Becoming Mr. Independent

May 16 - Mommy and I stayed home today. She played on the computer and posted pictures. I played with my toys. Daddy has decided to join Aunt Erin and do P90X with her. Tonight was his first night. I sat in Mommy's lap with her while we watched them. I wanted to exercise too. I wanted to play with the exercise bands. Then I accidentally dropped the phone on Daddy's head while he was doing sit-ups on the floor. It really hurt and he got mad. Sorry, Daddy. Once they were done exercising I played with Salem. I ran around the room dragging the tape measure across the floor and having him chase it. I laughed the whole time.

May 17 - After breakfast Mommy and I grabbed all the pool stuff and met Ms. Erin and Sam at the pool. It had been too long. I love the pool. I was so brave and tried to walk into the deeper water all by myself. I didn't want to be held by Mommy. I wanted to swim on my own but she wouldn't let me. She only let me walk around in the shallow part by myself. Sam and I played on the bottom of the red and blue slides. And I went down the froggy slide by myself and Ms. Erin caught me at the bottom. Sam did it too and Mommy caught him. We only stayed for about an hour because my lips were already purple. We showered and dressed and said goodbye to Ms. Erin. I started to fall asleep in the car but Mommy wanted to stop at Subway. It took forever and I just wanted to get home and get to bed. We finally got home and I took a long nap. The pool always wipes me out.

When I woke up I wasn't really hungry. I didn't want to eat my sub so Mommy said I would eat it for dinner. Apollo had other plans as he ate it when no one was looking. I watched a little tv. Mommy put some cartoon on with a talking dog. I sat on a box and watched for a few minutes.

Aunt Erin came over and she and Daddy did their workout. I went back and forth from watching them to checking on Mommy in the kitchen while she did the dishes. I like this workout routine. It is a lot of jumping up and down and I think it is funny and I try to jump with them.

May 18 - Mommy had an appointment with the ear doctor early this morning. Grandmommy met us there and she and I sat in the van playing while Mommy went inside. I had fun checking out everything in the van and singing songs with Grandmommy. When Mommy was done the three of us went to IHOP. I ate some fruit and bacon (Daddy would be proud of me now huh? ) and was really good for Mommy and Grandmommy as they ate. After IHOP Mommy and I said goodbye to Grandmommy and headed to Waldorf. Mommy had to exchange her exercise band that broke and get a few other things. I slept on the way home.

Mommy was laying on the floor of the family room with a blanket and pillow. I took her blanket and started to drag it across the floor. It got under my foot and tripped me up and I fell hard to the floor. Mommy wasn't sure if I hit my head or my mouth. She picked me up and comforted me. I wasn't bleeding so that was good. I stopped crying pretty quickly. A little while later Mommy had me on the changing table and realized that I had hit my head because I had a BIG bump on my forehead that is looked like a horn. She called me a unicorn and gave me a cold teething ring for my head. Mommy and I put laundry away today while Daddy and Aunt Erin exercised.

May 19 - Mommy got me breakfast and we headed out pretty quickly this morning. We went to the dump and then headed to Arlington, VA. to see Ms. Keisha and Jaylon. We hadn't seen them since last summer. Jaylon is 11 months now and is really trying to walk. We didn't play much together but I enjoyed his toys. We only stayed for an hour or so but it was getting to be nap time for both me and Jaylon so we said goodbye.

I slept in the van on the way home. Once we got home I played for a little while and then told Mommy I was tired again. Mommy put me in my crib to see if I wanted to nap again since I only had an hour nap in the van. I didn't sleep but I did rest.

When I got out of the crib Daddy was home. I played and Daddy napped on the couch. I fell again and bumped my head again and that woke him up. I was ok and stopped crying quickly. Daddy and Aunt Erin did yoga tonight. Mommy took me into my room and we played with my train and all the books and toys in there so I wouldn't try to crawl on them. I got two packages today in the mail from something that Granddaddy got for me. Mommy opened them for me but wasn't sure what it was. It was something that you could inflate. She said we would find out tomorrow. Mommy made dinner and put me in the tub. I was all done bathing and was just having fun splashing around when I had another accident in the tub. Daddy had to hold me while Mommy cleaned the tub and we had to start the bathing all over again. Oops. Sorry, Mommy. Then we read a few stories and I was off to bed.

May 20 - This morning after breakfast and playtime Mommy decided to inflate the package that was shipped to me. It turned out to be a big bouncy castle. Mommy put me in it and I LOVED it. I tried to jump. I ran into the sides. I laughed as I laid on my back. Mommy thought it was great. She took a video of me enjoying it. Then she called Ms. Donna over because she thought she would enjoy watching me too. I bounced for a while and then came out of the moon bounce and walked all around the house exploring. I walked over to Ms. Donna's house too so I could say hi to Mocha. I was pretty much done by that point so Mommy and I said goodbye to Ms. Donna and went inside. After a little water and some snacks and a quick game of keep away from Salem I was ready for a nap.

Boy, did that moon bounce wear me out. I napped for a long time. Mommy made me lunch and then after a little hanging around time with Daddy it was time to say goodbye to him and hop in the car. We drove over to Ms. Heather's house so Mommy could let their dog KC out and feed her since Mr. Josh is out of town and Ms. Heather was at work. Then, we drove down to North Beach to meet Ms. Denise, Mr. Bryan, and Eleanor. While we were walking we saw Noah and his parents and a couple of kids and parents from the Hip Mommas. We also ran into Daddy's cousin Nicole. She decided to join us for a walk up and down the boardwalk. Mommy shared her Rita's cotton candy flavored Italian Ice with me. It was yummy. Then we said goodbye to everyone and went home for real dinner, bath, and bed.

May 21 - We started today playing around the house. Daddy made breakfast and I showed him that I eat bacon now. He was proud. Then I played until it was nap time. When I woke up I ate a few chicken nuggets really quickly and then Mommy and I said goodbye to Daddy. Uncle Dave, Aunt Erin, and Kenzie met us at our house and followed us down to the boardwalk. We all went for a nice walk up and down the boardwalk. Uncle Dave let Kenzie out of the stroller to walk a little so Mommy let me out as well. This was my first time walking on the boardwalk. I enjoyed the freedom. I ran around and looked at the water. I also tried to feed a couple of ducks a pretzel. I also got to pet this really friendly little doggie. I can say doggie but it sounds more like "doo-gie."

Next, we all got back in our cars and drove to Jerry's Subs and Pizza for lunch. Kenzie and I sat in our highchairs and had some fries. Kenzie really liked the pickles Uncle Dave gave her. Aunt Erin tried to get me to try some but I wouldn't. After we ate Mommy gave me and Kenzie some chocolate chip cookie. I showed off by saying "cookie." Then Kenzie and I walked around the restaurant a little and talked. We said goodbye to everyone and Mommy and I headed home.

When we got home I played Donkey Kong for a few minutes. Then Daddy put all the couch cushions on the floor and I rolled around on them. I practiced stepping down off of them. I was having a great time. Then I started to play over by my activity table and lost my balance and fell backwards. I slammed my head hard on the floor. It really hurt. Mommy comforted me and Daddy put a frozen veggie bag on my head. After a little loving, some teddy grams, and more play time I was fine. Daddy made a fort with the couch cushions.

We had fish sticks for dinner and then I started to get really tired and I ran back to my room for night-night time. I cuddled up into Daddy's lap to listen to him read Brown Bear. He told me that is his favorite part of his day. After a couple more stories I went to bed.

May 22 -

The house is clean!

I think I will have fish for dinner!

Reading to Daddy

May 23 - Beach playdate and playing with my buddies at North Beach.

May 24 - Mommy and I not feeling well so stayed inside. Just a little runny nose. Nothing serious.

May 25 - Another sick day inside but enjoyed it by dancing around with Mommy during American Idol finale like crazy people.

May 26 - Feeling better. Playdate at the park. It was very HOT but had a good time. I ran around with Sam and played on the tennis court.

May 27 - Trip to the doctor because it turns out I have pink eye. Ewww. As well as an ear infection. Mommy also went to the doctor to check to see if she has it. She doesn't but since it is a holiday weekend and pink eye is really contagious the doctor gave her eye drops too. Then to the pharmacy to pick up all the antibiotics. I was really good for her and didn't fuss much as all about my aliments. Now we get to spend a lot more time inside until I am not contagious anymore.

May 28 - Day 2 of antibiotics. Another day inside with Mommy and Daddy. We were supposed to go see Ms. Staci's new apartment but obviously had to cancel.

May 29 - Yay! I am not supposed to be contagious anymore so Mommy and Daddy were in cleaning/disinfecting mode big time today. They cleaned everything I possibly could have touched. I was exhausted watching them. I am doing well. All smiles and giggles here. Except I am getting a really bad diaper rash now. I guess it is always something wrong.

May 30 - Memorial Day. Mommy and Daddy and I had a great day today. I was so happy, that is until I needed a diaper change. I had to get a lot of changes today for some reason but it hurt so bad to get cleaned up. Mommy and Daddy had to hold me down as I was kicking and screaming for them to stop. I know they felt awful about it. But as soon as I was done I was happy again. Until next time.

May 31 - Mommy got me back in to see the doctor today. Turns out one of the antibiotics the doctor gave me is giving me a really bad diaper rash. They told her to stop the oral one but continue with the eye drops. At least it should be over soon.

First half of May

May 1 - I spent a little time with Daddy today while Mommy ran out for a bit. Then I got to spend some more time with Grandma Joanie and Chachi because the Caps played game 2 against Tampa. Since I have been spending more time over there I am liking it more and more. We have so much fun together and I got to eat dinner with Aidan, Gavin, and the rest of the family. I went to sleep in the pack n play up in Bailey's room but woke up as soon as I heard Mommy and Daddy come in. They came and got me and put me in my carseat. I was so tired and ready to go home. We went home and I crashed. Oh, yeah, and the Caps lost again.

May 2 - Daddy stayed home from work today. He left for school before I woke up from my nap. Mommy was tired when I woke up because she started her first day of P90X while I was napping. She said she could barely pick me up with all the push ups she had to do. The rest of the day we just hung out and played. I started to get tired so Mommy bathed me by herself but Daddy got home just in time to say goodnight to me.

May 3 - Mommy was so sore today. She woke up early to do her exercise before I woke up and then showered. That is her plan from now on. She said that she feels good but that I would have to walk a little bit more today since carrying me would hurt too much. Today was the last day of story time for a while. Instead of a theme like a regular day today was a celebration day. The librarians set out juice and cookies for us and we had a good time dancing and singing our favorite songs. They told us that they will have a family story time starting in June that Mommy and I might check out. That one will have kids of all ages and might be a little too big for me. If we don't go to that one we have to wait until September.

After story time Mommy and I went home and hung out. This evening game 3 was on and the Caps didn't look very good. I went to bed before the game was over but wasn't surprised to hear that they lost again. One more loss and they get eliminated.

May 4 - Mommy and I played at home today. She said that she is still really sore and when I go to sleep that she is going to take a nap too. I woke her up from her nap and she still wasn't feeling good but she still played with me. I played with my train some more.

We got some bad news today. Ms. Andrea's baby girl Hannah passed away yesterday. We are going to go to the memorial service for her on Thursday. She lived for five days. Mommy started looking online for something to give to Ms. Andrea.

The Caps played game 4 tonight but I didn't stay up and watch it. I went to sleep before Daddy even got home.

May 5 - Mommy told me that the Caps lost last night and the season is over. I didn't want to believe her and played with my thundersticks that she gave me from one of the playoff games. She thought I was cute.

We went to the memorial service for Hannah. I couldn't control myself and started to make a lot of noise so Mommy took me out until the service was over so I wouldn't disturb. When it was over I shared some snacks with Noah while Mommy talked to Ms. Andrea, Mr. Nick, Ms. Dana, and Ms. Erin. We said goodbye and headed home for a nap.

Daddy got home and then Mommy went to the movies to see Scream 4 and I hung out with Daddy. I was a little cranky with him but overall it was a good time.

May 6 - Today we got ready early and met Chachi at the pool. Unfortunately, the kiddie pool and therapy pool were closed and there were classes in the big pool so we decided to leave and try again another day. Mommy and I decided to go over to Mr. Rashaad's house to help him with a present he was making for Ms. Shalese for their anniversary. He is making her a really nice photo album of their wedding and he wanted Mommy's help. I watched from the pack n' play that Mommy set up outside the computer room. When I got tired she and Mr. Rashaad moved me to an upstairs bedroom for some quiet and I slept really, really well.

I was not too happy when Mommy woke me up but we had to get going because she had an appointment with a glass place to replace her windshield. We dropped the car off and then Mommy pushed me in the stroller over to Arby's. I ate a few fries and drank a lot of Mommy's drink. I love drinking from a straw now. We walked back and waited for our car. Then we came home and spent the evening with Daddy.

May 7 - Daddy got home from school really early today. Mommy and I were just about to leave at 9am when he walked in the door. But he was coming home to relax and maybe do somethings around the house so we headed out like we were going to do anyway. We went over to the Harrington House to see if Grandma wanted to go for a walk on the boardwalk. She had to go and get an allergy shot but Aunt Erin decided to join us. Before we left Uncle Sean sat me at the table. Look at how I was sitting.

We went to the boardwalk and it was so nice and sunny Mommy took my shoes off so they would get a breeze. It was so nice that I decided to take my nap during our stroll. When I woke up we had lunch and ice cream at the Tasty Freeze. Then we took Aunt Erin home. Daddy had cleaned out the shed to build shelves in it while we were gone. Mommy put me in the pack n' play under the big pine tree and I watched her and Daddy go through old stuff and organize the boxes. They got rid of a lot of trash. After such a long day I was exhausted.

May 8 - Today was Mother's Day. When Mommy came to get me from my crib this morning I threw my arms around her neck and greeted her with a great big hug. We had Grandmommy, Granddaddy, Grandma Joanie, Chachi, Uncle Sean, Aunt Lynn, Aunt Erin, Aidan and Gavin for a cookout. I got to spend a little time with each of them. Granddaddy walked me around the house. I played with Aidan and Gavin. I watched Daddy cook. I had a great time. It was really good to see everyone.

May 9 - A couple days ago when Mommy and I went to the Harrington House Mommy told Aunt Erin all about her doing P90X. Aunt Erin asked if she could stop by after work and use our family room to do P90X too. So today she came over and started her exercise. I was very interested in all the different moves she was doing. I also really liked the 8lb weights she was using. I tried to pick them up but Mommy told me that I am not a body builder.

May 10 - Today we tried to organize a play date down at the beach with Sam, Noah, Caylee, Alice, and Gavin. Ms. Erin wasn't feeling well, Ms. Dana just got Alice down for a nap, and Ms. Andrea had some errands to run. So Mommy and I went to Walmart to pick up some diapers for Ms. Erin so she didn't have to go out since she wasn't feeling well and dropped them off at her house. Then we met Aunt Lynn and Gavin down at the beach. Gavin and I played in the sand together and then we played on the big wooden boat. Mommy and I slid down the slide together a few times. Ms. Andrea and Noah stopped by to say hi for a minute before heading to the post office. I had fun but we didn't stay too long because it was already getting close to my nap time. We said goodbye to Aunt Lynn and Gavin and headed home. Mommy got me out of the car and I ran inside and straight back to my bedroom. I started to bang on the door until Mommy opened it for me and put me in my crib. I was SO ready for a nap.

When I woke up Mommy and I ran to my 15 mo doctors appointment. I am still 20 lbs and the nurse said that I am in the 3rd percentile for weight. I was 29.5 inches and in the tenth percentile for height and in the 25th percentile for head circumference. The doctor was really nice to me again and said that I have reached every developmental milestone that I am supposed to and am happy and healthy. Then the nurse gave me three shots and some Tylenol. I needed another huge hug from Mommy after that. We stopped my the glass place on the way home to have them fix the black, rubber strip that fell off the top of the windshield and then came home. Then Aunt Erin came over for her exercise. Today was a lot of jumping up and down which I thought was really funny and tried to mimic.

May 11 - Today was Mommy's birthday. We started the day with going to Serenity Farm over the Benedict bridge. I was so much fun. We rode a big tractor.

We saw the farmer sheer a sheep.

And then we got to go into one of the big fenced in areas and pet sheep, goats, and donkeys. It was awesome.

One of the sheep was on a trampoline and Sam and I got up there with him. He left shortly after that.

Then Sam and I found a tunnel that I guess the animals play with. We decided to play in it too.

After the petting zoo part we got back on the tractor and went to the greenhouse. We all got to plant our very own tomato plant and take it home with us. It was really cool to play in the dirt. We all said goodbye and headed home for a nap.

When I woke up Mommy and I played some more until Aunt Erin came over. She came over to exercise and to watch me so that Mommy and Daddy could go out to eat for Mommy's birthday. I made it a little difficult on Aunt Erin to exercise but she put up with me. She fed me and I ate a lot. Then she got me ready for bed. I was asleep before Mommy and Daddy got home.

May 12 - Today Mommy and I went to meet Grandmommy at the McDonalds. I already ate breakfast and got bored with sitting in the highchair even though Mommy let me play with her laptop. I started to get a little antsy. Mommy decided that we needed to go outside and get rid of some energy. We went up on that big hill and Mommy and I played around the trees. We had so much fun playing hide and seek and I love it when I walk backwards toward her and she scoops me up, tickles me, and then tells me to run so I can do it again.

Then we got in the car with Grandmommy and played with her. She gave me some sugar cookie. Then I took a nap in my carseat. Mommy and I left before I woke up.

I spent the evening with Daddy because Mommy, Ms. Heather, and Mr. Josh were fixing the shed outside. I played with my toys and was pretty good for Daddy. Then he fed me, gave me a bath and then wrapped me in my blue blanket and brought me outside to say goodnight to Mommy. They were finishing up the shed. Mommy gave me a big kiss and told me she loved me. Then Daddy brought me back inside and put me in my crib.

May 13 - Grandmommy came over to our house today. Mommy spent the day cleaning and I got to show Grandmommy how good I can play with my toys. I went to sleep and she stayed around long enough to say goodbye to me when I woke up. Mommy and I played until Daddy woke up from his nap (he got home when I was sleeping but took a nap himself because he hasn't been sleeping well).

Mommy and I played for a while until Aunt Erin came over to do her exercises. I watched her. It is funny to watch her.

May 14 - This morning I was playing and the doggies jumped up and started to bark at something outside. They startled me so I ran towards Mommy and fell and hit my head on the floor. It really hurt. Mommy and I stayed home and played til Daddy got home from his last day of school. Then Daddy watched me while Mommy went to the grocery store. She was gone for a while. She came back and unpacked all the groceries including a bunch of snacks for me.

Later, we were playing in my bedroom before bed. Daddy wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and told me I was royalty. Then I put it over my head and started to run around. I ran, tripped, and fell right into my rocking giraffe. I got a nice bruise under my eye. Today was just one of those accident prone days.

May 15 - Today Mommy and Daddy made a nice big breakfast. They had eggs, pancakes, scrapple, and bacon. Mommy made me a little pancake but I threw it on the floor. I wouldn't try Daddy's bacon either. He pretended that he was sad and told me that I am not his son. Haha. I just wasn't that hungry. We hung out most of the morning. Then Mommy went into cleaning mode because Ms. Donna was coming over for dinner. Aunt Erin came over to do her yoga and decided that dinner smelled so good that she was going to stay too. Ms. Donna came over and we all sat at the table like a family. Mommy made steak, baked potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, and salad. She tried to get me to try some but I wouldn't. I mostly just ate my mac n' cheese. Then I got a quick bath. Then Mommy, Daddy and I showed Ms. Donna our night time routine. She watched me play hide-n-seek behind the curtain and listened to the stories Mommy and Daddy reads me. Then they all gave me kisses and put me in my crib.