Goodbye car hello truck, picnic at the beach and fun with family

Feb 12 - I slept in today. Still had a slight fever of 99.0 this morning so Mommy forced me to take Tylenol again just in case. Then I got to spend a few hours with Chachi and Grandma Joanie while Daddy was at school and Mommy went up to the office to do their taxes. I napped and then ate lunch with them and then played so well by myself. Grandma Joanie said that she thinks I am back to normal. I think so too. Mommy and Daddy got home and we all sat and talked about the car situation and Daddy's work until it was time for Chachi and Grandma Joanie to go so they kissed me goodbye.

Then I got clingy with Mommy, sat in her lap and dumped Cheerio Chex Mix all over her. I took another short nap. I thought it was really funny that Mommy kept trying to balance a toy baby bottle on my head. She said I was getting better and better at balancing it. Daddy gave me a present that he got for my birthday. It was a barn yard little people that makes animal sounds. I enjoyed the fake sky background more at first. Then I got into the barn when I heard all the animal sounds it makes. It was fun.

Daddy let me sit on his lap at his computer and I kept trying to pull the headset off his head. Then I went to bed at 8:30pm and played in my crib til I fell asleep.

Feb 13 - Today we ran a few errands. Daddy got me in the van and Mommy drove to the dump, then CVS. Daddy carried me around and we bought Mommy a small heart of chocolate for Valentine's Day as she got my cream for my eczema. Then we said goodbye to Mommy's car and got the license plates off of it.

Then over to the bank and grocery store. Then it was back home for a nap and some play time with Daddy and Mommy. I wasn't in the best of moods though. I was pretty fussy and cried a lot today. This evening Mommy got the Cheer for Me potty out so that I could start getting used to it. I liked to lift the lid and pull the toilet paper holder out and I tried to make it cheer by touching the senors in the bowl. Then before bath time Daddy sat me on it to show me how I go. I didn't sit long but it was just a test run.

Mommy also gave me these cool foamy letter to play with in my bathtub. She only pulled out the N-I-C-K-Y so that I start to get used to my name. I loved them and had to keep getting reminded not to eat them.

Feb 14 - Today was Valentine's Day. Mommy spent the day cleaning out Daddy's desk and organizing it. There was stuff everywhere and it was separating Mommy from me. I didn't like that so I climbed over all the stuff and into her lap. Then I climbed into the empty drawer that she was trying to organize. Mommy laughed at me.

I was tired of her messing with the desk and wanted her to play with me so I got really angry and started to fuss. Mommy said she was going to lose her mind. She sent a text about me to Daddy and he said to give me Orajel. Thanks, Daddy. She did and it did make me feel better but man, does that stuff taste bad! Then Mommy found that I cut another tooth. This makes number nine and it is on my right on the top and to the back. It is a big one. We had thought about going over to Aunt Lynn's to make sugar cookies with them but Aidan and Gavin have had colds and I still have a runny nose. So we said maybe another time. Mommy and I hung out together at home. I had made a mess at dinner and Mommy gave me a bath by herself since Daddy was still at school. Then Daddy got home and he spent a little time with me and made me a laugh a little before it was time to go to sleep.

Feb 15 - Today was a busy one. First we went to story time. Today was about time. They showed us a few clocks and read a few books. I watched the librarians during the If Your Happy And You Know It song.

We left pretty quickly after story time and went to Aunt Lynn's. I have developed a cough and Aunt Lynn said that Aidan and Gavin had too so we must all have the same thing. Mommy had picked up a movie from redbox for Aunt Lynn and her to watch so I played with Gavin. I kept going over to the stairs and followed Gavin all the way up to the top. I am becoming a good climber. Then I got really upset because I was getting sleepy. It was nap time after all. So Mommy and Aunt Lynn put me in Gavin's crib to sleep. When I woke up Aidan was back from school. He always asks if he can hold me. So Mommy put me next to him in his bed. I didn't want to lay still though. I wanted to play with this cool track that Aidan and Gavin had. I was as big as I am.

Mommy helped Aunt Lynn put all the toys back in their bins and then we headed home. We ate lunch really quickly then hopped in the van to go to CarMax in Laurel. It was a long trip. When we got there we looked at the truck. It is nice.

Daddy went on a test drive with Woody, the sales guy, while Mommy and I went into the play room. I had a good time in the play room. They had a slide and guess what? I went down the slide all by myself! I did it over and over again and had the best time. I showed Daddy I could do it too when he got back from his test drive.

I needed a boost to get up the first step but the rest I did on my own. I went down head first and giggled the whole way.

Then I tuckered myself out and started to have a melt down. We had been there for hours and my nose was running, I was hungry, and I just wanted to go home. Finally, it was time to go. Daddy got in his new truck and Mommy put me in the van. After a quick stop at Wendy's for some fries and nuggets for me we headed home. I cried most of the way home and fell asleep the last 10 mins. Mommy didn't want to wake me but she had to. She changed me for bed and put me in my crib. We skipped the bath tonight.

Feb 16 - Did you know that I am eating pancakes or french toast sticks every morning for breakfast. I have graduated from almost all baby food and am eating lots of big-boy food now. When I am really hungry I can eat six pancakes all by myself. After breakfast, Mommy made lots of calls and emails to State Farm and NRL trying to get a better rate on the car loan. I was pretty good while I played by myself or stood at her knees watching her talk into the phone. I wanted to talk too. Then I took a nap.

I woke up late and even though we would be getting there really late Mommy took me to group. She told me that this would be our last time because I have been getting too big for that little room with the little babies. So we said goodbye to Ms. Betty and thanked her for everything she has done for us. Mommy and I were both a little sad to say goodbye but we told her that we would visit from time to time. After that we went home and played some more. Mommy put me in the tub this evening and as I was splashing around I caught a glimpse of Daddy in the doorway. He was playing peek-a-boo with me and making me laugh and was being really quite that Mommy didn't even know he had gotten home from school and was behind her. Then it was a little play time before bed.

Feb 17 - Today was unseasonably warm for February. It was over 70 degrees with a light breeze. This morning we headed to Oxon Hill's NRL branch to pick up two checks for the truck financing. Then we called Grandmommy and told her we were in the area. She was at McDonald's so we joined her. She showed me off to her friends and then we ate lunch together. I had a chicken nugget happy meal and Grandmommy was amazed at how well I sat in the highchair eating my fries and nuggets. Then I started to make a lot of noise. Not fussy but really happy squeals. Mommy told me to be quiet but I was just too happy. We decided to leave.

I played in the van for a few minutes as Mommy and Grandmommy tried to think of a park that had some shade nearby. Mommy remember the park in Ft. Washington. So we drove to it. It was fun. I sat on the teeter-totter and rode on the swing.

Mommy and Grandmommy let me go down the big slide and I just enjoyed walking around on the woodchips.

Then Grandmommy sat with me on the big train. I was getting sleepy so we said goodbye to Grandmommy and drove home. I slept the whole way. I woke up because Mommy made some noise in the van. I wasn't too happy about that but she picked me up and I played in the front yard. She let me walk around and I walk over to Ms. Donna's front yard. I tried to get closer to the street to see the cars but Mommy picked me up and said "Danger." We hung out outside til Daddy got home in his big blue truck. They let me climb in the back and check it out. I liked it a lot.

Then we all went inside. We played for a while and I got Mommy soaked in the tub tonight. I splashed a lot. Today was a good day. Oh, and some other news I found out is that I should be getting a new friends because Mr. Randy and Ms. Laura's baby Daniel was born today. Mommy said it was funny because a year ago today was my due date.

Feb 18 - This morning we got things started with french toast. Then we got dressed and headed down to the Northeast Community center where I had my birthday party. They were having an obstacle course for ages 1-5 for free. We got there and it was pretty packed. Mommy took me over to these arches and I saw one of the other kids get down and crawl so I followed. Then there were a bunch of hoops. You were supposed to walk over them but I wanted to pick them up. I also played with the deflated basketballs and crawled under a table. Mommy picked me up to play with the streamers hanging from the ceiling and helped me get up on top of this huge mountain. I had a good time there but I kept wondering out of the room and over toward the pre-school room where my party was help. No one was there and the door was shut but I remembered!

After the obstacle course a bunch of us decided to go down to the beach. We all walked in the sand and had a picnic. After eating, Mommy let me play on the big wooden boat. Since we had been eating, all the seagulls and ducks started to come over to find anything left over. I wasn't afraid of them just interested. Mommy let me go closer to the water but said we couldn't go in today. I watched all the ducks swim around. Then we packed up.

Mommy had brought my bike so that I could see what it was like outside. I had a blast going up and down the boardwalk. Everyone we passed said it was so cool. I really like my bike.

Ms. Erin and Sam had walked with us and Ms. Erin showed us this store called the Re Store. It is a bunch of used items and Mommy found a cheap tripod for her camera and two books for me for a grand total of $12. Then we walked back to the van and said goodbye to Ms. Erin and a passed out Sam. We only drove a few minutes before I passed out too. Since I had only slept a few minute Mommy thought I would be ok to wake up and put in the crib to go back to sleep. She was wrong. I stayed in the crib for a long time, crying out every now and then but mostly playing with my Elmo remote. I didn't go to sleep until after Daddy got home from work.

When I woke up Mommy fed me really quick and then we left because Daddy had had a tough day at work and hadn't been sleeping well so he took a nap. We left so the house would be quiet. We headed over to the Harrington House. Grandma Joanie, Uncle Sean and the kids were eating pizza at the table. I ran around with Gavin and Aidan and made it up the stairs to see Chachi in his computer room. Then we all went downstairs for bath time. I watched as Gavin and Aidan played in the tub. Uncle Sean suggested that I get in too. So Mommy stripped me down and plopped me in. I was not happy. I wouldn't let go of Mommy and kept trying to climb out of the tub. Mommy had never seen me act this way to a bath. Maybe it was all the bubbles or the company but I didn't like something. We rinsed off and Mommy dressed me. I was not in a great mood after that and kept screaming at Mommy. Uncle Sean tried to give me cheeze-its but I just wanted to go. So we said goodbye and headed home. We got home, Mommy handed me off to Daddy and got dinner for me. I didn't eat much and got dressed for bed.