My Loot

Well, the insanity of Christmas has come and gone, and I am left with a huge, overwhelming pile of toys, books and other unidentifiable toddler objects. My favorites so far are my very own vacuum cleaner that makes noise and 'yites up,' my very own DJ station that I can sing my ABCs into, and my little wooden fruits and veggies that I can cut and drool upon and then share with my play buddy. These things are neat. The other multitude of 'semi-neat' toys were cast aside and hope to be played with some day when the 'neatness' wears off of the above 3 toys.

Other Xmas-related activities included:

• Seeing Tutu, Koka & BreeBree and reliving the whole present opening festivities again.
• Eating about 5 bites of the massive Christmas dinner mama, gamma and tutu cooked and declaring 'all-done.'
• Driving down Peacock Lane and yelling "NAY NAY!" out the window to the horsies.
• Seeing Unka, Gigi & Jett the next day and reliving the present opening thing yet again (does this ever end??)
• Bestowing upon my wonderful gamparents and mama the ultimate toddler Christmas gift: the snottiest, nastiest cold you can imagine!!

Time to help mama 'bo nose'

HS

It's "Mismas" Eve!!

The big day is almost here and I've been ever-the-so-helpful little toddler elf:

• Help wrap presents (strategically place tape and bows; sometimes on myself).
• Carry presents from wrapping area to Xmas tree (sometimes sneak peek at present).
• Return presents that have been unwrapped to be rewrapped.
• Rearrange Xmas tree ornaments (only one casualty so far).
• Point out every santa, snowman and reindeer in the house and on Xmas tree.

With all the company we've been having, I've picked up a lovely new habit of opening the bathroom door on people. I like the funny surprised looks and the screams of excitement that come from the potty-er inside. Mama is trying to break me of the habit, but I (and the potty-ers) seem to be having too much fun with it. So I'll risk a few more time-out sessions to continue the 'potty surprise' game.

Aren't I fun??
HS

Fun with Gamma & Gampa

G&G taught me this fun new game called Hide & Seek. It goes like this:

G: "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, ready or not here I come!!"
H: [Giggles from under dining room table]
G: "Wheeeeeere's Holdennnnnnnnnnn???"
H: [Laughter from under dining room table]
G: "Is he heeeeeeeeeeere?"
H: [Hysterical laughter from under dining room table]
G: "Found You!!"

Round Two:

H: "2, 7, 4, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, he come!!" [wander from room to room, spy kitty, chase kitty for awhile...]
G: "I'm hiiiiiiiiiding"
H: "Gaaaaaaaaaampaaaaaaaaaa?"
G: "I'm hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiding"
H: "4, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10"
G: [patiently waiting for toddler, comes out into plain view]
H: "Found oooooo!!"

Is there anything more fun in the world than Gamparents???

HS

Ho Ho Holden

Just poking my head in to say hi....HI!!! Gamma and Gampa are here so I have a captive audience for the next 2 weeks (hey, if gamma and gampa are here, who exactly is reading my blog???) Anyway, I'm getting excited for the big Xmas day. The presents are starting to pile up and I've learned (the hard way) to keep my mitts off of them. I've only broken one ornament so far, yay me! We've been cooped up inside for awhile due to the pretty ice storm that blew in over the weekend, so to relieve my impending angst the G's and I went house shopping this afternoon. I'm thinking they should move into the house right next door but I don't think our neighbor would appreciate a toddler arriving at 7am for a Gampaaaaaaaa wake-up call.

OK off to poke at some more ornaments...

TFN,
HS

My Visit with Santa

M&D’s suggested trip to visit Santa sounded innocent enough and I was curious to see the actual person behind all this hype, folklore and poor fashion taste, so I consented. On the way there, I got caught up in all M&D’s excitement and by the time we parked, I could talk about nothing other than ‘anta.’ I brought Pear Bear along for the ride and noticed his quiet unresponsiveness, but thought nothing of it at the time. Once inside, I happily made my way through all the awe and woo of sparkly, christmasy toddler-temptations and managed to make it to the tree-lined area of His Santaness. And this is where the story, and the toddler, fall apart...

Santa was big and weird-looking and did not fit the fuzzy, happy, cartoon character of my toddler imagination. He made fun of Pear Bear (addressed him as ‘Care Bear’ ???) and broke the ultimate toddler golden rule: he looked right into my eyes and tickled my chin. The Indiginity!!

I decided it was time to leave, but M&D had a different plan. They handed me off to the bearded maniac and suggested we document the whole sordid affair with a picture. I would have none of it, and decided for posterity’s sake, to ‘show it like it is’ and screamed for the entire picture-taking event. M&D thought it was ‘cute’ anyway and displayed it proudly next to last year’s almost identical picture.

(Note to self: be very weary if M&D suggest visiting the Easter Bunny this spring!!)

Sweet Santa Dreams,
HS

Meet Pear Bear

pearbear
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

This is my newest most favoritest creature...Pear Bear (so named for his loveable Pear-y shape). M&D bought him on their honeymoon, and I have since adopted him as my 'peary' own. PB and I do everything together...read, eat, sleep, push buttons, wave bye-bye...and PB even has his very own taggie to sleep with at night. And daddy loves when I 'talk' my PB (since daddy doesn't speak PBese, he doesn't know that Pear Bear is actually making fun of him).

Pear Bear has recently gotten into a bit of trouble, because it seems he can't keep his peary little paws off the newly assembled Christmas tree. How can you blame him??? Something so big, fuzzy and sparkly just screams to be grabbed, shaken and drooled upon. How can you expect a toddler...errr, a PEAR BEAR to stay away from such an amazing object?

Anyway, just wanted to post a quick hi to introduce my buddy and give a sneak peak at this year's Christmas Card pic. Watch your mailbox for a Christmas Cow near you!!!

Words Words.

Still no pictures because daddy is in charge of pictures and he's frantically trying to get the basement ready for our new carpet tomorrow! Once that's done, I promise to post some pics...even if I have to take over the picture transferring process my very own self!!

Gamma sent me a Christmas book today (thanks gamma!) I was convinced that the white bearded man in the red suit was Gampa and ignored mama's insistance that it was some guy named Santa Claws. It was so obviously Gampa, I don't know what mama's been smoking.

For all you that have been asking about new baby's name, we've decided to name her KICKY. All she does is kick kick kick all day and night and even gave me a good kick in the ribs tonight when we were reading our nigh-nigh books. Sibling rivalry is already beginning...

Good night allllllllllll!
HS

Shucky Ducky

IMGP4015
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Well this is an old picture, but I feel bad that I haven't blogged lately and I have SOOOOO much to update you on. So, here's a kernal to keep you entertained while I get my vacation and Halloween pics organized. I will tell you that I've been busy sprouting some new eyeteeth lately. Boy were they the buggeriest of all teeth to break through. The bottom ones are in and I fought my whole entire naptime with the top ones (that's right, no nap for me today!!!)

So I promise I will get those pics together and share with you my wonderful and not-so-wonderful holiday adventures!!

xo,
HS

Countdown!

TWO is the magic word today...it's my favorite number, actually. When asked how many raspberries I'd like at lunchtime, "TWO, please" is always the answer. When asked how old I'm going to be, TWO is the number that gets M&D all giddy with excitement. When asked what number comes after six, TWO is the obvious choice. TWO is the default answer to any numerical question that comes my way. And since Tuesday is TWO days away, I finally got the answer correct when M&D asked how many days until our big trip. YEP! In TWO days I'll be on an airplane flying to Santa BlahBlah!! Isn't TWO just grand?? So, wish me luck and be sure to wave at me when you see me flying overhead!

toodles,
HS

A Day in the Life...

IMGP4019
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

I don't remember exactly what provoked this, but here is a picture of me having a time out. One of my first. I'm pretty good about it - I sit on the rug by the sink and contemplate my bad deed while one full minute of my life ticks away on the clock overhead. I've found that "bad" is a relative term, and M&D and I are still trying to figure out just what warrants the dreaded time out. So far the only thing that's earned my time on the rug is running into the street. And that's BAD. Luckily, just a warning of a time out usually works well enough for the not-so-bad stuff. I'm finding there's a lot of grey area in toddlerhood.

So our Santa BlahBlah trip is about a week away! And after that, M&D are planning a fun weekend getaway to celebrate daddy's bday - SANS TODDLER!! Why anybody would want to go anywhere without their toddler is beyond me, but...whatever floats their boat!! I will be just as happy at home with Tutu and Kitty all to myself.

TTYL!
HS

My Fall Day

IMGP4031
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

In true Portland fashion, just as suddenly as winter became Summer this year (yes, we missed out on Spring!) our Summer turned to Fall. Fine by me - I love Fall! Especially those first few days full of fallen leaves and HUGE MUD PUDDLES!!

Whilst daddy and I strolled through the lovely Laurelhurst park today, I could not control my toddler urges and plummeted butt-first into said mud puddle that was deeper and slicker than either of us could ever imagine. Mud-covered toddler was the result, although daddy managed to snap this cute pic of me before the mayhem ensued:

Muddy dreams to all,
HS

A,B,,,,,Geeeeeeeeeeee!!!

My newest latest and greatest thing: I can sing the ABC's!!! Well, the condensed toddler version... It goes like this:

Mama: a,b,c,d,e,f
Holden: geeeeeeee. Aych.
M: i,j,k
H: elmo. peeeeeeeeee.
M: q,r,s,t,u
H: veeeeeeeeee.
M: w
H: ecks
M: y
H: zeeeeeeee. yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! (clap, clap, applause, thank you, thank you)

I am getting excited about my approaching trip to Santa BlahBlah. I hear Gamma & Gampa have a tangerine tree right in their backyard, so I plan on spending LOTS of time back there...and mama plans on bringing LOTS of butt balm to deal with citrus-induced diaper rash.

Mama is quickly becoming educated in all things baby couture. I mean, look at this. And this and this. And THIS! How could you NOT spend your entire savings on this stuff??? I actually hate shopping and scream if I'm strolled anywhere near baby Gap, so I entirely approve of her latest online shopping addiction (although I wouldn't have minded a pair of these when I was a robeez-wearer!!)

TTYL,
HS

Guess What Daddy Got Mommy?!?!

PREGNANT!! Yep, I'm gonna be a big brother! I'm hoping they birth something fun like a kitty or parakeet. Mama had an ultrasound Friday and came home with pictures of what looked like a little otter, so I'm pretty excited! I think it'll be fun to have a little sister. I'll always have someone to play with and laugh at my jokes. And since I'll be 2 when she gets here, M&D will have an exponential increase in diaper changes (I can show her how to wiggle out of their grasp and run around the house stark naked). Mama is finally getting her little shopping buddy so she's happy and has recently taken a second mortgage on the house to pay for all the cute girlie clothes that she could never buy for me. It would be extra nice if she comes out sleeping through the night, because we're getting quite spoiled by our current luxurious lifestyle (I slept in until 7:30 this morning!!!).

Mama had morning sickness pretty bad, and I had a lot of fun imitating her. Nothing like a toddler standing beside you making gagging noises while you toss your cookies first thing in the morning (I'm always good for a laugh around here). Due date is Feb 27, 2006 - don't quote me on that. I was born Feb 21, so it'll make for some interesting birthday party planning on mama's part... Hey, if NewBaby is the baby of the family, what does that make me?

Pondering my babyhood status,
HS

Letter B

Just took it easy today...played with some tinker toys, went on a walk, stopped to sniff the leaves...

Not much to report on, so I'll sing you my favorite song:

(sung to 'Let it Be')

When I find I can't remember
What comes after "A" and before "C,"
My mother always whispers,
"Letter B."

She told me "B" starts "Big" and "bird"
and "Ball" and "bat" and "battery."
Yes, buh-buh-buh-buh-buh means Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
She whispers "Buh-buh-buh means Letter B."

And when I feel downhearted,
Mother whispers "B" words constantly,
Like "bib," "Bob," "Bulb," and "bubble," Letter B.

Now in my hour of darkness
There's a sound I know will comfort me,
It's the buh-buh-buh-buh-buh of Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
My mother whispers "B" words, Letter B.

Nighty-night,
HS

70th Avenue Tricycle Gang

bike
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

That's the name of my soon-to-be gang of tricycle-toting toddlers. And this is fearsome ME on my new tricycle. Aren't I the fiercest?? Grrrrrr.

My favorite pasttimes these days are:
Riding my new tricycle
Pushing my new tricycle around the house
Standing on my new tricycle when nobody's looking
Attempting to drive my new tricycle over kitty
Throwing tantrums if M&D make me do anything non-tricycle related

M&D have started preparing me (and themselves) for a trip to Santa BlahBlah in October. They are terrified of taking me on an airplane, but I can't wait! Can you think of anything more grand than spending two straight hours on an airplane with a nap-deprived toddler? I wonder if they'll let me bring my tricycle.

hmmm.

xo,
HS

Sad Face

sadface
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

This is my sad face. I'm very sad for all the people on the Gulf Coast that have had their lives ruined, and I'm mad at our government who has failed miserably to help them. I'm especially sad for the babies and toddlers and mamas that are there. I've decided to donate my old baby clothes and toys to them. I wish I could have them all come live in my room with me.

HS

I'm Baaaaaack!!

pottyboy
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Hi Blog! I haven't posted in awhile, but seeing as how I need mama's help to post and she's had the icky sickies, it's not entirely my fault. Anyway, it's been awhile, and must catch up...been BUSY!

So, big boy that I am, (or am becoming) I went peepee on my brand-spankin new potty! I just sat my naked little butt down, let out one tiny fart and peed about a teaspoon of peepee. Check it out here.

I also had a visit from gampa and gamma! They came up to visit me from that mysterious Santa BlahBlah place. We played and played and played. We went to a garage sale and bought the most fabulous of toys called Tinker Toys that are now my latest obsession. Daddy is obsessed, too and we tinker the most fabulous of creations together. Check them (us) out here.

Finally, mama's starting to feel a little better, so we went berry picking on Sauvie Island yesterday. We found a special farm that breeds sweet, genetically-engineered thornless blackberries. We threw caution to the wind and ate the little mutations, and enjoyed the fact that I could help pick without getting tangled up in blackberry bramble. If I start growing an extra head, well just blame M&D... Anyway, here I am picking away.

Hopefully that will satisfy some picture-hungry grandparents for awhile.

nigh-nigh sweet blog!
HS

Number Cruncher

Hi Blog. Sorry for the delay. Mama's been feeling icky and hasn't been able to help with my blogging duties (she has to push a button every now and then). But good news: the fam has survived my molar emergence and it looks like clear sailing until my 2-year molars rear their ugly, toothy heads. I'm sporting four sets of white, ridgy bumpy things in the place that my massive molars will soon be!

In other news...I can count!! Well, Kinda. Here's how it usually goes:

Mama: Oooooone
Holden: Doooooooo
M: Twooooooo
H: Teeeeeee
M: Threeeeee
H: Foooooe
M: Fooooour
H: Fiiiiiiiiiii
M: Fiiiiiiiive
H: Sic
M: Siiiiiiiiix
H: Eiiiiiiiight
M: Seveeeeeen
H: Niiiiiiiiine
M: Eiiiiiiight
H: TEN! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!
M: Niiiiiiiine
H: TEN! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!
M: Ten! Yay!

It's pretty groovy, and M&D even have some footage of it. I'm a little confused about the whole ordering after 'sic' but I ad lib as I go and it seems to be working. Now onto those pesky letters...

Sweet Dreams!
HS

Just for the record...

I'm starting to get into the whole 'mine' thing these days, and mama found this cute little tidbit of information which I agree with wholeheartedly:

Toddler Property Laws
1. If I like it, it's mine
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine
5. If it's mine, it must NEVER appear to be yours in any way
6. If I'm doing or building something, ALL pieces are mine
7. If it looks just like mine, it IS mine

I'd also add that if it's your's, it's usually mine, too. And don't even try taking me shopping anymore, because everything in the store is fair game these days. M&D are devising pretty clever ways of distracting me from all the *neat things* I've apparently missed out on on all previous shopping trips. But I usually end up getting to take home one *neat thing* or other. Today it was a big green ball from Target (we were only there to escape the heat, but managed to spend $28 on pretty much nothing). Anyway, M&D have a feeling my 'mine games' are going to get much worse as I approach the dreaded 'terrible twos'!!! Mua-haha.

Nigh-Night!
HS

Bad, Bad Blogger!

I know, I've neglected you, sweet blog...but with molars and garage sales and lots of other exciting stuff happening, I have no time to sit my toddler butt down in front of the computer and type. But, here I am to give a little update before I'm beckoned by some toddler curiosity or other...

On the garage sale front - we did well! We didn't make much money, but managed to get rid of ALL our CRAP! Well, most of it. I helped M&D out by taking the funny little price tag stickers off all the stuff and sticking them to various parts of my body. It was fun hanging out with Unka and Xev and talking with all our neighbors. We ended up giving most stuff away at the end, but were just happy to get it off our hands and into hands that will appreciate it (or, turn around and sell it at their g.sale in a year or so...ha!)

On the molars front - not such great news. I'm still fighting to get these things through my gums. I have the two top ones through, and one bottom one came up, took a look around and then timidly retracted back down...ARGGG!

Anyway, I must cut this short. I promise not to neglect my blogging duties and will ask mama for help in posting a cute video of me doing an insane rendition of 'ring around the rosie.'

Toddler Toodles!
HS

Where the Blog?

I swear I blogged last night, but I guess it got sucked up into outer space or something. Oh well...I'll try again.

Mama and I had a disagreement today over whether the purple bulbous object on my high chair tray was a hat (my opinion) or a grape (mama's opinion). We argued for quite awhile: "at...grape...at!...nooo, grape!...AT...GRAPE!!" until I picked it up, put it on my head and demonstrated to mama that yes, it was indeed a hat. Holden 1, mama 0.

I also made the first, ever so tiniest of baby steps toward potty training. After lunch, whilst playing with my beloved tractor, I looked daddy in the eye and pronounced a barely discernable 'poop.' Daddy sniffed and discovered that yes, I had made a deposit to the diaper bank. I'm thinking this communication thing might actually be a useful skill!!

Off to slumberland...
HS

Diaper Dance

diaperparty
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Here's me, boogie-ing out sans clothing (except for the obligatory diaper and tennies). You wouldn't know it from this picture, but I was quite miserable today. If getting your top two molars in at the same time isn't bad enough, my BOTTOM two decided to come in as well. So I'm currently in the process of sprouting FOUR humongous teeth through my poor, aching gums. M&D are thinking of buying stock in Baby Orajel.

nighty-night!
HS

Daddy's helper

toolbelt
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Daddy has ALOT of work to do on our house: finish the basement, build the kitchen porch, reroof the garage, build the deck, landscape the yard, etc etc etc... So, to help him out I've donned my handy dandy garage sale found toolbelt and am raring to go! I need to gain a few more pounds, but until then I don't mind that the toolbelt falls to my ankles every so often. You can't see it in this picture, but I also scored a toolbench to keep and organize all my tool treasures. With a little toddler help, daddy will be done with this monster project of a house in no time!! And when we're done, we can start in on Koka's monster house project, too! Three generations of building expertise...

sweet tablesaw dreams!!
HS

Molar Misery

Yes, I'm donning two shiny new upper molars that mama, dada and I endured sleeplessness and misery to obtain last night. This teething business stinks, especially considering the fact that the pain and torture of breaking these pearlies through poor, swollen gums results in a *temporary* set of teeth? All this work for a trip from the tooth fairy, maybe resulting in $10 net gain if I'm lucky?? Where's the ROI in THAT???

Anyway, aside from the teething fiasco, I managed to participate in some enjoyable activites this past 4th of July weekend:

• playing tennis with M&D (well, chasing balls around the court while M&D played 'volley around the toddler').
• strollering in a parade, wearing my big funny glasses and waving at all the other strollerers.
• coveting my first rootbeer at a neighborhood ice cream social (I normally regard glasses full of liquid as playthings, but not THIS stuff - I was careful not to drop a single molecule of this precious fluid)
• hanging out with my little buddy, Holland and leading her intrepid daddy on toddler escapades around Kennedy School.
• sleeping through the multitude of firework displays that our patriotic neighbors so loyally set off.

A big weekend for a little boy...

sweet, toothless dreams!!

HS

Happy Bday Gampa!!!

It's actually a belated bday wish since the blogsite was being fussy last night and taking forever to load. So, Happy Bday gampa - I'll give you big slobbery kisses when I see you in August!!

Guess What! We have a new addition to our fambly!!! Her name is Bean2, but we will call her Bean for short. Daddy took our old, devalued Bean to the minivan glue factory today and traded her for a brand spankin sparkly new van. She looks exactly like Bean1, but without the post-traumatic stress disorder. We were sad to see Bean1 go, but thank her for so bravely and courageously saving our lives in our icky accident.

If flickr wasn't being a pain right now (what is it with these fussy websites?) you'd be looking at a picture of me in my new-to-me cozy coupe car. Mama's been looking for a cozy coupe just like zoe's and spotted a FREE one, along with a cute little toddler playset on our way home from Redmond. Luckily, they were only a block from our house so we sped home and sent daddy racing back with pepe (our handy dandy toy-finding truck) to bring them home. Now, every time we pull into our driveway I greet my wonderful new toys with "weeeng" (aka "swing") and we play and play and play. Happy Toddler!! PLUS, I finally got the haircut I've been waiting for (although when mama was cutting my hair, I was picking the cut pieces up and sticking them back on my head for fun) AND the SUN CAME OUT!! Yay! I'm still not quite sure what happened to our Spring, but now we have summer, so it's ok :-)

Happy day!
HS

oh yit

Yep - I've joined the ranks of potty-mouths worldwide with my 'yit' ($hit) proclamation at dinner tonight. Mama and daddy will need to watch their mouths from now on, I suppose.

Redmond was fun. I slept, while M&D lived it up out on the town, bike riding, playing tennis, etc. I had a great time with Koka, Tutu, Grandma G, Grandma B, Gary, and all the other random people that Tutu showed me off to around town. And K&T have these fancy doorknobs that beckon passing toddlers to reach up and open, so I was able to open many doors of opportunity on our trip...literally.

But, we've returned to our normal, rainy PDX life. Stuck indoors, papa and I came up with a great new game called vacuum cleaner vs. tractor that's pretty fun. Other than that, I'm just hanging out, waiting for my next haircut and the sun to come out (it is summer, right???)

Toodles,
HS

Sweet Sixteen

I'm 16 months old today! We celebrated with a smoothie lunch and pizza dinner. Then, I sang along during my nightly wind-down dance (the only part I knew was baaaaby...baaaaby). Mama had a loooooong day and has a lot to do before our Redmond trip, so I must go help her. A toddler's help is always appreciated!

nigh-nigh babies everywhere!
HS

Escape to Redmond

Guess what. I've been informed that I get to visit Tutu and Koka on Thursday - whenever that is. As soon as mommy told me that we'll be visiting said Tutu and Koka, I ran to the door and screamed. Uh-huh...next time mommy will probably wait right before we leave to reveal her surprise.

This grand day I got to frolic amongst the grass blades with the Burk girls. Well, two of them at least. Abby had a recital, and Cecelia went to cheer her on. But I did have Lael and Maryanna all to myself (although I ignored them most of the time. Toddlers can be fickle). I also got to hang out with Grandma Debby Burk and Big Grandpa Bill Burk. Big G. B. Burk is the one who announced to Tutu and Koka that I was in mommy's tummy before mommy and daddy got a chance to. He got in big trouble for that one...

It's been pretty here, but a little bit hot and sticky. I'm glad to hear our nice drizzly Portland weather is supposed to return tommorrow. I miss the puddles.

Stay cool,
HS

Monster with pants

Monster with pants
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Yes, I am sometimes a monster and I most certainly do wear the pants in this family, but the title of today's blog does not refer to me. It's mama's dedication to our very own resident papa (although my daddy doesn't have pants quite this cool).

We had a pretty fun farter's day today...bbq'd at unka & auntie's house and wrestled with Jett and my new buddy, Luca. Daddy got a very appropriate and much needed daddy gift (new electric shaver) and got to go on a big long fun bike ride up mt. tabor and rocky butt. Aside from getting egged on the way back home from his ride, he had a pretty swell day.

Happy daddy's day, daddy! You are the bestest buddy a little toddler could ever have!!!

xo,
HS

Did you miss me?

Sorry, Blog. I have neglected you (5 whole days without a post!) But I've been the busiest of bee's...oh where do I begin??

Well, my dear Tutu has come and gone (at least I think she's gone - tuu-tuuu? Are you hiding somewhere with kitty??) We had a great visit, and I had her allllll to myself today while M&D went and dug weeds out of someone else's yard and poured concrete in someone else's basement (I question their sanity sometimes).

Tomorrow is papa's day!! So I plan on being extra super sweet to daddy and to give him the greatest gift of...myself!! This apparently is his second papa's day. I think I slept right through the first one, oops! I'll be sure to make up for it by finding him extra treasures on our neighborhood crusades tomorrow!

Hmm, what else? Well, M&D are going nuts over all the new words I'm trying out on them. It seems like every day I come up with something new and it's gush gush gush (they really need to get out more). Mama was especially fond of my new favorite word, 'no-nooo.' But I think after the 300th time, it's beginning to lose its charm (and effectiveness). I'm moving on to 'pees?' (please) which I'm finding gets me pretty much anything in the world that I want.

Ooh, I can't resist one tiny little bit of gossip - we just found out that M&D's good friends, E&J will be having a baby in January! This means that I'll have a new playmate very soon, and that M&D won't be the only ones that have to leave parties by 9pm to get to sleepies on time :-)

HeeHee!
HS

Rock On

Rock On
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Jett's the true rock star. I'm just trying out his sunglasses and practicing my rock star pose.

Guess what. My very own Tutu is coming to see me on Wednesday! I'm already planning our time together - first I will lead her around the house and show her all the fun new trouble we can get into (eating kitty's food, setting off bean's car alarm via the remote, etc.). Then I'll take her outside and show her the world of trouble to be had out there (hiding under the 'can't get me' tree, picking up age-encrusted slugs and scaring mommy with them, etc.). She thinks she's leaving Saturday afternoon, but I've conspired a sneaky tutu-napping strategy and plan on having her live in my room with me...do you think Koka will notice she's gone?

Mua, haha,
HS

Mr. Messy Pants

IMGP3718
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Curses to NPR for their story on sudoku, and curses to whomever thought this crazy game up because mama is addicted! So, aside from this little skirted, bow-headed felt girl monster she made for my buddy Willow (sorry the picture is crap) mama hasn't been very crafty lately.

I, however, have been quite crafty. At OMSI yesterday, I played with (and taste tested) playdough and colored my fingers with PENS when mommy wasn't looking. I also sat on a bunch of crayons and rainbow-colored my pants...NOW I understand all the fun mommy gets to have in her craft room!

Daddy's been pretty crafty, too and is almost done hot-mudding the basement and we'll soon be ready to paint. This means LOTS of fun paint samples at home for me to play with. I'll have daddy post pics soon so you can see his progress. For now, here is a picture of DADDY after sanding this afternoon. You can see who I inherited the 'make-a-mess-of-myself' gene!

Crafty dreams!
HS

Check out my new duds!

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Here are my brand-spankingly newly updated onesies. Aren't they cute? Mama iron-on transferred these 'borrowed' images from the web. I'm soooo excited to wear them, especially the mommy heart one with my flame shoes. Can you say H-O-T?

Good News! We'll be getting a brand new Bean very soon, curtesy of the insurance company. For those of you that don't know, we were involved in a car accident the day before my #1 bday, and totalled our 2-month old Sienna (AKA 'Bean'). We were all fine, but even after undergoing extensive repair, Bean was just never the same. So, he's off to the glue factory and we're getting a newly improved 'Bean2.' I hope mommy and daddy opt for the dvd player in this one (not holding my breath).

Off to do whatever it is a toddler does...
HS

Zerbert Me

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Feeling MUCH better today, as this photo proves. Although I've decided that strawberries are much more fun to poke, stack, drop from the highchair and squish in my fingers than to eat. I like to keep mama on her toes, and the best way to do it is daily and dramatic changes in my food preferences.

So, the beginning of the end of nursing may be in sight. Instead of nursing before nigh-nigh this evening, I decided to have a little fun and give mama zerberts instead. It was quite hilarious (even if I was the only one laughing) and an appropriate farewell to what was once my favorite pasttime. All great things must come to an end (except zerberts, they will always be around!).

If mommy were more on the ball, you'd be looking at a picture of me, Jett and Quinn in a rare photo op when we were all within 2 feet proximity of each other (our parents had to corral us into the pack-n-play). We were quite content sitting on each other and throwing each other's favorite toys outside for all of 5 minutes, so they siezed the opportunity and took a cute pic. But somehow mama lost her picture, so here's a quick linkie to the pics that Unka John took instead.

Off to bed I toddle...zerberts to all!
HS

Towers of Tofu

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Today at lunch, I found a great new use for my tofu and carrots. Instead of eating them, I lovingly and painstakingly stacked them into little miniature towers. It was quite entertaining and a great lunchtime diversion since I've decided that eating is passe.

OK so eating isn't that bad...I've just been sick the past couple days and along with a decrease in appetite, have all the other miseries that the icky sickies bring on. Aside from enduring the pokes and prods from our pediatrician, I then had to tolerate the indignity of the temperature-taking experience and down some sickeningly sweet anti-bionic medicine. At least I got yummy baby drugs afterwards(and mommy was happy that the cute man pediatrician was on duty - at least SOMEONE benefitted from my pain!).

Anyway, I'm feeling a little better today, and mommy was happy that my temperature came down (it was 103.2! My all time record!!!).

Sweet dreams,
HS

For the Love of Fava

The older and more agile I get, the more mama feels like the little dog that constantly rescues Mr. Magoo from impending doom. I'm just SO curious about stuff, I don't really see the danger in playing at the top of an escalator or grabbing a big, fluffy bumble bee. It's all just fun and games to me, but I've noticed mama getting more and more grey hairs every day.

Today I chose to ignore Pythagoras and delve headfirst into the world of fava beans. We went to farmers market in hopes of sighting the first of the little green sweeties and were delighted to find one sole bin full of them. Mama and I enjoyed waking them from their fuzzy little pod beds, giving them a warm, soothing bath, then removing their bright emerald bodies from their little jackets. What yummy little creatures they are. Mama was so relieved that I too share her fondness for them and promised to craft me a little fuzzy fava family soon. But the most wonderful of the fava experience is knowing that their appearance means SPRING is HERE!! Now if only the weather would cooperate...

I met my unka David today. He's a pretty cool guy. I tried out my brand new tickeling skill on him and got a pretty good belly laugh. I think I'll ask mommy if Unka David, Aunt Misty, cousin Quinn and cousin baby Logan can all live in my room with me.

Happy fava dreams,
HS

The Sky's the Limit

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

This is a picture of the new pillow mama made me (pillie, meant to accompany taggie and blankie). The *plan* is for me to lay my sweet, tired head on it at the end of the day and slumber peacefully away. So far, I've totally ignored it but mama and daddy are eternally optimistic so we're keeping it around (it's pretty cute, too).

Mama's started a great new game recently called "setting limits." It's quite fun and goes something like this:
I commit a wayward deed which results in

1. The dreaded "mommy look" or
2. Mama's face getting all scrunched up and her voice reaching a higher octive.

If the exploit is especially ruinous, I get the grand show of all three. Then, mama says some words and we start all over again.

I think we've made some progress, mostly consisting of compromises. For example: I am free to toddle in the grocery store if I hold a finger or push the cart (our own cart must be explicitly specified, otherwise I am free to grab onto a passerby's cart of my choice); I will gladly eat the last few bites of my oatmeal if I know a yogurty reward awaits me; And I will willingly succumb to a car seat voyage if I can help fasten the buckle and secure the seatbelt thingies. Very simple demands, but vital to my contentment. Occasionally, I give in and throw them a bone or two, like wearing a hat outdoors, tolerating a bib at meals and ceasing to throw my food from the high chair. They work so hard, and it's important to keep your staff cheerful.

That's all for now. Off to my pillow-free crib for sleepies...
HS

Fuzzy Fam

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

What A Day! Today was a whirlwind of new faces and non-stop playing. First, mommy's friend Michelle and her cute family came to visit us. I played light saber vs. shopping cart with Mason and poked at cute little Lucas while mommy and daddy made plans to tour Italy with Michelle and Bobby someday. I would get to go, too if we can convince a grandparent or two to come along and play nanny (and accompany me on the 15-hour plane ride, riiiiight). Then, I got to meet my cousin Quinn, new baby cousin Logan and aunt Misty for the very first time. They drove all the way up from the Bay Area to visit ME (well, me, mommy, daddy, unka john, aunt gigi, jett, etc...).

Mommy made the boy froggy in the picture for Mason, baby froggy for Lucas and girl fuzzy for Quinn. Poor baby Logan got a boring old changing table cover. I didn't even wince when I handed each fuzzy over to its new owner...ok, I winced a little...ok, I cried and screamed until mama promised to make me my very own fuzzy creature family.

So, that was our big day. Yesterday was pretty noteworthy, too as I reached a very important milestone: I learned to take off my pants. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but to a toddler, this is quite a momentous occasion. Having the ability to strip away the clothes that bind me frees my creative energy and allows me to truly express myself. Now if I could only figure out these stupid onesie snaps, I could take on the world!!

Sweet dreams,

HS

(PS - I woke up yesterday morning with the sniffles, hence my sleepless night. So I got special yummy baby drugs before sleepies tonight...gotta love baby ibuprofen!)

Impending sleeplessness

It's now 9:30pm and I am up for the 4th time since going sleepies at 7pm. Mama's thinking (hoping) molars, but only time will tell (since I can't quite yet *use my words* for this one).

So, knowing that this may be a looooooooong night, this shall be a shooooooooort blog.

Sleep tight,
HS

Home Haircut

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Today I made a fantastic mess of the house. Mama decided to clean and organize my toy bin, so I extended the project to every single item in every single door/cupboard/drawer/nook/cranny that I'm allowed into. It was quite an amazing scene and I was having a great time playing with some long lost toys, when mama decided that I, too needed a little tidying up. So, off to the high chair/barber chair I went for my home haircut. It turned out quite dapper if I do say so myself (don't you think?).

I am typically a mess a day or two after my shots, and today was no exception. When I was a tiny baby I would just sleep it off, but not anymore. Now I become a hyper-emotional rollercoaster ride of a child. As expected, I had a few minor tantrums today. Not the most enjoyable use of playtime, but mama and I handled them quite well...until it came time to leave the playground. Attempt to remove a tired, cranky, recently vaccinated toddler from his favorite activity and nothing less than a complete nuclear meltdown shall ensue. It was quite spectacular - arms flailing, cedar chips flying and my wails could be heard all the way to Mt. St. Helens. Luckily (for her) mama packed my all time favorite crackers and just as quickly as it started, the frenzy subsided. I was quite proud of my display, but have a feeling mama won't want to show her face at that playground for awhile...

That's all for now. Off I go into the wild blue slumber.

HS

Check out my shoes

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Here's the pic you've all been waiting for! Me in my fancy schmancy flame shoes!! My mom's super cool friend, EJ, gave me these shoes on the day I was born and I've been waiting ever since to test drive them. Well, they're still a tad bit big on me, but mommy & daddy let me flop around the house in them and boy are they HO-T!! I'll be able to charm everyone on the playground in these puppies!

Today was my 15 month well-baby check. Well-baby checks are never much fun because mommy doesn't let me lick the fishtank in the waiting area (daddy would if she wasn't there) and they always end with me getting a big fat shot in the thigh. No matter how much I charm the doctor, the shot always comes. I'm beginning to think she's not very fond of babies.

Anyway, I weigh 20lbs and am tall and have a big head (can't remember the measurements). I'm basically a string bean with legs and a belly, but the doctor was quite impressed with my motor skills and verbal development. She said I was ahead of the game in everything but weight. I have a feeling my meals will be chock-full of avocado, butter and cheese in the coming weeks. YeeHaw!!

Off to slumber land...
HS

Three times a charm

I'm not feeling very original tonight, so bear with me. Mama took a picture of my oh-so-cool flame shoes but hasn't transferred it to the big monster computer yet so you'll just have to wait till the next blog to see them. Well ok, here's a tiny peek, but be sure to come back to see them tomorrow in action!!

The number '3' was the theme for our day, it seems. It's the exact number of times I got 'caught' being naughty, the amount of trips mama made to NE Broadway to track down bean appraisals, trade-in values & MSRPs (blah blah blah), and the hours I slept for my marathon nap.

So...my no-no's for the day... I don't know what came over me today, but I just couldn't resist the accidentally opened stair gate and was halfway upstairs until mama realized something was amiss (I was a wee bit too quiet, that always tips her off!!). Then, I felt the need to take advantage of a door mistakenly left open and wreaked havoc in the downstairs bathroom. Lastly, and for about the billionth time, I pushed the big, shiny pretty button on the stereo that makes all the music go bye-bye (and drives mama nuts). Pretty standard stuff for a toddler day.

While I was peacefully aslumbering, mama spent what would otherwise be valuable project time on bean stuff, so no completed projects to report on today. poo. But she did buy some nifty iron-on-tranfer paper for our printer recently and will soon be iron-on-transferring cool things to my onesies. We both tire so quickly of boring, white onesies and this will surely spice things up. My 'flair,' if you will.

Well, I'm pooped (literally) so must run. Ta for now,
HS

Another day, another bump on the forehead

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Don't tell mama, but I stole this cool robot pic from this interesting article on fabbers. A fabber is a rapid proto-typing machine that can create all kinds of fun stuff from CAD designs, and I want one. I'm pretty sure by the time I'm about 4 or so, they'll have all the bugs worked out and that I'll have enough fancy green papers and shiny circle things in my piggy bank to buy my very own. Then I can create and play with all the fun 'no-no' stuff that mommy and daddy hoard to themselves - the remote, their cell phones, mommy's shiny red wallet, the kitty, etc.

I had a great time hanging out with daddy today. The big, yellow, warm thing in the sky appeared and all the grey fluffy things that make the ground wet were gone. So we frolicked amongst the rhody-den-drums and azay-lee-ahs at the rhody gardens. I met a goose (my books are wrong - gooses don't 'honk,' they 'sssssssssssss'!), and added another bump/forehead scrape to my growing collection.

To complete the day, in a frenzied 'toddler moment' I tripped, landed face-first on my sippy cup and gave myself a little baby shiner. Ahh well...we'll just have to put off my portaits yet another week (the portraits that mama's been waiting to take since I turned ONE, but that keep getting postponed due to visible bruises/bumps/scrapes/cuts/shiners that I keep managing to inflict upon myself).

And to all, a nighnigh!
HS

All in a day's work...

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

I thought I'd share this picture because it exemplifies the true value in having a toddler around. What else would mommy and daddy be doing if they didn't have me to enchant and delight them? A simple game of step-on-daddy's-face charms them beyond words and who better for the job than a 15-month old ball of amusement?

Yes, it's true. I turned the big 1-5 on Saturday! Mama, daddy, Tutu and Koka all celebrated by devouring a yummy little chocolate cake (of which I got none, poo). The next day, I entertained T&K while mom & dad embarked on the first of their community work project endeavors. Unfortunately, mama has not performed any sort of manual labor since she gave birth to me, so 4 straight hours of yard work left her somewhat lifeless. Lucky for her, she came home to moi: freshly napped and ready to take on the world. Needless to say, I got her back for not saving me a piece of bday cake!

I had a great weekend with Tutu & Koka. I led them, fingers clutched, in roundabout zigzags to all the secret hiding spots in Costco and guided them through a fuzzy maze of carpet samples at the carpet shop. Each an adventure, and all in a day's work of an assiduous little toddler, I suppose!!

nighnigh all!
HS

Ketchup Lovers Unite!!

I woke up this morning to a lovely surprise - my very own tutu and koka magically appeared in our guest room whilst I slumbered! Hoo-ray! All the more people to spoil me with, hee!

We had a lovely day. Koka helped daddy drag some drywall down to the basement (my gracious offers to assist were declined?) while tutu and I attended my weekly 'tiny tots' session at the place-full-o-books. After toying with the toddlers, tutu and I braved the elements and set sail into a driving downpour. Can you say f-u-n??? I don't know how to explain it, but there is some innate magnetic force that attracts toddlers to water...whether it be falling from the sky, streaming from a faucet or swirling in a toilet...somehow it just beckons.

The day ended just as lovely as it started - a dinner of soy nuggets swimming in ketchup accompanied by ketchuppy carrots, chicken in a ketchup sauce and peaches ala ketchup. Daddy was absent for the grand cleanup finale since he trotted off to see the new Star Bores movie (or something like that). So I kissed everyone goodnight and went off to my crib to dream the sweetest of all ketchup dreams...

Adieu, Adieu, to you and you and you!
HS

I have a peepee!!

Sorry, that title is a wee bit graphic (pun intended), but I'm pretty elated over my recent discovery. Imagine my surprise whilst running au naturel after my bath, I tripped and fell and…what have we here? Do I finally get to meet face to face that which I’ve pulled on and tugged at and contorted into unimaginable shapes during my diaper changes? It’s so….cute! I am quite enthralled and now, in response to the “where’s your peepee?” question, I’m able to bend over, peer past my pot belly and point out my new little buddy with pride. I will add him to the long list of body parts that I can point to on demand (although for some reason mommy and daddy don’t ask me about him in public, hmmmm).

Aside from my new bodily discovery, I’m also beginning to find my voice in this world. I woke up chanting a strange form of toddler-ese today, and although mom, dad and I have no idea what I’m saying, it’s quite enchanting.

neeeega-mama-ropblop-dah and good night,
HS

Mac & Cheesers Anonymous

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

My name is Holden Alexander, and I'm a macaroni and cheese-aholic. It began as a passing interest in the bright, almost neon orange glow from my highchair tray and grew into an outright insatiable desire for the little logs of yumminess. In mom's enduring quest to feed me more healthily, I have tried every kind of M&C imaginable...from Annie's organic to homemade right from mama's hands (yes - I detected the wheat germ in there). But I keep coming back to the Mother of all Macaroni's: good old KRAFT M&C. The boiling water is music to my ears as I whimper at the sight of the beautiful blue box being taken from the pantry. I've recently begun using (in the loosest sense of the word) a spork, but my all-time favorite eating method is still the fistful-scoop-to-the-mouth technique. It's not pretty, but hey, it gets the macaronis to where I want them to go. Half of them at least...

Chow down,
HS

Uber baby

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Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

I've been thinking alot about fractals lately, and found this very cool image on the web to blog aboot. To think that something this cool is based on imaginary numbers, well, it's a little over my head but I like looking at the pretty pictures. I'm hoping daddy can explain it to me in a couple (15?) years.

Today was swell. After our morning play session I noticed mama was looking a little rough around the edges so I decided to give her a break. I took a record-breaking 3 hour long nap in which she was able to finish a project and start 2 more!! Afterwards, we all embarked upon a family carpet shopping trip only to find the carpet shop closed. Poo. So, a trip to Babies R Us was the next best thing. I was doing well until someone (I think it was daddy again) decided to put me in the Mickey-Mouse-Buggy-from-hell. A rumbling, shaking, off-key singing monster such as this has no place whatsoever in happy babyland.

Aside from the BRU Buggy incident, I'd say the day went swimmingly...

Ta for now,
HS

Toddler Blues

myguys
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Today started out great. I woke up, threw taggie to the ground, banged on my crib until mama got me (and rescued taggie), and gave daddy a warm morning greeting (head-butt right to the kisser). To add a little variety to the day, I decided to poop not before, but DURING my first diaper change of the morning. I always like to keep these people on their toes.

I then toddled off downstairs to announce my awakening to Gramma, Grampa and kitty. G-ma & G-pa have been visiting all week and we've been having a grand ol' time. G-parents are GREAT. I can do no wrong, EVERYTHING I do is cute and they go nuts over the sticks, blades of grass and occasional piece of trash I happen to discover on our walks.

I was getting excited about keeping G-ma & G-pa and have them live in my room when someone (I think it was daddy) decided that we should ship them off to some faraway place named Santa Blahblah (or something like that). We drove them to the airport where a big, shiny airplane whisked them away. I'm still pretty PO'd about the whole thing, but decided that planes are pretty cool and that I would forgive mom & dad if they got me one ('they'll SEE').

Anyway, it was a fun week. Grampa is a trooper and followed me whereever my little toddler feet happened to take us and G-ma and Mama got to do some shopping. Mama bought a cool new yarn basket and found a pattern for gramma to make me a fancy sweater. When she has time, mama will post some more recent pics, but for now, here is me and daddy riding hiraffy (for some reason this 'giraffe' makes horsie sounds when I'm riding him...Hence his name...)

'Bah-Bye' for now...HS

I'm a rock star

Lookit me! Only 14 months old and already blogging. Aren't i the coolest thing since boobah & robeez??

Since mama's been slacking on my website revision, i've decided to take matters into my own hands and send updates via my very own web-log. Some grandmas i know will be quite excited to hear weekly/daily/hourly? updates on my current exploits (and those of my intrepid parents). Plus, i'll blog my latest pictures, activities, details of diaper contents, etc. (for those interested in some good old fashioned caca talk). And just maybe, if mama gets a toddler-free minute every so often, we can blog some of her latest projects. Ooh fun! Can't wait. But, alas, taggie is calling so i'm off to bed for some much needed baby z's.

nigh-nigh, all!