my first haircut

so, mommy has been telling daddy for a couple weeks now that i really need a haircut, and daddy asked her to wait until after thanksgiving. she missed all my curls, which seemed to disappear as my hair continued to grow. she was very happy to hear that Snip-Its was open on sundays, and off we went!

because i barely stop moving these days, daddy was very scared that i was not going to sit still in the haircut chair, and he was even more scared that there would be very sharp scissors by my eyes and ever-moving head. but i actually stayed very still and cooperated with no problem.

what's weird is that when we got home, mom took some more pictures and said something about my hair...so i pointed to it for her. mommy and daddy acted all surprised that i knew what "hair" was, even though they never taught me to show them my hair. i mean, they ask me to show them my feet and my belly all the time, so i just figured i'd show them my hair too. i know a lot more than they think i do!

here are the hair-raising results...can't see the curls yet, but maybe they'll be back after my bath tonight!

before:

during:

after:

now if only mommy could convince daddy that i don't need my pacifier anymore...hopefully a blog post coming soon!

a welcomed change...

both grandmas have now told mommy that my blog has weird symbols all over it, so while mom is waiting to get through on a website to for a great black friday deal, she made a temporary change to the background.

plus, maybe i am over owls now that i am over one year old! it's time for me to start thinking about my next theme...without mommy's help this time!

october fun...

october was a busy month. mostly because i keep my mom and dad busy chasing after me. i have learned to get into everything. what mom and dad thought was a lot before was nothing...and i am pretty sure i have more in store for them ;)

we did a lot of fun stuff in october, but right after my 12 month doctor appointment, when mom told the doctor i wasn't doing a lot of the things she expected me to be doing, i started doing them! i'm tricky...i did them all within a week! so now, i am an expert at 'so big', clapping (especially when prompted with 'if you're happy and you know it'), waving (in my own laid back, chillaxin' way), doing high five, and even pointing to my belly when asked. mom wasn't really worried that i wasn't doing these things, because she knows how focused i've been on both my fine and gross motor skills, but she is definitely entertained that i can do them. all while NOT forgetting how to "dancey, dancey", still one of my favorite things to do (she says i learned my love for dancing from her).

i also graduated from swimming class and started taking kindermusik, which is all sorts of fun. and just last week, nina and i started to go to storytime too, a pasttime that we hope our moms will keep up.

life is good! here are some pics from our fun:

at the pumpkin patch. can you tell i was hot? it was 80 degrees that day...

at the Great Pumpkin Party...in the South Chagrin Reservation...little did mom know that she was going to get a trip to Aurora Premium Outlets out of it!

pre-trick or treating at Nina's house for Chiliween...

my outfit change, dad's idea, to Run DMC...

some trick or treat action...next year i'll even get to eat some!

birthday fun...and not so much fun...

little joey is tucked away for a nap right now so i figured i could grab some time on his blog...

it's been a whirlwind of a week, as many of you have probably heard by now. although it was not the greatest timing, it was certainly a reminder of how blessed we are to have such a strong support group and loving family...and to have our health, well, most of the time. it seems that about once a year, i am faced with a situation that puts me back in touch with what is important in life, and this often occurs during times that i am focusing on and stressing about the little things (like if we should use red and orange flatware or plain white for the big bash). well, this time, it was a trip to the hospital with a very sick child who, after always being so dynamic and animated, appeared listless in our arms. i'd like to blame it on just having too much fun during his birthday weekend :)

anyway, thank you all a hundred times over for being so caring and thoughtful during this time. and as my mom said, God works in mysterious ways, and this time i thank God for giving me a reality check to remind me that the tiny bundle of joy we held in our arms in that very hospital just a short year ago has grown to be a loving, silly, cheerful, active, beautiful, healthy little boy. and we love him more and more everyday. (and apparently so did all the nurses!)

joey spread his fun bug to his mommy too, which landed me in the ER, just to make sure baby sister was okay...and she is as active as ever, kicking and punching more than most buns her age!

you have to admit...he looks pretty darn cute in a hospital gown, eh?

now, for some birthday fun pics, in backward order (forgive me, i have LOADS of laundry to do right now)...

joey bag o' donuts...


we know he hates hats, but skullcaps too?

he doesn't hate party hats...he didn't even know he had this on!

this is where the 'backward' order looks really funny...

happy 1st birthday, joey!

happy. birthday. joey.

your big party today took more out of mom and dad than it did you! you refused to nap once you got home and instead wanted to play, play, PLAY!

anyway, mom and dad just wanted to drop a quick line before...we....fall.....aslee.....

OH! Oh! we wanted to tell you how much WE LOVE YOU and let you know that you truly have brought more joy to our lives than we EVER could have imagined. we are still in awe that you have already become the big boy you are today!

hopefully more soon...with some pictures from the big bash!

breaking news!

just moments ago...I TOOK MY FIRST STEPS!

i've been taking single steps and falling for the past several days...

and dad was fretting that i'd be taking my first steps while he is away this weekend...

so mom plopped us down on the carpet just to see what would happen...

and i stood up, departed from mom, and...

right,

left,

right,

left...

dad started laughing with glee...and you know what that does to me...

i started giggling too...and the more dad laughed, the more i did. i was still standing upright, just laughing away.

and of course mom was crying.

the giggles took priority over walking, as they do everything, so the big moment was over.

but mom and dad still seem to be reeling from it!!! don't worry, mom and dad, there will be many more steps to come!!! (you won't be able to keep up with me!)

i'm a big boy now!

don't i look like such a big boy in all of these pictures? the proof is in the pudding! (ps i don't know what that means, and since mom says she is 'figurative language-challenged', she doesn't really know what it means either).

anyway, mom says it's a good thing that i am getting to be such a big boy...because she says i am going to be a big brother! i don't know what that means either, but i am pretty sure she does!

she's been acting pretty funny all summer and hasn't been herself. remember how she had plans to blog more often once her work ended? well, she also had plans to cook dinner every night, take me to the zoo a lot and to go swimming, wash all the windows in the house, and help daddy do some of his weekly chores.

none of that happened. she tried really hard to play with me and chase me around every day, but she also took naps every time i did!!!

anyway, even though i don't really know what being a big brother means, i have a feeling i am going to learn pretty quickly. mommy's belly is getting bigger and bigger, so i think maybe it has something to do with that...stay tuned!