Halloween and Takin' Steps!

Halloween was so much fun this year! I got to dress up as my favorite animal - a monkey! I was a sock monkey, to be exact! My day started with a visit to the playgroung, with Daddy and Papi -- there was a parade and a big party. There were so many kids and cool costumes, I had a really good time. Then we went to Prospect Park Zoo and met Cri, Pete and Sofia. We saw lots of cool animals ... and I actually noticed some of them this time! After that I went home with Cri, Pete and Sofia for a Halloween sleepover! We did a little trick-or-treating while Daddy and Papi went to a grown-ups party. All in all, I decided that I really like Halloween!

On Monday I went to the doctor for my one year check-up. I got four shots, which was not fun at all - but overall she says I'm doing great! I'm 31.1 inches (84th percentile), 24lb 11oz (72 percentile) and my head is 48.8cm (95th percentile). My head is no longer off the charts!

Today I went to music class again with Papi. I was having so much fun and was feeling pretty confident. Papi was sitting on the floor and I was standing next to him and holding on. A new song that I liked began so I started bouncing a little and decided to let go of Papi and take a few steps on my own! It was a first and I was very proud! I was a bit of a trendsetter -- a few minutes later one of my classmates took his first steps too! When class was over we called Daddy to tell him. Tonight at home I did it a few more times and we all clapped for me. This walking thing might really get me places!

Turning One!

Hi everyone! Once again it's been a busy two months since I last wrote. Right after my last post Daddy, Papi and I went to Coney Island with Aunt Dona and Tio Dave. It was really fun. I saw Elmo, the ocean, and lots of crazy people! I even watched Tio Dave and Aunt Dona eat a hot dog from Nathan's Famous!

I've been going to the playground a lot lately too! I really love the swings and climbing all over the place. I got some cool converse shoes too! I have perfected crawling and I am super-fast! I walk really well too - but I still have to hold on to things. I've can stand on my own for a few seconds, but then I start to tip! Bath time is still fun ... although I always want to stand up in the tub, which is not allowed. I'm trying to remember that, but it's been a little challenging. Standing is just so much fun! (Hey Aunt Kelley, does that blue cup look familiar to you?)

My best cousin, Sofia, and I love playing together. We share pretty well and she teaches me so many things. We went to Cookie and Lou's wedding (Cookie is Papi's cousin) and even danced together. You can see Itsy (who came with Mama Vonne) next to us as well. We all had a blast together.




Of course the big news is that I turned 1 on October 14th!! It was a very special week! Nana and Papa and Mama Vonne were all here and we celebrated together a few days before my Birthday. Lots of other family members came including Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Brooklyn of course. Some special friends came too and Daddy, Nana, and Aunt Barb made my favorite - monkey cakes! I even had my own little cake. I was a little unsure what to do with it at first, but then I started to dig in! I've definitely decided that chocolate cake is good stuff - why hadn't Papi and Daddy given me this before?

On my Birthday, Daddy and Papi took me to the Brooklyn Children's Museum. I got to play in the water, the sand, climb through a tunnel and also make lots of noise on a special wall with lots of things to bang on. It was great fun! That night we went to Mimi Carol and Papa Carlo's house and celebrated my birthday again with more Monkey Cake! Cri, Pete, and Sofia came too and it was so much fun! See the big smile on my face? (click on the pic to see a larger version)

I've also started going to music class with Papi on Wednesdays. It is SO much fun! We get to play with different instruments and sing and dance. My favorite is the scarves. I get so excited when they bring them out -- I yell real loud and get all the other kids excited too! I'm a bit of a ring leader in the class! Overall, I just love music. I dance and jiggle my body whenever I hear one of my favorite tunes.

I'm getting ready for Halloween tomorrow. What will I be? You'll just have to wait for my next post -- I can tell you right now, I look pretty cute!

Happy Birthday, Papa Smith!

After weeks of nearly crawling, getting on all fours but then flopping on my belly and pulling myself across the floor, I decided to give Papa Smith (my grandpa) a special gift for his Birthday today! Check out this video to see me in action.....

I can crawl!! I say "Daddy" very clearly now too - which makes some people around here VERY happy! Have a great holiday weekend!

Looking Back on the Summer of 2009

While I've been silent for a large part of the summer, I have to tell you that this was certainly the busiest summer of my entire life! Papi and Daddy really kept me going and we had a lot of fun! July started with a bang -- I got to see all of my Smith cousins, uncles, aunts, and Nana and Papa too! It was so cool! First, Uncle Dean and Aunt Karen were here briefly on their way upstate to Nana and Papa's. Then Papi and Daddy and I flew down to Atlanta to spend the weekend with Uncle Dave and Aunt Kelley. I hadn't seen any cousins yet because they were all at Nana and Papa's! Anyway, we had a great time in Atlanta. I laid out in their new hammock and they also took us to the Botanical Gardens on July 4th! I was very nice to MOST of the plants and then I had a blast playing in the water area. I splashed and splashed -- and managed to get soaking wet! (check out the video - but I'm much older now!)

I think I got a little water on Aunt Kelley and Daddy too! That night we watched fireworks and could see several shows in different directions - this was a pretty cool thing that I think we should do every July 4th! I also got to spend a whole day and night alone with Aunt Kelley while Papi and Daddy went to a wedding and Uncle Dave flew to Vegas!

The day after we got home Uncle Dean, Aunt Karen, Maxine and Riley all came for a quick visit before they headed back to Denver. It was Riley's Birthday so I got to sing to him!! The next day we all went to the Statue of Liberty. I enjoyed the boat ride there.....but I kind of slept through the rest of the trip. Everyone said it was beautiful though!

A few days later we were back on the road, driving up to Syracuse to see Nana and Papa and my other Smith cousins, Alex and Casey. We played together a lot, went to Lake Ontario, they pushed me on the swing, and I

watched them jump on the trampoline with Papi

- that totally cracked me up!

The following week we went to the Hamptons for a day and I got to swim in a pool - one of my most favorite things to do! We even got a little pool for our house and Sofia and I have had some fun in that too -- in between rainy days! I also had my 9 month check up with my doctor. Everything looks great! I measured 30 inches (89th percentile), weighed 22lb 8oz (77th percentile), and my head circumference was a whopping 48.6cm (101st percentile!). I'm growing into my head and looking pretty cool!

The first two weeks of August brought my first big vacation --

Provincetown, Cape Cod!! I've never had so much fun! Papi and Daddy and I got to spend so much time together and it was really special. Some of Papi's family were vacationing nearby so we got to spend two days with them too!

When we visited them, I discovered dogs -- and I have never giggled so much, as you can see in the video!




Every time the dogs would jump into the chair, it just cracked me up! They are pretty funny creatures, those dogs! Papi's cousin, Vanessa, is in the video - she's bringing me another cousin in about two months! In P'Town we went to the beach and I had my very own tent!

On occasion I fell asleep in it, but for the most part the beach was so stimulating it was hard to fall asleep! I went into the ocean for the first time and had my very own floatie! The water is really cold there, but I didn't care!

I also took my first bike ride in P'Town -- it was so exciting that I fell asleep before we were home -- totally pooped me out! The second week we were there, Uncle Monroe, Tio Danny, and Titi Jessica all came too! It was like a big party and I had so much fun with them! They played with me every day and made me feel really special! I hope we get to do that again!

The day after we got back we were in the Hamptons again for a day and then the following weekend Papi's cousin Jenn married Graig. It sounded like a lot of fun but instead of going I got to go to Tio Dave and Aunt Dona's house for the night. As always, I had a great time with them - and even got to try some of their cooking!

While we were in P'Town my eighth tooth came in so I'm doing pretty well with chewing and I'm eating a lot of grown-up food now. In fact, I'm pretty bored with that baby food they've been giving me and sometimes I just really don't want to eat it. I'm still a good eater though and am enjoying trying new things that I can chew! I like to feed myself with my hands too and I get to play with spoons and forks! I LOVE to stand up and walk around holding onto whatever will keep me on my feet! Sometimes Daddy or Papi will move the furniture around so that I have a whole course to walk through and I can do this for hours! I can pull myself up to stand now so you'll see me standing in my crib and at the coffee table all of the time. I'm crawling pretty well too. My belly isn't off the ground too much - but I get around pretty quickly. The other day I managed to get up two stairs before Papi caught me! My favorite toys are the remote control and my red car -- I can ride it forever! Yesterday, Papi even took it to the playground with us and I got to ride it all over the place! For now I'll say goodnight and I'll be in touch soon. Thanks for checking out my blog and, as always, please feel free to leave a comment!