Birthday Cake and New Car Video

My 1st Birthday Party

I'm back to tell you all about my first birthday party! I had such a great time with all my friends and I really loved eating my birthday cake. Mommy spent so much time on it that I mostly just picked at it with my fingers but it sure tasted good! I got so many nice presents from my friends and I still love to play with the bus mommy and daddy got me but I really don't like using the door to get in and out.

Mom made cupcakes for my friends and we had lots of good food although I was too busy playing with my new toys to eat any of it. I got an awesome new car from Opa and Gege and I will post some pictures and videos of it for all my Chicago friends to see. I am so lucky to have so many great friends! Gotta run, gotta practice walking! 

I made it!

I am sitting in my new toy bus!

I am 1!!!! Wow, what a great year it has been.  I have a lot of memories, all of which I will never remember (how does that make sense?). 

I woke up this morning and found lots of balloons in the house, which are my favorite. I have had the red one in my hand for well over 5 hours. Mommy decorated the house and bought me some nice new toys to play with. So many of my friends and family have sent text messages, emails and Grandma and Grandpa Doyle even sent me more balloons. I am so lucky.

BIG NEWS! I can now stand up all by myself. I know how to walk but I choose not to. I figure I have a lifetime of walking so I will ride this crawling and being carried thing out as long as I can.

I am looking forward to my party on Saturday. I have some little friends and big friends coming and GeGe is flying in from Chicago... just to see ME. 

I will be sure to not let a year pass before my next blog update. 

Lata,  Sweet Potata!

FMD

I like to laugh!

I know I have been MIA on the blog for a while, but you need to cut me some slack. I have been very busy. I am crawling like crazy, climbing mountain size stair cases, and eating real foods like avocados and tomatoes. I am in the middle of a growth spurt. Here are some highlights:

• I have 8 teeth
•  I sleep through the night. I go down at 7:30 and wake up at 7ish
• I finally have hair. I am working on a sweet mullet that would make Uncle Tom jealous
• I went on my first boat ride while on vacation in MI with my Doyle relatives
• I have had a lot of visitors. Seamus, Maria and Madalyn, and the Thompsons (with Tyler)
• I have been kissing lots of lady friends; Madalyn, Isla and Marly
• I went to the zoo and fed the giraffes. I love turtles.
• My new baby sitter, Lisa, ROCKS! She takes me on walks and buys me cool clothes
• My workouts include the stairmaster, doing pull-ups, and running laps with Mom and Dad around the house

Here is a clip of me enjoying life's simple things - Dad throwing a bottle up the stairs and we watch it roll down the steps. Enjoy.

Best Neighbors Ever!

Our neighbors Melissa and Tom have been so good to me. Last week they gave me a really cool toy called the Beach Party Bus. I love sitting on it and pushing all of the buttons.

Look at me go!

Thanks Melissa and Tom!

I'm on the Move!

Look out! I love to crawl. 

Finally... an update!

Greetings!

I know I have been MIA on the blog lately. I hope you enjoyed the videos. I have been very busy growing, eating and digesting real food (mom and dad are adjusting to my digestion as well). I love pears, bananas, apples, carrots and sweet potatoes. At this rate, I am eating more vegetables than my mom.

I will admit. I am a wild man. I can't stop moving. Dad says holding me is like trying to hold a wet salmon. I can't help it - I am just so curious about everything in the world that I can't concentrate on anything. I like to touch everything, study it with my big eyes, and then I have to give everything a thorough taste test. My life is so full of adventure that I like to wake up at 3am every morning to see what's going on. 

Other highlights:

• I have two new teeth on the bottom
• I love to crawl and scoot around - this keeps mom and dad on their toes
  
• I do a great impression of Arthur Fonsarelli  - "Heyyyyyy"
• I can't quite read yet, but I am really good at pretending:

Now that the weather is nice, I love going to Ft. McHenry and playing in the grass. Pulling grass is so much fun. I wish I could it eat. Dad would let me, but Mom says no.

Here is a pic of me at the park. I am trying out a few poses for a possible career in modeling. 

Thats all for now, but I have some exciting plans coming up so I will give you updates. Gege is coming to visit. Mom, Gege and I are going to Richmond, VA for mom's work. Dad has to stay home and work - boo!

Uncle Dave is coming to town to visit me, but I think he really is coming to take me to my first Phish show in NJ. He wants me to change my name to Phinn. Dad says no "phrickin way".

Peace out Bean Sprout! - FMD

Fun with Opa and Gege

I know it's been awhile, I promise to write more soon. I've been busy trying to scoot around the house. I'm on the move!

Family Laugh Time

My parents are pretty darn funny. 

Yum Yum

I just had my first bowl of cereal and it was pretty much the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I even tried eating the bowl and spoon. I can't wait to get my hands on some deep dish pizza... maybe next week. 

My photo shoot

 Mom's friend Penie took some pics of me a couple weeks ago. Mom said she had a hard time deciding which ones she loves the most! I just discovered that I know how to yell and move my voice up and down so I spend a lot of time doing that. I also love to give kisses. See?

My First St. Patty's Day!

Yesterday was a great day, and not just because it was my first St. Patrick's Day. I went back to Johns Hopkins again to try and finally get my kidneys checked out. Last time my veins weren't big enough to get the IV in so we had to reschedule. For this visit, Mr. Ron and Miss Christina had a special machine that helped them find my veins under a UV light. It was called the Vein Viewer - it was awesome and they got the IV in on the first shot.

After the IV and the catheter (ouch! that was my third catheter and I am only 5 months), they strapped me down to a table and took xray pictures of this dye moving through my kidneys and bladder. I didn't mind it so much... I laughed with mom and dad and Gege - yes, she came out to visit me and watch me while mom and dad go to work. I even took a nap for a bit. I was strapped down for an hour.

After the procedure, we met with Dr. Gearhart. He is a Scottish man from Georgia and he talks funny and tells weird stories. He told me my kidneys looked great and are draining properly. Great News! No more medicine and no more IVs.

We got the party started later that afternoon. The adults had corned beef, potatoes and Gege's Irish soda bread and this weird drink that was really dark and had a creamy layer on top. Dad really seemed to like it. It was definitely NOT my kind of drink. I will stick with the milk.

I think I am going to like St. Patrick's Day more and more every year. I cant wait to go to the Doyle Corned Beef Bash in Chicago. I hear it is pretty wild. Here are some pics...

 

I am enjoying my time with Gege, she is spoiling me and I am giving her lots of kisses in return. Talk to you soon!

Doctor's Visit

I had my four month doctor's appointment this week and they told my mom that I weigh 17 lbs, 11 oz and I am 27 and 3/4 inches long. Dr. P. doesn't believe that I am that long because apparently that is the height of an average 7 month old. What can I say? I am tall like Grandpa Doyle. 

I also starting noticing how fun it is to see other babies. I went over to my friend Anthony's house this week and we had a lot of fun together. Anthony's mom Penie took some pictures of us. Here are a couple:

I am counting down the days until Gege comes to visit from Chicago. 13 Days! I can't wait to see her. Talk to you soon!

Look, I'm Growing!

I'm Growing...I just passed the fourth month mark and all is good. I am starting to figure this gig out. I love to smile, take baths, play with my friends, eat as much as I can, and sleep. I am still working on the nap thing, but I am sleeping a lot during the night and that makes mom really happy.

Here are a few of my tricks.

Finn "Diesel" - I have developed an alter-ego. When I don't sleep or get really hungry, I introduce everyone to the "diesel". I don't cry

 much, but I have a great pout or snarl on my face and I just make deep, long grumbling noises. Its my way of letting people know that I need something... usually food. If you don't have milk, you better back off!

I love taking a bath!

  

Here is a picture of me giving you all a shout out!

And finally, here is just a picture of me hanging out with mom & dad on the weekend.

0 for 5 - OUCH!

We got up early this morning to have my kidneys checked out. The day started out great, I was in a good mood and it was fun to see snow in Maryland.

However, the procedure never happened. The good people at Hopkins could not find a good vein to stick my IV in. They tried on both my feet, my left wrist and both of my arms - thats five sticks and they found nothing. I cried with each stick but I somehow found a way to smile every time I saw my mom. I even smiled at the crazy people who kept sticking me. Its a bummer that I have to go back in a month and do it all over again.

The day got better because Dad didn't have to go in to work. Can you believe that they closed the university because of only a few inches of snow? Holy Cow - I definitely 

want to go to school in Maryland if they close down for this stuff. I can't wait to learn how to snowboard.

Here is a picture of all of my IV attempts.

My historic week!

I have been busy this past week and lots has happened. First, mom left me for the day so she could go to the Oprah show. Since it was just Dad and me, we went to his work and I got to look at all of the toys that I can't wait to play with... bikes, snowboards, kayaks. Dad, pulled a doozy and forgot to pack my diapers so he had to make an emergency run to CVS. Surprisingly, CVS stores in college towns don't have a great selection of baby diapers.

Tuesday was historic for everyone. We inaugurated our new president. Dad didn't want to miss the opportunity to witness history so he headed to DC and joined the crowds. He was even on the news in Chicago. Dad kept thinking about what this day means for me and for all of the other little ones in our country. He doesn't expect the new president to have magic fairy dust that will make everything perfect for my generation, but it seems that the whole country is looking for change and improvements. How Exciting!

Other big events this week... I really started laughing with giggles and chuckles. Mom can make me giggle by snorting. Dad pulled a page out of Aunt Katie's book and started singing the cowboy song. Good times.

I can now roll over both ways from belly to back and back to belly. I love it, but it freaks my parents out. Dad can't leave me on the couch anymore while he makes his coffee - sucker.

I will admit that I really don't like to sleep more than 45 minutes at a time. I think my batteries charge faster than most. I also don't want to miss the big parties that mom and dad have together without me. Actually, I think this is when they eat, clean, shower, and sneak in their own naps. 

Other thoughts... the IL governor seems cookoo,  today is the 23rd anniversary of the Bears Super Bowl, tomorrow is my last (let's hope) kidney test - I have to get IV's in my arms and then they are going to shoot dye into my body and watch in drain until I pee it out. Lets hope I can pee it ALL out of my body. If I don't then something in my kidneys isnt working and they are going to have to fix it. I feel pretty good that my kidneys are just fine. I pee freely and often - just ask my parents.

That is all for now. I will update you on the sleep, the kidneys, and my giggles.

Peace,

FMD

My Fun Game... Hide the Bink

Here's the deal... Mom or Dad will put the bink (aka pacifier) in my mouth. I will wait until the appropriate time to either spit it out or just drop the bink out of my mouth. At this point, it will most likely get hidden in my blanket or drop to the ground and bounce around and then roll across the floor. 

This game is so much fun because I will then start fussing or crying. Mom and dad will then go into a mad scramble trying to find the green little gem that was once in my mouth. This game keeps them focused on me and does not allow them to forget the fact that I am the most important person in their lives. (Note to other babies: this game is best played in the dark - they will never find it and buy you new ones).

I promise to not play this game forever. I just want to be sure that they don't forget about me at this young age. 

Daddy DayCare Begins!

For the past few months (three to be exact), dad has left during the day while I get to stay home with Mom. He went off to work and left Mom all alone to feed me, change my diapers and keep me entertained. I think of myself as pretty low maintenace, but I do come with a bit of work. Mom made it look so easy. I am guessing dad will be surprised at how tiring it can be... and he gets to use a bottle to feed me. 

So, today was Dad's first shot at a full day of watching me without any assistance. Sadly, that meant that Mom had to go back to work today. I was not looking forward to this day, but I knew it was coming. To prepare, yesterday we spent the entire day together as a family. It was a lot of fun.

Back to daddy day care. Overall, I think Dad did a pretty good job but he has some work to do. I actually threw him a few curve balls to keep his attention. Mom hid my socks so when daddy tried to dress me he made me look like a rodeo clown with all sorts of different colors. To be fair, he did let me wear my "Mommy Loves Me" shirt. Dad failed the "use a burp cloth after bottle" test. I missed her already.

Mid-morning, while taking my bottle, I decided to make a mess so big that it leaked out of the side of my diaper. After a short debate about what is more important - food or a clean diaper - dad yanked the bottle from me to change my diaper. He has got to learn to never mess with my meal time... no matter how bad the stench or dribble of poop down my leg.

I decided to ease up on him and we played some games on the floor. He tried to teach me how to grab for toys. I love Freddy the Firefly and my moroccas.  I have even started to let out a little belly laugh -mom and dad love it. Before mom came home, dad and I laid on the floor for tummy time and we looked at all of the photos in our album while listening to Jack Johnson - and then mommy walked in the door and I was very happy. It was a good day. Its going to be tough not having mommy around all of the time, but I am pretty lucky.