I Like Tomatoes

That's right, I like them a lot. Big tomatoes, small tomatoes, red tomatoes, and yellow tomatoes. Nothing like taking a big bite out of a ripe tomato to get me back on my feet again.

Much Better

Just wanted to give a short update to let everyone know that I am feeling much better now. My Grandpa stayed home with me today and gave me lots of extra love and attention. I have been back to my normal self with my eating (pizza for dinner - yum) and have been happy and playful with Mommy and Daddy tonight. Hopefully that'll be the last of that! Thanks for everyone's concern.

Under the Weather

I haven't been feeling well since yesterday. I have been really hot and I had a fever up to 102. All I have done is sleep since dinnertime yesterday and I am refusing to eat anything (except I did manage to make an exception for a little bit of ice cream that Daddy picked up for me). I didn't even want to eat my morning banana which I usually devour, I just went back to bed without breakfast. I have just felt like lying around on Mom or Dad and being lazy. Mommy says that I haven't cuddled this much since I was a little baby. So, since I am not feeling much like being photographed, I will add a photo from the vault. This is about what I have been looking like today and yesterday, just bigger.

This Is What Happens. . .

When you fall butt first into the dog water bowl. Luckily my Mommy was there to rescue me.

My Kind of Place

I think that I may have mentioned in the past that I like going to the park. I thought I would share some pictures of me and my dudes having a good time playing there.


Here I am in one of my favorite tube slides. I like to go down it on my belly head first.

This is me and Nate driving together in the blue bouncy car.

Here we are again having a race up the slides. As you can see I was the winner.

Here I am with Daddy trying to get a hold of the monkey bars.

Again in the red tube slide, preparing for descent.

At the end of a day at the park Daddy looks a little worn out. Not me, I'd play all night!

My New Office

Daddy took me to show me my new office at SIU. It even has my name outside of the door. Its pretty nice. Here I am finishing up a few things to get ready for the start of classes.



Okay, if you hadn't already guessed, actually its Daddy's new office. But I am pretty excited because Dad says that next summer he gets to stay home every day with me and we are going to do all sorts of fun guy stuff together without Mom.

Where is Thomas?

Peek-a-boo, here I am! I've been playing this game with Mommy and Daddy lately where I hide by covering up my eyes and then they cannot see me. Then I surprise them by reappearing when I uncover my eyes. I'm pretty tricky. Here's a sample of my skills:

We Hate Life Jackets!

Yesterday I took Nate out on the boat with me. We were having a great time until my Mom totally embarrassed me by making us both wear our life jackets. I was like "What the heck Mom?" and Nate was like "Get this thing off of me!"

Wearing a life jacket is lame for more than one reason:
1) It corrupts my center of balance thus making me trip and fall and not be able to get back up.
2) It has a strap that goes in between my legs and rides up into my bottom.
3) It is bulky and does not allow me to take drinks from my sippy easily.
4) It makes me appear as if I have no neck.
5) I cannot perform the breaststroke properly while wearing it.
6) It just doesn't look cool!



After awhile we kinda got used to them and were able to move onto more important things such as fighting over who gets to drive the boat, play with the radio, and honk the horn. Just when we started having a good time the battery on the boat went dead. "Oh No!" I thought I might have to swim to get help. But our Dads swam across the lake to another boat and it pulled us back to shore. Then Nate and I argued over whose Daddy was stronger as his dad and mine swam ahead of the boat using ropes to pull it into our parking spot. We decided that it doesn't matter who is stronger, just that we love them a whole bunch!

Best & Worst Baby Bodies of 2008

Pay no attention to the belly. Mommy caught me with the camera just after I got home from eating more than my fair share of pizza from Quatros. My belly isn't usually that big, truly its not! Can't a dude just have some fun in the sprinkler in his back yard without being photographed?

Darn Cat

Bella is a pretty good cat. I like to give her big hugs and wet kisses. I like to pull her fur and pinch her loose skin. I like to lay on her and stand on her. But for some reason sometimes she seems to get mad. So when she gets grouchy with me I just give her a good whack with a block. That usually shuts her up.

What's So Funny?

This week my Mom and Dad are on vacation. That means we will get to have lots of fun times and I don't have to go to school all week. I still like to wake up at 5:30 a.m. though (I don't like to waste Mommy & Daddy time asleep). Here I am having a fun time at home with my Daddy.



What's so funny? It's between me and Daddy. Bet you wish you knew!

Partying Hard

We had some people over the other night and I got a little crazy as you can see in the picture. Let's just say that I definitely enjoyed the chocolate cake.



I also got to chill with my buddy. He's cool, but we like the same types of toys and drinks, so sometimes that can be a problem. He tries to play with all the toys that I want to play with and when we try to trade drinks our moms are always getting onto us about it. But its alright because I have perfected this move where I can grab onto the back of his shirt and just pull him right off of whatever I want to get to. My mom doesn't seem to think that is very nice though so I am trying to learn how to share better.

Blowin' in the Wind

Who needs toys when you can have fun like this with household items?

Mediocre At Best

Some of you may remember in my last posting that I mentioned getting another "awesome outdoor toy." Well, here's the story - Mom likes to go to yard sales on Saturdays. She comes home and is like "Oh Thomas, guess what I got for you?!" So I was really excited and even mentioned it in my blog. Well, turns out it is just a silly battery powered Powerwheels car. It moves at the push of a button and has a horn and car sounds. As you can see in the video I was less than thrilled.



Why she would think I would need such a thing I do not know. At least her intentions were good. Maybe it'll grow on me (or me on it), but for now I'm sticking with my Cozy Coupe.

Wet Baby = Happy Baby

Need I say more? There's nothing better than chillin' in my swim diaper on a 90 degree day with an Elmo sprinkler to keep me cool. I also got another new awesome outdoor toy today - you'll have to wait to hear more on that later.

To be continued . . .

My Parents Went on Vacation and All I Got Was . . .

Hey, wait a minute - they didn't bring me anything! Can you believe the nerve of them to go away on vacation and leave me here? Actually (don't tell Mom & Dad) I had a pretty good weekend. I spent the night at my Grandma and Grandpa's house for the first time ever. I haven't ever been away from my Mom overnight and although I didn't like it too much, I do have my own room and crib over there and it is pretty comfy. Grandpa got up early in the morning with me and took me out to breakfast. My Mom bought me a inflatable pool with a slide and a squirting thing on it, so I got to swim in the afternoons. We also went to a new park that I have never been to before and ate at my favorite pizza place. I can finish almost a whole piece of deep dish pizza myself! My favorite part of the whole deal though was when I got to see my Mom and Dad again and they told me how much they missed me. I sure do love them a lot. Here are some pictures they showed me from their vacation. They went whitewater rafting and hiking in the mountains in Tennessee. Maybe they'll take me next time.

Just My Size

I am excited to announce that I made a new friend. His name is Nate and he is only 1 day older than me. Here's a picture of us playing in my car together. We have a lot in common, we both like to play the drums, dance, go to the park, and we can put down a whole bag of fruit snacks together no problem. He is a cool, hip guy like me and he is my neighbor so we can hang out whenever we feel like it.

Bubbles in the Bath?!

So . . . I know all about the bath. I am also quite familiar with bubbles. What I did not know is that you can take a bath in bubbles. Mom made up this little thing for me she called a "bubble bath. " Let me just say that it was awesome! I cannot imagine how I have lived 14 months without one of these until now. If you have a chance I would highly recommend that you add some bubbles to your bath. I will caution you though - do not eat the bubbles! Believe me, I tasted them and they were nothing like what I expected, they tasted soapy- yuck!

My New Hobby

Need I say more? I've been cruisin' around Carbondale on the back of my dad's bike for the past couple of days in my new bike seat with my noggin good and protected.

A Little Bit of Rhythm

My new favorite thing to do is dance. I dance whenever I hear music anywhere including restaurants, Sunset Concerts, and in the car. I would have to say though that my favorite place to dance is in my room where I have my own CD player. As soon as I enter my room I run to my stereo and start pushing buttons. Sometimes I am able to get the music started, but other times Mom or Dad has to start it up for me. My biggest problem is that I like to dance and push buttons at the same time and when I keep pushing buttons the music seems to stop for some reason. Oh well, I will figure it all out someday. Until then, I'll just keep on dancin'!


Here's a small sampling of my moves:

In this next video pay no attention to the slobber on my outfit!

Free At Last

I have finally accomplished escape from my living room enclosure! I have been working on it for as long as I can remember. No longer will I be held prisoner in my own home.


Watch my video attempts at escape --


The hard way:




The easy way:





With my newfound freedom I will now be able to:

Turn up the volume on the stereo & organize the CD's




Open the bookcase & test the tearing strength of the pages in Mom & Dad's books



Open the blinds to let some light in here




And many other activities that have previously been out of my reach!!


The possibilities are endless.

Lovin'

Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am getting sweeter and more lovable in my old age. I have decided to start giving hugs and kisses. Now, mind you, these are not just any kisses - these are wet, slobbery, open-mouthed kisses. My hugs come complete with sweet "ahhhh" vocalizations and head snuggling on the recipient. I reserve this lovin' mostly for my momma and sometimes give a little bit to Dad if there is any left.

What is this game called tag?

Tag -- I'm IT! My auntie Claire tagged me on her blog (http://sewlong.blogspot.com/) and now I have to answer the following questions.




1. What was I doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago I was not born. My mommy and daddy had only been dating less than a year

2. 5 things on my to do list?
1) Figuring out more ways to get what I want without having to say a word (i.e. my patented grunt & point)
2) Escaping my confined play area in my living room by climbing or squeezing through tight cracks between the furniture
3) Spilling an entire sippy cup before Mom & Dad notice
4) Going head first down the entire big twirly slide at the park
5) Water skiing

3. Snacks I enjoy? Bananas, strawberries, crackers, cheese, cookies

4. If I were a Billionaire what would I do? Build my own playland in my house and my own park in the backyard of my house in the country with dozens of acres and a lake for swimming. I would also pay my mom & dad a salary for being so great & then they could afford to stay home and be full-time Mommy & Daddy

5. 3 Bad Habits?
1) Pooping my diaper
2) Falling down a lot
3) Eating messily

6. Places I've lived? In my mommy's belly followed by my house in Carbondale

7. 5 jobs I've had?
1) Zygote
2) Embryo
3) Fetus
4) Infant
5) Toddler

8. 5 things people don't know about me?
1) I still wake up in the middle of the night (why? because I can get away with it!)
2) I have a little birthmark on my right rear hip
3) I am shorter than average so all my pants hang really low
4) I am learning how to be spoiled by throwing fits to get what I want
5) I am the cutest baby around (you probably already knew that)!

I am not going to be able to tag anyone else because I cannot run fast enough!

Water Baby

Today I had my first swimming lessons. There were lots of other babies and mamas & daddies there, but I was the littlest baby of all. Mama & I swam in the pool together. She made me swim on my back which I didn't really like but I didn't fuss about it I just wiggled a bit. Everything was going fine, we were all swimming in circles singing row row row your boat and then all of the sudden when we got to the "life is but a dream" part, Mom looked at me and blew right in my face and then she dunked me under the water! I was shocked! To think that I trusted her to swim with me. But I realized that it wasn't so bad after she did it a second and a third time. I didn't even cry. I proved that I was just as brave or braver than those bigger kids.

Bathtime = Funtime

I am never mad in the bath! I always enjoy spending time splashing in the warm water and playing with my duck and turtle friends. My new trick is to put the empty shampoo bottle under the water to make bubbles and then I dump it out and start over again. Then when mom says we're all done in the bath I like to run around my room naked until mom picks out my clothes (sometimes dad picks out the clothes, but I don't like to talk about that because he dresses me kinda dorky sometimes). Every once in awhile I get the urge to go ahead and let out a pee either in the bath or in my bedroom. It sure is liberating! Mom doesn't seem to like that much though.

Summertime Fun

Summertime is a great time to be a toddler. I have been going on lots of walks with mom and dad and get to visit the park almost daily. This weekend I went on the boat and swam in the cold water which wasn't so cold once I was in for a bit. Then today I went swimming in Grandma's pool with my Daddy after we got done working in the garden (which is doing very well by the way).











I have been doing my share helping water it.




















Take a look at this baby zucchini, yum-yum!





Anyway, I better hit the crib. I have had a hard day.

Professional Walking and Other Skills

I have really been working on skills to add to my repertoire. As seen in the video demonstration, my walking skills have become quite stellar.

I also have many other skills. Among them are:

1. Dancing: New and awesome. If I catch a good beat, I go with it. I have two different moves, one is side-to-side head action and the other is the bounce from the knees. These will be performed a separate times until my balance improves. I will post a video as soon as my parents capture it

2. All Done (or all gone): I signify this by turning my hands palm side up and saying "done" (pronounced "duh"). This occurs when I don't want anymore of what I am eating, when what I am eating is actually all gone, or when Mom has been mistreating me by wiping my nose or some other horrendous act and then is finished - ALL DONE!

3. Soooo Big: I have been doing this one for quite some time now. Originally taught to me by Grandma Imboden and Great Grandma Wellinghoff, this is when someone asks "How big are you?" I then raise my arms straight above my head to make me appear taller. The crowd is obviously tricked by this because they then say "SO big" even though in reality I am not that big.
	4. Hair: Yep, that's right - I know where my hair is and I'll be glad to show you. 5. Bye-Bye: Back by popular demand, I am now waving "Bye-Bye" again. This is probably my most requested trick.

89 More Than Me

Today I went to my Great Grandma's 90th birthday party. Birthday parties are great. Everyone talks about how cute I am, they play with me and show me around and clap for my tricks. Then there is this same song that they always sing and the cake and the presents. Anyway, I made sure that I was a very good boy all day long in the car, then at the party, then on the way home, and even when we had to stop on the road and wait for storms to pass. We rode with Aunt Claire and Uncle "B-B" who sang silly songs most of the way home about farmers and dogs and whales with polka-dot tails and all sorts of stuff. They were funny. I can't wait until my next birthday!

My Ride

This is me with my sweeeeet coupe that Grandma Imboden gave me for my birthday.

Wee!

I have been spending a lot of time at the park lately. I LOVE IT!! I have been going down some really big slides, driving in a cool blue sports car, and climbing up colorful tunnels. I don't get to go in the swings anymore because I was freaking my mom out by leaning forward trying to dive out of them. One of my favorite things to do is to watch all of the other kids. If anyone would like to accompany me to the park just call and set up a time with my folks, I'm sure we can pencil (or crayon) you in!

Best Friends

This is me and one of my best friends Bella. I love to give her hugs. She is a very nice kitty. Sometimes I like to get a great big fistful of her fat (she has some to spare) and pull on it until the hair comes out. Then other times I go for the whiskers. She doesn't even try to scratch me. She just loves the attention.

Farmer Thomas

I spent a good portion of my day today working on our garden at Grandma's house. Here I am digging near the Brussels sprouts.






I recently started eating strawberries after I turned one-year-old. The ones from my garden are the best.



Here is a beautiful head of lettuce that caught my eye.


Sampling the Swiss chard, delicious!



Hope you enjoyed the mini tour of my garden. It is a lot of work but worth it!

Oops

Someone (me) had a little bit too much fun on their horse last night. The video says it all. For the sympathetic among you, don't worry - I'm tough, not a single tear was shed!

Silly Simile

Last night I decided to Sleep Like a Baby. To me this means that I went to bed around 8, slept for a few hours and then woke up and cried around 11:30 (this usually gets me into bed with mom). But... before I knew it I woke up and was back in my crib. By this time it was 2:30 and I was like - what the heck, how'd I get back in here? So I stood up and cried some more. This is a handy tool I know to get Mom and Dad to come get me and it worked like magic. Same scenario though, Mom lets me cuddle up with her and then voila - I somehow end up back in my crib again and it is already 4:30 in the morning. By this time my dad is up and getting ready for work so he comes to get me and is all like "hey buddy, how are you today?" and I'm all like "whatever dad, just get me mom," (just kidding - I love my Daddy a lot and usually give him a big morning smile). Since Dad is up and about there is plenty of room for a big 23 pound guy like me to stay in bed until the alarm goes off. A good morning cuddle with Mom always sets me up for a bright day - although for some reason she always looks a little sleepy!

Welcome to the Daily Thomas

Welcome to my blog. I thought that since I change so much every day that I should keep all of my friends and family up to date on recent developments. I can't guarantee that The Daily Thomas will actually be daily, but I will do my best to be a good boy so my Mom and Dad can keep up with it!

One of my recent accomplishments is walking. I am posting a video of me walking in which I am walking quite well outside in my backyard. I am still not totally confident, but am working on it.
Another little development that I have been working on is a new laugh. It is hard to describe but is quite cute - I use a little bit of a deeper voice to create a sort of mischievious chuckle. The best part is hearing the sounds of my parents trying to imitate me to get me to laugh more. He He He, I am smarter than they think. I will also post an example of this laugh.

This weekend we went out on my Grandpa and Grandma's pontoon boat. I was excited at first and even got to sit in the captain's chair and use the steering wheel. Unfortunately though my parents did not ensure that I was well rested prior to departure so I became extremely grumpy early into the day, I was also mad that it was cloudy and cool instead of sunny and warm.

Today I am going to get my 12 month pictures taken. I will probably be cranky because I am not feeling like taking a nap today either. I also hate to sit still for pictures, I'd always rather be walking or crawling around.

Well, time to go have a snack of Goldfish crackers and some juice. I will eat about half of what Mom gives me and throw the rest on the floor for the dogs.

Bye-Bye for now! (I am refusing to wave bye-bye nowadays, don't know why - I just don't feel like it!)