Christmas tree

For $5, we went to the snowy woods and found a nice, little fir for our Christmas tree. I'm actually doing a fairly good job of keeping my clams off the ornaments.

We're moving!

That's right, my mom and dad are taking me to Helena, Mont. That's where they lived for four years and got married. (Ole is a Helena native, too.). Dad is out of newspapers (for now) and will be working for theState of Montana's legislative audit division -- making sure state government is working like it should. I'll miss some of my first friends and my little blue house. But I bet I'll make lots of new friends.

Soul!

I do know how to say my name -- with gusto!

Feeding 'O'

I also like to haul his food bucket out all by myself!

Jacko!

Momma and I admired my "jacko." Dada and I did the dirty work a little while before. I can't wait to dress up as a kitty. I plan to trick or treat at the university dorms, the co-op and on our block. Happy Halloween!

Chair surfin'

Friendly ghost

Puddles!

The weather finally cooperated, so I set out to test my puddle boots. (My feet are just big enough, too.) It was just a shallow, little one in the alley, but it was fun!

The words I know

Ohn...Pitch...Moo...Puck
After "Mama," those are my favorite words -- or at least the ones my Mom and Dad can understand. According to them, those are "Ole," "chip," "cow milk," and "cup."
Listen as I act and talk like "Dada" in the newsroom on his BlackBerry.

Humidity

It has been a humid end of summer here in the Twin Ports. One good measure? The curliness of my hair.

Swimmin'

It has been quite a summer for me. First birthday. Walking. Cake. Ice cream.
And now swimming.
It all started when Grandma Vonnie and Grandpa Bruce bought me a blue plastic pool for the backyard on a fine ("perfect?") Duluth day. I even invited my neighbor Esme over for a dip. And Ole had a big water dish.
But Mom got pretty excited a few weeks later when I charged right into Spirit Lake, Iowa, as I did over and over again recently. Hey, with all my cousins around, I felt like I should at least try out my strokes.
Mom got even more excited when I tried to drink "Stinky Lake."(On second thought, maybe that's why I don't feel so good this week.)

My dog

Besides Mom, my best buddy is a three-year-old Border Collie, Ole. He kindly leaves his water dish out for me to play with/in, and occasionally lets me sneak a piece of Iams. I return the favor by launching choice bits of ground turkey, chips and assorted bits from my highchair. And he's great to ride like a pony. Dad, I want a pony!

A stroll through the living room

Birthday follow-up

Watch the paparazzi sing my praises.

I'm One!

It rained on my birthday yesterday, but I had fun anyways. And I'm not just talking about the cream cheese frosting on my gluten-free (?!) cupcakes that I gently (?!) picked at.
Mom decorated the house with pictures, a banner, a ballon and a giant paper flower. Turkey hotdogs were on the menu, though I passed on the Wasabi horseradish sauce.
I think my 99-cent bouncey ball is my favorite, although I did haul in some musical instruments (maracas, a clacker, a tamborine, cymbals), legos and a couple of books. And I guess I'll be forced to wear that pink bike helmet some day soon.
Grandma Vonnie and Grandpa Bruce joined the party. Now I'm one!

My eating habits

It's easy to think all babies do is eat, poop and cry. We do smile, too.
I favor Mom's milk. It's great any time of day in any situation.
I enjoy everything from avocados to rice puffs. Sweet potatoes, which cover my face in this photo, are on the banned list, as my butt seems to get red after I eat those!

Gettin' skills

Like all babies, I wasn't very mobile for the first few months. I started Army-style crawling around Christmas. But I was always wiggly. And being able to roll over was a big step!

Hair

I was born with lots of hair. In fact, the ultrasound tech pointed it out during a sonagram!
You could say I'm a blonde, but the little bit of red may make it interesting. I can thank my Grandma Bonnie and Aunt Sonia for that.
It's a curly mop, too. My dad had curly hair as a kid; his dad -- Grandpa Bruce -- has some curly hair, too.

In the beginning

It took some time to get me into this world -- nine months plus 50 hours, you could say.
Mom went into St. Luke's Hospital late on the night of June 25, with hard contractions, only to be sent home after they subsided. As soon as we got home, her water broke and it was back down the hill!
Mom tried very hard to get me out the "regular" way, but it wasn't to be. After 50 (that's right: five-oh) hours of labor, I was born under a bright light with a team of doctors around.
Dad remembers yelling, "It's a girl!" It was great.

Almost one

It took my Dad nearly one year to set up my own blog, even as he hounds reporters at the Duluth News Tribune to set up and feed their own.
Anyhow, we'll let Mom catch us up on my exciting first year...