Feeling better

After nearly of a week of battling a virus of sorts, I'm finally feeling better. I was much more "myself" today, Granny and Mommy said. I hugged Granny as she came to watch me today. And then later, when Granddaddy and Lois came back into town, we all went out to eat. I had a BIG appetite tonight. Daddy fed me some of his corn; Granny fed me some of her cooked apples. And I drank water out of a straw (with Daddy pouring it into my mouth.) The secret to getting me to eat from the table? Give me the good stuff. Daddy tried feeding me this stuff called cous-cous with vegan soup in it the night before and I didn't like it. If it has flavor and you'll eat it, then I'll eat I say.

After dinner, Paw-Paw took some pictures of me playing in the neighbor's flowers. Granny & Mommy couldn't resist getting me all dolled up in this dress.

I'm drinking whole milk now -- flavored with PediaSure -- and able to climb stairs. Every day, I find something new to explore and to keep Mommy & Daddy guessing. :-)

Summer time fun

It's summer time. That means fun in the sun. Grandma Bott introduced me to the hammock over the weekend. I liked swinging in it. Then Mommy tried on my new swimsuit from cousins Sherry & Lisa tonight and I got to play with my water wheel tower. Daddy eventually stuck me in the wheel and I sat down to play splash the water. It's a good trial run for the beach next month. I keep hearing about something called sand -- that sounds interesting! Wonder how it tastes?

First haircut

We made an unplanned trip to Morgantown this weekend because Pap (Grandma Bott's father) is in the hospital. The trip was sure a lot more fun with the new DVD player that Granny got us for the car. I liked watching Grover as we traveled along I-79.

Mommy called her old hairdresser Cheryl to get my bangs trimmed. As you can see, I wasn't too happy about it. I don't really like people messing with me -- especially my head.

I had my one-year-old check-up with Dr. Skaff on Friday. He told Mommy that I was the tallest 1-year-old he's ever had in his office. I'm 33 inches tall and 22.12 lbs. He wants me to put on some more weight since I'm only in the 75th percentile for weight. I'm now drinking whole milk and eating more food that Mommy & Daddy eat. I also have to see a dentist soon because my two new bottom teeth are either stained from food or I could have some tooth decay.

I met my second cousins from Ohio for the first time this weekend. They were in to visit Pap too. It is a stressful and sad time for the Chase family since Pap isn't feeling well, but I managed to keep everyone entertained and laughing a little in the ICU waiting room. Please pray for Pap. We'll be up to visit again next weekend.

First birthday party

Whew! What a weekend. As you can see from the last photo, I'm worn out from all the activities on Saturday. We had a great time at Kanawha State Forest. The weather held off just long enough for us to celebrate me turning 1!

I enjoyed my first taste of icing and making a mess of my personal birthday cake. My family and friends gave me a lot of nice presents, including clothes, a toy lawn mower, a doll, a bear, a walking Pooh Bear and more. I enjoyed playing with my new toys on Sunday, especially my new water tower.

Thank you to everyone who made the trip to celebrate with us. We appreciate it. We enjoyed your company and hope you had a great time.

Happy Birthday to me!

Daddy & Mommy took me to this place called Chuck E. Cheese tonight. I've never seen anything like it! There were kids of all sizes there (including other Daddies.) It was amazing to see all the lights, hear all the noises from games and kids screaming. I didn't know where to turn my attention. I rode a few rides that were appropriate for 1-year-olds and took a few trips down the slide (as you can see from the photo). Mommy tried to show me how to play skee ball, but it wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention. We only stayed for an hour because Mommy got tired. It sure was fun for my first birthday. I hear we're actually going to have something called cake on Saturday.

I'm One!

I turn one today! Mommy & Daddy said they're going to take me somewhere special to celebrate and then we'll celebrate with our families on Saturday.

Mommy discovered the reason why I'm probably waking in the middle of the night -- a front tooth! My first tooth is beginning to pop through on top.

Caught with my hand in the cookie jar (sort of)!

This morning I baffled Granny by licking my palm as I came into the living room. She couldn't understand why I was licking my palm. After some investigating, she discovered my secret. The sugar canister!

Mommy later caught me on camera sneaking to taste the sweetness of the few granules of sugar that Daddy so carelessly left behind on the spoon. (It pays to be neat!) I quickly learned that if I lick my fingers and then touch the spoon, that some of that goodness would stick to my hand and I could taste the forbidden treat! So much for keeping sweets out of my little hands!

Granddaddy's visit

Granddaddy and Lois are in WV to visit with family members -- including me. We had a nice visit Sunday afternoon. Granddaddy sang to me and let me grab his glasses. Aunt KaKa kept me entertained by letting me pull her hair and making me laugh with stuffed animals. We just spent the day relaxing and hanging out with family.

Love the outdoors!

I just love the outdoors, but not my hat. It's a challenge for Mommy & Daddy to get me to wear it. I did wear it while we strolled briefly downtown in Lewisburg Sunday on our way home.

It's fun playing outside in the dirt and getting some sun. I don't like it when Granny,Mommy or Daddy makes me come in from playing. Mommy said the good thing about me playing outside during the days is I get worn out easily and by 8 p.m. I'm ready for bed. I have a tendancy to wake around 3 a.m. though. I just like to call for Mommy to come into the room so I can have some cuddle time with her. The other night, I grabbed both sides of her belly, leaned in and said hello to my baby sister. She kicked in return. Then Mommy and I cuddled while she rocked me for a few minutes before putting me back to bed. It's our nice mid-night ritual.

I'm learning new words every day. The past two days it's "cookie." As in "Cookie Monster." Aunt Sara reinforced the word all weekend when she kept showing Cookie Monster to me on the Sesame Street toy I have. Then I got home Monday and played with the stuffed Cookie Monster and told Mommy it was "Cookie."

I love dirt!

There's nothing better than playing in the dirt. After we spent the weekend in the woods, I helped Mommy & Daddy around the house on Monday and Tuesday. We went to Capital Market and bought some plants for the garden and flowers for our planters. After a long nap in the afternoon, I helped Mommy place her flowers in the planters. Well, I mostly just grabbed the dirt. Later, Mommy made me get cleaned up with a nice long bath before bedtime.

Weekend in the mountains

We had a short, but adventurous trip to Pocahontas County, where the Bott family cabin is located. Saturday we took a train ride at Cass Scenic Railroad to Whittaker Station. I made a friend on the trip. He was two months older than me, but didn't talk nearly as much. We played in the dirt and with rocks this weekend. And Daddy gave me a salamander to hold (first photo). you can't see the salamander very well. Unfortunately, he had an untimely death because I didn't realize how fragile he was and squeezed too hard!

Everyone we met couldn't believe I wasn't a year old yet and of course mentioned how cute I am. We saw Chris Legg from church at Meck's Bakery, but his son Benjamin (who I like to talk to in church) wasn't with him.

Exploring my world

Now that I'm walking all the time, it's so much easier to explore my world. For instance, I quickly discovered the wipe warmer. I like to pull all the wipes out. So Mommy locked it so I can't get into it.

I overheard Daddy saying something about child-proofing the house. I think that means he's going to take all the fun stuff away from me. Daddy and I had a good time hanging out last night. We played and giggled just before bedtime.

Can I have a bite?

When I'm not busy walking across the floor, then I'm sharing my food with Daddy or anyone who asks. Daddy, Granny or Pawpaw ask me for a bite and I gladly oblige. Pawpaw and I have a new game we play. I say "Daddee" and he says "Pawpaw." We keep going back and forth. Today, Daddy played the same game with me but he said my name instead and I said it back.

Baby sister

Belle's getting a baby sister!

First steps

I took my first steps on my own today! We were hanging out in Grandma & Grandpa Bott's living room Sunday afternoon. Daddy went outside to pack the car and I tried to follow him. I took about four steps before I fell. Grandma and Mommy cheered and laughed. Then Daddy and Grandpa came in and I was a walking fool. I walked several times, 6 steps, then 8 and then four. They all laughed and cheered, but I wasn't sure why. I just knew I was entertaining so I kept it up!

We had a good visit in Morgantown this weekend. Mommy had an event in town this weekend. I "walked" along the rail-trial with Aunt Dee, Grandpa & Grandma and some of their friends. We saw ducks, dogs and the Subway Sandwich guy.

I had a great time chasing the cats around Grandma & Grandpa Bott's house. We had a cookout on Saturday after the walk and I got to see Great Grandpa Bott and Aunt Barb and Jenny. Cousin Kevin was there too! It was a fun, but exhausting weekend. I was wiped. As you can see from the first photo. Mommy said I fell asleep before we hit the Interstate.

We'll try to do a better job updating the blog. I know everyone likes to know what we're up to. We've just had a busy schedule lately. Tuesday we find out whether I'm getting a brother or sister, so we'll definitely update Tuesday afternoon.

Visit with Aunt Sara

Aunt Sara is finally back home! Well, sort of. She's at least closer, so we'll see her more. She came to visit us for the weekend. At first, I wasn't sure who she was, but I quickly remembered and we became good friends. It's easy to be friends with someone who operates on the same level as you! We did enjoy some nice weather this weekend and together, with Daddy & Mommy, took a walk around the neighborhood.

I waved bye-bye to church friends on Sunday -- which pleased everyone. And I'm saying some words but not with regularity. (Nor do I realize what I'm saying.) They keep asking me about this yellow animal that says, "quack." Course, "da,da" or "dadee" are still my favorite sayings.

A new friend was born on Saturday. Trevor Lane Bailey was born at 3:02 p.m. He weighed slightly more than when I was born at 9.2. He's the new son of friends of Mommy & Daddy. Jaiden said she is excited about having a baby brother. We'll find out in a couple of weeks whether I'm getting a brother or sister later this year.

Standing

Every day I practice standing on my own. Granny, Pawpaw, Daddy and Mommy try to distract me so I'll try to walk. I'm stumbling some, but not quite walking. As you can see, it's easier for me to stand when we're outside or on the carpet at Granny's house. I've been playing in the back yard with Daddy a lot lately. He's excited about the warm weather and getting his garden planted. I just like the breeze on my face!

Crafty

It was such a nice day on Sunday that Daddy decided to finally mow our lawn. Then we all worked on a craft together. We created a stepping stone for the garden with my name on it. It was supposed to have my handprints on it, but I didn't like the feel of the concrete on my hands.

Visit to Morgantown

Daddy had to go to Morgantown on Saturday for football practice. Since it was raining and Mommy couldn't do much around the house, we decided to drive up with Daddy and visit Grandpa & Grandma. Daddy turned my car seat around so I face forward now. What a difference! I sure like looking out the window and being able to talk to Mommy & Daddy. We had a short but nice visit with Grandpa & Grandma and, of course, Penelope!

Emmaus #2

After the Emmaus people had their party, a nice man named Dan gave me all the balloons to play with. As you can see the string always fascinates me.