Happy Birthday, Pippi!

My older and wiser friend Pippi just got a little older and wiser. Happy third birthday, Pippi! We love you!



I can't believe that is the only picture of Pippi that my mom can find. It's like 7 months old! How embarrassing, Mom!

To read Marna's post about Pippi's adventurous birthday, and to see some more recent pictures of Pippi, click here. I think she suddenly matured overnight! She looks so much older (and wiser) in the pictures from today than she did last week!

Kid City, Part II: This Time, He's Walking

It's hard to believe the last time I posted about Kid City was seven months ago. (For a reminder, click here ). My mom is blown away by just how much I have changed in that time. I mean, I had just started crawling like the day before--and now look at me! I'm practically sprinting!

Here are some pictures from today:

All those fun rooms and I want to play in the cabinets where we're supposed to leave our shoes!



Hey Mama...wanna lift?





Scarlett took over at the wheel while I took over the radio. Hey--that's my area of expertise.



Then we worked (hard) on making bubbles.



Poki the Eskimo!



Sailing the ship...



And walking the plank.



This girl was a total backseat driver!



Trains! Or as I call them: Choo Choos!





Up up and away!



Dino-Roar!



Planting carrots with Scarlett...



And selling them too.



Then we put on our aprons...



And got to work in the kitchen...



Until it was time to take care of the babies.



Burp, Baby! Burp!



See!



Saw!



The Bridge to...Somewhere...



I played dress up!



And so did Scarlett



But she wanted to be a knight, not a princess. I just wanted to be Poki--Wah!



Back in the mirror room in the Toddler Sea Caves



Peek-a-boo, Scarlett!



Oh my goodness, people! When did I turn into a big boy?



Yay, Kid City! See you again very soon!

Happy Birthday, Lizard Breath!

Today is my brilliant and beautiful Cousin Elizabeth's 13th birthday. Could you guys hear the big sigh my mom just let out? Anyway, my Aunt La La put up a beautiful post in honor of Elizabeth's special day, but my mom has a few memories of her own to share:

* When Elizabeth was about two, she dropped a cup of yogurt on the floor. My mom said "uh-oh!" but Elizabeth said "Oh Sit!" (I don't get the joke, but my mom insists it's funny.)

* Not so much a memory as a cute fact...Elizabeth has blonde eyelashes on one eye, but brown eyelashes on the other. Isn't that cool?

* When Elizabeth was about as little as I am, my mom would tease her and say, "What's your name again? Eliza-foot? Eliza-toe? Eliza-head?" Elizabeth would crack up. Mom says she had a great laugh.

* Before Elizabeth lost her baby teeth, when she closed her jaw, her top and bottom teeth formed a space that looked like the batman symbol.

* Even though Elizabeth was two when my mom and dad met, she refused to be in the same room with Daddy until she was about five years old. She was terrified of him. To this day she can't explain why. Once she did finally meet him, she loved him. I think it had something to do with spending the afternoon together, jumping on a trampoline and eating chocolate ice cream.

* When Elizabeth would stay with Granny for the weekend, she used to take a photo that Granny has of her mom and dad dancing at their wedding, and go sit in a corner, just staring at it and working herself up into tears.

* After my Great Grandmother Deeya died, when Elizabeth was probably around three, Aunt La La picked her up from school one day and was told by Liz's teacher that she had been sad all day. As they were driving home, Aunt La La asked Liz what was wrong and Liz said, "I miss Deeya." La La said, "Honey, I know you miss her, but she is in a much better place now--where she is happy, healthy and can walk again." Elizabeth sniffed and said, "I know. She's in China."

* When Elizabeth was about two or three, my mom, Aunt La La and Granny took her out to eat at a restaurant. They ran into a friend of Granny's who asked Elizabeth what she wanted to be when she grew up. Being the supportive, feminists that they are, Granny, Aunt La La and Mom all reminded Elizabeth that she could be anything she wanted to be. So Elizabeth thought about it for a minute, then said, "I want to be a bunny!"

* One of my mom's favorite memories (not just of Elizabeth, but in her whole life) is of sitting in a big lazy boy recliner with Elizabeth when she was just a little older than I am. They were sitting side by side, eating fudgesicles and watching TV when Elizabeth reached over, touched my mom's arm and said "Aunt Bally? I dove you."

We dove you too, Lizard Breath. More than you will ever know. Happy Birthday!

Getting Specific

As many of you may have noticed, I have a new obsession: Trucks! Granny noticed too, which is why she got me this new toy. As you'll hear, not only do I love trucks, but I am also learning some of the specific types of trucks.

Monkey With A Monkey

Scarlett is not the only one with a piggy-backing monkey! Check out what Granny got me yesterday!

Pippi and Poki, Together Again

Just when I thought I might never see my older and wiser friend Pippi again, I see her twice in one week! She and her parents helped celebrate my daddy's birthday last week by joining us for dinner, and then today, she was at the super cool festival that Mom and Granny took me to. And believe it or not, to top it all off, we ran into her again at Ikea later in the day! We all sat together in the ultra swank Ikea Cafeteria and chowed down on some Swedish meatballs and french fries (or as Pippi calls them, "Frenchie Fries").



Truth be told, as hilarious as my friend Pippi is (with the greatest smile a kid can have, let's be honest), I still couldn't resist doing this every time she opened her mouth! ...and even when she didn't open her mouth. It's kind of my thing lately. What can I say?



You know, I'm not sure Pippi has even made an appearance on Poki's Blog since January ! Could that be?

Granny's Here!

Yay! My granny is here to visit me! I love Granny...and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. I mean, she won't actually admit that I am the cutest, smartest or favorite grandchild, but I know the truth. So anyway, Granny is here, and as usual, we are having fun!

Here we are snuggling in bed together.



Here I am trying to say "Night night, Granny," before my nap. I got pretty close, but I call her "Aggie" instead of Granny. My mom says my Aunt La La and Uncles Preston and Todd will think that is especially funny.



And here I am trying on her curlers. Can you believe I have enough hair now to hold curlers?!



She's still going to be here for a couple more days, so I'm sure we will have more pictures of my fun times with "Aggie!"

Poki And A Pony

Today, Mom and Granny (who is visiting me this weekend) took me to a really cool festival. I met firemen, who let me climb all over their fire truck and squirt a hose! I also got to ride in a horse-drawn carriage. That was awesome, but my favorite part was probably riding a pony. Yep! I rode a pony, people! How cool is that? And I did it all by myself...with my Mom holding me. See:

Funny or Dangerous? You Decide.

Head injuries? I laugh in the face of head injuries...literally.

Seeing Scarlett

This evening, Mom and I met up with Scarlett and her mom, Lauren at a nearby park for a playdate. Once again, my mom didn't bring her camera (it's like she forgets that I have this blog or something), but luckily, Lauren did. Click here to see some pictures of the utter cuteness that ensued.

By the way, Scarlett can say "love you!" now. How cute is that? I may not be able to say it yet, but I can sure type it: Love you too, Scarlett!

15 Month Check-Up

Well, today I paid a little visit to my friend and pediatrician, Dr. Blanton. I love that guy, and I think the feeling is mutual. As usual, he told us that I am perfect. And as usual, I said: "Tell me something I don't know, Doc!" Nah, I didn't really say that, instead I played with his super cool stethoscope and blew him kisses.

As with every visit, the nurse weighed and measured me. I weigh 26 pounds and 9 ounces! And I'm 32 inches tall. Not too shabby, eh? I'm pretty much 80th percentile across the board...except for my head circumference, which is only the in 50th percentile. Hey, so I'm a pea head! I'm still wicked smart! I just happened to have only inherited my mom's ears, dimples and tiny head.

There was one pretty enormous difference between today's visit and every other visit to Dr. Blanton's office: I had blood drawn. Not only did I have blood drawn, but I had it drawn in the lab, not in Dr. Blanton's office. And not only did I have it drawn in the lab, but they drew it from my arm. My arm! Like I'm some normal-sized, grown-up person! It took 2 nurses, 1 mommy, 1 dancing Elmo doll and 1 dancing nurse to keep me still while they took an enormous amount of my blood supply (about 1/8 of a vile). I think my mom wanted to cry and scream right along with me, but she held it together. To tell the truth, I was much more upset about all those people holding me down and not letting me lift the arm of the chair up and down than I was about being pricked with a needle. It was over soon enough and everyone in the waiting room waved to me when we left. They must have heard me crying because they were all very sad for me. Then mom stopped by Nica's market on the way home and bought me my new favorite fruit (a nectarine) as a special treat because I was such a good boy.

What a hard day! I bet I'll nap all afternoon!

Touch A Truck!

Today we went to a fun thing called "Touch A Truck." It's basically where you get to go and touch a bunch of trucks. (Duh.) Anyway, I loved it. As soon as I saw where we were going, I started squealing. And the squealing didn't stop for a while. There is no doubt that this Poki boy loves him some trucks. Just look at my face when I got behind the wheel of the very first one: A big yellow school bus!



Pure joy.

My mom made a little movie about our fun time. Check it out:



UPDATE:

For an even better version of the touch a truck video, click here. Scarlett's mom made her a video with the exact same song and everything! What's that saying? Great moms think alike?

Just Cause It's Cute...

Poki in a bike helmet! ...and ketchup on my face.

Vacuum!

Now this is what I call "pretend play!"



I did such a good job pretending (and making the vacuum sounds) that Mom let me try actually vacuuming. Let me tell you, that table was clean when I got through with it!



I was so sad when everything had been vacuumed. I wanted more!



You know, as much as I like to vacuum, you would think our house would be spotless! Yeah...not so much. But it is now!

Today's Words

Yep! There are two more!

Light
Dip (As in: I like to dip my fries in ketchup. I do, in fact, like to dip my fries in ketchup. And I like to say "Dip! Dip! Dip!" as I dip said fries).

Now This Is Getting Ridiculous!

As you know, I posted earlier today about how I am adding approx. one word a day to my vocabulary. Well, it's only 3:00 and I have learned three new words today! Seriously! I tell you--I am livin' it up this 1/4 birthday!

Here they are:

Bus
Wow!
Help

This last one is especially great, because my mom has been working on this sign with me for what seems like weeks. I can't exactly do the sign, but I have been doing my own version of it when reminded. However, today I have been doing my sign and saying "help" on my own. For example, when I had a hard time climbing onto my parents' bed this morning, I signed and said "help." Then again, just a few minutes ago, I asked Mom to help me get my truck out from under the chair, instead of screaming (which is how I used to tell her that I needed help).

Pretty awesome, huh?

1 1/4 years!

Just in case anyone is wondering what a 15 month old Poki looks like...





It's a pretty big difference from a year ago, huh?

This Week's Words

So, that list of words really is growing by about one word a day! Granny keeps saying that I have been listening and storing every piece of information I hear and see, and at some point, it will just flow out of me. That time may have arrived.

Here are the words that I have learned this week:

Hot
Ice
Hat
Rock
Ball
Will (I saw him yesterday and said "Bye Bye, Will!" when we parted ways.)
Bus

I've also been saying "Baa Baa Um" for a couple of weeks now. Any idea what I'm saying? Mom thinks it might be banana, but she's not sure.

Copycat, Part II

(Don't tell Daddy we posted a video of him in his boxers!)

Copycat

Well THIS Was Unexpected!

...And Welcome, Cousin Georgia Too!

Henry wasn't the only new cousin born yesterday! Nope--Cousin Georgia Harwell was too! She weighs 7 pounds, ten ounces, and that's all we know for now.

You may remember Georgia from my pictures from the beach when she was still living in Aunt Julia's belly.

Congratulations Aunt Julia and Uncle Shorty! And an extra big congratulations to big brother, Sam!

We can't wait to meet you at the beach this year, Georgia!

Another New Word...and Favorite Food

Man, am I on a roll.

Remember the favorite food I told you about last week? Well, there is actually one other food that I like even more. It's not really a food exactly, but I love it and I beg my dad for it every night at dinner. And now I can ask for it by name!



ps
Sorry the video is so dark. Has anyone noticed how early it is getting dark?! We had dinner at 7:00 pm and it was dark out! While we do have lights in our kitchen, they were behind me. Sorry! It's the word that counts though, right?

pps
Speaking of the word...I know what it sounds like I'm saying, so keep those gutter-minded comments to yourself!

A Gift From Babi

I can't believe that we haven't posted about this yet! It should have been the first thing that we mentioned about our trip to Tennessee! Babi, my great grandmother, made me the most amazing gift. You guys know how I love to play with her cane, right? Well, look what she made me:



A Poki-Sized Cane!!! Brilliant! Thanks, Babi!

Painting

Let me just begin by saying that my mom is not too eager to give me a paint brush and real paints. She has, after all, seen what I do with crayons--and they're washable! So she thought it might be fun to paint with water--and a pretty good solution to keeping things relatively mess-free. We began by "painting" the sidewalk, but I quickly moved on to more detailed work.

Welcome Cousin Henry!

My brand new cousin, Henry Roan Bolton, was born this afternoon! He weighs 8 lbs and is 20 1/2 inches long. Aunt Donna and Uncle Matt must be so excited! We hear they did a great job--especially Aunt Donna, of course!

Congratulations, and welcome to the world, Henry! Just let me know if you need any advice on how to handle this big place.

Future Soccer Star

I must have picked up on some things while watching my Cousins Elizabeth and John playing soccer last weekend, because I have been kicking my ball all over the house this week.



Too bad we didn't think to put on my Manchester United uniform until after Daddy took this video.

ps
Yes, my mom is wearing dog ears. I can explain...We were playing doggie right before Dad shot this video. She doesn't wear them all the time. Really, she doesn't.

One A Day?

Add another new word to that LIST!

This morning, when Mom got out the ergobaby carrier to take me to Toddler Tunes, I said "backpack" clear as a bell! Okay...maybe not clear as a bell. Maybe it sounded a bit more like "pat pat," but I definitely tried to say "backpack"--and I've said it a bunch since!

Milk

Mom's been working on signing with me lately. I'm not as fast as Scarlett, but I'm getting it. In fact, after watching Scarlett's videos yesterday, I finally signed milk! Funny, huh? I learn alot from that girl. She's super smart. Like, scary smart.



For those of you who haven't figured it out, the sign for milk is pretty much just pretending you're milking a cow. Hee hee.

Blowing Kisses!

Vocabulary, etc.

The last post inspired my mom to make a list of the words that I say. Here goes!

Bubble
Laptop (added to the list this morning...maybe Mom should spend a little more time playing with me).
Vacuum
Bath Tub
Granny
Babi (Ba Ba--from this weekend)
Grandpa (Also Ba Ba--from this weekend)
Tully (Also from this weekend)
Duck
Cow
Doggie
Kitty
Fish
Baby
Truck
Yum Yum
Uh-Oh
Mama (yes--I have finally stopped calling her Daddy!)
Daddy
Bye Bye
Bye Bye Daddy
Hi
Hi Kitty
Hello
Mum Mum (the name of my favorite snack--actually called "mum mums").
All Done
Meri (my stuffed sheep)
Diaper
That
This
Book

What else am I forgetting?

I also know quite a few animal noises:

Cow (Moo)
Sheep (Baa)
Lion (Roar)
Dinosaur (Roar)
Elephant (sort of like a raspberry)
Giraffe (I smack my lips like I'm chewing cud)
Monkey (Ah ah ah ah!)
Owl (Hoo hoo)
Snake (ssssss)

And I can imitate a snore. Seriously. And it's not from my Daddy. It's from Mom reading me "Goodnight, Gorilla." Now when she says "goodnight, gorilla!" I snore. Cute, huh?

Things are really starting to click, people!

Sick Day

Last night, on my way home from the airport, I got sick in the car. Very, very sick. Like...pull over and hose off me and the carseat sick. Mom can't figure out what happened, but has to assume I had motion sickness from a day on an airplane and then in the car. It was bad. Anyway, I was in pretty bad shape all night and some of this morning, so Mom let me watch TV. Have you guys seen Sesame Street? It's like the best show ever! It certainly perked me up!



Mom also let me watch some of the videos on Scarlett's blog. There was one in particular that I really liked. (Notice the sign language AND the new word!)

Wedding Weekend!

Being a wedding weekend, you can bet there was a family reunion! Sadly, Babushka was not there, but I think just about everyone else is covered!

Uncle Preston and Aunt Shuly listening to Mom read the e. e. cummings poem they selected for their ceremony.



View of the ceremony from Granddaddy's "top dock."



Me and Uncle Preston. You know, Mom and Dad have wondered where I get my eyes. They're the color of Dad's, but not his shape and size. Judging by this photo, they just might be like Uncle Preston's!



Not all his kisses were for Aunt Shuly on their wedding day!



Me and Aunt La La



Me with Betty and Nana (the amazing man I was named after).



Uncle (and Godfather) Todd and Granddaddy



Granny and Mimi (only women who have both been married to Granddaddy could bond like this!)



Uncle Chris, Aunt Holly and Cousin Dru. I don't know where Uncle Matt and (a very, very pregnant) Aunt Donna are!



Come on! How cute am I in my "sissy suit"?





Thanks to Aunt Holly for these pictures (taken after we all changed into our casual wear)!







Me and Granddaddy



My mom's side of the family isn't the only family I saw! Here I am with Babi (trying on her purse).



With Babi, Grandpa Rolly and Granny.



Babi surprised me with my own vacation home in Tennessee. Daddy calls it my "Arabian Nights" house. It's alot fancier than the one Daddy built me. It has wallpaper and a rug!





Granny, much to Daddy's dismay, fed my curiosity by letting me try her lipstick.

I know all these are sort of out of sequence, but here I am at the Hartford airport on Friday. They have these really cool umbrellas that danced with me.



Yay Weddings! Yay Family! Yay Tennessee!