Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. How much do I like eating? Well, if the crumbs on my face are any indication--quite a bit thanks.

This was taken a few weeks ago when my aunt Carly came to town. We had lots of fun. Other than lots of hanging out, we got my pictures taken (I wanted to put a link to them but dumb Kiddie Kandids screwed up the upload).

We also went out to eat twice! I love going to restaurants. Speaking of eating...

Bring on the turkey!

Happy Halloween!

I'm pretty excited for my first Halloween. I don't know what it's all about yet. But it's fun dressing up. As you can see, I'm an octopus this year. So watch out for my tenticles.

It's been quite a fun time ramping up for All Hallows Eve over past week or so. It started last week when I went up to Grandma and Grandpa Griffin's. They're out of town on Halloween night, so we gave them a sneak preview of the costume. My Great Grandma Timper was even there.

This past weekend I had a couple of spooky events. On Saturday, we met some of my friends at the Historic Wheeler Farm. We took some great pictures in the pumpkin patch. From left to right are Jack F., Me, Juliet, and William.

Sunday, we went to my friend Milo's house for another party. There were fun games like the ghost toss, and they had bat races. I'm still to small to play, but it was fun watching the other kids. Here we are hanging out before the contests: Jack M., me, Milo, and his sister Margo.

I'm not going to go out trick-or-treating this year. But next year, I'm planning to fill up my treat pumpkin. So don't forget to buy good candy.

Mobility Update

Over the past couple of weeks I've really taken to this crawling thing. It's a much faster way to get around than the ol' rolling and scooting technique. In fact, if mom or dad take their eyes off me, I can get into some really cool stuff before they even know it.

I've also started standing up on things--like my food table here. My balance isn't great yet. But soon enough I'll be doing that crazy trick my mom and dad do, I think they call it walking. Man, that's going to be fun.

9 Month Report

Alas, once again I have been slacking on updating the blog. Just too much fun to be had now that I'm scooting and (almost) crawling around.

Anyway, since I officially turned 9-months old on Monday I got to celebrate by going to the doctor for my 9-month checkup! It was exciting. Well, maybe not. But Dr. Lam is a funny guy. Best of all, he says I'm doing really well. Everything is progressing like normal. I still don't have any teeth, but he says that's good because they'll be stronger when they finally do pop out.

As always, here are my stats for those keeping track:

Height: 28.5 inches (60th percentile)

Weight: 17.62 lbs (10th percentile)

Head: 45.9 cm (70th percentile)

So, I'm a little above average height, really skinny, and have a fairly large melon. Kinda like my dad. Hopefully, I'm smarter than my dad though.

In other activity news, I went to my second football game on Saturday with mom and dad. The Utes were taking on San Diego State. It was kind of cool and with scattered showers. But I stayed dry. And, as you can see, I managed to have some fun with Grandma and Grandpa. My dad was also trying to teach me how to clap along with "Utah Man."

We left at the end of the 3rd quarter because some dark clouds were rolling in. The Utes ended up winning the game 23-7. So Utah is now 2-0 when I'm in attendance.

Other than that, I've just been haning out with mom and dad, and going to school. But, I'm excited about Halloween coming up. Mom got me a funny costume. Stay tuned to the blog to see pictures.

Kickoff.

This past weekend was lots of fun. Not only did my mom's friend Missy come to town, we all went to the UCLA vs. Utah football game on Saturday. It was my first football game and it was pretty exciting.

Missy and mom met when they were going to school at UCLA, so of course they were rooting for the Bruins. And, since I'll have plenty of chances to cheer on the Utes in the future, I got to wear my Bruin gear to this game. Plus, the Bruins were coming into the game ranked No. 11 in the country, and Utah was 0-2 after a couple of dismal performances. So, I also thought I'd be a frontrunner and root for the winning team.


When we got to the stadium we had to sit in different sections because mom and dad usuall sit with grandma and grandpa, but there wasn't an extra seat for Missy. The first half I sat with Missy and mom. We were pretty high up but the seats were at the 20 yard line, so we had a good view of the action. Utah struck first with a 53-yd pass play on their first possession. UCLA could only manage a couple of field goals in the first half and the teams went into halftime 14-6. Mom and Missy and I were pretty bummed, but we were having fun.


At halftime I moved over one section to sit with the Ute fans: grandma, grandpa, and dad. I didn't take much of a nap before the game, so I ended up falling asleep in grandma's arms early in the 3rd quarter. That's when the Utes blew the game open. But, despite on the cheering going on around me, I just kept snoozing. I woke up as the 4th quarter got underway and saw the Utes put the finishing touches on an shocking 44-6 upset.

It was definitely one of the biggest home wins in Utah history--and one of the most embarrassing defeats for the Bruins, who tumbled out of the Top 25 this week. Hopefully UCLA will bounce back and have a good year, and Utah will keep doing whatever it is they did this week to turn things around.

On Sunday, we went out to breakfast with Missy and then took her to the airport. It was a short trip, but I loved hanging out with her. Too bad the Utes and the Bruins don't play more often. I guess that just means we'll have to go to some good games at the Rose Bowl in the years to come.

What I did on my summer vacation.

Well, I haven't really been on vacation. But, it seems like an entire season has gone by since I last made a post to the blog. I'll try to make it up by including lots of new pictures.

One of the things I did in the past month or so was hang out with my baby group friends. Here we are at an August backyard BBQ. From left to right we have Brooklyn, Me, Juliette, Jack, and Kenzo. Kenzo (and his mom and dad) were nice enough to host the event. We had lots of fun. I even tried fresh zucchini for the first time. It was an acquired taste, but I think I'll like it more when I get older.

Then, this past Sunday, Kenzo, Juliette and I met at the zoo. I wasn't too interested in the animals. In fact, I slept a good chunk of the time. But then we all went out to get Dim Sum after. I was trying to get a bite of everything my mom and dad were having. But they only let me chew on the paper place mats. Oh well, the food looked really good.

This past Saturday (this recap is obviously not chronological in any way) mom and dad took me to the Avenues Street Fair. Seemed like a lot of hub-bub. But I slept through most of that too. That was until some crappy band woke me up with a horrendous version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." As you can see, I was not amused.

Later that afternoon, I went to my friend Everett's first birthday party. It was lots of fun, and had a cool football theme. I can't wait for my first birthday.

Back to August. A few weeks ago we also celebrated a summer's worth of birthdays for my mom and dad, my grandma and grandpa Griffin, and my aunt Megan. We waited until aunt Kate got back from Germany. She said she had a lot of fun. I'll have to check that out when I get a little older. But the best part of the birthday celebration was that--even though it wasn't my birthday--I got a new shirt from grandma. Here's a picture of me sporting it a couple of weeks ago.

But most of the time I've been hanging out this past month. Of course, my favorite thing to do is jump in my Rainforest Jumperoo. Mom and dad can always get some big smiles out of me then. Here are just a couple of examples from the past few weeks.


That's about it. I think you're all up to date. And, I know I always say this, but I'll try to do a better job of posting more frequently. I promise. Now, would this face lie?

Obamania!

This past Sunday, mom, dad, and I went up to Kimball Junction to see Barack Obama give a speech. It was pretty exciting to be out amongst the people. I even saw my friend Joey from daycare at the rally.

Obama didn't really talk about the things that are important to me, like making sure there's a binky for every baby or putting an end to nap time. But he had some pretty interesting things to say about health care, education, the environment, and all the other messes George W. has gotten us into.

I won't be able to vote next year. But, Barack Obama has my endorsement anyway.

When the time comes, get out and vote!

California Knows How to Party

Hey all,
I just got back from California. We stayed at my Grandma Kathy's house in Huntington Beach. As you can see from the picture above, I had a lot of fun.

It all started out with my first plane ride. Mom and dad were nervous that I was going to scream the whole way. But I limited my fussiness to a few outbursts. Actually, I slept for about the first 30 minutes after takeoff.


The first day we went out on the town. I got my 6-month pictures taken. They turned out really cute (if I do say so myself). I'll have to post some copies of them soon. That afternoon mom and dad went to Super Mex, they had been craving it since the week before we left. We sat out on the patio. where there were some other babies. I didn't get to try my dad's tacos, but they looked good.


Saturday, my Grandma made some great BBQ food (that, again, I did not get to eat), and we all hung out with my mom's friends. Missy (on the left) went to UCLA with my mom. She's probably coming up to Salt Lake for the UCLA vs. Utah football game next month. I'm exctied, 'cause she's really cool.

My mom has known Stephanie (right) since they went to high school together at Huntington Beach High. (Go Oilers!) She's really cool too. We even hung out with Stephanie again on Sunday at her mom's house.



On Sunday, mom and dad also took me to the beach for the first time.


Huntington Beach was going to be packed because of the U.S. Surfing Finals.

So we all got up in the morning, wished mom a happy birthday, stopped at The Coffee Bean for my mom's favorite Vanilla Ice Blended (again I didn't get any) and drove down to Laguna Beach.

By the time we got there, the main beach at Laguna was already pretty crowded. So we kept on driving. A few miles down the Pacific Coast Highway we found this cool little beach by the Laguna Reef. They called it Treasure Island State Park. Which was fitting because I happened to be wearing my pirate shirt.

I was actually kinda scared when they first put my feet in the surf. (Hey, the water was much colder than I'm used to in the bath tub. And those waves are pretty loud. )

After awhile I got used to it. In fact, I couldn't keep my eyes off the surf coming in. It was hypnotizing.

Sunday night we ended up staying at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa for my mom's birthday. I'd never stayed in a
hotel before. So mom and dad, once again, were nervous that I would be up all night in the new surroundings.

Luckily Westin has these special "Heavenly Cribs." They're pretty nice (for a hotel crib). Here I am lying in mine after a good night's sleep.

Monday, we woke up, wished dad a happy birthday, and cruised around the South Coast Plaza. It's a pretty nice mall with a bunch of stores mom and dad can't afford.

Then we went back, checked out the hotel and took a shuttle to John Wayne Airport in Irvine. Now mom and dad say this airport is never crowded. Unfortunately, it was that day.

It took over an hour and a half to check in and get through the security line. Just as we were about to get to the security check point we heard the last call for our plane. We thought we missed it.

But, we hurried up to the gate anyway. And luckily they let us on. They actually had to re-open the plane door to let us in. It was a relief. Well, except for the guy in first class who said, "Oh no" as soon as he took a look at me.

Well, I showed him that all babies aren't always troublemakers. After all the adventures of the previous few days I was zonked. I slept from just after takeoff until we pulled in to the gate in SLC.

All in all, it was lots of fun. I can't wait to go on another trip. But, for now, it's great to be back home.

I need a drink.

Here's a belated report about my 6-month doctor visit. I would have posted earlier, but I didn't want to re-live the shots.

Overall, I'm still doing really well. Healthy growth rates, healthy lungs, healthy heart. All that good stuff. For those tracking my stats:

Weight: 15.5 lbs. (25th percentile)

Height: 26 inches (45th percentile)

Head: 44.2 cm (55th percentile)

Shots: 3

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to the O.C. to visit Grandma Kathy and Papa Perry. My parents are pretty nervous about how I'll act on the flight. I haven't decided whether I want to cause a scene or not. I heard that they kicked a baby off a plane last week for being obnoxious.

Expect a full report upon my return.

6 Months of Fun

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I checked in last. Sorry, I have no good excuses.

Anyway, today I'm officially 6 months old. I celebrated by spending most of the day at Grandma and Grandpa Griffin's house. We had a lot of fun. I even played the piano for a bit.

Then I came home and met two new friends, Luke and Alexa Duricy. They came down from Portland with their mom and dad. It was cool.

I'm also excited that in two weeks I get to take my first flight on a plane. Mom, dad, and I are going to California to spend some time with Grandma Kathy. I haven't seen her since I was about 6 days old. It's going to be fun.

But, hopefully, I'll check in before that. My dad is making me post the worst picture taken of me so far as punishment for being lazy. So I don't wan't any more photos like this being published. Oh geez, the tabloids are gonna have a field day with this one.

Happy Father's Day

Today, I had a lot of fun with my dad. In the morning we hung out and watched the U.S. Open Golf tourey. Well, that was pretty boring--how can people watch golf on TV--but it was fun hanging out with my dad.

In the afternoon mom, dad, and I went on a little picinic. That was really excitiing, 'cause I looooove being outside. Here I am hanging out on the blanket.

Then in the evening we went to my Aunt Megan's house where I was hanging out with Grandpa & Grandma Griffin, and both my Great Grandma's. Even my Great Great Aunt was there. I also got to see Aunt Megan and Kate before they head off to Europe this Thursday. Megan's coming back in a couple of weeks. But Kate will be doing a study abroad in Germany until August. I hope they have lots of fun. I can't wait until I get to go to Europe.

Martinez Mania

Well, I've finally gotten over my first ear infection, so I thought I'd post.

The past couple weekends I've had a lot of fun with my mom's side of the family. Last weekend my Aunt Carly was visiting again from California. We went to the park for a picnic on Saturday. We went out to lunch on Sunday. And in between we just did a lot of hanging out. Carly is cool, I was all smiles whenever she was around.

The, the weekend before that, my Grandpa Martinez came by and spent the whole afternoon with me. He's always got some good stories to tell. Here he is teaching me how to "Hang Loose."

I don't think I've seen Grandpa M since right after I was born. I hope he comes back again soon.


In other news, mom and dad have started me on a rice cereal regimen. As you may be able to tell from the picture, it's an acquired taste to say the least. But I'm getting used to it.

I guess that's all for now. I'll try to post again soon.

More shots?!

Last week I went to the doctor for my 4-month check-up. Everything is going well and the doctor says I'm looking and sounding really healthy. I'm even creeping up the percentile charts for size and weight. Here are the stats for everyone keeping score at home:

Height: 24.5" (about the 20th percentile)
Weight: 13.2 lbs. (still about 10th percentile)
Head: 42 cm (nearly the 40th percentile--hey I need somewhere to store my genius.)

I also had four shots and a liquid vaccination that I mostly spit out. But I handled them very well. I didn't even get a fever this time or anything.

Oh, and the doctor said I can start up on solids now, beginning with rice cereal. So, I'm excited for that (even if my mom isn't).

Happy Mother's Day!

Today, mom and I celebrated our first Mother's Day together. We kicked off the festivities this morning when I gave her some new pajamas--they're really soft so it will be extra snuggly when I'm cuddled up with her in the morning. Then we had breakfast up at my grandma and grandpa Griffin's house. Both of my great grandmas were there, too. So it was really exciting. The rest of the day we just hung out at the house. All in all, it was a great day. I hope my mom had fun.

Also, last weekend I got my three month portraits taken. I was kind of grumpy that morning, but we got some good pictures anyway. Here are my mom's favorites:

My first sniffles.

Over the weekend I had my first bout with the common cold. I was coughing, had a runny nose, was running a bit of a fever. All that good stuff. But, I'm doing better now. I was feeling well enough to go to day care.

Today was the first day my mom had to go back to work. It was tough on her and me. But it's going to be OK. In fact, all day long I kept fussing so my teachers would hold me. They're like putty in my hands.

Anyway, my dad made this photo collage for his computer desktop wallpaper. I thought some of you might like to use it, too. For those who don't know how, just click on the small image above to open up the full size image. Then, right click on the big image and select "Set as Background."

Note: My dad made it for a 1280 x 1024 pixel display. (Whatever that means.) So if your settings are different, it might look a little warped. But that just makes it more fun, right?