this month. But regardless, I had my 15-month checkup today. I had to get some shots, too, 3 of them. I didn't like it at all! In fact, I was fussy the whole time at the doctor's office, even starting the crocodile tears when they tried to weigh me! I don't know what was bothering me, maybe it's because the last doctor I saw was the one doing my ear surgery.

The doctor says that I am veyr skinny for my height - but we knew that! I do need to try to eat more and that should help fatten me up. I have to cut back on all the milk I've been drinking and eat more solid foods. I'll give it a shot!

I measured at:

Height: 35 inches (but I was so squirmy it was hard to be accurate) - off the percentile chart

Weight: 25 lbs 6 oz (75th percentile)

Head circumference: (75th percentile)

When I got home I was still fussy, although Daddy thinks it was because the shots still hurt. I was very fussy all night, up until I was put to bed, when I really calmed down, said "by-bye" to Mommy and Daddy, waved at them, and fell right asleep.

New word - turkey?

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I've decided to start working on the word "turkey". We have a book which has a turkey as one of the main characters, and every time I see him, I point to him and try to say "turkey". So far it's been coming out more like "dir-dy", but I'm working on it!

More helping Daddy in the back yard

Daddy is thinking about either moving one of the trees in the backyard or putting in a new one. So he had the lines marked before he started digging. Mommy was out shopping, so I was more than happy to assist Daddy in any way I could. Here you can see me telling Daddy where would NOT be a good place to put the tree!

I even got to taste some dirt before Daddy could stop me. Yuck!

To thank me for all my good help, Daddy took me to the playground at the park. He carried me on his shoulders the whole way! It was a great day with Daddy!

Parent-teacher conference

Mommy met with my teacher this morning to discuss how I was doing at day care. She said there are two main things I need to work on.

First, I need to work a little harder on my words - Mommy and Daddy read to me everyday, and I'm making a lots of new sounds, just I haven't quite been able to connect the words with what they mean yet. But I'll keep trying!

Second, I really need to start working on drinking from a cup, without the sippy lid, and finally give up the bottles (I've been wanting one in the morning and at night). You see, starting in January I'll be expected to drink from a regular cup. You know I've been getting lots of practice with this in the bathtub. But I'm not too good at making it to my mouth yet, so it would make a big mess on the floor! If Mommy or Daddy holds the cup for me, though, I can do pretty well. I just don't have the coordination down yet, so when I get hold of that cup, look out below!

I love stuffed animals!

Mommy and Daddy have given me a few stuffed animals to play with (some of them were theirs at my age) and I love them! The only problem I have is that I can't quite hug them all at the same time. I can hug most of them but if I try to get that last one in my arms, one of the others will get away. So I will try to get that one but another will fall out. It can keep me occupied for quite a while!

I couldn't get them all this morning either, but Mommy thought I was pretty cute.



Daddy also thought I was being pretty cute, but then he broke out the "tickle finger"! Not the tickle finger! All he has to do is point that finger at me and I just break up laughing and trying to get away, just like I'm doing here.



Daddy's silly!

A day at the pumpkin patch

A few miles away from our house is the "TG Farms" pumpkin patch, so we went to check it out. It was really a cool place! They had lots to do and see and Mommy and Daddy let me walk around for a while and and figure out by myself what I wanted to do! I had fun roaming around on my own, though I know they were right behind me. The first thing we came upon was this tricycle track through the corn field. I couldn't quite reach the pedals (or know how to pedal them), but that didn't stop Daddy from helping me out. We did a lap and I got to steer, with Daddy's help of course.



One of the best things about this place was the petting zoo. I spent a long time going back and forth between the different animals and making sure they all were properly greeted, Piper-style! There were goats:



and calves:



and piglets too!



I got to pet a sheep and a pony too!

Then Daddy pointed me over to a corn maze. I've never been in a corn maze before! But I took off to lead the way. You will be happy to know that we did finally make it through the maze (Daddy may have helped a little.)



They also had several piles of hay bales with slides at the top. This was great! I got to climb up the hay bales over and over and go down the slides. It was scary at first, but with Daddy there to catch me, I went down a few times in a row and loved it. It was fast!



Of course we couldn't leave a pumpkin patch without getting a couple of pumpkins, now could we? I wanted to help pick them out so I rushed over to the first big one I saw. It was a little too heavy for me to pick up, though. So I kept trying to pick them up until I found one that I could (though just barely)!

It was a great place to go, and I could have spent many more hours walking around and exploring. Maybe we can go again next year Mommy and Daddy?

Happy Columbus Day

Mommy and Daddy both had the day off, so Grandpa and Grandma came down to visit.

Guess what I did when Grandma and Grandpa arrived - I ignored Mommy and Daddy completely! I couldn't decide who needed hugs more - so I started with Grandma. I hugged her for a minute, then headed to Grandpa. Then I headed back to Grandma. Then to Grandpa. Then to - well you get the idea. I completely bypassed Mommy and Daddy the whole time. After about 30 minutes of this I decided to let Mommy and Daddy know I still loved them too, so gave them a quick hug and kiss and headed back to Grandma and Grandpa.

We played all sorts of games while they were here. My favorite, though, was singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with first Grandma, then Grandpa, then Daddy! Grandma and Daddy sung it pretty well, but Grandpa's rendition was, well, let's just say that if I grow up to not have any musical abilities, it isn't just Mommy's fault!

Here I am singing with Mommy out back.



We did some reading too, and I was pointing out pictures in one of my books, I gave Mommy a sneak smile while Daddy and Grandpa kept reading.



After dinner we had dessert, and got to have my own scoop of ice cream! Eating it with a spoon seemed to be far too difficult, so I fell back on my old standby method. It was a little cold, but worked pretty well anyway. What do you think?



I had a great with them today, I hope they come over again real soon!

When a sippy cup just isn't enough...

Supersize it!

This is the cup they gave Mommy to use at the hospital when I was born. I saw her using it today and just had to try it!

I'm a really good imitator, and have new words!

This last week I've become really good at imitating Mommy and Daddy. I'll raise my arms ("How big is Piper? Soooo big!"), point when they do, try to copy words they say, clap hands or play patty-cake, make a kissy face or just stick my tongue out when they do. It's pretty funny watching all their silly faces and I giggle when I try to copy them.

Also, I've got a new word which I say a lot - "Ba-by"! Sometimes I'll even point to a picture of myself and say it! That brings my list of words up to:

Hi

Mama

Dada

Uh-oh

Bye-bye

Baby

And probably some more that Mommy and Daddy haven't figured out yet. Still no "Grandma", Grandma, but I'm working on it!

New food - corn ON the cob

At dinner tonight, Mommy and Daddy were having corn on the cob. I've had corn before, of course, but not on the cob. Mommy decided I might like to try some since I was done with the rest of my dinner. So she broke off a chunk of hers and handed it to me.

At first I wasn't quite sure how to handle this new food, so I studied it intently for a few moments.



And then I bit in! It was good!



I couldn't eat the whole thing, but I did have several more bites. Now that they know I can eat it on the cob, I'm bound to have some more again. And that's fine with me!

Daddy and I flew kites!

Today was a windy day (it is Oklahoma, after all) but it wasn't TOO windy, so Daddy said he had a surprise for me. We assembled some kites and then went outside and flew them! You know how much I like airplanes so you know how excited I was about this. We had never flown kites before, so this was new to me.

First Daddy got out this one that is styled like a World War II fighter airplane. It looks really neat, but didn't fly that well. It kept turning and diving into the ground. Daddy was mumbling something about "poor lateral stability". No, I didn't believe him either!



We eventually gave up on that one and got out the fish kite. What kind of fish flies in the air? I don't know either, but it's a pretty fun kite anyway, with 9 little fish making up the tail, following the big fish. Here we are trying to get it airborne. Hey, I'm pretty good at this!



This one flew REALLY well and we eventually were able to let out all the string on the reel. It was a long ways up! And I'm doing a great job holding it there. Sometimes a gust of wind would come along and try to pull the handle out of my hand, but I held on and would sometimes walk a few steps toward it. Daddy may have helped a little too!



Of course, the kite is kind of like an airplane, so of course I've got to give it a good point and wave!



It was a very fun day. We had that fish kite up there for probably 15 minutes or so until we brought it back down. I hope we do it again soon!

Not feeling so well today

I wasn't feeling so well today. Something had upset my stomach and I couldn't keep anything down, starting with breakfast. Daddy stayed home with me and we got to play all day. I was a really good girl for him - although I still had problems keeping things down and wasn't eating much, I did get in a few naps and was otherwise pretty much my normal self, just a little lethargic. I did start to run a low fever later in the day, but that soon went away and I was back to normal by the next morning!

Helping Daddy sweep

I keep finding new ways to help Mommy and Daddy! Today Daddy was sweeping off the driveway and sidewalk outside our house, and it sure looked like he was getting tired of it. So I rushed over to his aid, and pushed that broom right on down the sidewalk. I'm so helpful!

Helping Mommy with the dishes

For some reason, I have always been fascinated by the dishwasher when Mommy lowers that big door. I immediately run over to it and try to "help" by climbing on it or grabbing for some of the utensils (naturally, the sharper the better). But today Mommy actually let me help her some! She gave me some projects that she knew only I could do right. She gave me a plastic measuring cup, opened the appropriate drawer, and said "Piper, put it in here!" And I did! I followed this up by putting two spatulas in another drawer. Mommy very much appreciated my help on these important items. I can't wait to help her again!

I hope I don't get dizzy!

Daddy and I were outside today and Daddy was being very silly, spinning around in circles. I thought it was funny and laughed at him. Then he stopped and it was my turn. I've become very good at imitating what Mommy and Daddy do recently, and I spun around the best I could! A little shaky but a few more tries and I was getting better at it. Better not do it right after dinner though!

Pucker up!

I am such a good little imitator! After months of watching Mommy and Daddy pucker up and kiss each other (They still do that, you know. It's so gross.) I decided to give it a try myself. So one time when Mommy was giving me hugs, I puckered up, leaned in, and gave her a big wet kiss! Then I gave her a few more. Then I gave Daddy some! Sometimes I forget to pucker up and give them a big wet droolie open mouth kiss instead. Oops! Mommy and Daddy think little Piper kisses are really adorable, and I've been trying to give them as many as I can!

I love waving at airplanes!

You remember from the aviation day that Daddy and I went to last week that I liked waving at the airplanes as they taxied by or took off. Well, I wave at the ones passing overhead too. And if that's not enough, I even wave at airplanes on TV! This brings a tear of joy to Daddy's eye. I make him so proud!

Here's a short video clip of me waving and saying hi to some airplanes on TV. I'm Daddy's little girl alright!

What a workout!

This afternoon we went on a long walk - all the way around the block! I did really well although I did ask to be carried a few times (but mean Mommy and Daddy wouldn't pick me up). This was my first time walking this far all by myself, and it was a lot of hard work. (Mommy and Daddy thought I'd get tired afterward and take a nap, but I sure fooled them and didn't take any naps today!)

Daddy says we walked a little over a 1/3 of a mile. Wow!

I'm starting to run!

Today Daddy and I were out walking around the neighborhood and I was walking pretty fast. Well, Daddy made his "I'm going to tickle you" noises and I took off! Daddy thinks he definitely saw me run for 3 or 4 steps. They can't stop me now!

My parents are really weird!

Mommy and Daddy are really silly! "Blue Belle" (Mommy's 2000 Honda Accord) was approaching 100,000 miles and they were getting quite excited. You see, they had last passed 100,000 miles in Daddy's previous truck, the Ranger, and had a picture of the occasion, so now it was Mommy's turn. Well, Blue Belle had about 99,994 miles on it, so for no other reason we went out to eat. On the way back home, Daddy paid close attention to the odometer, and then suddenly pulled over into a nearby parking lot. Mommy and Daddy started acting really goofy and got out of the car, taking pictures.

Here's Mommy with a silly sign they made up.



Notice me in the back still wondering what the heck is going on.

And the site of this momentous occassion? How more Okie can you get than Van's Pig Stand Bar-B-Q? Incidentally, this is right next to where I was born at the Moore Medical Center!



Now if you're a stickler for detail like I am, you're demanding proof of 100,000 miles right now, so here you go:



Since I was so patient waiting for Mommy and Daddy to finish their silliness, they thought I might like to get in on the fun. So here I am helping them out. They're right, this IS fun!

Playing in the shower

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy will let me have "water play" in the shower. This is one of my favorite things to do - I just love splashing around and making a big mess. Only in the shower, it's not a big mess, so Mommy and Daddy don't mind! They will fill up a large bowl for me to splash in and throw some of my toys in it as well. Somehow, though, I always seem to end up dumping all the water out before I'm really done playing, and will look up and say "mo" for "more". Usually they'll be nice and refill it. :) Sometimes, though, I dump the bucket out and put it on my head, which Mommy and Daddy find really funny. I think it's pretty fun too! Here I am being a little "buckethead"!

What a GREAT day! Airplanes, nap, and ice cream!

Today Mommy had to go in to work, so it was just Daddy and me for most of the day! Daddy knew that the local airport was hosting an "Aviation Day" and so we headed on down to see what it was all about. We took the stroller, but mostly I wanted to walk all around and look at all the airplanes. I think I am becoming more and more like my Daddy (and Grandma too) - Mommy doesn't stand a chance!

One of the first airplanes we saw was this DC-3 that the FAA still maintains. It was used to inspect radio beacons years ago, and is actually a National Monument, making it the only one that actually moves! It sure is big!

Even the tire is bigger than me!

I almost got away from Daddy one time by walking right under the belly. He thought that was "no fair" since he couldn't walk under there too. After this picture I kept going to the other side, causing Daddy to almost crawl after me!

Then this plane pulled in next to the DC-3, and I immediately wanted to walk over and see what it was. Daddy said it was a "Cirrus" and that I had good taste. The pilot told me that all the cute girls like to come over to look at it! (Yeesh! Pilots!)

I walked back and forth between the Cirrus and the DC-3 several times. Daddy thought this was just fine because he figured I'd wear myself out eventually, and maybe take a long nap when I got home. Then I got thirsty, so Daddy put me back in the stroller and I had a drink while we looked at some more airplanes. This one really caught my attention! In fact, when Daddy tried to wheel us away, I fussed until he stopped. I wanted to look at it some more. I like the colors! It's a Cristen Eagle aerobatic airplane.

A bit after this an airplane started doing touch-and-goes on the runway, and some other visiting planes started to take off. This was very exciting, and each plane I heard taking off I looked at, waved at, and yelled "hi"to until I couldn't see the plane anymore! Here I am still waving to a plane that is barely visible in the photo anymore. It was fun!

After all this excitement, we headed back home. Mommy was still at work, so Daddy fed me lunch which was some left-over pasta. I love pasta, and scarfed it up as quick as I could, and then all of a sudden....zzzzzzz. I fell asleep between bites! I was so zonked out from all the activity this morning that Daddy was even able to wipe off my face and hands, get me out of the high chair, and put me down on my mat without me waking up. I slept for almost 3 hours!

And the best part was, when I woke up, Mommy was home!!! They were really hungry so we went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant, and then headed to a local pond to feed the ducks. We got to feed turtles and fish too! I kept wanting to go in the water, but Daddy stopped me before I got too close.

After the pond, we headed to Target to do a little shopping. While there, Daddy went to look at some new shoes and took me with him. As he was sitting down on the stool, another family came by with a boy about my size (turns out he was 5 months older than me!) We stared at each other for a minute, not sure what to do. Then his mom said "why don't you give her a hug, Lance". So he did! And I hugged back. They all thought it was very cute. Well, apparently Lance is quite a hugger, because he walked over to Daddy (who was still sitting on the stool) and held out his arms to give Daddy a hug. What happened next was absolutely despicable to me! Daddy picked him up and gave him a hug! The look on my face told everyone in no uncertain terms what I thought of that idea. So once they were done with this disgusting display, I walked over and held out my arms for Daddy to hug me too. Fortunately he picked me right up and gave me a big hug, letting me know I'm still his!

Now, coincidentally, Target also has a Cold Stone Creamery in the store, and also coincidentally, Mommy just happened to have some coupons with her. What a coincidence! So of course we had to stop for some ice cream. Mommy and Daddy both let me have some of theirs - Daddy's was cheesecake ice cream with strawberries, while Mommy's was chocolate cake batter ice cream with brownies mixed in. I liked them both!

We finished the ice cream and headed for home, ending just a wonderful day!

Had my surgery today

As I mentioned last week, I had to have another ear tube inserted in my left ear due to my recurring ear infections. So this morning we showed up bright and early at the hospital at 6 AM. Unlike last time, I was awake for the whole car ride in, I didn't fall right back asleep. But just like last time, I was a really good girl the whole time, even though I couldn't have anything to eat or drink!

The surgery was scheduled for 7:45, but the doctor was running late. In the meantime I did start getting a little fussy being cooped up in the pre-op room - I just wanted to walk around a bit! So we did, and I got to wave at and say "hi" to all the other patients and help cheer them up!

The nurse finally came and got me at about 8:20. Everything went great, and pretty quickly too! When the nurse was pushing me back into post-op on the gurney, I wasn't crying like last time. No, I was sitting up giving a big two-handed wave to all the other patients. You wouldn't know I just had surgery! I was really glad to see Mommy and Daddy again, and gave them big hugs. But then I saw they had some milk with them, and I got really hungry all of a sudden!

I feel so much better now. The doctor was able to suction out some of the infection, and even my balance is a little bit better. But I sure hope I don't have to go through that again!

Daddy caught me red-handed this time!

Remember my (formerly) secret hiding place that Daddy found, under the oven? Well, I tried to use it again, but this time Daddy caught me in the act!

After I stuck a few under there, I changed my mind and tried to get them back out. This was a little bit harder!

I did manage to get one, but Daddy had to get the others for me.

Helping Daddy mow?

I wanted to help Daddy mow, and walked right over to the mower when he got it out of the shed. Look how determined I am!

But both he and Mommy agreed that I'm just a little too young for that, so instead I watched him through the window of the house, smiling and waving each time he'd pass by!

Went to see Grandma and Grandpa again!

Today Daddy and I drove up to see Grandma and Grandpa Roslewski and spend the day with them. Mommy stayed at home, so it was just the two of us for the 2 hour drive up and back! I was a really good girl in the car, mostly quietly playing with I had around me, and talking to Daddy. I even got a little nap both ways!

Grandma and Grandpa were sure happy to see me! It had been a little over a month since they last saw me, and I've gotten a lot better at walking in that time. I spent the whole day running around the house, wearing everybody out, including their dog Shadow.

I did get to give Shadow some treats. She was very gentle!



Daddy had watched this show on TV called Mythbusters where they claimed you couldn't pull two phone books apart if you interleaved the pages. Well, when Daddy told Grandpa about this, Grandpa right away ran off to get their phone books so they could test it! Daddy and Grandpa are so much alike it's really scary sometimes. But it actually worked, they couldn't pull the two books apart! Neat!



I even got to take a nap with Grandma. I've had lots of naps with Daddy, and quite a few with Grandpa, but this time I decided to curl up with Grandma! It was sure nice. I was being really good holding the baby doll she got me too.



I had a great time just running around, babbling constantly, and showing off all my newfound abilities. Grandma even got me some new clothes, including these cool shoes that have flashing lights!



I sure was worn out from all this activity, and fell asleep on the way home. I woke up a little when Daddy got me out of the car and changed me for bed, but didn't fuss at all and fell right back asleep!

Big week

Well, it's been a big week. First, I learned that I had yet another ear infection, in my left ear, and that the ear tube I had put in several months ago had fallen out already! So the ear was getting blocked up and was very painful. I was very fussy! So next week (on Thursday 9/18), I'll be going back in to get the ear tube replaced. I'm not looking forward to it, but Mommy and Daddy will both be there again to hug me and make me feel all better. (And then I'll probably sleep most of the rest of the day!)

On Thursday I brought home some of the artwork I've made over the last few months. Mommy and Daddy were so impressed, that Daddy put it right up on the refrigerator. Aren't I artistic?



On Friday we went out to eat, Mexican food again. I love Mexican food, but that's really no big deal. What was different was that we drove up in the big truck, and Mommy drove! She had to get some practice driving the truck so she could use it while Daddy and I went up to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Saturday. She did really well. Daddy was hoping she'd take a curb or something so he could tease her (big meanie), but she didn't!

The other big news was that Daddy got a job offer with the FAA, to start in two weeks! He'll be doing mostly the same work he does now (designing approach paths for aircraft in bad weather), but as a government employee instead of a contractor. He's very excited since this is what he's been working toward.

Still learning to feed myself

I'm really good at feeding myself with my hands. I just grab a wad of food and cram it on in! Works for me, but Mommy thinks that I should learn to use utensils, like her (Daddy of course we won't talk about!) Although I've been practicing with them for a while, it still takes some work and I usually end up with the spoon sideways or backwards or the food falling into my lap. But I'm getting better! In fact, starting the last few weeks, if Mommy or Daddy try to feed me something, I push it away. But if they set it down in front of me instead, I'll feed myself! I'm a big girl, I don't need anyone feeding me. What do they think I am, a baby? I'm almost 15 months!

Here I am eating some yogurt, all by myself. Don't let the fact that half of the container appears to be on my face, hands, and bib fool you, I did really well! (Although Mommy had already wiped the big glob off of my forehead and hair. I'm not sure how it got up there.)

Learning to drink from a real cup

Mommy had a great idea tonight. You see, I've been trying to learn to drink from a real cup. Every time Mommy or Daddy holds a cup out to me, I get a big smile, reach out and grab the cup, open my mouth wide, and promptly spill lots of water down my shirt! So it's slow learning, and pretty messy. Well, Mommy decided I should learn during bath time, that way it wouldn't make a mess. I like this idea! I got in lots of practice today and really got better.

Here I am practicing (no, I'm not drinking bath water, silly!) Notice I'm ignoring all my other bath toys, this is serious business.



Hey, that was fun!

To the Zoo!

It's Labor Day today, and both Mommy and Daddy had the day off, so we decided to go to the zoo! I got to see lots of animals, although many of them were sleeping in the warm sun. I was a good girl all day.

First I saw a wild and vicious member of the feline species. :) Okay, it was just our neighbor's cat Smoochie who came over to visit before we left. I got to pet her a little. She's very friendly (and I tried to be very gentle)!



Then we really headed to the zoo. I got to press my face up against a lot of windows! We saw some exotic birds.



And here I'm pointing out the snow leopard to Daddy. I didn't want him to miss it!



We even saw giraffes! This is Grandma Roslewski's favorite animal, so we had to make sure to see some before we left. They're tall!



Hopefully we'll head back again when I'm older!