My First Lollapeelooza

Last weekend was my very first Lollapeelooza! Ever since 2001, Mommy and Daddy used to throw a party every year "just because" -- a crawfish boil, Roughriders party deck, FC Dallas party, boat on the lake, etc -- but they took some time off to move to a new house and (more importantly) have me. This year, they had a good excuse to have a get together because Mommy won the Dreyers Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute (yes, again), also known as ICE CREAM FOR 100 PEOPLE! We had 12 cartons of ice cream and 4 boxes of ice cream bars delivered to our house that we knew we needed to get out of the house fast.

3 of the original Camelot Cuties

Mommy and Daddy decided to throw our ice cream party at the community center in the neighborhood. They ordered fajitas, had a bounce house, and invited lots of friends! Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye were a HUGE help getting ready and playing with me; Nai-Nai even took me in the bounce house because she was convinced I wanted to get in (although I'm pretty sure she was the one that wanted to play). :) It was lots of fun, but I sure was pooped afterwards. I can't wait until the next one, but no promises that we'll have that much ice cream again! The only bad thing was that Mommy and Daddy were so busy having fun, they forgot to take pictures! Boooo ...

HL babies!

I'm becoming very good at creeping around. Just using my arms, I can easily make it across the room! Just wait until these legs kick into gear. My newest thing is that I'm started to prop up on all fours and rock. Unfortunately, since my limbs don't seem to coordinate well together to move me forward, I end up doing a face plant more than anything else, but I like it!

Feeling confident with my creeping, I've decided to conquer standing.

My newest food is potatoes. Mommy and Daddy actually introduced it to me so that I could have a finger food to feed myself because I love to help you feed me. After my sweet potato incident, Mommy was a tiny bit worried (how could a daughter of hers not eat potatoes?!), but I like 'em even if they were just boiled. I'm not great at actually getting it in my mouth, but I'm pretty good smushing it in the general vicinity.

You want me to put what where?

Stuff that I forgot to mention before ... I got to meet my new friend Evan Cherie Morse a couple of weeks ago. Her mommy and my mommy used to work together and would joke about raising babies at the same time, and now they are! She sure was cute, but it's hard to believe that I used to be that small. I also got to encounter doggies for the first time at their place. I didn't like it at first (I thought I was in charge of all the licking and drooling!), but then it was kind of fun. Zoe was especially intriguing because she's so much littler than me! I still haven't taken an actual bath in the ducky tub that Kaylie bought me, but I definitely like sitting in it and pretending that I'm floating.

I'm warning you, I'm coming to get you!

I'm on my way!

I'm here! (Such a ham)

Oh, yes. July album has been updated with more pics. Can you believe it's August already?!

Back to Usual

Can we go to the beach next time?

Vacation's over and everything's back to normal. I'm still trying new foods (yuuuum, carrots!) and am mostly on formula now. I sit up really well, and if you put me on the floor, I don't stay in that location for long!

This ball is bigger than my head! (Note the drool about to drop)

Mmm ... carrots

Last weekend, Mommy and I had a playdate with Auntie Diana, Jacob, and Auntie Nina. It's been so long since I've hung out with Jacob, we had to give each other a big hug. Unfortunately, Mommy didn't catch it in time to take a picture.

I can fly!

Nai-Nai swears that I'm crawling for real, but all Mommy has seen is me scootch around like an inch worm sticking my butt up in the air and has a sinking sensation that baby proofing is soon to follow.

Be careful, I'm just moments away from really crawling!

Mommy added more pictures to my July album in case these weren't enough for now.

Aspen: My First Big Trip

Composing my latest blog posting

Photo courtesy of Dwo Law

Sorry it's taken so long to write, but we just got back from Aspen having a great time on my first big vacation! We went with my Mommy's side of the family including my grandparents, uncles, and their girlfriends; I was spoiled for a whole week by everyone including Mommy and Daddy. Plus with Xiao-Jiu, and Gong-Gong there, you know there were a TON of pictures taken! Thank you so much, Po-Po and Gong-Gong, for giving us the opportunity every year to get together as a big family like this!

Mommy's family

Photo courtesy of Gong-Gong

The plane ride to Vail was okay. I was kind of bored, but at least it was only a couple of hours. Once we got there, all of us suffered some altitude sickness (I don't get how they breathe up there in that thin air!), but it sure was pretty!

This plane ride isn't so bad (for the first 10 minutes)

Wow! It's pretty here!

Mommy was happy that I got to wear my long-sleeved 3-6mo onesies and winter hats; I sure had a bunch of cute ones! Every day, Mommy, Daddy, and I went for long walks through the city. Even better, the weather was so nice, we could go any time of the day instead of having to hide inside away from the heat like in Texas! We spent a lot of time just sitting on the porch and enjoying the wonderful weather.

The hat finally fits!

We visited lots of sites like the John Denver memorial (beautiful!), the art museum (small but free), and the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (not suitable for strollers). We took the gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain (I got sick), and "hiked" Maroon Bells (I slept). One day, we piled into the car to visit million dollar open houses; you'd be surprised how little you get for $4m in Aspen, but the views sure are nice!

Aspen Mountain

Maroon Bells

Besides my first flight, I had some other firsts on this trip, too. A big one is I went swimming for the first time so I made use of my bathing suit before I outgrew it. The water was nice and warm, just like a bath. I got to use my umbrella stroller like you're supposed to, not with the baby carrier in it, and I'm sitting up all by myself really well. I even sat in a restaurant-issue high chair both at the resort and eating out!

My swim duds

In the poolPhoto courtesy of Dwo Law

Woo-hoo! Ready to go!

Food-wise firsts (because food is a big deal), I've mastered the straw and almost prefer it to the bottle; I even like to hold it between my thumb and forefinger with my pinky extended like Mommy. I like drinking from cups, too, especially from the one you're holding. I like to help you feed me, and I also enjoy feeding myself with my munchkin.

I love water, especially in my cup

I really want to feed myself

On the last day there, my uncle Dwo (my Xiao-Jiu) did a photo shoot with me. He's starting his portrait photography business and wants to get as much practice as possible. I'm so proud of both him and my uncle Zong (my Da-Jiu) who's in medical school right now. They're both doing things that they love and are good at; I hope to be able to do the same some day.

Uncle Zong (Da-Jiu)Photo courtesy of Dwo Law

Uncle Dwo (Xiao-Jiu)
Photo courtesy of Dwo Law

While we were in Aspen, Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous at the idea of traveling with me again, but I was so good on the way home that they're all for it and have no concerns. My next vacation is in October. We're going to the Outer Banks to see Auntie Daphne get married! I'm very excited because I'll get to meet all of my Daddy's side of the family plus see Auntie Syndee and Charlie again, too.

Can we go again?

Some other stuff has happened (like the Sweet Potato incident), and I have a feeling that Mommy has her side of the story regarding the vacation. Oh, and of course my July photo album has been created with more pictures from Aspen and will have more pictures added to throughout the month. Come back and visit soon!

Loving life

Photo courtesy of Dwo Law