My first official word!

Ok, so Mom's going to work on getting a video of this one, but in the meantime I wanted to share my big news. Today, I spoke and it was clearly tied to meaning for the first time (much to the delight of my teacherly Mama). I've been babbling away for a while now, and I can make lots of special sounds. Mom likes to think that my Mamamamas are connected to her (although I also use a lot of those when I'm hungry) and my Bubbas are connected to Brody (since I do use a lot of those when I am playing with him). I haven't managed any Ds yet, sorry Dad, but papapapa is pretty close, don't you think?

So this morning, Mom was leaving me with Christie at Molly's house. She waved and said, "Ba-bye," and I waved right back and said an undeniable, "Bye!" In reality, it was probably closer to "ba," but the point is that I purposefully meant to say something and I did it. Hooray for me! I am now a communicator!

Not a whole lot to report, but I like to keep my fans happy. (Plus, I'm just saving up for March 6!)

When my gums don't hurt, I really enjoy my food. I am much more willing to try new things now. Mommy made this great quinoa salad, and I absolutely love guacamole. Sometimes I refuse to eat the food made particularly for me, but I'm always ready for bites off Mom's and Dad's plates.

I thought that after tooth #1 it would be smooth sailing, but tooth #2 is just as miserable. And I think I have a cold!

I've figured out how to use a straw pretty successfully. I guess that's supposed to help my teeth come in nice and straight.

I still enjoy eating all cards and gifts. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa C!

Ok, so the big news this week is that I've finally had my first tooth poke through. That means that after a few pretty rough weeks, I can finally sleep again. Don't try to find it though. I'm very protective of my sore gums and will barely let Mom and Dad have a look.

P.S. What better use for a new tooth than for trying dog food?! I give Brody scraps all the time, so in an effort to return the favor he ran interference for me with Mom and Dad by coming back all muddy from a run. While Mom took her shoes off and Dad wiped Bubby down, I bolted for his dish. Success! Chewed and swallowed. From the smile on my face and my attempts to grab for more, you'd think it was the best thing I've ever tasted. Now I understand where doggie breath comes from...

As soon as Mom and Dad put my books back on the shelf, I pull them all off. I always have to pause for Pat the Bunny though. It's my favorite book to read and gnaw on.

I'm very good at clearing shelves.

More clips

I like to laugh.

The morning of my 11-month b-day, I decided to show off a new trick.

Even when I'm not very gentle with Brody, he is very gentle with me. Sorry Bubby, I didn't mean to hurt you. Thanks for the kisses.

I'm 11 months old!

Yay!!! Big girls get to take Brody rides!

What? So I'm 11-months-old. So, what?

Daddy thought I might enjoy wearing Mama's slippers. They're super fashionable, Dad, but not too practical.

Grandma Mac sent me an early Valentine's Day package. This is my Valentine that I liked shaking and then tried to eat. Thanks, Grandma!

Here, you take this one, and I'll - pull - off - my - other - one.

I watched Miller very carefully over Christmas, and now I can crawl around with a sock in my mouth, too.

See how my elephant is blowing out this mist? I figured out how to turn it on all by myself! Knobs are fun.

Here's a better example of my "all done" face.

I survived Blizzard 2011. Stay warm everyone!

I can almost taste the snow from the inside. The window is nice and cold. Also, I've seen how much Mom enjoys cleaning Brody's nose prints off the window, so I figured that my saliva would be a welcome addition.

I'd really like to go outside. Two degrees can't be that cold, right? Why does Brody still get to go out?

Let me tell you though, we were a lot luckier than other Chicagoans. Mom would have been one of the ones stuck overnight on Lake Shore Drive if she hadn't gone to pick Dad up from work. They drove through town instead and it took them 2.5 hours to get to me at Molly's house. Now we haven't left the house in two days because school has been cancelled. Plus, they just finally plowed our street - 48 hours after the snow started.

Wow, this snow came hard and fast. I didn't sleep very well last night because the wind was howling, there was snow thunder, and a bunch of dummies outside kept trying to get their cars out of snowbanks.

Mom and Dad always show me the sign for "all done," but I prefer to show them this face instead. I wrinkle up my nose and blow air in and out. Then I push away anything that tries to get near my mouth.

Molly is very nice to share all her toys with me. I wonder if that will change once she starts crawling...

This is me with Molly. Christie and I spend every Monday through Thursday at Molly's house. She's 5 months younger than me, but she's already taller than I am! I like playing with the fish on her bouncer so much that it's always the first place I head to every morning.

I'm really into reading - or at least into pulling all my books off the shelf.