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!

my first family "pic"nic

so grandma tina got a little (a LOT) camera happy at the first family picnic that Nina and I have ever attended...thought I'd post some of her silly pics!!!

joey knows best

it's been almost a month, and all i am posting is a silly little video...be back soon!

first trip to the pool...

mommy started her summer vacation on friday and we've already been having so much fun! and when she goes back to work, it is only for 3 days a week. so she wants to help me write more in my blogs!

anyway, i have been doing lots of new things in the last month. i have 8 teeth (i got 6 of them all in one week) and daddy brushes them every night, i am starting to furniture walk and to climb the stairs, i love elmo and attempting 'so big', i sit in big boy restaurant high chairs and in shopping carts, i can stand independently for between 5-10 seconds, and i am eating 3 meals a day (and i love baby lasagna!). i can even say "mama", but only when i really need something...

most notably, though, i am getting into EVERYTHING! i have mastered the art of opening drawers to desks and dressers (and i love to throw their contents onto the ground) and opening cabinet doors...so mom and dad have kicked their childproofing efforts into high gear.

in other inaugural news, i went swimming in a pool today! i was scared at first and kept reaching for mommy and daddy but eventually i was a pro! below are some pics at the pool and a few other random ones:

this one is my 'pool hair':

now i'm gonna go watch mommy make some homemade baby food...this should be interesting!

happy father's day, daddy!

dear daddy,

mommy tells me all the time that you are a 'stand-up guy'. at first i thought that meant you like to do stand-up comedy, but now i know it means you are a pretty special person (even though you ARE really funny and make mommy laugh all the time).

anyway, i think you are pretty special too. in these past 8 1/2 months, i have learned that you are SO good at putting me to bed at night, bathing me, playing with me, hugging me, snuggling with me, feeding me, and taking naps with me (you are REALLY good at that one!)...just to name a few of your talents.

and i know mommy loves you for putting up with her craziness (she said it, not me!) and her soon-relieved stress, and for helping her so much with all the household chores. most of all she loves watching your love for me grow deeper and deeper with every giggle and tug at your pant leg.

mommy sure thinks you are a wonderful man...and so do i. it makes me want to be like you now and when i'm all grown up, too! See what I mean???


I LOVE YOU, DADDY! happy first father's day!

friends, friends, and more friends

gosh this weekend was jam-packed with good stuff. friday night was an impromptu guest appearance by yours truly and Dad and Papa at the Lake Erie Captain's minor league baseball game for ITALIAN NIGHT! i did my best to look like i was visiting the Italian Vets Club...i think i pulled it off pretty well :) (ps, the beer in my hand was NOT my idea...ew...not til i'm 21, mom says)


on saturday, mom and i held our first playdate, and dad ran far, far, far away. far. we had 4 moms over with their 4 babies: Aunt Jenna and Nina, Aunt Kara and Kamille, mom's friend Jenine and Natalia, and mom's friend Tracy and Aubrey. you may notice i am the only one in blue...because i was the only BOY! sheesh...dad, why'd you have to run so far away?! at least charley was there! (ps, you don't see Neens in the picture below, because she was doing her favorite thing...eating!)


mom wanted to take a group picture but absentmindedly waited until the END of the play date to do so, and we were all soooooo tired and didn't really want to follow mom's agenda. like it or not, though, she wanted to show you all the silly pictures she took. below is my cousin Kamille and me. i was holding her in place so she didn't slide off the couch :)

then some more pals joined...Neens to the left, then Kamille, then me, and then Nattie. i think i was trying to comfort her from crying...but upon closer look, she was probably crying because i was SQUEEZING her wrist! woops! sorry, Nattie!

and finally, we have all the troops present below. Nina, Kamille, Me (I was even crying by this point!), Aubrey (also crying), and Nattie (not surprisingly, crying as well). kudos to Nina and Kami for not crying; they don't look sad, they just look so annoyed that our moms actually thought this picture would be successful...and as a result seemed to want to slither out of the picture!

i can't wait for another playdate...even if it is with all girls!!! i can wear pink with the best of 'em!

just kidding, dad ;)