I Am No Longer A Baby

Hello readers,

Before beginning this blog post, I must inform you that you are no longer reading the musings of a mere baby. The author is now officially a toddler. I have 13+ months of wisdom and experience under my belt. If you thought my prior posts were witty, amusing, humorous, and yet simultaneously informative and thought-provoking (which, by all objective measures, you should have), then just you wait for my pieces from here on out.

Now that I have your attention, I would like to get something off my chest. I'm a narcissist. I've said this before, more so in jest than anything else, but this time I say it as an earnest and somber confession. One of my favorite activities is looking at pictures of myself on M & D's phones and, since this is a confession, I should reveal that I also kiss those pictures of myself repeatedly. In an effort to teach me numbers, mommy counted the number of times I kissed the picture set as the wallpaper on daddy's iPhone (a picture of yours truly at 4 months). 16 kisses ensued before I lost interest. Pure narcissism. I also sit very still (which never happens under any other circumstance) and watch with the utmost attention when mommy shows me videos of myself.

And, in true narcissistic fashion, let me tell you a little bit more about - what else - me:

Current passions: Garbage trucks (I watch them in the alley from our kitchen window and the garbage men wave at me each day), dogs, toy trucks, balls (an unfailing joy), leaves, the pumpkin on our stoop, my new Cozy Coupe, reading books with M & D, playing in the courtyard, playing with my neighbors Tricia and Jack (so what if they're 7 years older than I am; we connect on an intellectual level), dancing and twirling around in circles, giving kisses, waving, clapping, going to the zoo, snuggling with my stuffed animals and with M & D (I wouldn't have pegged myself for a snuggler a couple of months ago, but I must admit I love it now).

Favorite books:  Quiet Loud, Moo Baa La La La, Alphaprints, Panda Bear Panda Bear, Trucks, Hush Little Baby and Baby Says Peekaboo. I like to read this last book over and over again, which sometimes annoys daddy. I know he'd rather be reading me Dr. Seuss or Walt Whitman (but Walt Whitman sure as heck doesn't have any flaps I can lift to reveal hidden pictures of babies).

Favorite stuffed animals: Big Dog, Jingle, Ham, Snoopy, Sheep, Froggie.

Favorite games: mommy lines up all my toys and tells me what to pick out and bring to her. It's not a terribly complex game. But apparently mommy is bewildered by the fact that I am able to pick out exactly what she names. Mommy is so simpleminded sometimes. Also, I am constantly asked to point to my nose and mouth. Drives mommy wild when I do it. I also like to play peek-a-boo with mommy. I duck down behind the sofa and mommy thinks I have disappeared. She wonders out loud where I've gone and then I jump up and surprise her. I do this about 15 times in one sitting and each time I duck, she has no idea where I've gone. Poor, naive mommy.

Favorite recent photos of myself from the last couple of months:

My favorite recent picture of myself. I could stare at this one all day long.

A couple of months ago, Mommy took me to a Cubs game with the other mommies and my buddies; apparently, I wasn't happy about it at first.

I was moderately content once we got to our (nose bleed) seats.

Definitely was NOT happy toward the end of the outing

Mommy thinks I look like a three year old in this one.

Visited the splash pad at the zoo towards the end of summer. 

Photo credit to Grandpa. 

Staring at the fish at the zoo.

Daddy and me at Bubbles open play.

I love the bunny painted on the wall at Bubbles.

We took a pontoon boat ride on the river for Papa John's birthday and they insisted that I wear that ridiculous vest.

Pre-music class fun at Miss Megan's.

I love my chair.

My contemplative, I-refuse-to-smile-for-the-camera face.

Okay, this time daddy caught me smiling.

Frozen yogurt date with mommy.

The duck whisperer.

Trying to walk in M & D's shoes.

Party Val gave me a Cozy Coupe for my birthday. Daddy and I had fun putting it together.

First family photo booth session. I need to work on my happy/smoochy/skeptical faces. I've got the shocked face down.

Hi there.

This is much more fun than actually playing my drum.

I got into some dirt at the park. Turns out, dirt tastes good.

Mommy and daddy let me eat it.

Weston the Walker (And The Infamous Fall)

This is hardly timely news: I'm a walker. Let me be more specific: I am a master walker (for the most part). I can even run at pretty legitimate pace on the grass at the park, although the uneven ground tends to trip me up a bit and I've been known to take many a stumble while doing so. However, I am not a baby (figuratively speaking). I don't let a little fall keep me down. I abide by that now-trite saying: I keep calm and carry on. Mommy captured one of my most famous falls in the middle of the splash pad at the zoo on video... coincidentally... in slow motion video (at least she says it was a coincidence). M & D watch this video over and over again and laugh when I fall. I would generally take issue with such immature and offensive behavior from my parents, but I have to admit, it's pretty funny to see me take that particular spill, especially in slow mo.

I've been walking for almost 2 months now.  I took my first real several steps on Sunday, July 27 at around 11 months.

Here are some videos of my progress (skip to the last one for the infamous slow motion fall).

Love,
WFT

State of the Weston Address (#2)

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans:

- The economy of my household continues to be stable. The GDP has plateaued and may not rise any time soon (since mommy doesn't work enough hours to get a bonus because she'd rather be spending time with me). Congress (mommy) has succeeded in reducing the national deficit (sightly).

- I went to sleep with a foreign object inside my crib for the very first time last night. It was my giraffe security blanket. I was quite perplexed by its presence. What was a toy doing in my crib at bedtime? Was this some sort of joke? A test? A prank? I grabbed it, thrashed it about, bunched it up under my head like a pillow, sat up and stared at it, laid back down. Turns out, M & D decided I am now old enough to sleep with a "lovie."

- I have a new nickname: Westerly. Daddy calls me this. It reminds me of a "westerly wind" which has nothing to do with babies or even human beings, but I am kind of fond of the name nonetheless.

- I took my first legitimate steps on Sunday (July 27th to be exact). I have been successfully taking several steps on my own for a couple of weeks now, but I have been prone to aborting mission after a few steps for fear of bodily injury (I am reckless in all other respects, but when it comes to walking I'm a bit timid).  I am proud to report that I threw caution to the wind on Sunday and actually covered some decent ground. Coincidentally, daddy was videotaping me, so we have said first steps documented (video below). 

- When I am tired, I twirl my hair around my fingers "like a southern belle" (as daddy puts it).

- My favorite toy is "Ham," a little Siberian Husky stuffed animal that daddy bought me in Vail. In Romanian, rather than "woof," "woof" or "ruff," "ruff," a dog goes "ham," "ham" (with a soft "A" sound).

- My bedtime is 7pm and I wake up between 6 and 6:30am. However, much to mommy's dismay, I've begun waking up at 5:45 on a few random mornings here and there lately. Mommy tried to convince me that 5:45 is an ungodly wake-up time, but her arguments are dubious. I am sure the President wakes up prior to such time, and I am the President of our household after all.

- I have a very large inflated plastic ball that is almost as big as me. I like to stand up, pick the ball up and throw it. To me, this is a herculean effort given the size of the ball. I demonstrate my pride in my extraordinary strength after having thrown such a colossal object by doing "the Incredible Hulk" (better imagined than explained).

- Speaking of size, I was in the 92nd percentile for weight at my 9 month appointment. I am currently tipping the scales at 24.5 pounds. I am not fat. I'm just solid.

- My favorite foods currently: yogurt, cream cheese, eggs, mashed potatoes, whole wheat bread and cheerios (the no sugar, whole grain, fake cheerios mommy buys from Whole Foods). I also like mangos, peaches, bananas, grapes and blueberries. The other night, I ate celery and hot wings for the first time. I was crazy for both. Why have M & D been holding out on me until now?

- My favorite book is Lama, Lama Red Pajama. Daddy hates this book, but mommy always reads it to me. Daddy prefers reading Dr. Seuss and Walt Whitman to me (but sometimes there's only so much Fox In Socks I can take).

- I have a vacation home in the "country." It's Buni and Papa's house. I love weekending there.

- My favorite mode of transportation is my Radio Flyer tricycle.

- I've got a big birthday coming up. The big 1.0. It's less than a month away.

Love,
WFT

 PS - Here are some pictures, both old and new, and the video of my first steps.