I love my kitty siblings now, and they are starting to warm up to me.  I mostly chase them around the house, until they find a really good hiding place.  Sometimes Mom and Dad will step in and help me to pet the kitties.  These are some of my favorite moments.  I give Jack a BIG hug any chance I get, and today I got to feel his soft ears.  

And the best time to cuddle a cat is NAKED TIME:

Daddy calls this multitasking:

This was a big week for me.  I became a full-time toddler at daycare, graduating with honors from the baby room.  I got my first toddler daily report on Thursday, and did my first full day in the toddler room on Friday.  I really like it in the big boy room.  I decided that since the other kids don't need bottles, then neither do I.  And I take the best naps, now.  All of us take naps at the same time in the dark with sleepy time music on, so I sleep great.  There are no distractions.  
It's possible that I started saying "choo-choo" today.  I visited Grandma and Grandpa for the day while Mom and Dad had Bach Choir.  "Choo-choo" sounds a lot like "juice, shoes, and cheese,"  so it will be an easy one to add to my vocabulary.  We also took a long walk in the balmy January weather, and I ate lunch there while Mom and Dad went on a date!  
Here is my very first daily sheet from the Toddler Room:

We went for a walk today:

For those of you who didn't see this on Facebook.  Here is a demostration of how I almost fall into the bathtub.

Today's blog post is dedicated to all of the silly things that happen in my life.  As I get older and into more things, the silliness abounds!  It's unfortunate that we don't have many pictures of these silly things, but I'll do my best to paint a nice picture.  You'll have to use your imagination.

Silly Thing #1 - I have found and identified my "boopin' thing."  Can you guess what a "boopin' thing" is?  No?  It's a belly button!  And so far I know that I have one, and so do Mommy and Daddy!  When you touch a belly button you have to make  a "BOOP" sound.  The next time you see me ask me where my "boopin' thing" is.

Silly Thing #2 - Bathtime follies.  Ah yes.  Since I no longer want to nurse to sleep, Mom and Dad had to come up with a new plan.  They changed my bedtime routine, so now every night is the same: nurse/bottle, bath time, brush teeth, pajama time, book time, bed time.  Last night Daddy was in charge of the entire routine, because Mommy had to work.  I was getting awfully sleepy earlier than usual, so Daddy started the routine with a bottle as usual.  I was taking too long with the bottle, though, and he didn't want to mess up the routine.  So to speed things up we combined bottle time and bath time.  Yes, you read correctly.  Daddy let me finish my bottle IN the bathtub.  He's so silly!  
And speaking of bathtime silliness, this afternoon I fell in the tub, except not all the way.  I went in the bathroom to get the shampoo (so I could either throw it down the stairs or put it in the hamper), but I accidentally dropped it in the tub, so I leaned over to get it, and got stuck!  I whined a little bit to let Mom know that I needed some help, but she just came in and giggled at me.   THEN she called for Daddy to come quickly and they BOTH giggled at me.  I don't see what was so silly.  I could have just let go of the shampoo and been on my way, but I needed it!  

Silly Thing #3 - Throwing things down the stairs.  I just learned this trick today.  I was carrying around two jumbles, when I cat appeared at the top of the stairs.  Of course I needed to check it out, so I went over to the baby gate.  I accidentally dropped one of the jumbles, and it fell all the way down.  It was SO cool.  So then I threw the other one down, too!  It was really fun, but at the time I only had the two jumbles with me.  Not a big deal, I walked back into my parents room, got another jumble, and threw IT down the stairs.  Then I got distracted by something else, but I'm going to try it again tomorrow!

Silly Thing #4 - The dishwasher.  I love the dishwasher.  It is a magic treasure trove of all things that make noise.  I especially love the basket of silverware, and without fail I always manage to snatch the one and only "dangerous" object in the basket.  Luckily Mom is quicker than me and she confiscates the knife before you can say "lick the dishwasher."  And the other night I actually completed the first chore of my little life.    While Dad was emptying the dishwasher, I took a lid to a pot out and put it away in its cabinet.  Dad was SO proud of me!

Silly Thing #5 - From Mommy - Two weeks ago Preston was having a rough week with teething, so John had to stay home with him one day.  They had a fun time together, and I came home to see them both at lunch.  Everything was pretty normal at lunchtime, so I put Pres down for his afternoon nap and headed back to work.  When I got home again a few hours later it was crazy!  John was in his pajamas, toys and books were everywhere, and Preston was wearing socks, a diaper and an unbuttoned onesie.  John said that he had tried to button the onesie, but there was too much wiggling, so he just gave up.  It was a silly site to see!

Silly Thing #6 - Playing in the snow, or should I say, getting ready to play in the snow.  It snowed today!  We got 3-4 inches.  This is really the first time in my life that we have had snow, and I am actually able to play in it, so Mom was pretty excited.  At 11am we decided to get ready to go outside!  We got dressed in a ton of layers and put snow pants on.  But then I decided I was hungry.  So we took a short milk break with snow pants on.  Then it was back to getting ready.  Next I put on my new snow boots, followed by my winter coat, hat, and gloves.  By then it was 12 noon.  Where did that hour go?  Anyway, I was READY!  We went outside and Daddy pulled me around on my Christmas sled.  I lost my mittens.  They were white on the white snow.  :Luckily, we FOUND my mittens!  Then Mommy pulled me around on the sled.  I cried.  I lost my mittens again.  My hands were too cold, and I REALLY cried.  Mom and I went inside, leaving Daddy to (again) find my mittens.  All of that happened in about 5 minutes.  1 hour to get ready; 5 minutes of outside time.  We didn't go out again.  Maybe tomorrow!

There is a video of me sledding; it's the top one over there ------------------------->

 

This morning Mom, Dad, and I all headed over to the Pediatrician for my 1 year old check-up.  I am right on track for everything!

Here are my stats:
23lbs 6ozs (90th percentile)
31 inches tall (75th percentile)
18 inch head (50th percentile)

The doctor was impressed that I can walk already!  
There were a few unpleasant parts of my visit though.  The nurse poked my big toe to get a tiny blood sample.  That was no big deal, and when she as finished she put a bandaid on it.  I didn't cry at all for that, and the bandaid kept me busy for a little while.  But at the end of the appointment I had to get 3 shots in my arms!  They made me REALLY sad.  I was still sad when Mom dropped me off at daycare, but we snuggled for a few minutes before she left.  That helped to cheer me up, and the rest of the day I was my old self again.  

At daycare I get to go play with my buddies in the toddler room.  I graduate in one week, so I am getting used to being in a new room.  I'm going to really miss Miss Erin, though. 

It's my BIRTHDAY!!  Gee, that first year went fast.  Today I celebrated with Mom at home.  We had a fun day together, playing with some of my new toys and eating leftover party food.  Guess how many meatballs I ate for lunch?  (I'll give you a hint, it was more than 2, but less than 4).  
When Daddy got home we ate dinner, blew out 2 candles (one for good luck), and went to Bach Choir so that they could sing me the birthday song!  We got it on video.  It was a little bewildering to me, birthdays are kind of like regular days, except everyone seems so excited about it.  

I am officially a toddler now, and Mom and Dad are in way over their heads.  I basically rule the roost around here.  I hate going to bed; they can't fool me with their baby tricks, and I all I have to do is be my cute little self and they will do anything I want.  I totally have them wrapped around my little finger.  

At one year old I have a lot of skills and things that I can do, so let me list a few:
- I can say a few words: tick tock (my favorite), Uh Oh, juice, shoes, cheese, dog, kitty, buh-bye, and Dada
- I can walk!
- I can identify objects in books: clocks, balls, and the moon are my favorites
- I can point, clap hands, play pat-a-cake, so big, wave, boop my belly button, attempt to put my socks and shoes on (basically I just know where socks and shoes are supposed to go), and throw a ball
- I love to put objects in and under things: the hair gel goes in the hamper, the phone goes in the printer, the puzzle pieces go under the hearth cushion, EVERYTHING goes down the vent, and the hairbrush goes in the tiolet (everything should go in the toilet, but Mom and Dad don't like that so much)
- I don't like the man who talks to me from the phone and tells me that "There are no new messages"  He either makes me cry or I yell at him!
- I love to jump and to dance to music

Here are a few photos of me on my first birthday: 

From Mommy:
All day today John and I were remembering what was happening a year ago.  At 4:39am Preston was born.  By 5:30 we had called most of the family - around 10:30 or 11 we got our first visitors - I got to eat a Primo Hoagie - We had Pizza for dinner - We haven't slept in 36 hours (a rude awakening to what our lives were going to feel like from then on) - 10pm we sent Preston to the nursery so we could get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep - Preston pooped - He made wierd newborn baby noises that freaked us out - We were parents!  It's not only a celebration of Preston's first year, but a celebration of our first year as parents (I have a feeling the easy part is over and it only gets harder from here).  And finally I am proud of myself for reaching my goal of breastfeeding for one year.  
Preston is our joy.  

Today we had the biggest party ever!  46 people came over to celebrate my First Birthday, including 4 babies, and 3 toddler/kids.  I have the best friends and family.  
Mom and Dad did a great job with all the food.  We had meatballs, sausage and peppers, pulled pork, and birthday cake, of course.  Mom wanted me to blow out the candles and smash the cake, but it's hard to do those things with 45 people watching.  I needed a little encouragement, so mom let me poke the cake with a spatula.  That was fun!  
Here are a few photos of the cake smashing.

I got a lot of cool toys and gifts, so after everyone left Mom and Dad and I played with a few of them.  I had a busy day, so mom thought that I would fall asleep early. But I had too many things to do: play with my new light saber, read some new books, wack some nails, jump on the trampoline, and take some pictures.  I eventually fell asleep in Mommy's arms and we had some good snuggle time.  

I had the best first birthday a little boy could ask for.

Tomorrow is my real birthday, and Mom and I are going to hang out at home.  

From Mommy:
The party was a huge success.  We loved having all of our friends and family over to celebrate Preston's first year.  It's hard to believe it's been a year already, but it was the best year of my life.  I am daily amazed by him, and so blessed to have a my loving little family.  
Tomorrow will be bitter sweet for me, but I'm glad that I am able to stay home with him and just enjoy being his mommy.  Then John and I plan to take him to Bach Choir for a world class birthday song!  We'll get it on video.  

On this day one year ago at 11:40pm my water broke and I knew I'd have a baby in my arms in a few hours.  

From Mommy: 
This has been a tough week so far.  Preston is really working on a tooth, possibly many teeth (or molars).  Who can really know?  He chomps on my fingers if I try to check out what is going on in his mouth.  Over the weekend he was more serious that usual, and for the last few days he hasn't been eating, regressing back to only wanting soupy purees and not very much of that.  It's been a challenge.  Yesterday he was sent home from daycare because he was sick, and today John stayed home with him.  I hope tomorrow we can send him to daycare again, but we have to see how things are in the morning.  He has been drooling like his favorite dog in the dog book - "drooly dog sticks!"

It's not all bad though!  He's getting much better at walking, and yesterday he learned to stand up without the use of furniture - butt in the air style.  He even figured out how to do it on our bed; that takes a lot of balance and cooridination, prompting a round of "no more monkeys jumping on the bed!"  He is definitely a dare devil.  We also discovered that Grandpa taught him all about clocks, and he says "tick tock" and points to the clock. 

It's amazing how many things he figures out, and we are always so excited to discover something new that he does!

Today we went shopping for my first set of wheels.  I'll be turning one in about a week, and it's time I get a little independence around here!  We test drove a few vehicles, and I decided on this beauty, a 12volt blueberry blue Boss 302 Mustang Convertible.  Talk about a "Little Flirt" this thing would be a major chick magnet. 

But as I was getting ready to drive off the lot, a bright flash caught my eye, and I had to investigate.  It was a.... bitchin' Camaro!  Electric yellow, 6 speed convertible with built in stereo... How could I choose between this two amazing pieces of machinery? 

I just couldn't choose, so I came home to sleep on it.  Which one do you think I should get??

*Mommy's Disclaimer*
Preston won't actually be getting a car for his first birthday.  He probably won't even get a car for his 16th birthday.  But we can let a boy dream. 

Thank you Kaelyn for the awesome photos that you took last week.  Mom and Dad love them!  


Since I am almost 1, Mom and Dad wanted some pro photos of me and all of us as a family.   Here are a few of them, they turned out really cute!