"It's raining; it's pouring. The Old Man is Snoring..."

I mean that quite literally because Dad is still in bed, and he definitely tends to snore sometimes. He needs his rest though because he travels all the time now, and he was gone most of last week.

Back to the point:
I have witnessed, via the news, history in Georgia over the last two weeks because of the torrential downpours. Much of Georgia has experienced historical flooding this last week, and thousands of people have lost their homes. I feel very lucky to have not been affected, but my heart goes out to those who have.

www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/flooding_in_the_southeast.html

The one upside to the rain is that my raincoat has gotten tons of use over the last couple of weeks. It finally fits perfectly, and it has definitely helped in keeping me dry. The raincoat is not the only necessary wardrobe addition; the temperature has started getting cooler over the last few weeks, so Mom and I are preparing for fall. Goodbye, bathing suits, and hello, long sleeve shirts and awesome, new winter coat, which I probably will not be able to debut for a little longer, but it was too cute to resist; the people in the dressing room even agreed. I also did a little tribute to the 80s the other day with my totally trendy leg warmers; you can't deny that I am a style icon. Mom and I will be starting the hunt this coming week for leggings to go with my new jean skirt. I love to shop, as long as we are shopping for me. It looks like my fall wardrobe is coming along quite nicely, and to go along with the cooler weather is football season. Dad is super excited for college football, so I made sure to get ready as well. I've got my touchdown moves and my high fives ready to go; although, I am not a circus animal, Mom, not even for the camera. Now, I have to make the difficult decision - to root for the Bulldogs or the Jackets come Thanksgiving!? I have a feeling that I am a Bulldog girl; like Dad always says, "You go to Tech to get the degree but Georgia to find the girl". I appease Dad by donning my GT gear every Saturday, but my UGA cheerleading outfit is just waiting upstairs for November 28th. Go college football - touchdown, high five!

Due to the rain, Mom, Dad, and I just took it easy last weekend. The highlight of the weekend was the balloon that the Publix guy gave me. I was going crazy with it in Publix, and everyone was laughing, but it is a little more difficult to play with a balloon in a car due to space restrictions, just in case you wanted to know for future balloon adventures. Anyways, who knew that a balloon could provide such entertainment!? Balloons are a definite necessity for the impending big day, birthday #1.



Mom and I have been taking it easy and just playing at home this week, as you can see from the video. I have been getting quite daring with my new chair and desk toy. Before Mom knows it, I'll be jumping over the back; I already throw all of my toys over the back. My new thing is to repeat one action with all of my toys; for example, I will line every single one of my small toys up along the TV stand or throw every single one of my small toys over the back of my little chair. Dad hopes this is not a sign that I inherited Mom's OCD tendencies, but Mom and I know that we're not OCD; we're just meticulous. I'm also a big fan of the Where's Olivia game. I have had to find ways to entertain myself since we are trying to only go out in the nasty weather when it is absolutely necessary. I am even going through running withdrawal, so I put on Mom's running shoes the other day, just to make myself feel a little better. Oh, I know where shoes go; don't you worry about that. Please, come back soon, sunshine.


The worse thing ever happened this week: I got sick! It is the first time that I have really been sick, with the exception of the cold that I got when I was about 3 months old, but that didn't require medicine. I started feeling kind of yucky around Tuesday, and I refused to eat, but Mom just thought that I was cutting another tooth because I kept grabbing my mouth. In her defense, I actually am getting my 5th tooth right now. I wouldn't eat very much on Wednesday either, but Mom really got worried on Thursday when I woke up feeling extremely hot. After taking my temperature and finding out that it was 101.4, "Mama called the doctor, and the doctor said," let's get her in here. While waiting at the doctor's office, on the sick side nonetheless, I met two little boys who put on quite a show for me. They kept falling on the floor, which made me laugh hysterically, and playing peek-a-boo with the window in the movie room. I reciprocated by blowing kisses, performing touchdown moves, and clapping. All of the nurses came from the well side just to see me. I was the hit of the sick waiting room. My good mood and air kisses continued, even in the exam room, until Dr. Silverman listened to my heart with the stethoscope; from then on, it was absolute hysterics until we left. At least I got to play with the paper on the exam table for a few minutes before the mean 'ole doctor got a hold of me. The diagnosis: I have a double ear infection, which resulted from a cold that I probably caught while on the airplane last week. I knew that there was something bad about that plane ride home. Just for the record, I now weigh 21 lbs. and 12 ounces. After leaving the doctor's office, I slept for 4 hours straight; that doctor's visit was a scarring event.

The double ear infection has caused me to be quite grumpy over the last few days, which is very rare, but I can't help it; I feel miserable, which is totally apparent. My eyes look so tired, and my nose has been so stuffy. To make matters worse, I hate the medicine, and I refuse to take it, so Mom and Dad have been trying everything. I manage to spit a good portion of it out each time. Now, my morning bottle has started to taste a little strange; I don't know why, but I've been hesitantly drinking it anyways. My taste buds must be messed up from the cold. Mom better not be pulling a fast one over on me. I hope I feel better soon! The cake that Aunt Mallory brought me on Tuesday has been helping a little; I eventually had to say forget the spoon because it wasn't getting the cake into my mouth fast enough. Aunt Mallory brought it so that I could practice for the big day. Also, Grandma and Aunt Stephanie came up on Thursday night to see me after my horrific doctor's appointment. Grandma got me a really fun Peek-a-Boo Kisses book that squeaks when you press the mouse's belly. I love it! It helped me feel a little better as well. I could not stop giving Aunt Stephanie high fives; in fact, I was pretty much demanding them. Oh, being sick is not something that I want to repeat very often! If I feel okay tomorrow though, I get to go down to Atlanta and spend the day with Aunt Stephanie and Mom while Dad and Uncle Ian go to the golf tournament; therefore, I'll be taking it easy today and just watching the Tech game at home with Dad.

By the way, the countdown to my big birthday bash has begun: two weeks from tomorrow! Yay! I can't stop smiling in anticipation.
(Actually, Mom just wants to show off the dimples.)

My First Plane Ride

I made it home to tell the tale of my days as a West Virginia Mountaineer. Mom, Aunt Stephanie, and I went to Clarksburg, WV to visit Grandpa Purnell and the rest of Mom's family on both Grandma and Grandpa's sides. My first plane ride, not including my in-tummy-days, was so exciting! To start the big vacation off right, Mom bought me a brand new car toy to play with on the way to the airport since we had to leave as soon as I woke up in the morning, which is my favorite time to play. The airport was a bustling place, and after Aunt Stephanie tipped everyone really well, they took good care of us. Our flight into Pittsburgh was almost all men flying up to see the first Pittsburgh Steelers game of the season. I took full advantage by standing on Mom's lap and looking over the seat to flirt with everyone behind me; I kept smiling really big, but my signature move was to blow a kiss and then point to the person for whom the kiss was meant, which I did over and over. Everyone thought that I was adorable, which is so obviously true. When we got to West Virginia, the craziness did not end until I got home on Monday. As soon as we got in to Clarksburg, Grandpa took me to feed the ducks; there were tons of them, and they were so excited to see us. I never knew how much I would like feeding ducks; although, they better keep their distance. I was attached to Grandpa from the moment I saw him, even without the ducks. We stayed at Great-Aunt Becky and Great-Uncle Larry's house, and I want to thank them so much for everything. They even gave up their master bedroom so that Mom and I could take it over for the weekend, which was too nice of them! It was especially nice because Uncle Larry had worked hard all week just to come home and sleep in a little twin bed in the guest room; thank you so much, Uncle Larry; I love you, and I know you love me too. Aunt Becky's granddaughter Becca, my second cousin, spent most of the weekend with us, and she kept me thoroughly entertained; she even worried about me when I cried at night. Her brother, and another one of my second cousins, Jonathan, stole my heart by chasing me around the kitchen;

however, my favorite game of the weekend was the screen door peek-a-boo game that Grandpa started. I couldn't get enough of that screen door, so everyone had to be extra careful in making sure that it was latched at all times.

Grandpa was so much fun, and he told me about a billion times how beautiful I am, which I love, of course. I loved meeting everyone; even though, I was a little freaked out by Uncle Tom. Sorry, Uncle Tom, facial hair freaks me out, apparently. I was super excited to learn that I have a second cousin and a third cousin who are both just a month older than me. I actually got to celebrate Elias' first birthday while I was in WV, and I just want to thank Mrs. Kayla for my very own smash cake, which Mom wouldn't actually let me smash due to the necessity of wearing my outfit for the rest of the day. Elias definitely smashed his though. The birthday party was at the same park that Mom used to go to for family reunions when she was really young - flashback. Happy Birthday, Elias. Before the party, we had breakfast with Aunt Stephanie's Godmother, Penny. She is so sweet, and I am really mad at Mom for forgetting to get my picture with her; gosh, Mom, don't you know that you are supposed to be on top of everything! Thank you for breakfast, Ms. Penny. After the birthday party, Dad took us to a biker rally at the VFW to meet some of his closest friends. It was wild; I had a blast singing along with and dancing to the band. I wore my Ed Hardy shirt to look the part at the rally but threw up on it as soon as we arrived. I admit it; I was hitting the bottle, literally, before we even got there; now, that is how you party hard . Everyone was very complimentary about Grandpa; I was really proud. The day didn't even end there; right after the biker rally, we headed to Mom's cousin Tristan's birthday celebration, and I got to meet his daughter, Reagan. Reagan and I had a ball playing together; she even got a motorized vehicle for her first birthday; I am so jealous. Aunt Stephanie is trying to talk Mom into letting me get one for my birthday, but I don't think Mom is going to go for it.

Reagan and I growled at each other a few times and then tried to push her car together, which was easier said than done. I was also jealous because Reagan has enough hair for a ponytail and then some; I think that she should share; I mean, she has enough to spare! Her mom, Mrs. Brittany, was so sweet; she made sure that I had dinner and socks to keep my feet warm. It was great meeting you, Reagan, as well as the rest of the WV Jenkins clan. Happy Birthday, Tristan. The day was nuts but so much fun, and I crashed as soon as I hit the car on the way back to Aunt Becky's. That was not the end of the day for Aunt Stephanie and Mom though; can you believe that they snuck out after I went to sleep to party some more!? I guess it is okay because they had one heck of a time helping their cousin, Little Becky, celebrate her birthday. Apparently, we came the right weekend to help everyone celebrate a birthday. Aunt Stephanie even sang karaoke, and Little Becky had a little too much birthday fun; Mom says I'm still too young to understand about what she means. Happy Birthday, Little Becky. Apparently, Aunt Becky was up when they got home, and she said that I started crying around 2 a.m. for a few minutes, and Uncle Larry had a really hard time not going in and getting me because he was worried about me; I love you too, Uncle Larry and Aunt Becky. Good thing I went right back to sleep though because Sunday was another crazy day. I finally got to meet my Great Grandma! She even had presents waiting for me when I got to her house. Thank you so much for the beautiful clothes and stuffed bear, Great Grandma, and sorry I was a little grumpy when we first met; by that point in the trip, I was exhausted. We went out to lunch with her and her boyfriend, David, at the big Chinese Buffet; I learned that I like buffets, especially the ham. It was also very busy with people getting up and down, which gave me tons of opportunities to flirt and interact. I blew Great Grandma several kisses because I love her so much, and I cannot wait to see her at Christmas. Again, thank you for the awesome presents. As a wonderful surprise, Uncle Ian came up on Sunday to spend one night before he and Aunt Stephanie went to Pittsburgh for a few days. I always love seeing Uncle Ian, but I was so confused as to how he got there. That night, we went out for our last dinner of the trip with Grandpa; we actually went to Twin Oaks, which is where Grandma and Grandpa met a long time ago. Thank you so much for everything, Grandpa, and I love you so much and can't wait to see you again. I want to also thank Aunt Becky and Uncle Larry one more time for letting me totally take over their house. I had the best time, and that island in the middle of the kitchen is the best invention ever for peek-a-boo, with the exception of the screen door. Also, thank you, Miss Becca, for letting me play with all of your toys. I give West Virginia and all of my family there a big high five, which I have actually mastered, just to let you know. I love you all, and it was great meeting every single one of you, even those whom aren't specifically mentioned above - like Laurie, Brad, Nick, Shawn, Aunt Sandy, Kyle, Russell, Brian, Jodi, Jason, Ian, Aunt Janie, Uncle Ronnie, and Heath. I have so many relatives. Who knew? The plane ride home was just Mom and me because Aunt Stephanie stayed with Uncle Ian in Pittsburgh, and it was a rough plane ride, at least for Mom. People are not as nice as you would think, and I had a bit of a meltdown because I was so tired from the whole trip, but in my defense, it was my ONLY meltdown for the entire trip. I probably could have picked a better place, but it was way more stressful for Mom than me. The guy next to us was really nice, and he tried to keep me entertained as much as possible; of course, I did ham it up for a few people in between fits, so it could have been worse. All in all, it was an amazing trip from which I learned that I have a great, and abundant, extended family and that planes aren't so bad.

I want to add a quick thank you to Aunt Stephanie; I am pretty sure that Mom and I could not have pulled off the trip without her. She watched me, held me, and kept me entertained whenever any of the aforementioned was needed. Her multiple bracelets were a great distraction in the car, and Aunt Stephanie even found a way to add several zoo animals to her own original verses of the old classic "The Wheels on the Bus". She is pretty sure that her version would be a surefire hit. Aunt Stephanie even taught me how to roar on the plane ride to WV, so I roared and growled at all the relatives, and she was the one who took me up to sing and dance with the band at the VFW biker rally. I love you Aunt Stephanie; you are the best, and Mommy loves you too!When we got home, I cried when I saw Dad because I was so overcome with excitement! I missed him so much! On Tuesday, I helped Mom get everything back in order by giving her a hand with the unpacking, and I was so extremely exhausted from the trip that I couldn't even manage to stay awake through breakfast, which has never happened before! It is going to take me at least a week to recover.

I did muster up enough energy to get my picture taken and throw a few kisses at the camera for my birthday invitations; there is no such thing as camera shy in my world; Mom has created a monster. Mrs. Allyson and Hudson came over to take the pictures; thank you so much, Mrs. Allyson. Her friend Alisha and her son Tyler also came to get a few pictures taken. It was the bald baby convention with a sippy cup swap as the main event and boys on one side and me on the other; they are totally intimidated by me. Getting the pictures taken just fueled the birthday party anticipation. I just cut my third and fourth teeth to balance out my smile for all of the pictures that will be taken in the next month.

We didn't make it to the Moms' lunch this week, but last week was enough fun to hold me over until next week. Lucas got a new toy, which we figured out together, and we spent most of the day exploring the back patio. His cat Google is so funny; she can balance on the banister of the porch without falling off; now, that is talent. We even tried to hide from the moms under Luke's highchair, but somehow they found us. I must admit that at one point I farted really loudly and then started laughing hysterically; Mom missed getting it on film, thankgoodness. I just wanted to show Lucas that I am no girly girl.

Home sweet home - I had a great time in West Virginia, but I am so glad to be home and to be catching up on my beauty rest, as well as my refrigerator exploration. By the way, I love the refrigerator; I mean it is full of food, so who wouldn't love it? I go into a state of frenzy every time someone opens the fridge door. I also love Mom's makeup drawer, which I just discovered. I know that I am a natural beauty, but a little accentuation of the cheeks just adds to my whole look. Aunt Becky gave me some birthday money, which Mom and I spent on my very own singing desk and chair. Love it! This is just a taste of what is to come next month too!