A Bills Outing

Unfortunately, the Bills game was not on cable this week, so we had to go to our favorite sports bar, Tully's, to watch the game. I love to go to restaurants, so it was very cool to be out at a restaurant and get to watch the Bills at the same time.

The last time that I was at Tully's, I had my eye on their world-famous tenders, so I thought that maybe someone would sneak me a little snack. There was so much delicious food on the table, and all I got from Grandma and Grampa was a celery stick!

I tried to plead my case to Grampa Ed - I really thought that he would understand. No such luck! Speaking of luck, the Bills didn't have too much of that either. They ended up losing to the 49ers....not good!

My dad still says that there is a chance that the Bills may make the play-offs, but I'm not as optimistic. Hopefully, they will win next week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I woke up this morning, I was so exicted....finally, Turkey Day had arrived. I couldn't wait for everyone to come over to the house so that we could start the celebration.

It was clear when everyone got to the house that the priority of the day was eating. I've never seen so much food in my entire life! After eating appetizers all afternoon long, we held the 2nd Annual Lewandowski-Dera Turkey Shoot. I know, I know....long story.

My Grandma Deenie brought over her bebe gun and several homemade turkey targets (one with a NY Jets hat and the other with a New England Patriots outfit). After much anticipation - and bragging from my Grampa G who won the trophy last year, the games began. Here is some footage from the festivities.

Dinner was fantastic - and you can probably tell from my messy tray and face that I got to eat some mashed potatoes, applesauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes. YUM!

I ate so much at dinner that I had to quickly put on my comfy clothes and veg on the couch with my Uncle Ted.

Watching TV and hanging out with Uncle Ted is one of my favorite things to do. Look familiar? The picture on the left was taken when I was five months old. Not too much has changed, huh?

Here's one last video of me putting on a show after dinner. There was no need to play games this Thanksgiving because I was definitely the entertainment.

All in all, it was a very memorable Thanksgiving. As my mom and day keep saying, we have lots and lots to be thankful for this year. I know that I'm grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life. I hope everyone have a great Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday, G!

My Grandma Deenie and G are only 4 days apart, so we got to celebrate another birthday! I'm getting really good at blowing out candles and opening presents...I guess it's good practice for my big day in February.

Here I am taking a deep breath in so I can help G blow out those candles!

Birthday parties are so much fun. Not only do we get to eat cake and open presents, I get to hang out with all of my favorite people. Here I am getting some snuggle time with Aunt Jackie.

And, did I mention...I love opening presents!

Happy Birthday, G. I LOVE YOU sooo much!

A Bills Party to Remember

Today, we had a huge Buffalo Bills party with the whole family, plus Aunt Jen's family and some of Uncle Ted's friends.

We had tons of fun together...so much fun, in fact, that I decided to skip my afternoon nap. The best thing about the party, aside from hanging out with everyone, was that the Bills actually played well.

High fives all around!

Here I am doing some post-game celebrating with Jen's mom, "Crazy Mary," and G. No need to call CPS, though....there was no alcohol consumed by me!

After the game, we came home and I put my comfy clothes on to get ready for the Sunday night game. Dad and I played my favorite game....Sack the Quarterback.

Tonight I was the QB, and as you can see, I went down!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Deenie

Today, I got to get dressed up for a very special occasion - my Grandma Deenie's birthday!

When my mom told me that Grandma was turing 45, I gave her a very strange look. "What are you talking about, mom! Grandma doesn't look old enough to be 45."

My favorite thing about birthday parties is the cake. I can't wait until I turn 1, and I can dig right in. When my mom and dad weren't looking, Grandma gave me a quick taste of the frosting. Yum!

And, of course, I've learned that a birthday party isn't complete without presents. Dont' worry, Grandma, I'll help you open everything.

All in all, it was a great party. Here is me saying good-bye to everyone at the end of the night. We've been working on waving "bye-bye" a lot recently, but I prefer to stick out my tongue instead.

A Real Date

On Thursday afternoon, my friend, Madelyn, came over to play. I was very excited to see her, and I even shared some of my favorite toys.

Madelyn is a little older than me, and she is moving all over the place - it was very hard to keep up with her. My mom said that I better get used to it...because I'll be chasing after girls the rest of my life! I'm not sure what she meant by that....but I really wanted to crawl and move around just like Madelyn.

The next day, I had a great idea. I decided that I was going to go for it and give this crawling thing a try. Usually I just go up on all fours and rock or pull myself forward a few inches, but today, I found a method that got me across the family room.

I certainly wouldn't call this crawling....it's kinda across between an army crawl and "the inch worm" maneuver. Here is a video of me scooting along the floor...of course, chasing my dad's laptop (one of my favorite toys).

All this moving around sure tires a guy out. It's a good thing my Aunt Heather came over so I could cuddle with her.

My 9-month check-up

Today, was my 9-month check-up with Dr. Soeder. Mom and dad were a little worried because my appointment was at 9:15 (right when I usually go down for my morning nap), but I was really a trooper! Dr. Soeder and my nurse, Toni, couldn't believe how big I've gotten...18 pounds, 4 ounces!! I guess all of that eating I've been doing is really paying off!

I got a great report from Dr. Soeder - he said that I was meeting all of my milestones on time and maybe even a bit early. Finally, I've caught up, and I'm on the curve (whatever that means). Dr. Soeder said that I can start experimenting with more food, which means I might even be able to have some of this Thanksgiving dinner that my mom and dad keep raving about.

And the best part about my appointment today was that I didn't have to get any shots!

A Stand Up Surprise

Lately, I have really been enjoying hanging out in my crib, especially when my mom lowers my mobile and I can reach for the stars and moon (and eat them too).

But today, I surprised my mom and decided to pull up and stand like a big boy. You don't get to see the full standing position in this video because my mom decided my safety was a little more important than capturing it on tape. So, she put the camera down and "spotted" me in case I fell over trying to stand up. But, up I went a few minutes later, and I didn't even need any help!

Here I am later in the day practicing my standing skills.

I guess it's time for my dad to lower the crib...

And one more picture - feeling so proud of myself

A Shopping Excursion

Today, I went to the mall with my mom and Grandma Deenie to shop for a winter coat. As you can see, we did a lot more playing than shopping. No winter coat yet....

A Busy Day

Today, me and my mom picked up Grampa G at work and then headed to Tully's for lunch. I was very surprised and excited to see my Aunt Jackie when she met us there!

I like to imitate these days, but I'm not sure that my Aunt Jackie is setting a good example for me here :) Just kidding!

When I was out of my high chair, Grampa G was making me laugh with his funny faces and "claw hand."

But I was "all business" when the food came. "Hey G, please let me have some of those yummy Tully's Tenders."

After lunch, my mom and I went to the zoo because it was such a beautiful day outside. We met my friend, Teddy, and his mom there, and it was the perfect day to be outside at the zoo.

Instead of watching the elephants, we thought it was more fun to watch eachother.

Here Teddy is with his mom looking at some of the farm animals.

Teddy was really interested in watching the animals while I still prefer chewing on my toys and just looking around at everything.