Athens Chic

This weekend I went to Athens, Mom's old college stomping ground, to take my Godmother out to lunch for her birthday. It was my longest car ride to date. I wore my sunglasses so that I could arrive in style; I've got to impress all of those college kids. We went to Mom's favorite restaurant in Athens, Last Resort, but I was not impressed, and to show my disappointment, I threw a colossal fit. Mom had to stand next to the bathroom for 30 minutes before Kate and Mom got their food wrapped up to go. I feel kind of bad, but I just wanted to hang out with Ms. Kate in a quiet place. I hope that I didn't ruin her birthday, but I did get some quality time with her, and nothing makes a birthday more special than attention from moi. Happy Birthday Godmom! Don't get me wrong; I do like going out to eat but only when I feel like it. On Friday, I enjoyed a marvelous lunch at Simply Thai with Grandma and Aunt Stephanie where I learned that lime does not make for an appetizing meal; Aunt Stephanie had some really cool tights, and she kept me entertained with her funny faces and stories. I even had a great time with Mom and Dad at lunch on Sunday. I got to sit in my very own seat in the booth next to Mom and watch the Tech basketball game; now, if I could just order what I want, life would be perfect! Oh, and by the way, being thrown up high into the air is hilarious and makes going to lunch even better; just take my word for it.

On another note, I am kind of starting to get the hang of this whole cereal bit. At least, I am really trying because I desperately want some tastier fare, like the insane banana that Mom let me taste; I kept pulling her hand towards my mouth for just one more delicious lick. The one thing that I don't understand is why eating cereal takes so much longer than eating my bottle; I am partial to the constant flow of food. I get really angry waiting for the next spoonful. Mom just needs to hurry things up; I think she needs practice more than I do! I get so excited in between bites that I end up nose diving into the spoon as soon as it is presented to me. What? Give me a break - I just learned how to hold my head up for goodness sakes. I don't want to waste any of my precious meal, at least not any more than ends up on my face and bib. When I got home from Athens on Saturday, Dad had put together my very own chair that Grandma Purnell bought for me. It is really neat getting to sit up high all by myself; the cushion even matches the dining room walls. I am so fashionable, all the way from the sunglasses to the Coach changing pad to the high chair! I do not miss an opportunity to prove my status as a fashionista. Rumor has it that I will be getting to taste oatmeal this week; I'll let you know what I think, don't worry.

Finally!

This morning I got to try something that I have been hearing about for weeks, real food. Now, I think that real food is a bit of an exaggeration for soupy formula and rice flakes, but I'll take it. I felt very grown up getting to sit in my Bumbo seat and use a real spoon, but I couldn't quite figure out how to keep the food in my mouth. I put forth a heck of an effort though. Mom promised that as I get the hang of this, I will get better tasting treats; she better be telling the truth because I thought that my bib tasted better than this stuff. It was really fun to make a mess though. After a few minutes, I got a little angry because getting the food in was taking way too long; I just wanted my bottle, which I got after a thrown back protest in my seat. My bottle tasted so good that I drank the whole thing even after eating my cereal. I definitely know why a Thanksgiving nap is necessary now. My tummy was so full that I could barely keep my eyes open. The count down to the end goal, delicious fruit, has begun, and I cannot wait to get there. Until tomorrow morning, goodbye "real food".

Daddy's Sweetheart

This weekend I learned that Valentine's Day is the day of love, which doesn't mean too much to me since I get tons of love everyday. That being said, Dad asked me to be his Valentine, and of course, I said, "Woo", which I think means yes. I wore the Daddy's Sweatheart onesie that I got just for him all day; I could tell that he felt really special. Daddy also made Mommy feel special with really pretty red roses and a date to Restaurant Eugene followed by Cirque du Soleil; I'm starting to think that I should have ponied up for the onesie that said Mom and Dad went on a great date, and all I got was this lousy onesie for V-day. At least Aunt Mallory came over and watched me while Mom and Dad went out, so that kind of made up for not being invited out with them. Aunt Mallory was even here when I woke up the next morning; she can't get enough of me - not an uncommon sentiment.

Grandpa came all the way from West Virginia for Valentine's Day, which was really special, and to show my gratitude, I allowed my first big, belly laugh. I laughed continuously at the dogs, Baxter and Opie, chasing each other; they are much funnier than any people I have met.

I even got a few little gifts. Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Ian sent me my first Valentine's Day card, and Grandma Purnell got me my first Valentine's Day bear. The gifts were great, but the weekend was even better. I love love, not as much as I love food, but that is a whole other story, so I give Valentine's Day, or weekend, two thumbs up, as soon as my thumbs can part with my mouth.

I didn't get to see my Valentine's boys, Hudson and Luke, on actual Valentine's Day, but we did have our own little get together today as a celebratory measure. We celebrated baby style with a couple of play mats and some toys that light up; what could be better? Those boys couldn't keep their hands off of me; although, I did protest, Dad, I promise! I like older men though, and I only had eyes for Brayden. Maybe next year these boys will get on their game, and I will get roses just like Mom. Until then the attention absolutely sufficed.

In my world, nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like some really wet raspberries, so here you go! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Why me?

This week has been pretty uneventful. Opie and I have been hanging out, but I think that he is still undecided about me. I've been playing in my very own jumperoo for which mom had to practically fight a man at Babies 'R' Us. That's my mom! With all of the jumping and playing, I've been a really good napper, and I couldn't even keep my eyes open while hanging out on my play mat the other day. Anyways, as I said, the week was uneventful for the most part until today. Oh, the agony of it all! I can barely talk about it without getting upset. Mom and dad took me to the mean doctor again. I can't figure out what I did to deserve this; I promise I will sleep past 6 from now on. Of course, every nurse commented on my adorable cheeks, which is not very original considering every person who meets me comments on my cheeks. They're cheeks people; get a grip. Then they made me strip down to my skivvies - how embarrassing! I am currently 24.6 inches long, which is ranked in the 65th percentile. Dad retains his hope that I will be a tall basketball player through another doctor's visit; I keep thinking, don't hold your breath. I weighed in at a healthy 15 lbs. even, which places me in the 79th percentile; before you say anything, that is down from the 84th percentile at the last visit, thank you very much. Now, here is where I am a little disturbed; my head circumference is 16.4 inches, and that places me in the 70th percentile, which is quite a leap from last time when I was in the 53rd percentile. Here come the fat head jokes! As I was dwelling on my current big head dilemma, mom and dad allowed those mean people to stick me with 4, count them, 4 needles! The lady even got blood on my collared Polo onesie; can you believe it? It was horrible. The only saving grace is that I heard the doctor say that I am now allowed to start trying real foods. I will get cereal this weekend, and once I master the whole cereal bit, I can start eating vegetables and then fruits. Do they really think it is going to take me any time at all to figure out how to eat? Ha, I was born to eat! The doctor also said that it was okay to finally take that stupid head support cushion out of my car seat because I have such good head control. Finally, my ears aren't getting smushed every time I sit in my car seat. All in all, I look great, and I am meeting all of my milestones. However, I could have told mom and dad that without the needles!

I'm a Heartbreaker!

I had a really great play date today with Luke Wheeler. He is really cute, and he was very interested; trust me, I know these things. He kept trying to hold my hand and run his fingers through my non-existent hair. Our moms had to stop things before he got too fresh. I know, I know; I am so irresistible. After we played at my house for a little while, we went out for lunch. It was the typical romantic date: Chili's with the moms in separate car seats; it doesn't get much more romantic than that. We each threw an obligatory fit before passing out from all of the afternoon fun. It was a great day! I really hope that he calls so that we hang out again sometime soon.

A Rockin' and a Rollin'

Life has been pretty rockin' lately! Last Thursday I went and hung out with my buddy, Hudson, but he slept almost the entire time, and I had to amuse myself - just like a man not to plan ahead of time and get plenty of sleep so as to entertain me. Good thing Hudson has a lot of cool toys. I tried out his Rainforest Jumperoo, and it was the craziest thing; just like above my bed at home, there were these birds spying on me. I stared them down to let them know that I was wise to their surveillance. I couldn't quite figure out how to get the jumperoo to bounce up and down, but mom helped me get it going. I must say that it seemed to be a good source of exercise; I must get one to help me keep my girlish figure, rolls and all.

On Saturday, Grandma came up to visit; she missed me, like I can blame her. I got to wear the awesome Lucky jacket that Aunt Mallory got me for Christmas; it is still a little big, but I couldn't wait any longer. Mom and dad took Grandma to lunch, and I threw a little hissy fit in the restaurant; I mean they get to eat real, fragrant food, and then they expect me to be satisfied with a bottle - how rude! When we got home from lunch, I entertained myself with a little exersaucer time and some naked bouncy chair time. Check out this body; you know you are jealous! All in all it was a pretty rockin' Saturday, and I didn't even know about the party that I would be attending the following day.

On Sunday, mom and dad took me to a Super Bowl party at Justin and Teri's house. Had I known that I would be meeting new people and entertaining old friends on Sunday, I would not have partied so hard on Saturday. By the time we got to the party, I was exhausted, and I couldn't help giving the guests a little taste of grumpy Livie. I don't think they minded because everyone, including Mrs. Trish and Mrs. Heather, still wanted to hold me; oh, how wonderful it is to be one of the beautiful people in life. Anyways, I was so tired that I didn't even make it to kickoff. I'm not too upset though because dad's team didn't even win.

So, that was my rockin' weekend - now, on to the rollin'. Mom has been torturing me lately by making me lay on my stomach, which, by the way, seems pointless to me; I would much rather be laying on my play mat with all of my wonderful friends, like dragonfly, fish, and octopus, hanging above me. On Sunday afternoon, I was laying on my back, voicing my distaste with the situation when all of a sudden I ended up on my back. Mom applauded - she is so weird - and told me that I had rolled over for the first time. Now, I'm a rockin' and a rollin'! I rolled over once more, but I made sure to remain very angry as I did it, for effect. Mom tried all day on Monday to catch my roll on film, but I am not a pet, and I will not roll over on command - take that mom. Opie, however, rolled over several times to appease mom, suck up! I cannot figure him out; he seems a little dumb; I mean he licks the carpet for God sakes! I think that mom is still going to post the video of my not rolling over because I must say that I do look awfully cute. Maybe, if she does something really nice, like give me a freakin' cookie, I may allow her to catch a roll on camera; we'll just have to see.

All of the rockin' and rollin' this weekend really wore me out!