First, first, sadly, not first, first!

I had a couple of firsts today worth mentioning...

I went forward in the walker! Before this morning, I was only able to get the walker moving by going backward, but now... I can take off down the hallway to watch the kids play in the toy room! If only the toy room wasn't carpeted, I would be able to go in there and run some stuff over!! I think I'm going to have even more fun at Nana's now!

Also, today, while Mommy was doing the dishes, she sat me down on the living room floor to play with my toys. After awhile of playing with my kitchen set, I decided I wanted to roll around so, for the first time, I got to my belly from sitting... all by myself! Yes, it may not seem like much to most people, but to me and Mommy, this was a big step! She was upset that she didn't get to see the process I took, because when she looked over to check on me I was already on my tummy. (Maybe next time Mama!)

Unfortunately, I am going through a fever right now.... something I can't say I've never had to do before. I don't feel ill, so I think it must be that I'm getting more teeth. Mommy is doing her best to make me feel comfortable... as she always does! :)

I'm hoping the fever passes quickly, because Mommy and Daddy had planned to take me to my first FAIR! Mommy told me all about the McLean County Fair and it sounds like so much fun! Any place where I can watch tons of crazy people walking around is completely my idea of FUN!

...some pretty cool people!!

This blog will consist of some pretty cool people!

On Saturday, Mommy and Daddy's good friend, Lance, got married! Their wedding was beautiful, and he has himself one B-E-A-UTIFUL bride, Michelle! On rehearsal night, Mommy took this picture of me with some of the groomsmen! Aren't we studly?! :)


This is my friend, Owen! He is 5 months older than me, but as you can see, we look very close in size! We like to play together, and although Owen likes to have things his way most of the time, he shares some of his favorite toys with me! He is a sweet friend! I can't wait to run and play with him really soon (I hope!)!


These are by far the coolest people in the world! I LOVE my Mama and Dada soooo MUCH! :D


I also think my Grandpa is pretty awesome. He wears these really neat chains around his neck that I just can't stop looking at! Love you Grandpa! (And don't worry about the bike, it's not as important as you being here to watch me grow!)

No more Donald Trump comb over! (Whoever that is...)

I got my first big boy hair cut from Mommy tonight! Daddy held my hands and head, while Mommy trimmed my bangs. (They were really out of hand and had to be swept to the side like some guy named Donald Trump!)

What it looked like before...

...And after!!

No more comb over! YAY!

Also, while taking a bath, Mommy finally got a good picture of my first tooth! (Clink on the picture to make it bigger... if you didn't already know you can do that.)

FINALLY.... we have a COMPUTER!

Wow! Daddy finally bought Mommy a new computer, so now "she says" she will be able to keep up with my blog and posting pictures of adorable ME! :)

So much has happened since my last post...

1) I got my first TOOTH! Boy, is it ever nice to have something sharp in there to bite with. Much easier to draw blood with something sharp, rather than soft and slippery (AKA my gums). *Actually, the only blood I've drawn was my own... When the tooth first broke through the gum, it took some getting used to not to bite my own lip! :(

Mommy tried to get a picture of my tooth but I wouldn't let her. She still liked the picture though because it shows off my big brown eyes!

2) I learned how to do "the Indian!" Mommy showed me how to do it months ago using her own hand and patting my mouth while I "Uhhhhhed" (Although, Daddy insists he taught me... Sorry Daddy, it was Mommy.) But now I can do it all on my own! I even added my own touch by alternating hands! It might make little sense to you, but trust me, it's a pretty cool trick that gets everyone laughing and awwing!

3) I saw my first theater movie! Yes, I'm mature enough to sit through Winnie the Pooh in a theater... well having Cheerios fed to me every time I started to talk worked up until the last 15 minutes. We left a little early because I was tired of it and actually, so was Mommy. It made for a fun Saturday morning adventure!

4) I made the big transistion to a big boy car seat! It is still facing backwards, but it's much more roomy and I love to feel the textures as I ride. (Have I ever mentioned I LOVE different TEXTURES!.... Oh, well I DO!!)

5) Still no forward crawling for me... I prefer backwards and spinning in circles! I'm doing better things... I enjoy standing for as long as I can all by myself! And I took a step today!

6) Mommy and Daddy just got their marriage license today, which means they are going to be married really soon! :D I'm looking forward to dancing with them and seeing lots of new faces!

7) Mommy's friend Samantha, told her about an awesome deal on Roobez (they are a name brand soft shoe for babies); they were half off on Diapers.com and there was an extra 20% off coupon! She got me two pairs of Roobez for $22 when originally they would have been like $70! Here I am in the cool ones with bicycles on them! They taste pretty good too! :)

Mommy says I look like such a big boy in this picture!

Yum YUM!

That's all for now, but I will make sure Mommy lets me blog a lot more now that she has her handy dandy computer! :D

...Just you wait, Dr. Emm!

I am 9 months old today! I went to the doctor yesterday and weighed 20.2 lbs and was 28 1/4 inches long. Both were in the 50th percentile. I also had a head measurement of 18 inches which is in the 60th percentile. When the doctor came in he started asking Mommy if I could do different things such as... Crawl? Answer: He can scoot backwards... Clap or wave bye-bye? Answer: No. Say sounds like Ma-Ma, Da-Da, or Ba-Ba? Answer: No... Pull up to a standing position? Answer: No........ Then Dr. Emm said, well that's okay, I just look for a little more out of babies than what's expected. As long as he is doing these things by a year old there is nothing to worry about. (I'm not sure if he was just saying that to make me feel better, or if he was telling the truth.) He did make me feel a little better by asking Mommy if I could drink from a sippy cup. Answer: YES! Doctor: Well see, he is advanced with that! Most 9 month olds are not drinking from sippy cups yet. Thanks Dr. Emm.... :/ [ What everyone doesn't know is that I can do all of these things they want me to do.... I just CHOOSE not to! Hehehehe >:) ]

Anyway.... I had a really fun weekend! Mommy and Daddy took me to Rock Island on Sunday for Red, White, and BOOM! It's a festival by the River where they had fun activities for the kids, beer and music for the parents, and a fireworks show for all! Mommy took me to get a tattoo and my face painted while Daddy held our spot on the lawn in front of the River. She decided to carry me over (not knowing how long she might be holding me...) and I first got my super cool "I <3 USA!" tat! Then she found the line for face painting... it seemed like a fairly short line at the time, but then it was moving really slowly and I fell asleep within the first 15 minutes so Mommy held my dead weight in her arms for... get this... over an HOUR! She said it seemed like parents must have been saving their kids spots while they went and played then jumped in line with them when it was their turn to get their face painted! She was a trooper! Her hands went numb, but she said she stuck it out for the photo op... I love my Mommy!

Mommy picked a giraffe because I have 3 giraffe friends at home that I love... (Sophie the teether, Jeffery the ball toy, and my pillow pet giraffe that doesn't yet have a name!)

We had so much fun together... it rained a little bit, but afterward there was a beautiful rainbow going right over the stage!

I didn't get much of a nap, but Mommy said she was so happy with how good I was! I barely fussed at all.... I was kind of surpised myself to tell you the truth, but I think it was because I was outside all day.... I LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE!
When the sky turned dark, it was time for fireworks! I didn't know what to expect, but WOW they were AWESOME! They were so bright, colorful, and sparkley! Here was my expression when I first saw them....

Since I didn't get to bed until 11:00pm (3 hours past my bedtime!), I got to sleep in with Daddy in the amazing King-Sized BED! It was one of the first times that I snuggled up to Da-Da all night! He said he had to reposition me several times because I kept turning so my head was towards Daddy and my feet were pointed at Mommy. I love when I get to sleep with them! :D

Hope you had a great 4th of July too! :)