Blue Christmas

We left for our Christmas odyssey on Wednesday afternoon. Thinking that the adventure should start a little early, I decided to test the laws of gravity by pulling the lamp cord that was dangling from the table in our family room. It was just screaming to be pulled, after all. Afterwards, I was just screaming. I pulled it right on top of myself and it landed squarely on my head and the floor - or so mommy thought. I was inconsolable for a good half an hour. Mommy checked me over and over again but could find no scars, bruises, or blood. Somewhere during the latter half of our 10-hour drive to Chattanooga, however, she noticed what looked like newspaper ink on my right ring finger. When "the ink" wouldn't come off when she tried to clean it, she realized it was a seriously bruised digit. The next morning, she called the pediatrician, who advised that she and daddy take me to the emergency room to have it x-rayed. What a way to start the holiday! Granddaddy met us at Aunt Margaret's (where we were staying) and took us to the urgent care center. Daddy and mommy say I was a real trooper. I didn't cry at all. My finger wasn't broken after all, just really blue, so I like to tell people that I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.

Topless Christmas Planning

Word on the street is that I am supposed to leave this Santa character cookies Sunday night. Most of you probably remember that my first encounter with Santa was not exactly pleasant. I have, however, been told that he will give me presents if A) I am really good and B) I leave him a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. Naturally, I'm willing to give it a try if presents are at stake. Given that I probably didn't make a great impression the first time we met, I figure I should up the ante and leave him something better than cookies. I've decided to go with Chick-Fil-A's chicken salad. I've never had one of these "cookies," but I really dig chicken salad. Cookies probably wouldn't taste as good after being rubbed in your hair and on your belly the way chicken salad does, either!


What, you don't think it's a good idea? Well, we'll see who is laughing on Christmas morning!

My Thoughts on the Christmas Tree

It is only......a matter of time...
...before I eat...
these ornaments!!!

"I Want to Walk Like You, Talk Like You"

Gran and Papa have given me a new nickname: Mowgli. You remember Mowgli from "The Jungle Book" who grew up thinking he was a wolf, right? Well, they think I believe I am a dog. Frankly, I think it is too harsh of a moniker. Just because I like to look out the door, crawl around on all fours, and have a new fascination with collars doesn't mean I think I'm a doggie.

Mommy says the evidence, however, is pretty damning:

1. She caught me licking the window the other day just like Winston and W do.
2. Every day, I challenge mommy to a contest to see who can make it to Winston and W's water bowl. Today, I actually beat her and celebrated by splashing their water everywhere.
3. Leashes taste good, especially the shiny part that hooks on to those collars I want so badly.
4. My first non-"mama" or "dada" word: "Dudya," which is what I call my furry brothers (It sounds like W, but I call Winston "Dudya" as well.)

Hanging with the Dudyas

Putting the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving

I managed to recover from the Santa incident just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with Gran and Papa, who drove up from Atlanta to join in the festivities. I've been missing Italy ever since the Venice trip, so mommy decided we would just go to Maggiano's for Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like tiramisu, right? Actually, I overheard mommy mentioning something about not wanting to cook a turkey dinner with 874 starchy side dishes, so that also may have had something to do with her decision to dine out. Of course, at the last minute, mommy's culinary guilt overcame her. She told me that I couldn't have my first Thanksgiving without HER Gran's famous dressing and sweet potato casserole, so she made those for me Wednesday night (aka Thanksgiving eve). Am I glad she did! I couldn't get enough of those sweet potatoes; and frankly, I don't know that I'll ever be able to look at plain old Gerber sweet potatoes the same way ever again.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, right? Among other things, I am thankful that Gran and Papa Cecil gave me my Christmas presents on Thanksgiving Day. Mommy says this is a miracle because Papa Cecil would NEVER let her open anything before Christmas when she was little. Anyway, I am really digging this extension of Christmas. Nana and Papa Wayne gave me my Christmas present in October, and now Gran and Papa Cecil have given me theirs in November. Now, all I have to do is wait for Granddaddy to deliver on his Elmo TMX promise next month. For those of you who don't know, Granddaddy laid claim to giving me the Elmo TMX doll back in September before it even came out (and before he realized it would be virtually impossible to find). Not to be outdone, Papa Cecil jokingly told Granddaddy that his Elmo TMX could ride on the pony he would be giving me. Well, guess what! Papa Cecil and Gran really did give me a pony! Who needs Santa when you have grandparents?

Mr. T Meets Mr. Claus

I met Santa today. It was not very fun. As a matter of fact, I became so stressed out that I threw up all over myself and mommy when it was over. This guy better bring me some seriously good presents.

A Note for Future Travelers

7 November 2006. A very nice man delivered all of our luggage to our house this morning. Mommy is thinking about tracking down the young man in Boston and telling him that not retrieving luggage in customs is definitely the way to go. You don't have to wait in any lines, you don't have to wait on your bags, you don't have to carry anything, or load your car. It's great.

Welcome to America

6 November 2006. We woke up at 4:15 this morning and left our hotel an hour later under the cover of darkness. We hired a private water taxi to pick us up at our hotel, which was a wise move given that it cut the commute to the airport by about 75%. It was pitch black and freezing cold as we sped over cresting waves; mommy and daddy say it was like something out of a spy movie! After disembarking, we made the 15 minute walk from the water taxi stand to the actual airport. Did I mention it was cold and that mommy had packed our coats so we wouldn't have to keep track of them during our day of travel? We finally made it inside and up to the counter to check in, which we amazingly did with no problems. The lovely Alitalia lady who was helping us checked our luggage and stroller "all the way through to Washington" and we were off to Milan for a two hour layover.

In Milan, I ate breakfast in the Alitalia lounge (which was insanely crowded and not remotely relaxing as lounges are intended to be) while mommy went to the duty free store. She and daddy decided to spend our remaining Euro so daddy wouldn't have to exchange them for dollars. There are signs ALL OVER the duty free store that say something to this effect: "Attention passengers traveling to the USA! You may take ANYTHING you purchase in this store as part of your hand-carry luggage." Mommy, who enjoys duty free shopping, had even researched this before we left the US. TSA's website says, "Beginning Sept. 26, 2006, liquids, gels, and aerosols purchased after completing security screening at the checkpoint may be carried aboard an aircraft. This includes duty-free shops as well as other vendors inside the security checkpoint." Knowing she would be a-okay, mommy bought two bottles of 12-year aged Balsamic vinegar and a bar of chocolate. The duty free clerk sealed it with "terrorist proof" tape and we were on our way.

Our return flight home was pretty fun. Once again, I wanted nothing to do with the bassinet; and once again, we were all fine once mommy finally understood this. I napped on her while she suffered through a viewing of "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and while daddy dozed. After waking up, I ate a little bit and played in the floor for awhile. My favorite airplane toy: the toothbrush that comes in the travel kit. That thing rocks. All the flight attendants paid a lot of attention to me, which was cool, too.

We landed in Boston 20 minutes ahead of schedule and cleared customs in record time. As soon as we exited customs and headed for the transfer desk, however, we noticed a sign that said, "Proceed to the left to check your luggage for transferring flights." Hmmm. We headed over to the transfer desk to pick up our boarding passes for the final leg of our journey and met by a 5'6 (generous estimation), twenty-something punk who worked for Alitalia. Mommy told him we needed to pick up our passes to which he replied, "Where is your luggage?" Mommy calmly told him that Alitalia had checked our luggage through to our final destination in Washington. He heaved a sigh of complete and utter disgust and said, "You still have to pick up your luggage in customs and recheck it." Mommy replied that she simply didn't know that and asked what she and daddy needed to do to get it. He then made the mistake of scolding mommy. He told her she couldn't go back to get the luggage, and added that she should have known she had to retrieve her luggage, taunting, "Alitalia made an announcement on your flight." Mommy said she never heard any such announcement, and, for the record, I don't remember one either. The guy, who apparently had a death wish, seethed, "It is a pre-recorded announcement. They make it on every flight." At this point, mommy did something many of you have probably seen, but I never had. She lit into this man. Here are some highlights from her tirade: "Look, I'm sorry I didn't hear any announcement and there are no signs indicating you need to pick up your luggage until AFTER you exit the customs area. Do you want me to get down on my hands and knees to beg your forgiveness because I didn't know I needed to pick up my luggage in Boston when I was told it was checked to Washington? Do you want me to grovel? Do I need to fly back to Italy just so I can fly back to the United States and go through customs in Boston again to retrieve my bags? Just tell me exactly what it is that I need to do in order to receive forgiveness from you for this heinous grievance I have committed?" His response was yet another derogatory comment about mommy and daddy's intelligence level. At this point, daddy (aka Deacon Davis) got involved and uttered a few words that are not appropriate for a baby's blog. After all that, the guy told us Customs would clear and check our bags to Washington for us and sent us to the Delta counter to retrieve our boarding passes. Why he couldn't have done that in the first place is beyond me. Maybe he is part of Boston's welcome committee. As we headed for the Delta counter, daddy muttered, "I'd like to see you out from behind that big counter so I could whip your *%@." Daddy is so tough.

We wound our way through the terminal to the Delta counter, retrieved our tickets, and started through the security line. The TSA agents were belting our their prohibited items questions: "Liquids? Shampoos? Gels? Shaving Cream? Baby Food?" Mommy went to the pre-screen area and pulled out her one-quart bag of permissible goods, a bag with my baby food in it, and the cleared, sealed bag containing the $60 vinegar and chocolate bar. TSA man immediately declares, "You can't take that on board." Mommy pointed out that it had been purchased at the duty free store in Milan, where it had been sealed by security and cleared as hand luggage. TSA man politely informed mommy that her vinegar and chocolate were only cleared for the Milan-Boston leg of her journey, but not subsequent connecting legs. In other words, she could bring her terrorist vinegar and death by chocolate IN to the country, but just couldn't take it outside of Boston. She could either consume both bottles of vinegar and the chocolate before going through security, throw it out, or check it in with the rest of her luggage (which was probably being urinated on by the little twit back at the Alitalia transfer desk). TSA man directed mommy back to the Delta counter, where he assured her they had boxes for checking items for this sort of occasion. Naturally, the lady at the Delta counter had no idea what he was talking about and told mommy the best she could offer was a plastic bag, pointing out, "It probably won't really protect those glass bottles." Genius. Thankfully, mommy had an extra diaper bag, so she stashed her culinary would-be weapons in it and checked it through to Washington.

It should come as no surprise that when we arrived in Washington at 4:30 (just in time for rush hour), the diaper bag was the only bag there. The vinegar and chocolate were safe, as were all the passengers aboard our flight who otherwise could have been severely harmed had mommy had these items with her in the cabin. Welcome to America.

Buon Appetito

5 November 2006. It is daddy's birthday today! We celebrated by having breakfast in the room...and then I took a nice, long nap while daddy went out exploring on his own. When I finally woke up, we went to a wine bar for cichetti e l'ombra (a little bite and the shade - also known as lunch). Mommy had some crostini while I had mixed vegetables and applesauce. Daddy just kicked back with a beer.

We spent the afternoon on a gondola, which was really cool. Our gondolier sang songs during the entire ride. He also showed us where Cassanova lived and where Marco Polo is buried. Gondola rides, like everything else in Venezia, are expensive, but well worth the investment. It is a fun way to explore the city, not to mention the only way to explore it without walking!






Daddy's business colleagues made dinner reservations for us at the Grand Canal Restaurant at the Hotel Monaco. It was tres chic with linen table cloths, silver place settings, and candlelit ambiance. My highchair that screwed on to the table fit right in! It was here that I discovered the fun game of throwing my plastic spoon onto the floor. First mommy would pick it up, then daddy, then the waiter, then the sommelier, then the French couple sitting behind us. It was great fun. I especially liked it when the waiter retrieved it because he would wash it and present it to me on a fancy plate with linens. In hopes of having a peaceful meal, mommy offered me a breadstick. That was a HUGE hit. I inhaled it, along with daddy's mozzarella caprese with the sweetest balsamic vinegar I have ever tasted. I devoured it. That is the best cheese I've ever eaten. Mommy would cut up ten pieces at a time for me but still couldn't keep up with my insatiable appetite for finer Italian cuisine. I also tried some of the saffron risotto that came with mommy's osso buco. It was pretty tasty, too...but it isn't cheese. While mommy was savoring her dessert, she and daddy commented that they hoped all of that cheese wouldn't clog me up. Only seconds later, I let them (and the aforementioned French couple and the loud Americans who were also dining in our room) know it would NOT be an issue. Mommy and daddy said they can't take me anywhere.

Quality Mommy Time...Again

4 November 2006. It is Saturday, which means daddy is on the golf course and mommy and I are left to our own devices once again. We had breakfast in the room (unfortunate that it took four days for mommy to figure out this was an option) before heading out for a morning of shopping. After crossing the second bridge, I decided strollers and bridge steps don't mix and insisted (via emotional breakdown complete with tears) that mommy pick up the entire stroller and carry me whenever steps were in sight. After resolving that issue, we went to a supermercado so mommy could buy some Illy espresso to take home. An elderly lady tried to flirt with me but ended up terrifying me to inconsolable bits. I'm sure she was lovely on the inside, but her countenance was a little too similar to the witch in Hansel and Gretel for my taste. I ate lunch in Piazza Santa Maria Formosa while mommy tried unsuccessfully to get an espresso for herself. We then ditched the stroller and went back to Aciugheto (where we ate last night) so mommy could eat a bite of pizza. Afterward, we went shopping for some Murano glass. In case you are wondering, babies and delicate glass don't mix. Amazingly, I didn't break anything, but it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. We went back to the Rialto markets that evening to do some exploring and shopping, but mommy's arms were about to fall off from carrying me everywhere. We finally just headed back to the hotel and climbed the 41 steps to our room (no elevator in the hotel) and called it a night around 6:00. Mommy reached an all-time low and ate Pringles from the minibar for dinner. Pringles - in Italy! Can you believe that?

Dining with Mommy at Aciugheto

I hate these stupid steps.

Sardines, Cuttlefish, and Eel, Oh My!

3 November 2006. With daddy in tow again, we explored the Rialto markets this morning. One side of the market is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables shipped into Venezia every morning at the crack of dawn, while the other side is filled with fresh fish. I have never seen--or smelled--anything like it. Afterwards, we went to a fish restaurant called Conte Scorte for lunch. Man, was I glad mommy brought cheerios, carrots, and peas for me to eat, rather than what they were having. Their tuna and cuttlefish carpaccio probably would not have gone over very well with me...nor would the octopus, sardines and onions, spider crab, cod and eel. Mommy and daddy agreed that his cousin David probalby sould have had a breakdown had he been there. After stopping in at Cafe Verde for espresso and patisserie, we spent the rest of the afternoon traipsing through the San Marco Sestieri.

At the Fish Market

With Daddy at the Rialto Bridge

With Mommy on the Grand Canal

Bellinis, Mosaics, and Marco Polo

2 November 2006. We toured Basilica San Marco today. It is beautiful with gold mosaics everywhere you turn. I'm thinking of redecorating my nursery in gold mosaics; but mommy and daddy say it A) would be too expensive and B) might seem a little queer. After touring the basilica, we went to the world famous Harry's Bar for bellinis and lunch. It was almost as fun as it was expensive, but you can't come to Venice and NOT go to Harry's Bar. This afternoon, daddy took a train to Sacile for an evening of business and fine dining while mommy and I hung out in Venice on our own.

Famiglia Davis at Basilica San Marco

Drinking Bellinis at Harry's Bar

It was quite an adventure strolling through the Venetian "streets" with mommy. There actually are no streets here, only canals, which means you have to use bridges to cross from one side of the canal to the other. This is a lot of fun if you are in a stroller - but not so fun if you have to carry the stroller over the bridge steps the way mommy did. Another interesting logistical challenge is navigating through the Venetian walkways at night. To put it mildly, it is like finding your way through a maze. Imagine a narrow sidewalk flanked by five-story buildings on every side. It is virtually impossible to get your bearings and all too easy to get terribly lost. Now, imagine those sidewalks in the darkness of night with no street lamps to guide your way. Impossible! Because the restaurants don't open for dinner until 7:30, you have to either brave the maze or go somewhere you know you can find your way back. Mommy and I opted for the latter and found ourselves at Trattoria de Roberto, which was about as bad as it sounds. Mommy says a good rule of thumb is to avoid places with a "menu turistico," and I think she is right! Afterwards, we went to Cafe Verde for espresso and patisserie before heading back to the hotel and calling it a night.

It was then, however, that I did the most fun thing I have ever done. I took a bath in the big boy tub all by myself. I LOVED IT! I especially enjoyed watching myself splash the water all over the place. Those silver water-mark disks are perfect for admiring your own splashing handiwork. Funny that I had to come to Europe to discover splashing. Maybe I'm channeling Marco Polo since I'm in his home town.

Venezia: A Guided Tour

1 November 2006. I slept until 9:00 this morning. I have NEVER done that. We met up with daddy's business associate, Dave, and his wife and daughter for a day of exploring Venice. Michele, Dave's wife, went to college in Venice, so she took us to all of her old haunts. We went to a cathedral and saw lots of Tiziano paintings I will probably study about some day. We dined at a local (read non-turistico) pizzeria where I had a taste of my very first pizza. Delicioso! I only wish mommy and daddy would let me try some of their gelato! Left to our own devices, we went to dinner at a restaurant situated on a canal near our hotel. Mommy had the worst gnocci she's ever tasted in her whole life. Daddy, who loved it, commented that it tasted like Chef Boyardee and wolfed it down along with his plate of sea bass. I was just happy to be out past my normal 7:00 bedtime.

Loving the Nightlife

Bassinet? We Don't Need No Stinking Bassinet

31 October 2006. What a long strange trip it's been. We finally arrived in Venice after almost 24 hours of traveling. I slept like a dream from Washington to Boston and played in the lunge during our three hour lay over at Logan. I charmed the pants off of the lounge receptionists, who insisted on taking me and putting me to work, helping them greet the other lounge guests. Gran, who always warns mommy not to let other people touch me, would have died. Mommy planned to nurse me as soon as we boarded the plane in hopes that it would lull me to sleep and I would be conked out for the rest of the flight. That is where the fun began.

We were sitting in the very first seats of the plane, so literally everyone aboard Alitalia 619 saw mommy's milkmakers in one state or another. Normally, modest mommy would have been mortified, but it is a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant eight hours of sleep rather than eight hours of screaming. It worked, too; I promptly passed out...until mommy tried to put me in my bassinet. I was having none of it. Daddy wouldn't work either. It was mommy or blood curdling tears. After she resigned herself to this small fact, I slept like the baby I am until we arrived in Milan. After a two-hour lay over there,a one-hour flight to Venezia, and a one-hour boatride, we finally arrived at our hotel. Whew.

We spent the rest of this first day abroad trying to recover and just strolling around near our hotel. We went to Piazza San Marco and saw all of the pigeons flocking to people and landing on their heads. W would have gone crazy! I managed to go to sleep at 6:00 and woke up only once for a midnight snack. I am truly an international bebe.

The View from Our Hotel Window

Nana's Visit

My nana came to see me this weekend! We have had a blast (after my initial meltdown when I picked her up at the airport). She lets me practice standing up all the time and doesn't complain a bit when I just want her to hold me. She even kept me last night while mommy and daddy went on a date. Imagine that! She brought me some really cool prezzies, too, including a "Laugh and Learn" table, which is my Christmas present. I can stand up at it and play with all the fun toys on it. That is almost as much fun as playing with her silver bracelet!

We're heading to Italy tomorrow morning, so I probably won't be blogging until I get back. You never know, though, I could find a computer somewhere in Venice, so keep checking back. I promise to have updates on all of my Venetian adventures when I return. Until then, ciao, bebe!

Independence

I did it! I crawled this morning! Not the backward crawl, not the army crawl, but the 100% bona fide baby crawl! It happened so fast that I didn't really know what was happening. One second I was sitting, watching Blues Clues, then two seconds later, I was three feet away, dumping Winston and W's water bowl all over myself.

Mommy thought, hoped, and prayed that this would be a gradual process. She thought I'd take one little crawl-step and that would be it for awhile. She wasn't expecting me to motor around the room on the first try. If I know her, she is probably panicking at the prospect of me crawling into a Venetian canal next week or trying to crawl up and down the aisles of the airplane on the transatlantic flight.

Aside from the trip, this will undoubtedly turn Winston and W's world upside down as well. Their food and toys are now fair game as far as I'm concerned. I've desperately been trying to get into Winston's condo, much to mommy's chagrin, and now I can go there anytime I want (as long as mommy has her back turned for just a second).

Free at last, free at last! Until daddy puts up some more gates, I am free at last!

Hanging with P-Daddy

My granddaddy, who wishes to be known as "P-Daddy," came to visit this weekend. He is crazy, but I like to say "crazy" usually makes for a pretty good time. We picked him up from the airport on Thursday afternoon, right during the middle of my usual nap time, so I wasn't terribly thrilled about messing up my schedule. As a matter of fact, I screamed the entire way home. Gran says I was upset because she wasn't here. Granddaddy said I was just doing a rather brilliant impression of mommy when she was a baby. I say I was just annoyed that mommy interfered with my previously scheduled nap time. Don't mess with a guy's nap, especially when his top two teeth are trying to come in, right?!?!

Anyway, we had a good time this weekend, swinging, going for walks, and watching football all day on Saturday. Granddaddy and mommy also played this game called "Scrabble" all weekend long. Whenever mommy was winning (which was most of the time, I might add), Granddaddy would get me to tip over the board and declare that the entire game was null and void. He will probably deny this, but he knows it's true. Mommy is also convinced that he somehow bribed me into headbutting her in the mouth last night when she put me to bed. I'll never tell.

Meet My New Friend

Mommy's friends, Lezlie and David, came to visit this weekend. They brought their 7-week old baby, Lucas, with them. I can't believe I was ever that little, but mommy and daddy assure me that I was. I tried to teach him all of my tricks, especially my ear piercing shriek, but he didn't seem terribly interested in learning any new vices.

Speaking of vices, I have a new one. I learned to spit out food I don't like. I clench my two and a half teeth together and let it (most recently, "it" was a turkey vegetable dinner) squeeze through them while I'm smiling. One thing you will not find me spitting out, however, is my new favorite food, cheese. I can't get enough of it. Mommy had a food contest for me the other day. She put cheese, cheerios, and frozen peas on my tray to see which one I would eat first. Not surprisingly, I went for them in that order. Mommy, whose favorite food is also cheese, was thrilled to see that I really am her son after all.

On My Own Two Feet

I've mastered the fine art of pulling myself up. Now, I never want to sit down! Daddy showed me how to pull up on his fingers last week, but now I can use anything under the sun to get up all by myself. If I'm not standing, I'm screaming. Mommy just loves it. She knows her peaceful days are numbered. The clock is ticking for the days when she sits me down and I stay put. She's mentioned on more than one occasion that my first "real crawl" will probably be into a canal in Venice.

We went to a group called MOPS on Thursday. That stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers." Mommy actually left me in the nursery for two hours while she hung out with other mommies, ate goodies, and did all kinds of girlie things. Can you believe that? Anyway, mommy left this thing called a bottle with me while she was gone. That was kind of strange. It tasted exactly like mommy's milk, but was an altogether different eating experience than I am used to having. The lady who gave it to me told me her children would have starved to death if they had eaten as slow as I did. I told her to give me a break because I was new at this sort of thing. Geez, cut a baby some slack for goodness sake.

Busy Boy

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been so busy learning new things that I haven't had much time for blogging. Since we last spoke, I have mastered the art of eating Cheerios. Sure, I would eat them before, but now I like to see how many I can fit into my mouth at once. So far, I have made it to three. I am just nuts about those Cheerios. If I get in my high chair and don't see them on my tray or in mommy's hand, it is an ugly scene. Also, Daddy taught me a big trick on Friday when he was home all day watching the Ryder Cup. He took time out of the 10 hours he spent watching golf to teach me how to pull up to the standing position. Now I can't get enough of it.



Since it isn't very hot anymore, we have been spending a lot of time outside. Last week, I got in the swing for the very first time. The swing is a little big for me, but I liked it anyway. It is there that I found a new way of smiling - with my mouth closed. I think I look very coy when I do it. Mommy thinks I look like a smarty pants.

Italy Revisited

Much to my Gran's dismay, Delta was able to get Alitalia to release a ticket for mommy to travel to Venice with daddy and me, so our trip is BACK ON! I wonder if all international travel is this difficult. At least I'm too young to remember the hassle this has been.

Italy Busted?

Bad news. Alitalia cancelled our flight to Italy. We found out last night after we all went out to dinner. I can't believe it. After canceling the flight, the airline tried to rebook us on new flights to get us to Venice. The only problem is they booked daddy and me on a flight through Boston and put mommy on a flight going through France. As you know, mommy is like my American Express card - I don't leave home without her. So, unless Alitalia can get mommy on the same flight that daddy and I are on, we are going to have to cancel the trip altogether. I have my passport in hand and I've been practicing my Italian every day, so I'm going to be really disappointed if we end up having to stay home. I probably won't be as disappointed as mommy will be (she is virtually inconsolable), but pretty close.

What do you mean you cancelled my flight?

My First Kickoff...and Cold

College football kicked off this weekend. I was so excited as it is my very first football season. Daddy, of course, was glued to the TV. He didn't even play golf, but I think that may have been because we were getting about three feet of rain. Anyway, I hung out with dad in the basement and watch a little bit of the WKU-UGA game. If you look closely, you can see UGA and Big Red in the background.


Here I am after I saw the score of that game:



Mommy's Yellow Jackets didn't fare much better against Notre Dame, either. To make matters worse, I got my first cold on Saturday as well. You can see I put on the camo Uncle Bud gave me to help me hide from mommy when she tries to suction my runny nose. Unfortuntately, it doesn't work very well.

Lovin' My Ladies

My Aunt Leslie came to visit me this weekend. We had a blast! She played a lot of peekaboo with me, and it was the funniest thing I have ever done - EVER. She also gave me a bath, which mommy says will probably embarrass me someday. Right now, though, I really don't mind. My new tooth started coming in while she was here, too. I figured I had to do something really special to make her like me as much as she likes her niece!



Today, I went on a hot date with Elizabeth. She is the daughter of one of mommy's friends, and she was born two days before I was. She is a fiery red head! We went to the club for lunch, milk cocktails, and some swimming. I kept trying to get her to talk to me, but she was playing hard to get. At one point, I toppled over onto the deck chair and bumped my lip, and Elizabeth cried with me in solidarity. It is a good start.

Just Call Me Emeril

Now that I am eating "real food," I thought I'd give cooking a try. Mommy is always doing it, so I figured I would help her out. Thankfully, she has this handy lobster pot that is just my size. I can gum it to death or pat it like a drum. Either way, it's a lot of fun.

Cooking isn't the only thing I like to do by myself. I have become quite fond of feeding myself, for example. If there is a spoon around, I'm going to try to pry it out of mommy or daddy's hand and use my own hand to put it in my mouth. It makes eating time really messy, but that's what being a boy is all about, right?

Weekend Update

Sorry I haven't written in awhile. I've been too busy eating. I have now mastered the previously unchartered waters of rice, oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, squash, and pears. The world is my oyster.

In other news, I had a date Friday night. Mommy and daddy left me with a babysitter named Bethany while they went to Clyde's for cocktails and crabcakes. I didn't even know they were gone because mommy put me to bed before she and daddy left. Needless to say, she prayed really hard that I would not wake up while she was gone. Apparently, I become highly agitated if I wake up and mommy is nowhere to be found. How "highly agitated" you ask? Does the phrase "inconsolable" mean anything to you? Well, God heard her prayers and I slept blissfully the entire time they were gone.

Lastly, I am cutting my second tooth. It hasn't popped through the surface yet, but mommy and daddy can feel it. You can finally see my first tooth, so I'll have to get mommy to take and post a picture of it really soon.

Food - The Final Frontier

They finally did it. Mommy and daddy broke down and gave me some cereal. Perhaps it was Gran and Papa Cecil's persistent nagging ("You know what that boy needs? That boy needs some cereal") or perhaps it is because I met all of the criteria the doctor laid out for me to try solids. Who knows. Anyway, we did it Friday night with Gerber's organic rice cereal, and I have to say---I still prefer mommy.




Granddaddy says I just need some "Blueberry Buckle" which apparently was mommy's favorite when she was little; but I kind of doubt that mommy is ready to just dive into the sea of jarred baby foods just like that. Anyway, by the end of the weekend, I was warming up to the idea of food on a spoon (see below). I don't eat a lot, but daddy assures me that will change once I taste fried chicken.

Major Developments

I've been so busy catching you up on my southern adventures that I forgot to tell you that I started cutting my first tooth. Mommy noticed it during the second hour of my screaming my head off on the 12-hour drive home from Chattanooga. It is the one on the lower right hand side, and mommy and daddy say that I am handling teething like a real champ (other than the screaming episode in the car). It has kept me up a couple of nights, but other than that, it isn't too bad.

Also, on 2 August, I sat up all by myself. It was pretty exciting and mommy even managed to capture the moment on film. I can't stay up very long, but I'm working on it.


Lastly, I went to the doctor this week for my six-month checkup. I am 28 inches long, which puts me in the 92 percentile for length (which, of course, makes mommy very happy). I weigh 16 lbs. 2 oz, which will probably skyrocket once I start eating cereal and other baby delicacies. I took my shots like my namesake would. I didn't even cry at all. I pity the fool who tries to bring a tear to Mr. T's eye.

Mr. T Went Down to Georgia

After my adventures in Kentucky, I headed down to the ATL to hang with Gran and Papa Cecil. Gran taught me how to pull myself up while she is holding on to my fingers. I am really hot stuff when I do that. I guess she was trying to buddy up to me after kicking mommy and daddy out of the house so much. She tried to play it off as though she wanted them to go on dates while they had "free babysitting," but I know she just wanted me all to herself. Other than pulling up and demonstrating my newly acquired rolling skills, my aunt Leslie came to see me a lot, and I was able to meet some of mommy's friends and their babies! Mommy's friend, Marti, has a three year old daughter named Sara who made me laugh the entire time I was at her house. She would jump up and down for me, and I thought it was the funniest thing I have EVER seen. I also was able to meet my second cousin, Ella Ann. As you can see from the picture below, she was gracious enough to allow me to use her baby seat, while I let her play with my elephant. Aren't we good at sharing?

I forgot to mention earlier that the first stop my my southern adventure was to see Granddaddy and Uncle Baxter. I actually tried to blog from his house, but his computer apparently is hooked up to a modem that runs on an abacus, so my attempts were completely futile. Mommy's nanny and Aunt Dee came to visit me. They are crazy and each one kept telling me how ugly the other one was. It was pretty funny.

I also was able to finally meet my great aunt Margaret, who braved the Georgia heat to come meet me. We stayed at her house on our way home to Virginia at the end our trip, too. She has a fig tree, which mommy fell in love with, and a really snazzy bag of ice and a ladle that kept me entertained for quite awhile.

Before heading home on Sunday, we had a pool party with all of Gran's family. You know how I love swimming, so I enjoyed showing off my skills in the pool. That 18-year old state wrestling champion lifeguard had nothing on me (but nanny sure did like him).