Today's a good day....

Hello All! Well, today is a pretty good day so I thought I would catch you up on what's happening with me and my Mummy & Daddy. You know what a hard time we had in November, and we're all trying hard to just get back to 'normal'... I'm not sure what that is, but I heard Mummy say it - so that's what I'm going with.

You guys know that I've been talking for a little while now, but I'm really getting this whole using words to 'communicate' thing! I ask for food by name - 'crackers, cookies, apple, cheese, toast' - and just in general - 'food'. I also can now ask for strawberry or chocolate milk. I know... you're amazed, but I must confess... I can't actually say 'strawberry'... instead I say Pink. So I ask Mummy for either 'pink milk' or 'choc milk'.... choice is GOOD! I also ask for juice but I don't normally drink a lot of it. Words?? Forget about it! I have more words than I can list now, and I get more every day! Some of my latest are: bunny, clock, Tracy (my auntie), phone call - and I LOVE to fake sneeze... 'ah...ah-choo'! Just a short time ago...I asked Mummy for crackers, and when she gave them to me I said 'happy'! She looked happy with that as well!!

I'm pretty busy all day still cuz I'm still learning things. But I know how to play with cars the right way now and I know they make a brooooom...noise. I ask Mummy to get toys out of my bins sometimes too. The other day I wanted a toy and I couldn't get it - so I grumbled...and Mum asked if she could help me. She came over and asked me what I wanted an I pointed to the toy I wanted in the bin - "Pig". Yeah baby - I love my pig!! I mimic most things these days as well and I like to try to sing! I sang 'Shake it.... shake it...." from 'Shake Your Groove Thing' --Mummy was singing. And in the car with Mum I sang 'dance...dance...' when she was singing 'Dancing In The Streets'. Mum likes to sing, and so do I!!!!!

Other than all that, I've just been growing. I'm almost 27 months old now - WOW - and I wear a size 18 months for most of my clothes, so I'm getting huge big!! I won't know how huge big until I see Dr. John in March...but maybe Mum will pop me on the scale and surprise you all with some numbers.

I love you all...I'll try to write again soon!

Lost in Translation

I'm busy.... I'm busy.... I'm a busy little bee!!!! I love to walk all over now, and I do it from the time I wake up until I nap -- then again until I'm falling over ready for bed. On some rare occasions I'll sit and watch something on TV, but mostly... I just walk!!! I've been trying to run a little bit now, and sometimes I lose control and crash into a wall, or the couch, or Mum or Dad. :-D

I say nearly 40 words now -- I KNOW, pretty impressive huh?? I learn new words all the time, and I remember what they mean, it makes telling Mummy & Daddy what I want or need soooo much easier. But I have a confession to make... for a while now when I see that Mickey, I have been calling him 'monkey'. Mum and Dad thought I was saying MICkey... but I was actually saing MONkey. And to add insult to injury for that Mickey guy... I just heard he's actually something called a mouse. I could have sworn he was a monkey, so that's what I'm calling him! I mean really... a talking mouse???

Another of my newest tricks is that when I'm hungry I sign for 'more' and when Daddy or Mummy asks me what I want more of -- I go and touch my high chair! MORE FOOD PLEASE. That's right... I ask for food, and I eat all the time. Seriously - I can eat a pre-breakfast snack, breakfast, another snack, lunch, yet another snack, dinner and sometimes I ask for milk before I go to bed! WHO KNEW???? Mummy was a little worried when my tube came out, but I have shown her that she doesn't need to worry... I can eat just fine!

Just in case you wanted to know...here are all the words that I say, and I know what they all mean. (at least I THINK Mummy got them all.....) Enjoy! I love you all!!!!

Ball
Book (I say booky)
Car
Cheese
Choo-Choo
Clap (I say cap those L's are hard!)
Cookie
Cracker
Cup
Daddy
Doggie
Juice (though he doesn’t like it….)
Kat
Kitty
Light
Milk
Mommy

Elmo ( I say Mo-Mo, I used to say eh-mo but changed it…)
Monkey
Nanny (I say Nonny)
No
Nope
Okay
Oopsie
Outside (I say ‘side)
Peek-a-Boo (I say Peekie)

Please
Quack
Shoe
Sock
Star
Stay
Teeth
Train
Tree
Tub
Tubby
Uh-Oh
Up

This is what I've been up to....

What have YOU been doing????

SURPRISE.... it's ME!

Well, I have left you all hanging in the balance since my tube came out (which I have been admonished for - Thank you Auntie Jen in Turkey...) and I am v.v.v.v. sorry. I have been so super-busy making up for lost time. You should see me now... oh, wait you CAN see me now!!! Not just in the pics above - but check out my new moves here:



Take your time degesting that...

Aren't I FANTASTIC!!! OK... I know that I still need some practice, but I do every day with Mummy or Daddy. We do some 'walking'. I think that once I get the hang of it for real, I'm gonna be able to make some good time getting to things that I know I shouldn't touch. I certain I will at least lay a hand on them before one of the 'rents gets to me!!! Bwaahaahaa!!!!

Other than the whole walking thing - which IS pretty big. I am also making some tracks with talking. I have new words all the time, sometimes you have to listen closely but I can say:Mickey (Muky), Apple (appa), Book (booka-booka), Oops (Oopsie), cracker (caka), and my newest sign is for play. Ususlly when I'm hungry I just ask for coo-kie, coo-kie, coo-kie and Mum & Dad know I want food. :-) Also now... I LOVE the phone. I pretend like every toy I own is somehow a phone and I talk on it all the time!

I still love to try new foods, and I hat all baby foods except for Blueberry Buckle which sometimes I eat. But the rest is just poo as far as I'm concerned! Give me whatever is on your plate, and I'll make due. Mmmmmmm.....

Well, I promise to get back on track and write again a lot sooner (maybe even next Monday like I should) but for now, I have things to touch, taste and chew...and maybe even some trouble to get into!! I love you all!!!

A Very Big Day.... For a Very BIG Boy!

I have the BIGGEST news for all of you! Today I went to see Dr. Hoffley - she's the one who keeps track of my g-tube and all of my GI issues, she's super-nice! Anyway, today was my check up with Dr. Hoffley and she was soooo impressed with my biggness!

You want to know what my biggness is.... doncha? Well, I am 32.5" tall, and I weigh in at a tad over 23 pounds! I have gained about 2 pounds in the last 4 months!!! My Dr. Hoffley was so happy with all that, plus the fact that I have been eating all of my foods and drinking my formula 'shakes' without needing the tube that she took it out today!!!! I'll let that sink in.... I am tubeless!!!! WOO HOO. I am huge-big ginormous!!!!!

I have to go party now! I love you all!!!!!!

My Faux Hawk!

Hi everybody. Again is has been a long and busy week here at our house. There is still stuff going on in the kitchen which leaves little time for play. The weather here has been kinda nippy, so there hasn't been any playing in the pool... RATS! But I have been signing and talking like a fool! I can sign 'milk' pretty well these days - at least Mummy knows what I'm saying so that's cool. And this week I said:

Cookie, see, up, please.

I'm still standing a lot - but not wanting to do the walking on my own yet. I still like to have Mummy hold my hands. Sometimes I'll walk if she only holds one hand, but I really like to have both of them held. And when I start walking, I don't like to stop for anything -- even dinner!!! Stop me too soon, and I will FLIP OUT! Lots of yelling, shouting, and kicking will ensue! But my favorite thing to do is still to climb on everything that's short. My Elmo chair, my llittle stool, most of my toys. Soon I shall conquer the couch.... Mawaaahaaaaa.....

Bye for now - I love you all!

Whole lotta talkin' going on....

It's been a long time now...and I've missed telling you what's happing with me and my Mum & Dad. We've all been super busy working on the new kitchen. Mummy & Daddy have been working soooo hard that they took the day off yesterday. That meant that we all got to go and have big fun all day long. We went out to breakfast, then off the check out the flea market. I had italian ice for the first time, and I loved it!! I ate about 1/2 of my Mum's it was super yummy!

Listen peeps, I eat tons of stuff now. No more baby food for me - NO THANK YOU! I only want the stuff that Mummy & Daddy are eating, and I want to try it all. I'll eat chicken and pork, but steak gives me some troubles. I love all sorts of other stuff, but my faves are really garlic mashed spuds, PB & J, toast with either jam or nutella, & banana cookies. BUT I eat everything from toast to fish and veggies too. I still have a problem with thin liquids - the whole drinking thing with those can still make me choke a little. But I wolf donw my milk shakes, and I love fruit smoothie drinks. I still take all my calories by mouth and my Mum only uses my tube for some extra water here and there.

I'm getting better and better with my words and signs. I finally am understanding how much easier things go when I tell Mummy or Daddy what I need, so I'm really trying to tell them instead of just grunting or screaching at them. But I still like to call Mummy 'eeeehhhhaaaaaeeeeehhhh', I think she likes it too.... :-) Some of my newest words are:

Kiss, Come, Up, Yup, Yeah, and Elmo. I understand a lot more too, I can find things and bring it to you. And when Mummy askes me to come herer please, I like to scoot on over... sometimes. :-) I have been signing 'more' a lot better now when I want more, and it's kinda fun. Everybody understands what I want, and I usually get it. FANTASTIC!

I move lightning fast now. I zoom-zoom from my room to the living room in no time flat and I play and touch EVERYTHING. I can make a mess of my room in less than 60 seconds... Mum says that's 1 minute. I'm pretty sure I can cut that time down if I really try! I have a huge barrel of Lincoln Logs and I LOVE to spread them all over the room and bring them into the living room too. And I have 9 baskets that organize my toys in the living room which I like to really get into and tear apart too! I LOVE being able to move around so much. ;-) I should be walking on my own soon too - Yippee!!!!

Well, that's it for now. I love you all!

Hollywood Walk of Fame - Here I come!

I'm pretty sure one of these videos will win me a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame some day......

Turn up your volume for this one!!!!

My Summer Days...

So, I thought I would share with you what I do during the summer. Which, I am finding, is MUCH more fun that that cruddy cold winter!

Well, I wake up... play...have a nap. Then I eat something fantastic for breakfast (today was french toast) and I do a little more playing inside. THEN - Mummy gets changed, and changes my clothes and we go outside to play for a while. I like to start with a small crawl around the yard while Mummy gets my sandbox all set for me. Then I hit the sand like nobody's buisness!!! And I do serious sand play for quite some time. I scoop, dump, & throw. Then I grab, stand, and retrieve. It's a huge amount of fun. When I finish up there, we head into the big pool! I love my float, and I can make it go places just be doing a big bunch of kicking under that water! I can get clear across the pool in no time flat!!! I like to take my hat off too, which Mum doesn't seem to happy about - but that makes it more fun for me. AND...if I throw it into the water.. guess what?? It sinks! I only went after it once...and when I face-planted into the water I freaked out!!! Lesson well learned - keep one hand on the little grippy thingy.

NEWS FLASH!

I ate nearly an entire Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich for lunch today! YEAH.... ALMOST THE WHOLE THING! I shall conquer a title someday......

I Really Rock This Eating Thing Now~!!

So, I have a few things to chat with you about first before I get to all the cool stuff I've been doing.

I saw my cousin Zack this weekend, and let me be the one to tell you - he's HUGE-BIG! He's really starting to groove his own tricks and he can rock the jump-a-roo like nobody's business! Sorry, no pics so you'll just have to take my word for it that he's really grown. He's 5 months old now & his parents say he weighs about 17lbs now, and you can tell. I'm secretly jealous of his chubby thigh-bits... don't tell him....

And before I get to far ahead of myself - I have to give cudos to my cousin Conner who has updated his blog 3 TIMES since June 27th!!! If you haven't checked in on Conner recently you should skip on over to his blog using the link to the right and see all his latest shananagins!! It's good reading - and some video too!!!

Along with my cousin Zack this weekend, I saw other people who are really important to me! My Uncle Sanj, Auntie Uchi, Auntie Tracy, Auntie Pam, and Auntie Mo were all there! AND Uncle Sanj & Auntie Uchi brought a couple of furry friends for me to check out! They brought their doggie Lili and their bunny Chilli (who I met at Christmas)! Lili was really scared, but she like Bruin and Lola - and she even liked Cellar I think. She became really comfy with all of us. I spent some time with Chilli just before they all left, and I liked her. But Daddy said that Uncle Sanj sent a text message today to say that poor Chilli passed on last night - and we're all really sad!!!! I feel the worst for Auntie Uchi & I wish I could hug and cuddle her to make her feel better.

Well, how do I come back from all that saddness? I'm just going to tell you what's been happening with me. I have been eating like some kind of wild boy!! I like to sniff my food before I give it a try now - which apparently is funny to Mummy & Daddy, but I think it's really important to know what you're about to chomp! That yummy little brownie bit could turn out to be something a bit more sinister....know what I mean???? Again I've tried a bunch of foods - so here's my list. Watch for my favorites with the * thingy!

French Toast

* canned/jarred Green Beans

Flounder

Mushrooms

Ahi-Ahi Tuna

**Brownie

Yellow Peppers

**Garlic Mashed Potatoes

*Blueberry Muffins

Rice

*Twinkies

*Dehydrated fruit bits

Animal crackers
There could be more - but I can't remember.

Yesterday.... Daddy went to pick up this groovy sandbox that Mummy found for me! It's a huge-big dumptruck looking sandbox AND the top turns into a little pool that I can splash in - either by myself or with friends!!!! HOLY MOLY... I am sooooo lucky! We're going to get it all set up this week, so we can show you pictures next week. It's a super cool boy heaven like sandbox!!!

Other than the eating, I've just been moving around like I should do. I cruise everything I can hang onto, and despite Mummy making the bottom drawer of my dresser just for me (by filling it with toys and stuff that's mine) I now like to open the drawer ABOVE that one, and take out all my pants and jeans. I think she really likes it cuz she keeps saying 'gee, thanks for the help, Ethan....' I'm also learning really well how to put things into containers a little better. Like instead of flinging them all over I can put them in the opening and let them go. I'm fancy like that!!!!

There's a NICU meeting tomorrow night that Mummy & Daddy are taking me along to. I'm really excited to go and see all the people who loved and took care of me before I could come home with Mummy & Daddy. It's called the Little Miracles NICU Parent Support Group, and it's really important cuz we can help people who are there now. Give them hope and support and they can see how big I am now compared to how little I was when I left. I hope I can get pictures of my nurses.... you remember them?? Melina, Kristy, Melissa (who was there when I was born), Maureen, and ALL the rest of them!!!! I'll let you know all about it next week.

For now, I should go. I have tons of stuff to get into -- er.... I mean learn about!

I love you all!!!

Food, Food, Food...I am learning about FOOD!

OK people...I'm a little put out by something here. It appears there is this stuff called 'table food'. I haven't had much contact with this 'table food' until just a few days ago. And I think that I totally DIG IT!!!

Here is what I've tried - and if there's one of these things (*) in front of it, I really like it!

Meatball

Diced Apples

Mashed potatoes (actually I've tried them before)

*Lemon Poppyseed muffin
Pasta O's
*Grilled Potatoes - the inside only!

Diced Carrots

*Cheez-Its

**Guacamole

*Baby Gold Fish

*Toast with butter

Toast with Jam

Pizza

Fried Egg

Impressive, eh????? I don't eat a lot, mind you. But I try and Mummy & Daddy are very encouraging!

I got to play with my girlfriend Alexia one afternoon. We had a really good time, and I stole her headband from her - I didn't keep it, I just put it on my forehead. It was quite comfy actually!

I love you all!