Director's Cut

I haven't stopped screaming since I got home from Puerto Rico. I just miss splashing with my cousin Johnny in the pool and having our yellfests while we're tearing it up. My mommy has (mostly) finished a highlight reel of our trip so I can keep reliving it. You can watch it, too, below, if you want; just be aware that there are six seconds of blackness in the middle because a certain uncle hasn't forwarded the underwater snorkeling photos to us yet.

Island Time

I'm back from my trip to Puerto Rico! Nonna, Aunt Lissa, Uncle John, Johnny, Uncle Jon, Daddy, Mommy and I went to San Juan for a night and then to the island of Vieques for three nights. The reason we went was to celebrate my Nonna's 65th birthday; it was a four-day party, and you better believe I made the most of it. It was awesome to be with my family and play with my cousin and swim every day and hang out barefoot and in my diaper.



On Wednesday night, Daddy's cousin Zack came to pick up my parents for dinner. I go to bed earlier than they do, so I didn't go out with them, but I got to visit with Zack and manipulate him into walking me around the parking lot about eleven times before he left with Mommy and Daddy.


Johnny and I did as much together as possible. Uncle Jon called us "The Gruesome Twosome" because we were always looking for trouble. Sometimes we screamed and yelled as loud as we could, but we were also sweet and gave each other hugs and kisses.


On Thursday morning, all of us (except for Uncle John, who wasn't feeling well) went to the old part of San Juan. We walked from one fort - San Cristobal - to the other - el Morro - where we posed for this picture (and the man who snapped it for us was really friendly to Nonna), and then we walked (and walked, and walked) around the cobblestone streets and had a snack with some pigeons at a sidewalk cafe. Then we raced back to our hotel, where Carlos and his mom, Blanca, met us. Carlos and Zack had arranged a carro publico to take us to Fajardo, and Carlos made sure we got off safely.


We flew in a tiny plane across the water from Fajardo to Vieques, and then a nice man named Alex met us and took us to the house where we all stayed the rest of the time. We were just a few steps from the water, plus we had our own pool, in which I spent as much time as possible. Here, Johnny and I were having a splash fight and screaming like a couple of cats, much to our Uncle Jon's delight:


My walking got much stronger while we were in Vieques. I was inspired by my older cousin, who knows that crawling is for babies. Also, it was easy to walk barefoot on the tiled floors. A week ago, I was whimpering if a big person wouldn't hold my hand to walk; by the time we left Vieques, I was giving anyone who offered me a hand the brush-off.


I had a great time with my whole family, but Johnny and I had an especially great time with our Uncle Jon, because he is one of us - one of the kids, just a little bit bigger.


There were all kinds of special activities on the island, like kayaking and snorkeling. My Nonna went kayaking and snorkeling for the first time and had a ton of fun.


Johnny and I were deemed too little to do some of that stuff, but we made up for it by having our own adventures. For example, while Mommy was supposed to be watching us and the others had gone snorkeling, Johnny and I sneaked into his parents' bedroom and enjoyed trampolining and rifling through their drawers:



On Friday night, we all went on a boat trip on the bio-luminescent bay on the southern shore of Vieques. It is one of only four such bays in the world, and it is considered the best of them. There are a bunch of tiny bugs in the water that flash little bits of light (kind of like fireflies) when they are disturbed. Daddy and Uncle Jon even climbed off the boat and swam in the bay, and when they swished their arms, the water around them glowed. I had to wear a lifevest and stay on the boat, but before we boarded we had dinner at the boat place and Johnny and I got to run off some of our excess energy.


We stayed on the north side of the island, near the town of Isabel Segunda, but we spent two afternoons on the other side, in Esperanza, where the good snorkeling and the restaurants that were open at lunchtime could be found. One afternoon our group ate brie and tomato jelly turnovers, red snapper nuggets, and plantain chips at Bili; later, we ate little cups of homemade ice cream (coconut, peanut butter, cherry, and fruta con leche) that Nonna bought for us from a woman in a blue house a few doors down from the kayak shop. Here, at Duffy's, we had fish tacos and waffle fries and talked to the house dog:


Saturday night, Uncle Jon made us kebobs on the grill and we all had cake for Nonna's birthday - even me! Johnny helped Nonna make sure she got all of the candles blown out:

In a few days, after Mommy has caught up with her schoolwork, and Uncle Jon has sent her the underwater photos he took, Mommy will finish a little movie of our trip and post it here so you can see more of my trip. I have to go unpack my sandals and my swimming trunks now and dig out some sweaters.

Box Boy

Hi, everybody! Just thought I'd give you a chance to see my latest cuteness:















I stopped by Oma's house for a little visit with her and Winston.

Oma read to me while I tried to put some square pegs in some round holes. I guess I'm a free thinker.


Is there anything cuter than a baby, er, rather, a BIG BOY in a box? My mommy put me in the box to distract me from pushing the buttons on the oven, which I feel compelled to do at every opportunity.






















I stopped by Grandma T's house to show her my frog costume and play with her rubber elephant.



At the Rocktoberfest dinner, my friend Maggie came as a kangaroo. She even had her own baby kangaroo in her pouch!










Mommy distracted David Beckham (Orson) and Princess Zelda so I could steal their carrots.













My neighbors Lynn, Denise the Cat, and Joel got acquainted. Lynn and I had a good time playing together.











Dyan had a visit with Sara, Maggie and Matt.


















Princess Zelda borrowed Dyan's zany costume to disguise herself from her many adoring subjects.















Daddy was a hula girl, but he had to change out of his coconut bra after I broke it. I just wanted to see what was going on in there.






















David and I got in on the story Toni read to Orson and Zelda.



















Yesterday, after Mommy came home from school, Daddy made us sandwiches and we went on a windy picnic at Greenwood Park. After we ate the sandwiches and peanut butter Rice Krispie treats, I took a crunchy walk in the leaves, and then I graduated from the baby slide to the big kid slide.








That's all for now - see you next time!

Party Animal

Between all the partying and all the playing, it's a wonder I have time to sleep. But I must be getting at least enough sleep to be healthy, because my pediatrician was pleased with my growth and development at my almost-15 months checkup. At 14 months and 2 weeks, I weighed 23 lbs 9.6 oz (moving me up to the 40th percentile), and I was 2' 6.51" (the 38th percentile), while my head was 47.5 cm (the 60th percentile - it must be all those books I read making my brain expand).

At home, I've excited my parents by learning the opposite of my favorite word ("UP!"), which is down ("dah"). I've also been really into singing my original compositions about babies and milk, and into making fierce, funny faces for comic effect. My unassisted walking continues to blossom, a little at a time; I've figured out that it's easier for me to balance if I'm holding on to something, anything (like a Little People figurine or a puzzle piece or a sippy cup), even though it's not attached to anything holding me up.

Since I last posted, I've celebrated Mommy's 38th birthday and my great-uncle Dale's 50th birthday. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to live so long. Wow. Anyway, here are the pictures of my antics in the last week and a half:

Afternoon coffee with my bgf Maggie and her parents at Talkies in Ohio City.

Birthday brunch for my mommy, hosted by Nonna, attended by me, my Oma, and Grandma T.

Big enough to be trusted to sit on the bench in the fitting room and eat my snack and not get down on the floor and fling hangers around.

Uncle Dale's 50th Birthday Party at the Winking Lizard in Lakewood:
he really loved the pink Tinkerbell purse I helped pick out for him.

Visiting with the Trusko clan at the party.

I really dug Uncle Dale's pretty birthday necklace.


When I got really tired, my cousin Ashley let me snuggle up with her.
I am all about nooks and crannies lately. I love to play behind the small couch and under the big couch and anywhere there's a me-sized space.









While Daddy took Mommy to Cleveland Public Theatre to see "AtTENtion Span" and to the Flying Fig for dinner, I went to Oma and Ono's house and played with Oma's friend Vicky; we got along so well that I made the effort to say her name.
Also, Oma helped me make a handprint painting and framed it for me to give Mommy for her birthday; Mommy loved it, and put it on the shelf next to my handprints from last year, which are really small in comparison.

Doing some serious walking on the plaza in front of the eastside Trader Joe's.
I love that Trader Joe's has shopping carts in my size!
The eastside Trader Joe's also has sidewalk chess.
I played pretty well considering I had never played chess.


Drumsticks are great for drumming but also for chewing, pointing, and waving around like a magic wand.I like to help.

How handsome am I in my French-looking, chocolate Tofutti moustache?

Nonna came over for a sleepover when my parents went to the Uz Jsme Doma show, and she taught me how to blow on my pinwheel.

Have you ever seen feet cuter than these? I highly doubt it.