Shake it, Shake it, Shake it!

Mommy and I were watching a little bit of Big 10 Gymnastics today. Next thing you know, she whips out the camera to capture some of my dance moves. Enjoy.

Ducks, fishies, things with wheels and more

I have been a busy little bee lately. Here are some pictures to highlight some of the recent happenings at home and in the Columbus area.
Feeding the ducks with daddy -- we put goldfish on our shoes!
Our family enjoyed a nice outing to the gardens on a warmer February day.
One day I got to "test drive" some cars at Toys R Us. That was cool.
This one was one of my favorites.
And today, mom and I did a little "economic stimulation" while daddy was at drill. Good times and fun shopping bags when we got home!

Not too much is new. My teachers think I am going through a growth spurt because I eat so much at lunch. Some of my recent favorites are cottage cheese, avocados, pretzels, almonds, string cheese, and a variety of fruits and veggies.

I had a Valentine's party at school and mommy made pink chocolate heart suckers for everyone. We had a nice time and got to play with bubbles!

We are meeting some very nice friends and neighbors through mom's groups, and through connections that daddy is making on the base. We have two other guard pilot families on our street, so that is nice.

Other than occasional night terrors (waking up screaming) I am doing really well. The night terrors seem to be linked to my schedule, so if we have a late night for some reason, it really messes me up. Mom and dad are trying to be more diligent about a 7:30 - 7:45 window for bed time. It's helping! And, I still sleep till 7:15 or 7:30 most mornings!

I think I need to remind mom and dad to take the camera to more outings.

All for now.

Emily

Costumes...maybe for my first date.

Let the humiliation begin

Here I am, minding my own business...trying to use the master lock to break into the cabinets. Mom and dad installed "Tot-locs" to keep me out of the cupboards. Oh, man, sometimes they are just evil!!!

Happy, Sad, Thirsty and buzzed on Loops

This is my pretend "sad face." Mom likes to play a game called "Show me your sad face, show me your happy face!" Sorry the lighting isn't very good.
Here I am working on a zipper. I love zippers and can't get enough of them lately. I'm also wearing my super-duper cool jacket from the Leverich cousins in Sparta. It's pink and fuzzy on the inside and velvety soft on the outside. I love to wear it! Aunt Dee-dee, the pigtails are for you!
And here I am with a sugar high. Grandma Diane brought Fruit Loops and there were darn tasty! I call them "loops." Also, mom wanted to document the way I drink backwards out of my sippy cup about 85% of the time.

Dad made me a snowman one day last week. Today it is missing a head because it melted.
Mom captured a silly picture of us looking outside and getting excited about seeing some deer!
Mom loves this one of me laughing in my favorite pink chair.
I love family hugs!!! We have family hugs almost every day when dad is home!
And here, I was giving mommy an extra hug because she needed it!

My very first day at Goddard School

Did mom ever show you this picture? My very first day at my new daycare -- when we moved here back in October. I was so plum-tuckered out that I had to take a nap on the floor when I got home. Now it's not so exhausting, in fact I can stay up until 7:30 or 8:00 most nights, and even then I have a little party in my crib and read for a while later.

I love my school, so many good friends and nice teachers. It's a great place for me to grow and learn.

When Aunt DeeDee was here...Jan 2009...

I miss you Aunt DeeDee. Come back and see us soon. Mom says you can even move in if you want to because you're fun and you are a good babysitter, too! Love you!

Please nominate my Daddy!!

My dad is a great military dad. When he is deployed, he is very focused on his missions, sometimes putting his life in harm's way to protect our great nation. But, he NEVER EVER EVER forgets his family. He calls us and sends postcards. He buys little gifts to show that he was thinking of us. He even connects to Skype to talk to us on our webcams.

And when he's home, he gives 175% to make up for lost time. He makes my lunches and takes me to school, does all of the laundry and helps mom with a lot of house projects. Dad is a "can-do" person and it would mean a lot to me if you would take a moment to nominate him for the military father of the year.

Just go here...http://www.fatherhood.org/Gala/MilitaryAward/ and if you have questions, e-mail my mom at c130claire (at) gmail (dot) com.

It would be super awesome if a Guardsman won instead of an active duty daddy...because Guardman (and their families!) don't get half the credit they deserve!

Baby Writer's Strike

Did you hear that all the cool babies are on a writer's strike? It's true! I'm breaking the child labor laws writing this update to you...all the babies are supposed to cease writing until their parents get extra sleep and more time to download pictures. So, sorry for the lack of updates but I have to sneak computer time when mom is not paying attention!

I got over my nasty ear infection, only to discover I am allergic to penicillin and augmentin. Those drugs resulted in hives all over my trunk and limbs. Thank goodness, I will not miss that pink stuff. It tastes like crap, no matter what they say. Cherry? Yeah right!

I've been a total dancing queen. Mom keeps threatening to take video, but I don't do it for the camera. I know how to shake my little bootie and bop my head to the beat. It is so fun and I can really get down!!

Last week mom was gone all week and dad's friend was in town. It was like Two Men and a Baby. We all survived. Dad is so organized that I don't think it phased him one bit that mom was gone. The daycare ladies reported to mom that he even brushed my hair and I never looked like a scrub while she was gone (and they would say something because they even tease him if he puts on shoes that don't match my outfit!).

I need to get cracking and make valentine's for my classmates. My favorite friend is Lola...actually, I just like saying her name. All the time. Lola lola lola. How fun is that to say?

Sometimes lately I have been having night terrors. I guess it's like a nightmare trance thing. It's not fun. Mom and dad try to calm me down and it just makes it worse. The other night they finally brought me to their bed (only like the second time EVER) and I fell asleep with my head by their feet on top of the covers. It was a long night for everyone. Hopefully it was just because of my cold and I will not have this problem anymore.

Gotta get some rest. I heard that they are writing citations for baby bloggers who break the rules...(dad would be so mad if he found out I was going against union regulations!). Haha! Hopefully the parents win and get more sleep and more photo download time so I can keep all of my peeps happy. Geesh, those relatives sure are demanding...more photos, more photos...

Mom and dad say "more visits" would be nice, too...haha!

Okay, night night.