Chase and Tyler Dera

We've had lots of visitors lately, and it always puts a smile on my face to see my friends. Here I am playing with William and Darien. "Come on in, guys! Let's play...."

Bubbles are just about my favorite thing these days, so I was really excited when Madelyn came over, and we played with the bubbles together.

In May, my Aunt Jackie got back from Spain (boy was I happy to see her). We've been spending lots of quality time together since she got back...and I couldn't be happier.

And here I am watching TV with Tate and sharing a snack.

Our moms love this picture from the back :)

And, of course, here I am with Poppy. He sold his house in Connecticut and moved to Syracuse, so I get to see him all of the time now. We have breakfast together every Saturday and Sunday morning, and he is a HUGE baseball fan (just like me).

Bob came over for dinner one night, and we were having a contest to see who could make the silliest face. I think that I won....

I like to call this picture,

"Getting Ready for School."

My mom says that the difference between boys and girls is so apparent, and she sees it every time that Madelyn and I are together. Since most of my friends are boys, I am used to constantly being on the go. Madelyn loves to read, color pictures, and put together puzzles. Now that I've been playing with Madelyn more and more, I am starting to watch her play and follow along. Here she is showing me how to put together the puzzle.

And speaking of the boys, here we all are eating dinner together while our parents laugh and take pictures. It's probably hard to tell, but we're having our very own pizza party. It's been a while since the four of us have been all together, so you may not recognize everyone (from left to right: Anthony, Jack, me, and Tate).

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Favorite Toys

One of my favorite games to play these days is Peek-A-Boo from behind my little house. I love popping out from behind the roof to surprise my mom.

"Peek-A-Boo! I see you"

And as if learning how to ride my motorized car wasn't enough, I now am teaching myself stunts ('careful' is not quite a word in my vocabulary yet). Look out Evil Kneivel!

But, my favorite toy of all is my stuffed animal/blanket, Hippo. I sleep with Hippo every night, and sometimes my mom lets me bring Hippo downstairs when I need a little extra "cuddle time."

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tub Fun

Lately, I have been spending lots of time with my friend, Madelyn. Both of our dads coach baseball in the spring, so our moms like to get together in the afternoons and hang out. They always make a big dinner, and then we eat when the big guys get home from practice.

Well, as you can see from the picture below, I got quite messy at dinner tonight.

So messy, in fact, that the grown-ups decided that I needed a bath right away. Bath time is my favorite time of day, but tonight it was extra special because Madelyn joined me.

At first, it was a little strange having someone else in the tub with me, and then we both realized how much fun we could have playing and splashing together.

We had so much fun that neither one of us wanted to come out. Here we are about 45 minutes later wrapped up in our towels!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

First Real Haircut

Today, I went with my mom and Granda B to Miracles (where my Grandma B works), and I got my first "real" haircut with Amy.

At first, I wasn't too sure about those clippers....

....but it was nothing that a little lolipop couldn't fix!

All in all, it was a great haircut, and I had tons of fun riding in the airplane. Thanks Grandma B and Amy!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

A Day at the Park

Today after library, my mom and I walked over to the duck pond because it was such a beautiful day outside. I was fascinated with the ducks and wouldn't take my eyes off of them (not even so my mom could get a picture).

Once I gathered up enough courage to start chasing the ducks, my mom had to distract me with something else. Shhhh....don't tell dad that she brought a soccer ball with us!!!

Don't worry, dad, there was a baseball field close by, so I got to practice my base running.

Baseball fields are the best!

Friday, May 1, 2009

So Big!

Now that I am walking - it's all that I want to do.

....And I am so proud of myself.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Up, Up, and Away....

I have been taking steps here and there for a few weeks now, but it wasn't until Easter day that I really started walking. I can't say that I am very steady on my feet just yet, but I do manage to get around. This morning, I even did a lap around the entire first floor without falling!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Silly Boy

Most of you who know me, know that I have a very silly personality. I love to play, laugh, and have fun. One of my favorite games these days is the "laughing" game, where I try to make other people laugh with my "fake" laugh (especially my grandma). Check it out....

But don't worry...I still haven't lost my signature Chase laugh. Here I am with my mom and dad in absolute hysterics over the word, "Whoa!"

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A Week of Celebrating

My 1st birthday was everything that I thought it would be...and more! We began the celebrating on Tuesday, February 24th (my actual birthday), and everyone came over to the house for cake and presents.

The birthday hat didn't last too long on my head, but my mom managed to get a quick shot before the hat came off!

Then, the real fun began. I had my very own baseball cupcake, and I just dug right in. There wasn't as much mess as everyone expected there to be....I was very careful to get every bite in my mouth (a true Lewandowski-Dera never lets cake go to waste).

I was still pretty clean after I polished off the cupcake....and then somebody told me to touch my head.

Opening presents was a ton of fun, and there was an Elmo theme to a lot of my gifts. As you can see, Elmo makes me smile every time I see him!

My Grandma B and Grampa Ed got me Elmo Live, and he sings, dances, blow kisses, and tells jokes. I love Elmo!

Then, I opened the big mystery present, which was wrapped in a giant garbage bag and balloons. I wonder what this could be?!
Both my dad and I were very excited to see that it was my very own motorized car!

Here is a picture of me in action. As soon as the weather got nice, my mom and I went outside to take a drive. It didn't take me long at all to figure out how to operate the vehicle. Now, I just have to work on my steering skills!

Back to the week of celebration - my birthday continued on Saturday, February 28th when I had a birthday party with all my friends and family. I know this may come as a shock to some of you, but the party had a baseball theme. Here is a look at the cake before we cut into it.

Yum, I know what this means.....can I dig in now?

I actually didn't have any of the big cake because my mom and dad got me my very own baseball cake. Again, I was pretty cautious with the cake and didn't make too much of a mess.

I was so exhausted after my party that I didn't even open any of my gifts. But first thing on Sunday morning, we had a present opening party, and boy was it fun!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday special! I am so lucky to have such great friends and family.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Some Serious Blog Slacking

Okay, okay...I know it has been a long time since my mom and I updated the blog. A lot has been happening around here in the last few months, and we've been extremely busy. I'm sure most of you have heard by now that I am going to be a big brother. The baby is due on September 19th, and we couldn't be more excited! Here is a picture of Baby Dera from our last appointment, which was on Tuesday. My mom wished she had the camera during the appointment because I kept waving at the monitor screen, and I was making everyone laugh!

My mom hasn't been feeling very good for the last three months...something called "morning sickness." I am not sure why they call it that because she is sick all day long, especially at night. As you can see from the pictures below, I have been helping out around the house as much as I can.

The laundry around here just keeps piling up!

Just a few quick things to update you on what I have been doing since January. When I was 9 months old, I started crawling, and I haven't stopped moving since. I am working on walking now, but I still prefer crawling....it's much faster to get me where I want to go. My mom can barely keep up with me these days.

I also had a visit from my great grandfather, Poppy, and he and G gave me my first "real" haircut. I say "real haircut" because my dad tried to trim my hair one night after a bath, and it was pretty much a disaster (those of you who saw it know exactly what I am talking about)!

I have been playing a lot with my toys, and I always find new ways to use them. Here I am being silly with Aunt Jen...we decided to wear the basketballs on our heads.

And lastly, I am enjoying a "big boy bath" every night. My mom and dad got rid of the infant tub, and now they let me spash and swim all over the place. Bath time is still my favorite part of the day, and it's my special bonding time with daddy.

Stay tuned for more pictures coming soon....I am hoping to have birthday pictures on the blog in a few days.

All my love,

Chase Joseph

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Superbowl Fun

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Superbowl this year, only because my mom and dad throw a big party and their friends from college come up for the weekend. I was promised a good time, but I had no idea how much fun we were going to have. The picture above is me with Kristin and Ted. Ted is a huge Duke fan, but we caught this picture of him holding an SU basketball. I think it was his way of saying, "Go SU!"

The whole weekend I was pretty fascinated with Ted, and I especially loved playing with his face. Thanks for being such a good sport, Ted!

Here I am on the couch with Kristin and Pete....we are "in training" for Superbowl Sunday. And unfortunately, that ends the pictures for Superbowl weekend. We had so much fun that my mom didn't even pick up the camera again. Sorry!