11 Months!

The month didn't start out the greatest as I got a nasty virus. I ended up having a  fever for two days and was pretty tired, all I wanted was to be held for three days straight. Once I started feeling better I was ready to get back into the swing of things and make up for lost time sleeping!

There I go....

I am pulling myself up and walking around furniture now, and I like to get into anything and everything. (nothing is safe!!) My mom picked me up a baby walker that plays music when I walk behind it. It is probably one of my favorite toys to use around the house now! Check out the video and watch me walk! 

Here I Go!

Easter

I received an Easter Card in the mail along with two Easter Bibs from my Aunt Kathy, and like always I LOVED the card! We celebrated Easter by having a big family brunch, an egg hunt and of course getting our Easter Baskets! I received some fun toys,got to try my first Peep,(just a small bite because they are filled with sugar!) and even got a homemade book from my Grandma!

I also got to wear some bunny ears, and while this picture makes it look like I didn't like them, I actually wanted to keep them on!

Life on the Farm

My Grandpa flew in from NC and spent the evening at out house, spoiling me of course! Then we all headed to my Great Grandparent's farm in SD for the weekend. I loved seeing all the farm cats play around the yard, but when they would come close to me I would get too excited so they would run away! While there I even got to take my first Tracker ride, and I squealed in excitement the whole time! To top off the visit to the farm, I got to meet my newest cousin....as you can see from the picture, I was very curious....Mom was nervous...and Dad, well he didn't even notice! ha

Swimming

I LOVE being in the water and can't get enough of the pool! I was like a little fish, and just splashed and kicked my feet in the water as much as I could. The water was actually a little cold, but I didn't mind it at all, and when I wasn't yelling in excitement I was clapping my hands with a big smile on my face.

 

Favorite Show

I have a new favorite show....brace yourselves, as it isn't your typical kid's show! My favorite show is....Jeopardy! Yes, it is actually one of my favorite shows, weird I know. I don't really like watching tv, but for some reason whenever it is on, I get really excited and get upset when they break for commercials!

Check out the video link to watch me get all excited, and note that I shake my head no when they read off the categories if I don't like them! 

This Is Jeopardy!

Spring is FINALLY here

The weather has finally turned nice out and I am loving being able to go outside for walks, bike rides and being able to sit in the grass! We are all geared up to head to the lake this summer, and I even got my own lifejacket to wear in my Grandpa's boat! My Uncle Shawn is so excited to take me in his boat, he even bought me my first fishing pole!

Well, that is it for this month...see you all next month when I turn 1 years old! 

Donovan

10 Months!

I am officially in the double digits now, the big 10 months! 

Here is what I was up to this past month...

 

The Luck of the Irish!

Well, I experienced my first St. Patrick's Day, and can say I like corn beef and cabbage. It was a fun filled day starting off with a special outfit to celebrate the day, followed by a special Irish dinner and music! (My mom sure likes this holiday!!) While waiting for dinner to be ready I decided to read the Northern Tool ad in the paper, because after all I love to read! I was really excited to see all the cool tools they had on sale, but something tells me I will not be getting that table saw I got excited about. (Something about it being too dangerous? ha)

Snow, Snow and More Snow...and maybe a little Spring

We were hit with snow storm #1 of the month which left us with 12" of snow. It started to come down late at night and continue into the morning hours. My dad packed up me and attempted to bring me to daycare, and quickly called my mom to say "COME HOME" because the roads were so bad (She left early to try and get to work, but didn't make it too far!)...so we had a family day at home which was really nice!

After about 2 weeks, the snow started to melt some because we had a few days of really nice weather and rain...but as I am finding, typical MN weather the warmer temps didn't last! We got hit with snow storm #2 last week which dumped about 10" of snow on us. It was crazy because our yard was finally clear as all the snow melted...but this last round didn't stay long and melted pretty fast!

I think Spring is finally here, and I am so happy about that! We took advantage of all the nice days and have been putting some miles on stroller! I love being able to hang out in my stroller and check out all the fun things during our walks. A special thank you to my Auntie Joy for knitting me some pretty awesome mittens to wear to keep my hands warm!

 

March Madness

Who knew so many people get into this basketball thing called March Madness! I even got to fill out a bracket, but like most people I didn't having the winning bracket. I was allowed to watch a little basketball on TV, but wasn't all that interested. I did get my own basket ball hoop and ball to play with in the tub to really get into the March Madness fever!  I really like playing with my new bathtub toy, and am really good and dunking the ball! (Check out my arm muscles...on this photo of me dunking the ball!)

 

Crawling

I am a crawling machine now...and I am FAST! No more army crawling for me, I am up on all fours and can move very quickly. I roam all over the house, and like to pull myself up on anything and everything. Nothing in the house is safe anymore so a lot of things have been moved up high our taken out of the house completely. The coffee table is one of my favorite things to pull myself up on, because that is where the remotes are. (I have been known to record a few random things on the DVR to surprise my mom and dad! ha)

I keep trying to crawl over to the dog dish, but so far I have not been successful as my mom and dad stop me....The dog's food just looks so tempting, they don't understand! I try everyday, and they always stop me...I heard talk about them moving it, but I am sure I will find a way to get to it eventually.

 

Teeth

I now have 4 teeth, and two more on the way, two on bottom (with two more coming in) and two on the top. With all these teeth I like to use them to chew on everything. I like to chew on the coffee table, but I am told I am not allowed to do that....Booo!! But, with more teeth now I am eating a lot more table food, and find I am really liking things with lots of flavor. So far the only thing I really do not like is scrambled eggs, but I love trying everything. This month I really liked my mom's chicken and swiss with stuffing, I couldn't get enough of it!

 

Welcome to Minneapolis

Katie and Diana came to Minneapolis to visit for a weekend. We went out to breakfast and then went on a nice walk to start the weekend off. That evening we went out for dinner too,and it was fun. There was so much to watch and see as the chef cooks everything right in front of you. Then to finish off the weekend, the following day we went to the zoo because it was so beautiful outside. We had a good time there, and I really liked seeing all the animals, but I think the fish were my favorite! We topped off their visit by taking them to Caribou Coffee, since they come from the land of Starbucks! The visit was really nice, and I am glad they had the opportunity to see me once more and see that I am a happy, healthy and very active little guy! 

 

 

 

As you can see, I am very active and busy...but I wouldn't' have it any other way!

Until Next Month...

Donovan

9 Months!

Nine Months old...Crazy how time flies huh? I went to my pediatrician yesterday and received rave reviews on overall health! I am still off the charts in height, measuring in at just under 30" long and to date I am 22 lbs. I am still loving all my fruits and veggies, but I really like eating table food. This month my favorite thing I ate was Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes...I couldn't get enough of them.

Over Valentines day, I received a special card from my Great Aunt Kathy and I was so excited about getting mail I just kept looking at the card and smiling! I really like reading, so this was exciting to me. Here I am admiring my card! (The flowers in the background was the surprise my dad and I sent my mom to her work...but, it was all my idea!)

My first Olympics has come and passed, and I really enjoyed them. My favorite things were figure skating and hockey, which I am sure my two cousins would appreciate since those are their sports of choice! I would get REALLY excited watching the figure skating because of the music, but once Hockey came on that was even better! We all cheered really loud when team USA played Russia and it ended in a shoot out...because the player who did the most shoot outs was from UND where my mom and dad went to college, home of the Fighting Sioux!

One of the biggest highlights so far this month has been that I learned to crawl! I army crawl all over the house, and then get up on all fours and rock back and forth as fast as I can and then lunge forward like superman! Yes, I face-plant on the carpet and giggle at myself. My mom and dad have to watch out, because I am super fast now so I keep them BUSY!!

We are heading to the pool this weekend so I can try out swimming for the first time! If I like it a lot, then I will be getting signed up for "Little Tots" which is a swimming class for my age. I have a feeling I am going to love the pool as I still love my bath, and when we went and toured the pool it was warm and seemed really nice! Here are some shots of me in my bath...we had some fun with the bubbles and my dad gave me a bubble beard and tie!

Next month Katie and Diana will be visiting for a weekend, and my mom and dad said we will be showing them our favorite parts of the city! Hopefully the weather will be nice as all the fun things we like to do are all outdoors.

Happy St. Patrick's Day too...we are gearing up for the day, as that is my mom's favorite holiday of the year! I hear I get to try corn beef, sauerkraut, and cabbage....but I am not too worried as I am not a picky eater!
- Donovan

8 Months old and growing strong...really strong!

 I am officially 8 months old now, and starting to really find my voice and I let it be known what I want now! I don't always like to be held as I am a rolling machine on the floor! While I am not crawling yet, it will not be long until I am mobile! I love rolling around on the floor and I can get pretty much anywhere if I set my mind too it! I have gotten up into a crawling position, and rock back and forth, but I am not ready just yet. (I have a feeling by next month that will be a different story!)

Here are some fun things that have been happening since my last update:

 

"BYOB...Bring your Own Baby (to Yoga class)"

My mom and I went to a Yoga class this past month, and it was a lot of fun, well for me anyway! The class was about an hour long and was packed with fun and made for a good workout! They had all the mom's do different yoga positions while holding their babies, not as easy as it sounds! We sang songs and then worked on flexibility to help with future crawling and walking!  Here is me after the yoga class...as you can see I love it!

 

Teeth

Two more are on the way! My two bottom teeth are officially in, and now my two top teeth are making their way through. Like last time, this means a lot of sleepless nights and lots of snuggle time. Seriously, this whole teething thing isn't fun...for anyone! But, we found a way to ease the pain a little, I got to try my first popsical! While I wasn't sure what to think of this ice cold thing, I ended up really liking it!

Click on the video link below to watch my reaction...and what a reaction it is! (Yes, this is my FIRST reaction to any kind of food!)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l5rj6q96eayihz0/irDxQo4tYV/20140209_152550.mp4

 

Reading

My favorite thing to do on Sunday morning is to drink coffee and read the paper! Wait...I drink formula, the adults drink the coffee!  But, I do love to help read the paper! This is what a typical Sunday morning in my house looks like! Sometimes I get so excited about an article or something in the Target ad that I scream really loud so everyone knows how I feel! (I am really pushing for my own remote, but I don't think anyone is taking me seriously!)

 

My Best Friend

My dog, Java, and I have become best friends, especially when I am eating Cheerios or Puffs! But, she loves me even when I am not eating in my highchair. She sleeps in my room every night and usually is laying right in front of my crib to protect me. She loves running up and down the hallway and stopping right in front of me, then I giggle and she does it again...we could do this all night long, but she usually gets tired out after about 10 times.

 

Dancing

And finally, last but not least...Introducing Donovan the Dancer! As always, I really love music, and am not starting to feel it too...I thrust my hips and jump up and down while listening...but note that I am picky about music. If you play a song without any techno sounds I doesn't like it!  Daft Punk is currently one of his favorite bands but I like The Final Countdown song a lot too! Here is a video of me showing off my dance moves!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l5rj6q96eayihz0/1yxnggTRds/20140127_183616.mp4?n=86869590

 

 

Well, that is about it for now...Until next month!

Donovan

PS - Happy Valentine's Day!!

 

A whole lot of firsts!! (Teeth, Christmas & a Haircut!)

Happy New Year!!
I thought I would update a little earlier than usual this month because a lot has been going on...be ready, this is a long one, you have been warned!!

First off, I officially have 2 teeth now! Sorry, there is no pictures with my new pearly whites...But we will keep trying to get a picture of them for you all to see! Let me tell you, getting teeth is not fun and no one warned me how hard it would be! But, once they broke through the skin I felt so much better and everyone got some much needed sleep. (Did you know you can go 3 days without sleeping at night? Unlike my parents I can snooze during the day, but you should have seen them...they looked like walking zombies! ha)

I am officially 19 lbs and close to 29" long...off the charts in height by close to 2 inches, can you believe it? My pediatrician said I am going to be on TALL boy! During my visit I had a cough and they decided I needed to use a nebulizer. I wasn't very happy about that, but they say it is the best for my health. So, we got to bring our very own machine home with us to use when I need it to help with my breathing. (Not to worry, it isn't as bad as it sounds...it is more for when I get a cold!)

"Luke, I am your father"

Wow, Christmas time was crazy fun....there was so much stuff to look at both on the tree and under it!
We put up a Christmas tree at home, and once there were gifts under the tree, I was all about helping. (By helping I mean trying to unwrap them!) I loved looking at the lights on the tree, and the gifts were fun to try and grab at!
Here I am trying to "help" with the gifts under the tree...as you can see I got caught in the act!

Caught in the act!

We opened presents at our house the on the 23rd, and I surprised my dad with a new rugby bag that he can use for his games! I am not sure who liked it more, my dad or me....who knew you could have so much fun  with a bag! I sat in the bad and didn't want to get out, so dad figured out a new way to carry me around the house, which I giggled about the whole time!

My favorite toy, sorry Dad!

Take me for another ride!

Shhh...I am hiding!

After our Christmas celebration at our house, we packed up and drove to my Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas Eve  for the celebration to continue!
I got two new outfits for the holiday:

"What Santa doesn't bring me, Grandma Will"

My 1st Christmas!

And, I got two new bibs to wear to from my Great Aunt...

Nice

Naughty

After all the Christmas fun was over, we asked my Great Aunt Susie to give me my first haircut...the little tuft I had growing on the crown on my head was getting just a little long! So, to keep with tradition in the family, Susie gave my my 1st Haircut!!

First Snip!

Are we done yet?

That wasn't so bad!! Check out my handsome haircut!

As for New Years, well I made it until about 8pm before I decided to call it a night! I celebrated early before going to bed, after all I can't tell time yet! Instead of  "bubbly" I opted for some formula and as celebration snack I had some delicious peaches!
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Donovan

6 Months!!

6 months...can you believe it??

I am officially a half a year old already, and looking back a lot has happened in 6 months of life!  I weigh in at 19lbs, and still growing like crazy!! I have to wear 9 month pants because I am so long now and I have already outgrew two pairs of shoes that are supposed to be for up to 12 months!

 

This month brought a lot of first for me!

1. Food: I tried more veggies this month, and so far I have not found a veggie I don't like! If anything I get really excited to eat them. To date, I have tried (and loved) sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and avocado! (Ok, Avocado is considered a fruit, but it is green, and a good way to introduce fruits I guess!) Next month I get to try fruits!

2. Toes: I found my toes and they are my new favorite thing to play with! I like to pull my socks off every chance I can get, just to grab my feet and stick them in my mouth! (Which now makes changing my diaper more of a challenge which is funny to me!!)

3. Not So INSIDE Voice: I have figured out how to be LOUD!! When I get excited I like to make a high pitch squeal that sometimes will make your ears hurt! I do this a lot when I see my dog near me. At first made my loud squeal would scare my dog, but she has come to realize that noise is just me excited and she just goes along with it!

4. Sippy Cup Time: I have a Sippy cup now, but really I just think it is something to play with....and I like it when I am able to get water out of it too! I might not have mastered how it works yet, but I sure to like to play with it and chew on the top!

5. Thanksgiving: My first Thanksgiving was fun...while everyone else ate turkey and all the fixings I got to eat carrots which I didn't mind, and they are my top favorite thing to eat so far. I was able to watch a little bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but found myself being bored with it and decided to play with my feet instead!!

6. Christmas time is coming: I am already realizing that this whole Christmas time is a pretty cool deal! There are presents under the tree, and I love touching them and I am looking forward to playing with the wrapping paper as soon as I am able to actually open them up!

7. Santa: I visited Santa  and while I wasn't too sure if I would like him, it was fun! My cousins from Australia are home for the holiday so they hung out with me and Santa so I wouldn't be scared!

8. Sports: I am really liking sports already! I love watching the Viking's games and I recently went to a hockey game, which I really liked! I squeeled the whole time and everyone around us thought I was louder than the hockey whistle!

My dad and I like to watch rugby together too...but since they don't show it on regular TV channels, we have to live stream it on our tablet...but he always makes sure I get to see some of the game. (He is good at sharing!)

Well, that is all for this month...I am sure I will have a ton more to update next month once Christmas comes and I get to check out all the presents and play with the paper!!Until then, Happy Holidays and wishing you all a very happy New Year!!

Love, Donovan

5 Months!!

Five months and going strong!! I am so long now that I have to wear size 6 months clothes already! While the 3-6 months close fit me width wise, they are just not long enough. My pediatrician said if I keep growing like I have been, I am going to be one tall boy!

So, here is what has been going on in the fun world of me this past month:

WOW....why has no one told me that there is a special day when you get to dress up and get free candy!! (I think that needs to happen at least once a month!) Ok, so I didn't really get to eat any candy, but I did get to help hand it out to the Trick-or-Treaters that came to our house. I got all dressed up in this duck costume that was "Sooooo Cute", so I could go to a few of our neighbor's houses. Here is my costume...Quack Quack...Donovan the Duck!

Besides getting dressed up the night of Halloween, I also got to wear a special shirt to daycare that day, and a hat made just for me too in honor of the fun day! Check it out:

I got to try cereal and sweet potatoes for the first time! I was a little confused as to how this whole spoon thing works, but I quickly got the hang of it! My first meal was rice cereal, and since I had never eaten from a spoon before I think more cereal ended up on my bib and my face then it did in my mouth!! But, as time went on, I figured it out and get really excited when I see the spoon coming towards my mouth now.

My first meal of something with flavor was sweet potatoes, and boy were they delicious!! My mom made them, as she is making all of my baby food since she refuses to give me baby food from a jar. She has a whole list of food she is preparing and freezing for me to try and taste!!

Here is a video of me trying sweet potatoes for the first time...as you can see, I am not scared to try new things! 

Donovan - 1st time with Sweet Potatoes!

Oh, and I am such a big boy now that I even want to feed myself! Oh course it doesn't really work...come on, I am only 5 months old! But, I get to practice with the spoon after I am done eating!

I got my picture taken this past month and I was a good boy during the photo session too! The photographer would make me laugh and smile, but as soon as she pulled her camera up I would get super serious and would be too busy checking the camera out to smile! All of the lights she had on made me super sleeping because it was so warm and cozy, so she got a lot of me sleepy...and of course sucking my thumb. She did manage to get one of me with a half smile though!