I had so much fun spending time with all of my family...grandmas and grandpa, uncles and aunts, and especially my cousins.
But I sure am glad that the holiday is over, because I am exhausted. It wore me out so much that I can't even sleep through the night anymore. My schedule is all out of whack. 
Exhausted
Splash, splash, splash!!! 
Look! I'm floating all by myself!!
If you think you can leave me on the couch anymore and walk away...you better think twice. I thought I would be a little daredevil the other night. My mom was at work and dad was at home with me. We were playing and all but then he had to get some homework done. So he left me on the couch propped up on a pillow and gave me some toys to play with while he worked on the computer right next to the couch. It was working out pretty good, dad would talk to me and I was playing but then I decided to squirm around a little. And well I got a little close to the edge and was hanging over going head first. Dad saw me in time but it was a close call. Two more seconds and I would of had a bump on my noggin. I thought it was kind of fun, I had a smile on my face the whole time. So you better watch out, I am getting a little more mobile these days.
Guess what? I went to the doctor yesterday and I actually gained weight. In fact about a half a pound. I am not sure how I did it because it seems like I have been throwing up a lot to have gained that much. But who cares because I am gaining. I also got some more good news, my ear infection is gone. I even celebrated by not sleeping at all last night. Mom even called into work because she had to stay up with me all night. I think I slept MAYBE 2 hours last night. Even though I didn't sleep last night, I really have been in a good mood all day and haven't slept to much today either. I only took about a 2 hour nap all day. So I will probably sleep pretty good tonight. I don't think mom will like me if I stay up again because she can't afford to stay home another day.
Then on Friday, I spent the whole day over at my grandma Vickie's. My Aunt Tresa, Uncle Huts and Aunt Annie all came down and also Ollie and Tori. So there was some more spoiling to be done. My cousin Tori I think is a little jealous because when Aunt Tresa was holding me she had to be right there in her lap too. Ollie would come over and talk to me sometimes and I would just smile at him. I was very good both days but man am I glad it is over because I was exhausted.
Well I got another surprise this weekend. I got to see my Aunt Jen AGAIN! She came down this weekend of course just to see me. I also got to go shopping with my mom, grandma and aunt Jen. We went to all of the craft fairs this weekend and man was that a lot of fun. Yeah right! But I was on my best behavior and just rode around in my stroller the whole time. I was so exhausted I couldn't sleep that night. I have been eating okay this week. Every now and then I just decide to throw up. I don't think that Pedisure settles in my stomach very well. But hopefully I am getting enough to gain some weight before I go back to the doctor. We'll see.
Well I didn't start the weekend off very well. I had a followup appointment with the doctor on my ear infection on Friday. And well its still here. So he put on a stronger antibiotic. I also had to get more shots...again. But now I think I am done with those for awhile. On another note, they also weighed me, and I LOST 2 oz. The doctor isn't sure why I am losing weight but I am. So he told me to drink as much Pedisure as possible. Which that continued the rest of the bad weekend. I have had Pedisure before but not that much at a time. It did not settle in my belly very well but yet sometimes it did. So when it didn't, everything that I drank and the food from before all came back up. And it tasted much better going down than back up. I also got to stay at Grandpa and Grandma's house again because dad was out of town hunting and mom had to work. And with everything going on you can guess that I wasn't on my best behavior. I stayed up all night for them. I even made them miss church because I stayed up so late. Between not sleeping and throwing up, I don't know if I'll be invited back.
I hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween. I sure did. As you can see I was a football player. And not just a football player but a Chiefs football player named Priest Holmes. Of course I am a Chiefs fan because my dad is and well I didn't have much of a choice. But I would of liked them even if my dad wasn't a fan. I had an exhauting Halloween night. I first went over to see my Grandma Vickie and Uncle Dale. Then I went over to my cousins house and saw everybody over there. But on the way over I decided I better take a little nap. And that was short lived. Because there was no sleeping when I got there. There was too much going on. By the time I got home I was exhausted. I was so exhausted that I couldn't sleep. Which was fine because I didn't have to get up early this morning.
He also likes helping me out every now and then. When I am thirsty he brings me something to drink and helps me hold my cup for me. Now thats a nice cousin.
I also liked playing with my cousin Luke. We were pretend playing. He was the banker and post office and I rode my car around and ran my errands taking my money to the bank and running to the post office. Mom had to help me a little because apparently my driving isn't the greatest.
I guess we will have to see what happens next weekend. Who knows what I'll do, maybe I'll go combining with grandpa.
As you can see from the picture, I am a very happy boy. I am usually in a pretty good mood. Laughing, smiling, and giggling. Especially when someone is tickling me. I must of got that from my mom. I have also become a lot more vocal and making more different sounds. I sometimes surprise myself at what comes out of my mouth. I have also discovered something new inside my mouth, and when I move it around and talk sometimes I make a different sound. Mom and dad keep telling me it is my tongue, but whatever. All I know is that it sounds pretty cool. Another sound I make is this growling noice. I sometimes make it just because and sometimes when I don't want to do something. The other day, Ms Brandy my speech therapist was here. I kept wanting to look to the right because I like looking that way and she wanted me to look the other way. But I was putting up a fight. She finally forced me by pushing my head the other and as soon as she did I growled at her. I did not want to do it and I was letting her know. She thought it was funny and was glad I was expressing my feelings. But she didn't give in and still made me look that way so I finally gave in. But I wasn't happy about it and growled at her a few more times just to let her know. Mom says I have a little attitude.
As far as therapy is going, I am working really hard. I finally got rid of my occupational therapist and got a different one. She isn't really an occupational therapist but she focuses on OT things. She is called a developmental therapist. She is focusing on a lot of the same things that the other therapists are but more on focusing and vision.
This ain't much fun. I thought I said I don't like sitting up.
This is the worst position. I'm suppose to lift my head and prop up on my elbows.
This is more like it!
I have learned that I like banging things together. For example, when I have a rattle in my hand, I like hitting it against another toy. It makes a really loud sound and drives my mom crazy. I am also getting to where I roll my head around much easier. I still like to favor the right side. But if I want I will roll it to the other side with hardly no difficulty. As long as I don't arch my back and throw my head back first. I always have to remember to tuck my chin and then roll my head over. Then it is much easier. I also made a new noise the other night. I make it by sucking on my arm and then letting go and it makes a pop sound. It surprised me the other night. But of course I kept doing it because it sounded pretty cool. With all these new sounds I am making I am sure to drive my mom and dad crazy. But they sure are proud of me for learning new things.
All shackeled up.
A while back I had to fire my speech therapist. I am still working on getting a new one. And now I am getting ready to fire my occupational therapist. She keeps cancelling and not showing up. And I am tired of it. A boy needs his therapy. I can't do this all by myself. Mom and dad are doing the best they can but that extra help sure is appreciated. The only thing is that there are not many occupational therapist that do first steps. So finding another one might be a problem. So I am going to go ahead and keep this one until I find a new one. Even if she only shows up once a month or when she can. But once I find another one SHE'S FIRED!!!
Today, I got to spend the whole day with mom. She didn't have to go into work today. And of course, I didn't let her sleep in on her day off. That would be too nice of me to do that. I have to much of my dad in me to be that nice. So we got up at 6:00 and started the day. We played most of the morning, but then I decided we should take a morning nap. So I fell asleep about 9:00 and took a two hour nap. All that playing wore me out. Then I got up and ate lunch and played some more. Then I had to get ready and get all handsome to go get my 1 year pictures taken. I wasn't too happy about that. I decided to take a nap on the way to JCPenney's where I got my pictures taken. So when we got there mom had to wake me up and I was not ready to get up yet. Also it was raining when we got there so we both got pretty wet. I think mom got the worst of it though. But that didn't make things any better. I smiled a little bit for my pictures but I guess I could have done better.
When you come in from the hot heat outside. A popsicle sounds pretty good. Its cold and refreshing. Except it is really really cold. Dad gave me a popsicle the other day and it was really good and I ate about half of it but I had to make this face with every bite. The face of oohh this is really really cold look. But I kept coming back for more.
I had my 1 year checkup yesterday. It wasn't much fun because I had to get 3 shots. It didn't feel very well. But mom drugged me with Tylonel before I got them so that helped a little. But it still really hurt. The doctor checked me all over and said I was looking pretty good until they weighed me. I apparently haven't gained very much weight since my 9 month checkup. I now weigh 17 lbs 8.5oz that is up only about 6 oz from the last time, which isn't the greatest. I sure thought I weighed more than that, mom even thinks so and thinks the scale was wrong. I grew in length about 1/2 in. I am a whooping 28 inches long. The doctor didn't seem to concerned except that we need to keep an extra close eye on it. I will go back in about 3 months for my 15 month checkup and if I haven't gained very much weight again. They may take some blood tests to make sure everything is okay. So I better start eating to make sure I don't have to do that, because I hate when they have to prick me for blood. I have had enough of that. But other than that, the doctor said everything looks great.
I can't wait to get my hands in that!
Just the beginning
That's how you're supposed to eat cake. Isn't it?
Being smothered by my cousinsI had such a good time. I got some great presents, but my favorite is my bean bag. I like to sit in it a lot. It's nice and soft. I was so worn out by the end that I went to bed as soon as everyone left and slept the whole night.
Happy Birthday to meCan you believe I am already one year old and can't hold my head up yet. Who would of thought that. I may not be able to hold my head up yet but I prefer it that way. I'm working on it and I will hold it up when I am good and ready. Don't rush me. Anyways I got to spend my birthday working on holding my head up. My therapist ended up having to come in the morning and ruin my birthday for me. But I cooperated and worked hard and held my head up for several seconds with some help. After she left I got to spend the rest of the morning with mom and dad. We got to play and have fun. Then they both had to go to work, so I got to spend the rest of the day at my cousins Luke and Drew's house. I got to watch Luke ride his bike without training wheels and crash a few times and of course watching Drew play. I even got to eat some ice cream and man was it good. Overall I had a pretty good birthday but this weekend is going to be the best part of my birthday because that is when my party is going to be. And I get to open up all my presents.
Well what has changed since the last time? I have been extra, extra fussy. Not sleeping. Driving my mom and dad crazy. And making a lot more noises. Why is this you ask? Well, I have been fussy and not sleeping because I am getting another tooth. And not just a tooth but a molar. And man do those hurt. But it finally broke through yesterday and feels much much better. I finally got a good nights rest last night by sleeping ALL night. Mom and dad liked that a lot. I have also been making a lot more different noises and sounds. And I really like listening to myself. Another thing that I have discovered is that I don't like being myself. The other night mom was making supper and I was in the living room playing. I was fine for awhile but then I discovered I was by myself. So I started fussing and made mom stop to play with me. On another note, I have taken a liking for real food. I will still eat the baby food but it sure isn't the same as the real stuff. Mom is still trying to feed me baby food every once in awhile to get rid of it. Good thing I am not a picky eater. I can't wait till that's all. My favorite food now is ravioli. One of the reasons I am eating adult food is because I am chewing my food up much better. I used to not chew so well and gag on a lot of my food. But I have finally achieved the whole chewing concept. I still gag every now and then when I am not paying attention or are so hungry I forget to chew.
Home, sweet, home! Mom, dad and I went on a road trip this weekend. We went to see my Grandpa Lanny, who I've never seen before. He lives kind of far away. I was really good on the trip. I slept most of the way there and most of the way back. But because of that it took me awhile to go to sleep at night. It wasn't to bad though. My Aunt Tresa and Uncle Huts and cousins Ollie and Tori were there too. So I got to play with them a lot. I like playing with Ollie. I think we will be good buddies when I get bigger. He makes sure Tori doesn't take my toys away from me. He looks out for me and tells me that he likes me. Other than that I had a fun trip but I was ready to be home and sleep in my own bed.
This is what I was NOT doing at 3 o'clock this morning or the morning before. Yesterday morning and this morning I decided I wanted to be up bright and early. I thought it was time to be up. I woke up bright and early and mom gave me a bottle thinking I was hungry and well I kind of was so I drank my bottle but then I wanted to stay up for a little while. Mom put me back to bed hoping I would go back to sleep but I didn't. I laid there and played and listen to my music until I fell to sleep. I did sleep in this morning until 9:00. So I was ready to go after that. Mom and I have been playing all morning and even did a little therapy. Which tuckered me out. So then it was time for my afternoon nap. I'll try not to sleep to long so then maybe I'll sleep through the night and not have to wake mom up so early tomorrow morning.
Well the day started off pretty good. I got to go to my Grandma Vickie's this morning and then I got to spend the rest of the day with mom and dad since they were both off. I even had therapy this afternoon. I did really good during that time. I worked really hard but I did get a little fussy when the therapist wanted me to get up on my knees and elbows (in the crawling position). It was hard work and I didn't like it very much so I had to tell her about it. Then after that, that is when everything went bad. Mom, dad and I decided to take a trip to Walmart. Everything was going pretty good. We were about half way through grocery shopping when I started feeling kind of sick and decided to throw up everywhere. Well pretty much just all over myself. So, we headed to the bathroom and got cleaned up and then hurried up and did some speed shopping. We got home and mom gave me a bath and I felt much better. I don't know what went wrong. It may of been that bottle I drank right before we left. Who knows.
Well if you all didn't know. Mom is back to work. She started this week. I haven't had to go to the babysitters yet because she is working really late and dad is home at that time usually. So I get to see more of dad now. Which is pretty cool. He plays a lot of fun games with me...like airplane! But he's not quite sure of the whole routine yet. Tuesday night, he fed me and gave me a bath but he forgot to brush my teeth. I tried to tell him. Then Wednesday night he fed me, gave me a bath and brushed my teeth. But he forgot to comb my hair. And when you don't comb my hair, it gets all curly on top and I look like a girl. But no harm done. I am always asleep by the time mom gets home at midnight, but last night I wanted to tell her good night. When she got home I decided to get up and tell her hi and then fell back to sleep after she tucked me in again.
Well another night of no sleep. I think my teeth are really bothering me. I decided I would go to bed at 7:30. I was really tired. Yesterday was a busy day for me. I went to my Aunt Tori and Uncle Dave's house to celebrate Mother's Day. And I didn't really want to take a nap. I took about an hour nap in the morning but that was it. There was to much going on and to many people wanting to hold me. So therefore I went to bed at 7:30. I woke up at 11:00 and mom gave me a bottle since I fell asleep without getting one. But then I decided my teeth were bothering me and was fussy until about 3:00 and then mom gave me another bottle hoping I would go back to sleep. I think I fell asleep about 3:30 but I put up a fight. But once I fell asleep, I didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning. That felt good sleeping in.
I don't know what my deal is but I keep getting up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. I was up twice last night. I went to bed around 8:30 (which is pretty early for me) and woke up crying around 11:00. I think I was having a bad dream because dad said he came in and tried to calm me down but I was still kind of sleeping and once he woke me and I saw his face I was fine. It took me awhile to fall back asleep but once I did I was back up again at 12:30. Mom gave me a bottle and put me back in bed hoping I would go back to sleep but I wasn't quite ready. I laid in my crib for about 45 minutes talking to myself and then I finally dosed off. Then after that I didn't wake up till the morning at 7:00. I think my teeth are bothering me a little bit too. So that may be part of the problem. I am still waiting for that other top one to pop through. Anyways, I hope I sleep better tonight (at least mom hopes I do).
What a busy week! Mom has been dragging me around and meeting several different babysitters. Mom had a weird feeling about that Stacey. She said she was really nice and all but there was just something about her that she wasn't sure of. So we were on a hunt for a babysitter the past week and a half. And we finally found a good one. Her name is Ms. Brianna. She has quite a few kids she takes care of but I think I will be able to hold my ground. She has twin boys that are 4 years old and a 9 month old boy. And then she also takes care of a 1 year old girl and a 5 month old girl. I think I will have a lot of fun there. And if you haven't heard yet, my mom finally got a job at Drury. So that means I will be getting to go to the babysitters in a short while. She starts next week but she is going to be working nights the first week while she is training. But after that I will be going to the babysitters. I know mom will be sad but I'm ready.
What's gold and shiny and makes a lot of noise? My new favorite toy. Mom always likes putting a blanket over my face and play peek-a-boo. Which I think is pretty funny. But now she wants me to reach up and pull it off. Well I don't want to work that hard...I don't like lifting my hands above my head all the time. The therapist thought maybe if mom put something lighter, like a tissue, I would pull it off. So mom went and found a gold tissue paper, one of those that you use for wrapping. And I love it. I love to crinkle it up and make a lot of noise with it. We played peek-a-boo for awhile but I mainly just wanted to scrunch it all up. I played with that for hours last night and drove mom crazy. The cheapest toys are always the most fun.
I have discovered HAIR. And when I see it, and I can get a hold of it, I pull and yank on it. I think it is funny, but mom thinks it hurts. It's not like I pull hard, although I did pull some out the other day. She didn't think that was very funny. But I told her it will grow back and that made her feel better. I even try to pull dad's hair sometimes, but his is a little harder to grab on too. But I still try to get a hand full.
I got to meet my new babysitter today. Her name is Stacey. She seems really nice. She babysits 2 other kids. She has a 21 month old girl (AJ) and a 2 year old boy (Dagen?). AJ is her daughter. I don't think she liked me very much. She was a little jealous of me at first, especially when her mom was holding me, but I think she got used to me after awhile. Hopefully it won't be an every day thing for her. I think I will have fun there but probably not as much fun as I do at home with mom. But it will be good for me to be around other children. I'm not sure when I will start going there since mom hasn't found a job yet. But hopefully pretty soon, because dad tells me she'll be working for him if she don't find anything soon. And I heard that he's not an easy guy to work for.
Well, I am 9 months old today. Time sure does fly by. And guess what you get to do at 9 months....go to the doctor. I did very well at the doctors. I even smiled for him because he didn't give me any shots. I guess you don't get shots at 9 months. That's a big relief! Everything checked out okay. My ears look good, my heart sounds good, and he said I even look good. The only thing he said is that I am a little small for my age. I only weighed a little over 17 pounds and 27 1/2 inches long. Which means I am only in the 5-10 percentile for weight and the 10th percentile for height. But he is not to worried about it and just wants to make sure it doesn't fall any lower than that.
I am getting stronger every day. The therapist think I am doing great. I mean look at me sitting up all by myself. I am such a big boy. But it is still really hard. But I am working on it. The other night me and mom were sitting on the floor and she was holding my body and I held my head all by myself for about 30 seconds. That's a record. I even did it again the next day. I am determined to hold it up because dad said if I don't hold it up by the time I am a year old, he says I don't get any birthday cake. And you all know how I like my sweets.
My grandpa taking me on my first tractor ride. As you can see from my expression it wasn't much fun. Like I said before I didn't like it at first but after awhile I thought it was alright. I'm sure it will take me a few rides before I really enjoy it. Then I'll be begging for rides. And as my cousin Luke would say 'Let's go feed hay grandpa.' 
