Breaking it Down

Taking a break.

 

My cousin Morgan helped mommy with my diapers. She's really sweet and pretty. She patted my head and kept me calm.



Mommy! Thanks a million for taking such good care of me!

 

Aunt Tina from Wichita

Whaddup guys! I'm glad you made it up from Wichita for Thanksgiving. Mommy was really sneak and pretended to take a picture of Jerika and daddy and really she was getting a picture of TJ. He can draw some totally cool pictures but he doesn't like his own picture taken.



Aunt Tina runs a day care so I wasn't worried at all when she held me. I knew I was gonna be safe.



Now when her daughter Jerika held me it was a different story. I was nervous at first because Jerika's only 8 years old. But she did great and even gave me a bottle to slurp on. Some people have said the Jerika and I look a bit alike. Well not now, but when she was a baby.

Pass the Baby!

Another trip to see family, another round of "Pass the Baby". Cousin Melissa came up all the way from Wichita.

Aunt Vicky hung out with me and Cousin Ryan for awhile. I really admire Ryan. He's my role model. If I can keep up with him I'll be doing good. Get this. . . He can almost kind of walk. Kind of. If someone holds him. But still, that's way better than I can do. I'm sure next year at Thanksgiving we'll be raising a ruckus together.

More cousins: Shellie and Brandi. Hi all. Miss you already!

You're a Turkey! No, I am.

Darn bird's bigger than I am.

Thanksgiving Day

Well we made it! All the way to Admire and barely late. I got to meet all sorts of people that I hadn't seen before. I love sleeping in the car but I got so excited about meeting everyone that woke up about 10 minutes before we got there. Now, I don't know about you but if you're in a car, and wake up groggy and with the munchies then there's really nothing else to do except cry. And cry I did. I wailed loud enough to make mom come sit in the back seat with me. That's all I really wanted anyways, just a little attention.



We went to the VFW in Emporia for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was the Newton side of the family for this one.



The hand there is Aunt Dot's. She's 83 years old. I'm just 4 weeks old. I've got a long way to go.



Aunt Dot had finished my "baby" quilt and she brought it to me at lunch. She insists that a baby quilt should have ducks and bears and baby stuff on it but I really like the fabric that mommy picked out. Aunt Dot sewed it all by hand and the stiching is really nice. There's cool designs throughout the quilt and it's big enough that I'll be able to use it for years. Thanks!



So I got to meet my Uncle Scott. He told me about his hunting trip this morning. He got nice deer and cleaned and hung it in the barn out at grandpa's place. Poor Bambi. He said if I'm good he'll teach me to shoot a bow and arrow. I don't know if mom and dad will let me. I'm still pretty young and I think they've got an age limit for that sort of thing.

Thanksgiving Morning

Mom's got me all ready for Thanksgiving. She didn't make us late at all. After breakfast we watched my first Macy's Parade. My favorite part was the Rockettes. I've been told that I'm a rocket girl. Not sure if these Rockettes are the same thing or not. But, I can be whatever I want right?

Binker Dog was mad that she wasn't going to Thanksgiving because she wanted to go play with Marley and she stuck her tongue out at me. Bad doggy.

1 month old

I am one month old today! Happy Birthday to me. Here I am sitting in my rocking chair that Nana and Papa gave me. This rocking chair is older than me. My great great grandpa John Reidle bought it in 1921 for his 1st born. He grew up in the Flint Hills near Matfield Green. His parents came from Austria, married and started a family there. This rocking chair has been passed down through the generations and now it is all mine.

At night when Mommy rocks me in the big rocking chair we listen to a cd of lullabies. One of the songs on the cd is Edel Weiss. Edel Weiss means white flower in German. Daddy double checked this at my 3am feeding. Mommy was talking to him, and asked him what it ment, because Daddy took German classes.

My great great great grandma Katie (John's mom), spoke and read in German. She did not read in English, but she could speak English.

So I am one month old. It has been a long exhausting month of all new things. I have changed a lot over the month. Right now I weigh 8 lbs 10oz. When I was born I weighed 6 lbs 14oz. I am 21 inches long, and I started off at 20.5 inches. I like to look at my googly eye guy, diggity, and anyone who wants to talk to me. I can see pretty well up to about 4 feet away. My hands still don't do what I would like them to. There are all kinds of things I would like to grab onto. I enjoy my bath, and traveling to new places. I absolutely hate being buckled into my carseat, but once I'm in, I'm fine. I've had to get my seat belt loosened and gone up a size in diapers this week. I am finally able to wear some of my 0-3 month clothes. I have so many clothes to wear. I hope I get to wear each outfit once before I grow out of it. I mostly just grunt and growl. Mommy thinks I sound like a bear cub. She nicknamed me "growly bear".

Coffee anyone?

Piano Lessons by Mom

Mommy gave me a piano lesson today. We were going to play "The Wheels on the Bus" but my hands weren't big enough. My span is only about 4 notes as you can see so octaves are out of the question. I'll work on it though.

Those piano lessons really tucker me out.

Maybe just a little nap.

I'll be ready to go in another minute.

Testing the Toys

So I've had all these toys just sitting around and I haven't really had time to try them out. You know, with the eating schedule I've been on (not to mention the opposite of eating), there's really a lot of things that I haven't gotten to. I'd like to travel and see the world. I'd like to go skydiving. I want to listen to Mozart at the Met. So many things that . . wait . . . what was . . .
. . . I'm hungry.

Thanksgiving Church Dinner

The man with the white beard. (Not daddy)

My first trip to the Mall. There were stores for everything! Mommy and Aunt Dode took me to the mall in Topeka and I met all sorts of people.

I saw the coolest outfit at Hot Topic. It was a roller derby uniform. Mommy didn't get it for me but Daddy says I can go back and get it later so I can show it off for Uncle Tim. He thinks I've got a future in the KC Roller Derby League.

I got my Christmas dress today. It was the only clean thing I had left after the diaper and puking "firsts" from above.

A day of firsts: First time in a mall, first time at Olive Garden, first diaper blow out, first time projectile throwing up in a retail store, and most important of all . . . The first Santa Claus meeting.

So apparently this guy comes in my chimney and leaves gifts for me. We'll see. I'm a skeptic at heart but I guess if Mommy says it's true then it must be. I wonder what he'll bring me.



I sat in his lap and he was very nice to me. I had the hiccups and stuck my tongue out at him.

So it's like 9pm and I'm full and pooped (tired and the other kind), so it's time for bed. 'Night!

Enough is Enough!

Jeez mom. Stop taking pictures of me when I'm sleeping!

I know . . . Cute toes, cute hands . . and of course I look stunning in my "I heart daddy" outfit.

Okay, you can keep taking pictures.