Little Ball Blue...

For my first Christmas, some good friends of ours got me a ball popper toy. It's a really great toy; when I press the red lever, music starts up and the balls start shooting up into the air. I have to admit that, when I first got it, the noise and commotion scared me a little. But I'm a whiz at it now:

It's actually a funny coincidence that I am dropping the blue ball in that picture. I have quite the little obsession with that little ball. While I'm hanging out on my carpet, playing, I pretty much keep my little blue friend in my left hand most of the time. I'll drop the other balls into the popper, but not the blue one:

Of course, I still like to taste-test each and every individual toy:

This is just a picture of me being silly... Mommy May had connected one of my binkies to my diaper bag, and I found it and ended up connecting myself to it! But, here I am, once again, with my favorite blue ball:

Little Rascal...

...scamp... imp... rapscallion, even... all terms that can be used to describe yours truly. I have been running Mommy and Daddy May--and Nani and Yin-Yin--ragged! I'm not truly bad, though, I have just have WAAAAY too much energy:

Yes, that's right... I now have teeth--and I'm not afraid to use em! I am also diligent in my explorations... I love playing under the table, and I don't even mind that I constantly bump my head cause I'm already too tall:

I more than make up for my shenanigans by being adorable, though... I am generous with my hugs and kisses, and I can wave hi and bye like a pro:

I am especially fond of the word bye-bye... the phrase alone do you want to go bye-bye? is enough to stop me in my tracks and have me heading for the door... or for my car seat:

See? I can be helpful when the need arises!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Nani!

For Nani's special April birthday, we took her on a drive down to Santa Barbara to see my Tía Lu. It was a nice, relaxing weekend... and a surprise birthday party, too! Nani was a tiny bit suspicious when she saw us seated at a big, long table, but, seeing as how she cried when she saw our whole family arrive from So Cal, I think she was still super surprised. Here she is, with the whole gang... see me hanging out with my Great Uncle Norman?

What's a surprise birthday party without surprise vegan chocolate cake?! Um...

Yeah, Nani loves chocolate but can't have dairy, hence the vegan cake. It was beautiful, and chocolate, and vegan... and that's about all I can say about it without getting myself in trouble :)

I was also honored to meet my Great Grandma during the party, though everyone just calls her Grammy. Here we are, all 4 generations:

We all had a great time, and my cousin Allen offered his opinion of the day:

Well said, primo... well said.

Happy B-day, Yin-Yin!!!

Both of my lovely, wonderful grandmas celebrated milestone birthdays in April--don't worry, I won't name numbers!! Yin-Yin's special day was earlier in the month, and we took a quick trip down to San Diego to see some of Yin-Yin's closest friends, my uncles Andy and Joe.

I'll be the first to admit that traveling with a baby--even one as darling as I--is no easy feat, so we didn't get too many pics. We did get some nice ones on our visit to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park, though:

Check out the gorgeous view:

Daddy May snapped this great picture of some beautiful flowers:

Did you see the butterfly? No? Check again! Daddy snapped that picture after he and Yin-Yin and uncles Andy and Joe split up from Mommy May and me. Here they are, heading off:

Mommy May was hoping I would nap, so she walked me round and round the park, over and over... suffice it to say, I did not comply. Exhausted and grouchy, she finally gave up. Here I am, also exhausted and grouchy, but still super cute, no?

Where Has the Time Gone?!

I really can't believe it's been almost 2 months since my last post! I'm not even sure where to begin... in our time apart, I have said my first word--da da--sorry, Mommy May!! I have already mastered the art of crawling, even on our hardwood floors, which was a real challenge at first, let me tell you. I can even stand and walk around... as long as I have something to hold onto, of course!

Most importantly, though, I have many, many pictures to share, starting with my first Easter. Here I am with my Easter basket, chewing on one of my gifts:

I was a little unsure of the basket at first... I guess I didn't quite understand that all of the gifts were for me. Being a quick learner, I made short work of clearing out said basket:

As ever, I am a true fan of the absurd:

I will end this post with a picture completely unrelated to Easter. Apparently, PJs come with warnings now:

I suppose I should just be grateful it doesn't say something truly embarrassing, like juicy. Yin-Yin actually bought that outfit on a trip with Mommy and Daddy May to New York City when I was nothing more than a twinkle in Daddy May's eye. In fact, they weren't even married yet; they had just gotten engaged, and they weren't even thinking of having a baby! I guess Yin-Yin knew best, eh?

Double Time...

I am now 9 months old! I have officially been out for as long as I was in!

Life is good... so good, in fact, that it's been really, really hard to find time to blog. You know, when I was just a newborn, I had plenty of time to blog... well, between marathon sleeping sessions, that is. Now that I am approaching toddlerhood, there's just so much to keep me occupied!

My newest trick is kissing... I have quickly learned that it's the easiest way to charm and amaze. At first, I would just give a kiss when Mommy May asked for one, but, now, I know how to reach my hand out and pull someone's face toward me for a big, wet one!

Daily exercise is vital, and I make sure to walk a few laps around the house everyday. I'm not yet ready to go it alone, so I always enlist one of my family members to hold my hands and spot me. Crawling is still not coming together for me. I am a whiz at scooting myself backwards, but I can't quite coordinate everything to get myself moving forward. Although, yesterday and then again this morning, I managed to move forward a little bit before getting tired out... I guess I just have to keep at it.

I've gotten really good at standing on my own, though, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, if you ask me!

I am also a pretty good teacher, just like my Mommy May! Here I am, conducting class:

Like most babies, I still spend a whole lot of time eating and sleeping. My big, new thing is feeding myself!! It's too much fun! Sometimes, I try to grab the spoon from Mommy or Daddy May so I can shovel in some veggies, but I mostly stick to my finger foods. And, when I run out of food, I just start eating my bowl:

Here's a video clip of me snacking on some Cheerios:

Stand and Deliver...

I know I haven't been keeping up with my posts lately--mostly cause I've been so busy having fun!! I am *this* close to crawling... I can lift up my body and rock on my hands and knees. I can even scoot myself backward; now I just have to figure out how to move forward, and we'll be in business.

I'm also really good at holding onto things and standing up. See me grabbing the wipies? Every once in a while, when I'm not busy playing, I like to pitch in and help clean up the place.


I am also taking after my Mommy May in a big way--I love to talk!! I spend most of my day talking and laughing... and I was FINALLY willing to do my act for the camera:



If, in watching this video, you found yourself both entertained and strangely soothed, never fear: we have a sound machine that we use when I sleep, and we didn't realize the ocean waves sound was running.