Fun with Friends and Family

We've been staying busy with playdates, parties, and playing in the neighborhood. Now that I'm pulling up and over things, you really have to keep an eye on me, but I'm loving the new mobility!

Mommy left the room for a second
and found this when she got back.

We went to a playgroup with my mommy's college friends and all their babies. Claire went and climbed while I checked out my future buddies.

Sure, let's hang out

Group shot

Another playdate was at the mall where I got down to play and managed to snag a toy and chewed it until it was appropriate for Mommy to buy it.

Hmm .. I like this train table. Wonder if I can get me one of these?

Guess what, Mommy? This is OURS now.

I especially love the outside, and we've been going down to the lake to attend some of the events hosted by our neighborhood. Unfortunately I'm still not old enough to run through the fountains, but just wait 'til next year!

Waiting for the entertainment to begin

When do I get to go into the water?

She's so fast and we're so still ...

How do I get over there?

Please? Pretty please?

Waving hello

We went over to Lily's house to play with some friends. Baby Logan will be here soon, so we'll get to play with him someday, too!

Hey, look at me!

Some of our friends came over one evening, so I got to hang out with Kaitlyn more. She's going to be my friend, but we haven't been able to interact much 'cause we've been sleeping or carried or ... well, too little.

Soft ear

Just hanging out

I got to attend Reid's birthday party, and it was a blast, even for a little boy like me! Since it was at MyGym, the bigger kids played all around me as I pulled myself along all of the equipment.

BIG ball; little boy

Up the ramp

Sneaking in a bite of pizza

Mommy and Daddy braved it and took me to the Nick Jr Live show. They wanted to take Claire but didn't want to leave me alone, so they risked it. And I did great! I sat on Mommy's lap the entire time and watched some of the show, played with Mommy, and ate snacks.

Nick what?

Out of everything that we do, playing with Claire is my favorite. My big sis is definitely my best friend, and she's the most fun of them all.

She shares her special couch with me,
even when she's not feeling well

Caught peeking outside after naptime

Peek-a-boo

Usually it's a love-love relationship ...

... sometimes not so much love

Can't believe it's September already! If you didn't get enough of August, you can see more in our August album!

Little Guy, Big Heart

I am definitely enjoying life to the fullest. I eat well, I sleep well, and I poop well (the parenting trifecta). And there's nothing wrong with being little ... it just means that Mommy will cuddle me that much longer!

Now THAT is a good looking baby

Doh! Caught in the act.

I finally moved up to size 2/3 diapers, though Mommy's not quite ready to take me out of swaddlers even though I'm already starting to move across the floor and pull up on things.

This diaper better not slow me down

Now at 8 months old, I also finally moved up to 6-9/12 month clothes. Where Claire was "to size", at least with Gymboree clothes, it's been a blessing to have lots of hand me downs from our friends because it appears as though I'm going to use the same size clothes for four different seasons!

Me and the bear again!

What're you looking at?

You coming with me?

Come see how much I grew through the August album!

High Chair Shots

As with my sister before me, there are a LOT of pictures when I'm eating. I'm not sure if it's because it's funny, memorable, or just because I'm actually sitting still in one place.

Making my old man face

I look like that guy from the Six Flags commercials!

No, I never did embrace the bottle, but I've conquered both the sippy and the straw ... and am enjoying the cause/effect of throwing said cup on the ground. Cause: cup is on the ground. Effect: Mommy has to pick it up.

Bottoms up!

One more time!

I'm being introduced to more solids everyday, sometimes not on purpose but because Claire gives me something to chew on.

A Cheerio where? Right where?

I do WHAT with this?!
You realize I have no teeth, right?

Don't worry, I have strong gums, and my will is greater.

A shot from Claire's point of view.

Definitely one of my favorite foods is noodles, but I'll eat (or attempt) just about anything you put in front of me ... or near me ...

Mmmm ... noodles

Mmmm ... thumb

Claire's feeding me tonight

Or I'll just help myself

Can't get enough of the messy shots? Check out the August album!

More Fun in Houston

Mommy took Claire and I down to Houston again for an extra-long weekend. She was a little bummed to find out that our flight was delayed down there, but my sister and I did a good job keeping ourselves entertained in an empty waiting area.

I'll just hang out here, no problem

A little snack sounds like a great idea!

Hmmm ... did somebody say Shamu?

After doing a fantastic job dozing the entire flight, I woke to find us in Houston with a very excited Po-Po and Gong-Gong there to meet us. We headed down to their place so that we could enjoy the good food and fun pool.

Hey, Gong-Gong!

Splash! Splash!

A little wet

The next morning, we played around in the backyard some (no pool this morning, though) before going up to North Houston to see Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye. I'm going through a phase where I don't want to sit in my carseat long sometimes, and I like to cry to let you know. Well, the crying sort of traumatizes Po-Po, and she would make Gong-Gong stop whenever I cried. Yes, she understood from Mommy that I would eventually stop and that every time we stopped to take me out it would just re-set the clock ... but that's the head and the heart saying two contradictory things! A typical 45-minute drive took about an hour and a half, but at least Gong-Gong got an iced coffee and Claire got a smoothie out of it! At Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye's, I managed to eat lots of good food and take lots of long naps.

Dude, hook a brother up!

Passed out

I'm not sure I remember you, but I like you since you feed me

The next morning, we headed to Chinatown to meet back up with Po-Po and Gong-Gong for lunch while Mommy snuck away to spend some time with her friends. Po-Po was not willing to risk another crying-in-the-car episode, so they hung out at the supermarket until I finally fell asleep in the cart.

I wonder how I'm going to snag those glasses off his face

Soup!

Forgot if it was me or Po-Po they were trying to put to sleep!

On Sunday, Mommy and Claire were gone all day, so I got spoiled by all the rest of the family. The day ended with Po-Po happily putting me to sleep. Now that they've figured out my habits, it was easy-peasy!

Don't be jealous, Jie-Jie. Crystal A-Yi gets to play with me every so often, too!

Hugs from Po-Po

Laughing with Gong-Gong

Wresting with Xiao-Jiu

Smiles with Crystal A-Yi

We got to go swimming again the next morning before going to storytime. Normally Mommy has to deal with both of us at once at storytime, so it was a special treat for all of us to have the extra sets of hands. Then we went to lunch before our playdate in the afternoon with some of Mommy's friends from high school.

Lemme in!

I love this!

What are we screaming at now?

Posing with Po-Po in the storytime room

Po-Po reads me a story

Toys at the library! Fantastic!

I'm so cute, you could eat me up!

Checking out baby Lexi

Just like that, it was time to go home. Mommy found out while we were waiting in line to register me that our flight was canceled, but Gong-Gong offered to come to the gate with us, so we had extra play time.

Wow, we're walking fast!

Sitting on the airport floor ... again.

One last picture before we go

It was a wonderful trip, and I'm becoming quite the pro at the flying thing. I definitely encourage you to check out our special Houston album if you'd like to see more pics from our trip!