My very 1st Birthday...

And so a year has come and gone very quickly....I turned ONE on March 11!! For my very first birthday, my parents took the day off to it spend with me!! They loaded me up and took me to Sears Portrait Studio for my birthday pictures! We then spent the entire day together. They bought me my own cupcake for my birthday and let me dig into it! Once I realized what the icing tasted like, it was on - I dove head first into the cupcake! It was so good!! I had a very special day with them...see the last 2 pictures!!

Mommy and Daddy planned a birthday bash on the Saturday following my birthday. They planned a Mickey Mouse party! Mommy even made all the cakes from scratch and even decorated them; it was very special. Of course, my parents had tons of food and trust me all of it was very good!! I ate so much that I had a belly ache that night, but it was worth it. I think every time my parents turned their back I was being handed cake, puffs, or chicken nuggets. It was worth every gas pain that I had that night! And if you can't tell from the second picture - I was completely pooped by the end of night! Thank you to everyone who made the event so spectacular and who drove many miles for my party! And all the toys I received - wow, it was quite overwhelming!! Trust me, I play with ALL of them! I also look super cute in all the outfits!! Again, many thanks to all those who came, sent gifts, or who even just thought about me on my special day! Mommy said that she sure hopes this next year doesn't go by as fast as the first one did! Enjoy all the pictures - video to come shortly...love you all!

My Very First Christmas

As my Mommy is typing, she is picking the cobwebs off of "Easton Talk". It has been way too long since an update. To my Mommy's defense, she has had a lot going on....no, really she has - you can even ask Daddy....he'll tell you too!

So, to the topic of discussion...I just celebrated my very first Christmas! Wow, what a special moment it was! My parents and I celebrated it at home. Mommy and Daddy had tried to prepare me for what kind of day it was going to be, but until you live in the moment - you have no idea! It all started when I woke up around 7am. Mommy and Daddy quickly ran into my room to scoop me up. Daddy carried me into the living room where our Christmas tree was, while Mommy filmed. As I turned the corner with Daddy, all I could see was presents everywhere!! One of the first items I noticed was a wooden train set that Santa had left on top of a wooden toy chest! I immediately grabbed the train and tasted it to ensure it was going to be a keeper! I loved to rip the wrapping paper and stick it straight into my mouth...forget all the cool things that were under the paper - the paper was cool enough for me!

My Uncle Forrest and Nonna Belcher came in for Christmas. They bought me these really neat ride-on toys. I have got my parents to push me all around the house. The one ride-on in particular that my Nonna bought has been a life saver for my parents...as there are some nights that I am very stubborn and don't want to fall asleep, so my Mommy and Daddy push me around the house until I fall asleep. Yes, I am spoiled, but as Mommy tells Daddy, "Children are only little once"....case made.

After the holidays, I was lucky enough to catch up with my Papaw Belcher and Great Grandma. My Uncle Forrest got my Papaw a puppy, Grizz, for Christmas - it was great to see his reaction to, "You're getting a Dog, Dad - Merry Christmas"! My Papaw spoiled me lots too - he bought me my first hobby horse; I enjoy going "bouncy bouncy" on it. For New Years, my Nanna and Poppa Holt came in from Ohio - what a treat! Guess what they bought me?? My very first red wagon....I have already convinced my parents to wheel me around the house in it and I even asked if Marley could ride with me and she did...only for about 10 seconds!

My first Christmas was so spectacular! I'll never forget rounding the corner and seeing a beautiful lit Christmas tree with what seemed like endless presents underneath. I'll also never forget these things that looked like socks hanging up - I had my very own "sock" - it was filled with all kinds of good stuff including my favorite snack, puffs, and my very first pair of Nike tennis shoes. I hope that each of you had a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe the year has come and gone. More importantly, I can't believe that I will be 1 year old on March 11. Don't say that too loud or you'll see tears in Mommy's eyes...maybe Daddy's too....

Almost 22 Pounds....

I just had my 9-month check-up.....yes, I said that correctly, 9 months!! Where the heck is time going?!? I weighed in at 21 lbs 9 oz!! I am becoming such a BIG boy!! I am now taking steps around the coffee table quite a bit. I am also having spurts where I stand on my own!! My parents figured that I would be walking by Christmas, but that is probably not happening. Mommy doesn't mind, as she doesn't want me to grow up too quickly!! I am now eating pretty much anything and everything (except carrots) - Dr.Stapleton just approved for my parents to move on to table food - this should be an experience!!! I tried cornbread for the first time; it was quite yummy - I am looking forward to broadening my horizons!! I especially love cheerios, if you can't tell from the one picture above where I have one smack on my forehead!!!

I have officially experienced my first snow! It looked great from afar and even close up; I was a fan of that white stuff UNTIL I got it in my pants!! Then, I was ready to head in. Mommy and Daddy bundled me into my snowsuit - I was very snug and warm! The problem that my parents had was finding shoes to take me out in the snow with; all of my shoes are too small!!! My foot is HUGE - I now wear a 6 wide!!!! They managed to squeeze my foot into some shoes - just call me "crinkle toes"!!

My parents keep telling me that some man named Santa is coming into town in a couple of days!! Needless to say, we are all very excited about Christmas. Several weeks ago my parents and I went to the tree farm to cut our Christmas tree down! It was such a perfect day to do it....let me set the scene....snow on the ground, flurries in the air, Mommy had a hot cup of apple cider, Santa made an appearance at the tree farm, Daddy had no problems cutting the tree down and I was riding in the backpack!!! It was so perfect!! We decorated the tree and then my parents immediately pushed the couch close to the tree to block it in! I guess this is to block me from climbing into the tree? Or maybe pulling down all the precious ornaments? Or maybe from eating the tree? You pick!! Enjoy the new pictures!! We hope you all have an extra special Christmas!!! It will be the most special of all here at the Holt House...Merry Christmas!!! xoxoxo

Busy Little Boy

Yes, yes, yes.....Mommy is full of empty promises these days I know! She promised everyone to update more on the blog then there were many things that came up! Ok, enough with the excuses and on with the update...

In September I cut my first teeth - yes it is pleural - teeth! My 2 front bottom teeth came in - they are getting bigger and bigger. I am now crunching on my puffs when I put them in my mouth. By the way, puffs are my favorite food!! I would eat them for every meal if my parents would let me. My parents now believe that my top 2 front teeth are coming in - I am gumming everything and it feels so good!! Everything I can get my hands on goes straight to my mouth. I even tried to get Piper's tail in my mouth - of course, my Mommy freaked out about germs, so I never got to rub the tail against my gums!! When I smile real big you can see my beautiful teeth - I keep hearing that I need to take good care of them otherwise they will rot and fall out, so I have my parents brushing them often!

Another HUGE milestone....are you ready for this one?!? I have been crawling since October!! I was just over 7 months old when I ventured off on my knees!! I didn't realize how much I was missing, wow, it is a whole new world! My parents are having a hard time keeping me out of everything. I have even found the cabinets underneath the t.v. My parents thought that there would be stages - you know, I crawl, then a month later I begin to pull up, then a month after that I take a few steps hanging on - you get the drift. Well, I started crawling on October 16 and I pulled up/stood up hanging onto the coffee table on October 17! My parents were eating lunch and I remember looking at them while they were staring at each other in disbelief! They ran to the phone to call Nana & Papa to find out if this was "normal". In the meantime, I was taking steps around the table showing them what I could do. My parents just looked at each other and I think they said something to the effect of, "oh boy, we're in for it"! And are they ever....my parents think I will be walking by Christmas - we'll see how adventurous I want to be!!

Enjoy all the pictures/video - I'll make sure I remind Mommy each night about updating by banging real loud on the computer....she may get the drift if I bang hard enough...love you all!

Green Beans Please

So.....the approval was given to move forward with solids by Dr. Stapleton!!! That means that I get to have more than just milk!!! The very first food that Mommy and Daddy tried was green beans and what an experience that was for everyone involved!!

Let me set the scenario for you....my parents are running around all excited - they were either going to give me peas or green beans. Finally, they decided on the green beans. Then, they decided that they would put me in the Bumbo and place me on the table, of course, with a bib on. I guess they thought that I would just sit there like a robot opening and closing my mouth and enjoy the green beans like a Prince! Boy, were they mistaken!! For one, I wasn't quite sure what was going on, so I kept turning to my thumb for security then I kept trying to eat the beans off the bib, while smearing beans all over my face, in my eyes, hair, ears, and nose! What little I ended up getting was quite yummy!!

My parents are doing so much better feeding me and I am cooperating more. I am eating so many things now: cereal, green beans, bananas, applesauce, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, mixed fruit, and pears! I love trying new foods, although, there is one item that I don't think I'll be having any time soon - carrots!! I broke out in hives when I had carrots - yep, I am banned from them for about a year then we'll try again! Persistence is a virtue, right? If you can't tell from the pictures, I don't miss a meal and by the way, I still think green beans come from my thumb, although my parents tell me differently.