Christmas Recovery

Well, I think I've played with most of my new toys at least once. Actually, I tried to play with some of my old stuff, but Daddy said I couldn't. I had to play with the new stuff. I figured I better listen if I want to get any new toys in the future.

We went to Iowa City over the weekend, but it wasn't for any Christmas stuff. Some friends of Mommy and Daddy got married, so they packed me up and stuck me with a babysitter again. It was cool, though. There were some other kids there too, so it was kinda like a mini-daycare.

Yesterday, I got to watch some football with Daddy. He said that the game we watched was the exact reason he isn't going to let me be a Vikings fan like him. He said the Vikings make babies (and sometimes Daddies) cry, and I get to be a Colts fan like Mommy.

Besides, the Vikings aren't going to play anymore this year, while the Colts are going to keep going.

Christmas Rocks

You know how I was saying before that I thought something big was on the horizon? Well, I was right. Apparently my family has this tradition they call "Christmas" where they get together at the end of the year and eat and have fun and all that stuff. They also give a lot of presents.

LOTS of presents. I was getting stuff from everybody... aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, GREAT grandparents. I even got stuff from people I didn't know. This dude called Santa left me a boatload of presents.

And the cool thing about the presents was instead of just giving them to you, they put all this colored paper over the top of them. And this isn't like the normal paper that Mommy and Daddy have around the house. Not only do Mommy and Daddy not get mad if you tear it, but they actually WANT you to rip it.

Awesome.



So yeah, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's last weekend and there was a party a day. And at every party there were new people to hang out with and new presents to get.

I did mention the presents, right?

Another thing that was really cool is everybody seemed to put up all these flashing lights all over the place. They were mesmerizing.

Then when we finally got back home, Mommy and Daddy had presents for me. And Grandma Sara and Grandpa Michael sent a bunch of presents for me. All in all, it was like a 4-day baby shower. There was so much stuff that I almost felt bad getting it all.

Almost.

Somethin' Brewin'

There is definitely something big going on.

I got two more packages yesterday that we didn't open. We went to this huge store called Toy 'R Us yesterday, and Daddy bought something, but when we got home we didn't get to play with it. The when I woke up from my nap, Daddy had covered it in colored paper.

In a quick sidebar, can we talk about how awesome of a store Toys 'R Us is? Imagine all the fun parts of Target, but build a whole store out of it.

Greatest. Store. Ever.

But I digress. We are going up to Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend. I think this all has something to do with it. I'll be keeping my eyes open and get this figured out soon.

Work It Out

Daddy and I went to the workout room again today. We hadn't been there in a week (Daddy didn't want to take me out when I was sick - or so he claims), so I figured that I better kick it into gear and get the best workout I could.

As I have mentioned before, I can now pull myself up and stand, so I figured I would go with that. I did a bunch of pull-ups on different machines, then got Daddy to help me with some cardio. I held his fingers and started moving my feet. Next thing I knew, I was halfway across the room.

I wonder if I will ever be able to walk like that without holding Daddy's fingers. I'll have to work on that.

In other news, there is something weird going on. Over the last few days, I have gotten a few packages in the mail. Problem is, Daddy said I can't open them until next Tuesday. What's up with that? I feel like something big is on the horizon. When I get it figured out, I will clue y'all in.

One of Those Days

So here is the deal...

I'm still snotty. Daddy still tries to wipe and suck my nose.

It's cold out, so we can't really do much outside.

I still can't walk yet, but I can pull myself up on things.

Daddy won't let me play with the cords or the outlets.

But you know what?

Today is a GREAT day to be a Hawkeye.

Tis the Season

Daddy took me to the mall today and some old lady said I was a "good looking fella". Fella? What was it exactly that made me look like a boy? My pink flowered onsie? My dark pink pants? My pink sweater? My pink shoes?

In other mall-related news, I think I met my first celebrity today.

While Daddy and I were walking down the hall, this big fat old dude in a red suit came up to me in my stroller and was all gettin' jolly in my face and stuff. He was giving off that vibe that I really should know him, but didn't introduce himself. I thought it was a little forward, but I politely smiled and even shook his finger.

Anyway, he walked away with one of his handlers and started talking to other kids. Later on, I see him sitting on this big chair in the middle of the mall and all kinds of people were getting their pictures taken with him. So I figure he had to be some sort of a big deal. All the kids were asking him for stuff, so I figure he must have been pretty well off.

I think it might have been Warren Buffet.

Revenge... sorta

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a bit of a cold. Basically, my nose is running like Sophie after I yanked her tail.

To make matters worse, Daddy keeps coming after my nose with this cloth - rubbing it until it is raw. Then, because that just isn't enough fun for one day, sometimes he sticks that big sucker thing in there.

After a morning full of that, I figured I would see how he likes it. While we were playing, I jammed my thumb as far up his nose as I could. BAM!!

But I think I got him a little too good, because it started bleeding (his nose, not my thumb). I felt kinda bad after that, so I figured I would say a new word to make him feel better. I even let him get it on video (after stopping the bleeding, of course)...

Snotty McGee

Yeah, that is what Daddy is calling me now.

You see, I brought a little souvenir back from Iowa City. A cold. My nose has been running for the past two days, and it ain't no fun.

You know what else is no fun? That bulb sucker that Daddy uses to clean out my nose. That thing really sucks.

But if you were wondering about my Christmas Spirit, my nose is red enough to lead Santa's sleigh.

Back to Hawkeyeland

That's what I call a trip. I saw some old friends, met some new ones and had a blast.

First, Daddy took me back to Good Shepherd Day Care for a Class Reunion. It was awesome. I got to see Miss Ava and my old friend Jayme. I didn't get to see Emma, Bibo or Jorge, since they all moved up to the toddler room. That made me realize that if I had stayed at Good Shepherd, I would be the senior member of the Pink Room and OWN that class.

After that, we went to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see Daddy's old office. It was a lot of fun. We got to see a lot of people, including wrestling coach Tom Brands. He was awesome. Daddy said he is not only a good coach, but he won a Gold Medal in the Olympics. We also saw softball coach Michelle Venturella. She won a Gold Medal too.

I wonder how many Gold Medals Daddy has won?

Anyway, after that we went to the hospital to see Mommy and the people she used to work with. Mommy spent most of our time at the hospital. I guess old habits are hard to break.

One night I got to hang out with Andy and Heather, who were nice enough to let us stay at their house (I even got my own room). I'm not sure where Mommy and Daddy went - I can't keep track of them half the time. Then the next night, Andy threw a dinner party for a bunch of people. He made them all filet and cake, but he must not have had enough because I still had to have squash. Daddy did give me some frosting, though.

Dinner parties are fun. I got to pull my high chair up to the table and hand with the adults. I didn't get most of the jokes, but I just laughed along anyway. I like to laugh.

Mama I'm Comin' Home

That's right kids. This girl is headed back to the Motherland. The land of her birth. Hawkeye Country.

Mommy has an interview at her old hospital, so the whole family is taking a roadie to Iowa City. We leave this afternoon and are staying until Sunday.

It should be a blast. I'll give you all the details when we get back.

Havin' a Ball

After all the events of last week, me and the parental units decided to take it easy this weekend. Which was good, since the weather was lousy. Rainy, then icy, then snowy. And all the while colder than a day-old bottle.

But that's cool. On weekends like this it is sometimes better to curl up with Toodee and a stack of books.

I did make one venture out into Hoth, however. Mommy took me to the store on Sunday, which was awesome. While Daddy has taken me to the store enough that he is oblivious to my wants and needs, Mommy still likes to buy me stuff.

So needless to say, I picked up a lotta schwag. Best of all was a big pink ball that Mommy thought I needed. If you aren't familiar with balls, they are big and round and bounce and roll. Mines pretty sweet. Its bigger than my head.

Daddy was teaching me how to play a new game with the ball called catch. Basically, we both sit on the floor across from each other, then he rolls the ball to me. I put my hands on it, then push it back to him. I'm not sure how the scoring works, but I am sure I am winning.