Daddy's glasses are fun!

You'll be glad to know that I'm feeling much better, even though I'm still a little tired and cranky, and don't have much of an appetite. But at least I'm playing a little and doing silly things. Like what, you ask? Like grabbing Daddy's glasses and putting them on, that's what! I can get them on all by myself, and Daddy just helps straighten them on my face a little.

Don't I look smart?

Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy?

Today I was still feeling pretty lousy, and Daddy stayed home with me. I wasn't quite as sleepy as with Mommy yesterday, but I still didn't want to do a whole lot, and had no real appetite. Pretty much all I wanted was for Daddy to hold me, which he does really well. And that's what he did almost all day! I did take a 15 minute nap on his shoulder, but that was it. I hope I get over this soon, it's really wearing me out.

Oh by the way, it's Mommy and Daddy's 4th anniversary today. Happy Anniversary! Sorry I wasn't feeling better so we could celebrate a little.

I feel horrible!

Last night I started feeling a little sick. My nose was running and I wasn't looking so great. I was running a fever too. Today I was even worse. Mommy took me to the doctor and they gave me some things to take. Mommy stayed home with me today and I pretty much just slept in her arms, off and on all day long. Being sick stinks!

Helping Daddy again and playing with Mommy

Yesterday we got LOTS of ice and snow, and the roads were really bad. And you know what that meant? That we all got to stay home today and play!

Mommy was having some problems with her Kitchenaid mixer. Daddy decided to take a look. I helped! And yes, we got it back together again (didn't fix the problem though).



Later I played with Mommy with my blocks. I've really started to like building with them. Mommy will put a couple of pieces together for a base, and then I'll just start stacking them up! I can get it pretty high!

Wanting to be with Daddy, putting my jacket on

Earlier today I was busy playing when I saw Daddy put on his jacket. I didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, but I immediately got up, ran to the other room to get my jacket, and started trying to put it on. Daddy thought this was absolutely adorable. I just wanted to be a part of whatever he was doing!

Turns out he was just going up in the attic for a minute, so of course I couldn't come with him. But he knew I was ready if he needed my help!

Balloons are fun!

At the party yesterday, all the kids got a little gift bag and in it were a couple of balloons. When we got home, Daddy blew them up for me and wow, did I have a great time!

Working on puzzles

Mommy and Daddy bought me some puzzles last night, and today I got to try them out. This first one I did pretty easily, although it did take some work getting the pieces lined up just right. But I would put all the pieces in, dump them out, and start over and over again!



Then I went on to a more advanced, 25 piece puzzle with a bunch of doggies on it. Daddy had to help me some with this one, and we did it together a couple of times. I'll get the hang of these puzzles in no time!

Invited to another birthday party!

I was invited to another birthday party today, this one a 2nd birthday for a little girl named, guess what? "Piper"! I didn't know it was such a popular name!

I went ahead and decorated a box that we could put the present in. I think I did a good job!



We had cupcakes!



Here I am with the other kids at the table. The blond to my right is the birthday girl, the other "Piper".



I was so excited, they had carpet! I had so much fun running around and not worrying about falling down. (And it's a good thing, because I spent a lot of time on the floor.)



I liked this wagon, but I don't think I fit anymore.



I had a great time and it was fun playing with the other kids. I can't wait until my next party!

Once again, Daddy's little helper

Daddy noticed that the legs on his chair at the table were a little loose. So I got to help him tighten them up! (You'll notice I brought my blue bear "Boo-boo" to help me.)

"Thank you" and opening doors

Just this morning I learned how to say "Thank you"! I'm getting really good at copying Mommy or Daddy when they say "Can Piper say...?" After a few weeks of trying, I finally came out with something resembling "Thank you". I've been saying "Please" ("PEAS") for some time, but now I can be even more polite!

Also this morning, I learned how to open doors with doorknobs. Since I'm pretty tall for my age, up until now I've been able to just barely reach the doorknobs, but finally I've got a good grip on them. I was in the closet with Daddy and of course had pushed the door closed because that's what I like to do. Then I reached up, grabbed the doorknob, gave it a little twist and pull, and open the door came! I thought this was pretty great and did it many more times. Then Daddy had to go ahead and confuse me by showing me that to get it open from the other side, you had to PUSH! I got the hang of this pretty quickly too, and spent the next 10 minutes going in and out the door of the closet. It was fun!

Falling asleep at the table again

It's been a long time since I've fallen asleep at the table. I used to do it all the time when I was in my high chair, but now that I'm in a booster seat, it's not quite as comfortable. Today, however, I was REALLY tired and didn't let that stop me, as you can see! I had Daddy edit the video down, but you get the idea!

Using a big girl cup, Daddy's shoes, and feeding the fish

I've been practicing using a big girl cup (as opposed to my sippy cups), and I'm getting pretty good!



Daddy left his shoes lying around, so I thought they looked like fun!



I like to help Daddy feed the fish. Then I like to dangle my fingers in the water. Sometimes the fish come up and give me a little nibble. But I stick my fingers right back in again!

"Finger driving"

I have started doing something which Mommy and Daddy both think is pretty funny. If I want their help with something, I will reach up, grab one of their thumbs, and move it to what I want help with. Sometimes I will even do this while I am being held - I'll "drive" Daddy over to the fish tank, for example, which means I want to help feed the fish. By doing this I can get a lot done, and Mommy and Daddy are happy to help! By now I've pretty much replaced me pointing at something with grabbing their thumbs and having them point at it.

Home and Garden Expo

Today we went to the Ok City Home and Garden Expo at the state fair park. I didn't think this was going to be all that exciting, but boy was I wrong!

The first building we went into was filled with the "outdoor landscaping" exhibits. This meant they had lots of wood decks, gravel pathways, and best of all, ponds and waterfalls! I headed right for them and had a lot of fun watching the waterfalls and trying to dip my hands in the water. I may have splashed some on myself by accident!

There was also a vendor of playground equipment there, and they had a great setup of some slides and other fun stuff. I got to go down the slide a lot!

The Humane Society was there with some very friendly doggies and kitties. I got to pet them and I was very gentle. I even got some good doggie licks on my hand! Daddy was having a great time watching Mommy and me having a great time.

One of the cutest things, though, was when we saw the kids' furniture vendor. They had a great type of bunk bed with a little desk and work area attached. I was very good and didn't crawl onto the bottom bed until Mommy gave me the okay. But once I did, I loved it! I was having such a great time I didn't want to get off and Daddy had to be a big meanie and pick me up.

Of course, throughout the day I was either being carried by Daddy, walking around myself, or riding in the stroller. In the stroller I'd usually be nibbling on something like cheerios or crackers. Mommy noticed I was leaving quite the trail behind me and started calling me "Gretel"!

Everything was great for the first couple of hours, but then I'll admit I started getting a little tired and cranky. Maybe it was all the people, I just don't know, but I wanted to be outside and kept making my way to the doors. Of course, Daddy would follow me, pick me up and bring me back inside. Eventually I fell asleep quite soundly in my stroller!

Mommy and Daddy didn't know they should have brought their camera today. Who would have thought there'd be so much to take pictures of?

I made another funny - this time about Mommy!

Now I know I've been picking fun at Daddy for quite some time now, saying he's got a "big buddha belly". And Mommy has thought this was all great fun! Well, today we were looking at pictures of Mommy when I was still in her belly. Mommy was commenting to Daddy about how she was such a big cow. Now, what do I say when I hear the word "cow"? MOOO, of course! So I let out a big "MOOO", pointed at the picture, and Daddy just about died laughing. Got you Mommy! Fair is fair!

Helping Mommy and Daddy with Groceries

I like to be a big help to Mommy and Daddy. Today Mommy went grocery shopping and then, as usual, Daddy helped unload them. This time Daddy let me help too! You can see he gave me the heavy stuff as he does the light work.

I also am learning to help around the house in other ways. I like getting Mommy or Daddy their shoes, and will even put them back if they ask me to. For Daddy especially, I like to help pick out the shoes I want him to wear, and then bring them over to him. Sometimes this means I want him to wear running shoes to work or dress shoes to go to the park, but if he gives me a little hint I'll get it right every time!

I'm also getting good at picking things up and putting them away, as long as Mommy or Daddy asks me to. I can even put them away in another room sometimes! Daddy asked me to go put something on their bed while we were in the family room, and I did!

I'm trying to practice cleaning things up, too. Such as if I spill some milk, Mommy can hand me a paper towel and I'll do my best to wipe it up. I'm even starting to wipe my own hands off and even my nose if it needs it!

I'm turning into such a helpful big girl!

Flying with Daddy today!

Today was an absolutely wonderful day. Daddy's friend Steve had called and asked if he wanted to meet up with him and "several" friends who were flying in to McAlester to have lunch. Well, Daddy convinced Mommy that I'm old enough to go flying with Daddy on my own, and maybe she would enjoy some time to herself? Apparently Daddy's pretty smooth, because Mommy agreed! So it was a day of "Daddy-Daughter" fun!


On the way to the airport we got to see a helicopter land. Daddy pulled over to the side of the road so I could watch it. And I sure did, pointing at it the whole time too! It was pretty neat. Am I daddy's girl or what?


We got to the hangar and I helped Daddy preflight the plane. You can see here I'm checking the security of the propeller.





I caught Daddy taking pictures, so I had to come over and make a silly face for the camera.






Daddy put my car seat in the airplane, but once he started to put me in, I quickly scrambled and got in the seat I really wanted to sit in - the pilot's seat, of course!






I really didn't want to get out, and boy did I fuss when Daddy put me in the car seat. One of the these days I'll be up front!

During the whole taxi to the runway I was waving and pointing at the other airplanes. And on takeoff I stared out the window at the ground falling away. It was so fun!






I was a really good girl for the flight there, just playing and kicking the seat in front of me of course. After about 30 minutes I got tired so I pulled the blanket over my legs and took a nap for the remaining 15 minutes. I was pretty out of it! I slept right through the descent and landing, the taxi, parking, and even Daddy getting out! See me here? I am still quite asleep, and judging by Daddy's friends standing outside, we must be on the ground already.





A lot of people ended up coming. Word of mouth travels fast! "Several people" became a total of 19! As they arrived, I was very excited by all the airplanes pulling up, and waved and shouted at all of them.

We went to a nearby restaurant, and I was such a little angel. I was nice to everyone, was quiet and ate some spaghetti (getting it all over me of course), and made some silly faces at the others. I did eventually get tired of sitting still while they talked, so Daddy took me out of the high chair so I could get some wiggles out before the trip back. Well "get some wiggles out" I did, taking off down the hallway and making Daddy chase after me, giggling the whole way. Fortunately, this restaurant was set up a little differently, where every group was in a private room, so I didn't bother anyone in my hallway exploration. But I sure had fun running away from Daddy! He always seems to catch me, though... And then I giggle some more and run away again!


All this excitement wore me out pretty well, so on the flight back I fell asleep after just 10 minutes and slept the whole way back. This time I did wake up in time to watch Daddy's landing.

I was such a good girl for Daddy and he was really proud of me. He says it was just an absolutely perfect "daddy-daughter" day and he hopes we can do it again very soon. Mommy got to take a nice long bath and have a nice quiet house all to herself, so I think we will be doing this again!

Putting my own moisturizer on

This winter my skin has been very dry, especially my face. Mommy has tried putting some moisturizer on, but I fuss and squirm when she tries to. So today Mommy decided she'd let me try. Did I do a good job?

Had I mentioned the chocolate cake?

I think yesterday I mentioned that we have lots of chocolate cake at home. That's because Mommy and Daddy and I went to Sam's Club and they have some good cakes.


Here I know I'm about to get some cake. Do I look happy, or what? Too bad Mommy and Daddy didn't get a picture of me licking my lips when I saw the cake coming out!







I'm definitely Mommy's little girl when it comes to desserts!

Birthday party!

Today I went to a birthday party for a 1-year old son of one of Mommy's coworkers. First I had to get all dressed up. I even left the hat on long enough for pictures!









Lots of other kids were there and we had a great time making lots of noise. They had a little "ball pit" which I enjoyed playing in with some of the other kids. But one time while I was busy playing, I looked up at Daddy and couldn't believe what I saw! The birthday boy Alex had come over and was giving him some hugs. I quickly made my displeasure known. I'm quite the jealous girl, you know!






Of course, it being a birthday party, they had lots of cake. Alex just mashed his hands in it (fortunately he had his own cake), but us older kids are much more refined and dignified. Here you can see me daintily using a fork on some white cake (we've got plenty of chocolate cake at home).






The party was a lot of fun, and really wore me out. When we got home, we had an early dinner and I fell asleep right in my booster seat! Remember I used to do this all the time in my high chair, but that was nice and comfortable and I could recline in it. But this is the first time I've fallen asleep sitting perfectly upright in my booster seat!





Daddy and Mommy quickly moved me over to my mat to take a nap. Busy day!

Working on my words

I've been getting a lot better with some of my words, and have been learning new ones almost every day it seems! I'm finally getting the pronunciation of "shoe" down, too. For the longest time I kept calling them my "do's", but now I can say the "SH" sound!

Happy New Year!

And so ends my first full year! It's been quite a year, too. Look at all I've done and learned!

Celebrated my first Christmas (remember, Mommy and Daddy were both sick for Dec 25th so we delayed it until January)
Got my second tooth (and many more)
Had my first meat - turkey!
Learned to roll over
Learned to hold my own bottle
Pulled myself up to standing
Found my nostrils with my fingers!
Learned to crawl
Learned to sit up by myself
Outgrew my first car seat
Learned to clap
Learned to use a sippy cup, and later a real cup (still working on that)
Played at the park for the first time!
Learned to feed myself, crackers at first
Said "Dada" and "Mama" and then many more words
Told my first joke ("Who's got a big buddha belly" - "Dada!")
Played the piano
Had my first surgery, for my ear infections
Had my first taste of ice cream (and I loved it, just like Mommy!)
Stood up all by myself, without support!
Learned to WALK!
Had my first birthday
Learned to wave bye-bye
Got my first kiss from a boy!
Played with Legos
Was Daddy's little helper in the yard, garage, and all over!
Learned that airplanes are fun to wave and yell at
Flew my first kite
Picked pumpkins and had my second Halloween
Got promoted from the high chair to a booster seat
Drew lots with crayons
Learned the concept behind "pouting"
Helped decorate the Christmas tree and had my second Christmas
And best of all, I got to see lots of friends and family!

Quite a year, wasn't it? I'm sure 2009 will be even better!