Poki's Christmas Program

The ham doesn't fall far from the...um...tree? Well, whatever--today I proved this fact by performing beautifully in my preschool Christmas program. Well, except when I announced to everyone that I didn't feel like doing it anymore...or when I sat down while everyone else was standing, explaining to the audience that I was getting tired. Okay, fine. So, I'm not the ham my parents thought I was...at least not in the way they were hoping. Frankly, Mom was a nervous wreck all morning because she knew if any kid was going to change the words to the songs to make it extra silly or take a flying leap off the stage, it was going to be me. Fortunately for her, I sat perfectly the whole time...even when I wasn't supposed to be sitting.

Here are some highlights from the performance. (Don't be fooled by the star on top of the tree--the real star appears around the 50 second mark.)



Truth is, most of the time, I was bored out of my skull.



Or just plain mad...like when they sang The Dreidel Song. I wanted to sing that song, but NOOOO, I had to sing Oh, Christmas Tree.



For those of you who don't already know, I'm so obsessed with dreidels right now, I've asked for one for Christmas AND I've told Mom that I want to be a dreidel for Halloween next year.

Then it was time for our adorable send-off!



Pretty cute, huh? Aren't you amazed by how well behaved I was? I mean, I was like a perfect little angel! Okay, okay...Mom might have left out one small detail. This was her real favorite part of the performance...and the video that will be broadcast on a big screen at my wedding rehearsal dinner. There is really only one way to describe it: Classic.



After our amazing performance, we went downstairs for a reception (aka: fancy snack) where guess who was waiting for us!? You'll never guess. It was none other than Santa's much older and skinnier brother, Feeble Claus!



Whatever. He gave me a candy cane. He's cool.

And that's that, folks! Happy Holidays to you all!

9 Month Stats

Well, it's official. I'm a peanut. My mom has been suspecting this for a while, but the doctor confirmed it this morning. The baby who looked 6 months old at birth now looks...well, 6 months old.

Here are my stats:
Height: 27 1/4 inches (15th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs 6 oz (20th percentile)
Head circumference: 45 1/4 cm (40th percentile)

See? Peanut!

This is so strange for my mom to see because Poki was such a chunk. He was always around the 75th percentile for height, 90th for weight, and...well...40th for head circumference. We've got that one thing in common. It just goes to show how different brothers can be!

We did get some pretty fantastic news at the doctor today: I no longer have to take prevacid! No medication for me! Mom's still cutting dairy and soy from her diet, but soon, she should be able to eat some dairy again. Pretty awesome, huh?

In other growing baby news, my first top tooth broke through today and the second is following close behind!

ps
Check back in tomorrow for footage of Poki's first Preschool Christmas Program!

9 Months!

Yep--can you believe it? I've been out longer than I was in! Well, sort of...I was a bit late. (Don't think my mom has forgotten).

Mom still thinks of me as a tiny baby, but the truth is, I've suddenly been doing a lot of big baby stuff.

I want to stand all the time.



Even without holding onto anything!



I'm still scooting around on my belly when I want to get someplace, but most of my time is spent either rocking on all fours or practicing yoga. No really, just check out my downward dog!



But mostly, I just like doing whatever my big brother is doing. He's pretty much the coolest, funniest guy I know.



Sometimes my mom feels guilty for not being able to give me the attention she gave Poki in his first few years, but then she remembers that I have something he didn't: a sibling right from the start. We have so much fun together--now more than ever! And it's just going to get more fun! This is only the first 9 months, after all!

Brrrrrr!

It's getting COLD out there!

Greatest Laugh EVER

His Father's Son...

Some of you may already know this, but my dad loves George Michael. That would easily have been a big ol' red flag for most girls, but somehow this fact was a bonus for my mom. So, as the kindergarten song/jab goes: "First came love, then came marriage, then came another George Micheal fan in a baby carriage." Or something like that.

See for yourselves...here I am singing the whole family's favorite Christmas song:



(Sorry for the poor sound...it's possible Raleigh had his finger over the microphone.)

Gearing Up...

As expected, Poki has been extremely excited about Christmas this year. It is THE topic of conversation around these parts...followed closely by numerous impossible questions about God and Jesus, as you will hear for yourselves. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm beginning to miss the questions about how the baby got in my belly...

But what's really enjoyable this holiday season is the impressive list of holiday songs Poki is learning!

Mimic

(...And you get the added bonus of seeing Ping Pong's reaction when his beloved Poki leaves the room!)

Signature

Sure, this is a beautiful leaf rubbing...



but look a little closer...



That's right, folks! I wrote my name all by myself! As you can see, I need to work on my S's and N's, but we think it's pretty darn good for a first effort!

Handsome Boy...

with his big green eyes...



and tiny chiclet teeth.

Giving Thanks For New Tricks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reason #472 to love preschool: Poki comes home singing adorable songs!

Fun With Mommy's Camera

"Mommy, I'm going to hold Ping Pong and you can take our picture!"







"Okay, now it's my turn to take the picture. You hold Ping Pong. Make him fly--yeah like that!"



"Now it's Ping Pong's turn to take a picture of us...no, Ping Pong--don't eat Mommy's camera!"

Canada: Land Of The...Wait, What?

Scene: This morning, Poki comes climbing into bed with Mom and Dad.

Poki: Can we go to Toronto this morning?

Dad: Toronto? Really? Hmm...it's a pretty long drive, kiddo, and I have to work today. Maybe we can go another time.

Poki: Ah, man! I really want to go today!

Dad: Sorry, Poki. I wish we could just pick up and go to Toronto, but we can't.

Poki: whimper...I really want to go to Toronto now.

Mom: What's in Toronto, Poki?

Poki: Toronto is a really big, big factory filled with libraries and toy stores!

Mom (whispering to Dad): Man, is this kid going to be disappointed when we actually take him to Toronto...

Happy Eight Months!

Today Ping Pong is 8 months old! I wish I had some adorable picture or video to post, but unfortunately, poor Ping Pong is very sick. He's terribly dehydrated following 4 days with the stomach flu. Send healing thoughts our way and hopefully we'll get some cute pictures up before you know it!

Brrrr...

It's getting cold out there!

Mum-Mums!

Today marked yet another milestone in our house: My first mum-mum. For those of you who don't know, mum-mums were my brother's favorite snack as a baby. In fact, my folks pretty much kept the company in business for awhile there. Anyway, today I had my first mum-mum and, of course, Mom had to document it.

Now, just to warn you, as adorable as I am eating my mum-mum, my brother Poki really tries to steal the show here...especially when he provides our readers with a little TMI.



And as if my eating the mum-mum wasn't cute enough, just look at what else I've been doing lately during mealtimes...(again, please forgive my brother's 2nd crude announcement).



Yay for mum-mums! (And potty-trained 3-year-olds!)

More Halloween Decorations

So...we got a little more into our Halloween decorations this year (and by "we," I mean Mom). We showed you some of our decorations in the last Halloween post, but we thought we would post an better picture of the house.

I told Mom I wanted to make our house into a haunted house, but she didn't want to go out and buy a bunch of scary zombies and skeletons for the yard. Instead, she made our house really look like it was haunted.







Peek-a BOO!



It's nothing too fancy, but the UPS man did say it was the best house he's seen this year. And that's saying something!

First Tooth!

I guess there isn't really more to say after that post title...I got my first tooth! I had a sleepless night last night and Mom just noticed why. It's on the bottom right (my right), and the left one looks like it will be coming in any day!

Yep. I'm turning into a big boy...right before my mother's tear-filled eyes.

A Bouncing Baby Ping Pong!

Because I could never grow tired of watching Ping Pong jump in his exersaucer, I've decided to treat you guys to 3 whole minutes of adorable (albeit, probably nauseating) video footage of him in action. If you listen carefully, you can hear that he's actually out of breath.

Happy Halloween!

What a Halloween! Decorations, Jack-o-lanterns, Boo at the Zoo with Scarlett, Trick-or-treating... Whew! There is too much to discuss! We'll just let you see for yourself:

An Accent Only A Babushka Would Love

Scene: Poki was playing with his matryoshka dolls the other morning when Daddy asked what he was doing.

Poki: "I'm playing with my mumuffin dolls."

Daddy: "Your what?"

Poki: "My um...my mumtufta dolls."

Daddy: "Do you mean your matryoshka dolls? Matryoshka."

Poki: "Sigh...no, Daddy. It's mumkufka. I know my Russian."

Hey! That Looks Like Something!

A few weeks ago (I know, I know...shame on my Mom for waiting to tell you until now), I was drawing on my kid's menu at the Ruby Restaurant (aka: Ruby Tuesdays), when suddenly, my mom realized what I was drawing looked like something. Like...a real something. And not my usual 100 swirls I claim is a tornado. No, this looked like a person! She couldn't believe her eyes!

She asked me what I was drawing and I said, "This way it's a guy with legs..."



"And this way, it's a guy with antennas!"

On The Move!

As some of you might remember, my Mom predicted that I would be crawling by my 7 month birthday. Surprisingly, I didn't. I mean, I've been scooting around in circles for a while now, but only in circles. Recently though, I started doing this:





Which made my Mom think I was just days away. Then I started moving backwards, like this:



But not really forward...until now.



I believe this is what they call the army crawl? I'm putting those elbow patches on my outfit to good use!

Pathetic Attempt at a Pumpkin Patch Picture

Mom and Dad: "Poki! Ping Pong! Look here guys! Ping Pong!"



Mom and Dad: "Ping Pong! Poki! Up here!"

Ping Pong: "What's that cool thing? It's awesome!"

Poki: "Dad's shoe..."



Mom and Dad: "Poooookiiii! Piiiiing Poooong!"

Poki: "Oh look--a tractor!"

Ping Pong: "Where??? Wait...what's a tractor?"



Mom and Dad: "Guys! Look at the camera!"

Ping Pong: "Whoa..."



Mom and Dad: "Oh--that's good Poki! Hold it! Ping Pong! Look here!"

Ping Pong: "Hey look--grass!"



Poki: "Bam Bam Bam! I'm playing a punkim drum, yeah yeah! Ba da da! Ba da dum!"

Ping Pong: "Where did all these big orange things come from?..."

Mom and Dad: "Ah hell...forget it."

7 Pictures For 7 Months

ps
Happy Birthday to me!