A Little Charmer's Ways

I'm a little charmer. You see, I just love to smile...especially if Mommy is near. I've formed a close bond with her, so close that I refuse to be happy anywhere but with her. I like to think we're inseperable. I want her to know how much I love her. But it seems sometimes she tries to get away from me. Mommy, don't you remember, we're inseperable? Since my vocabulary is still developing, I either follow her around saying "Mama." I think that's what she wants me to call her. She says it a lot. Or, if she gets away from me too fast and I can't keep up, I just let out a blood curdling scream that will pierce through anyone's ears. . .and Mommy's heart hopefully. Then, I sob uncontrollably. Hey, I want her to know how important it is we stay together. Eventually, she'll come back to me. And as soon as she does, my shinanigans stop. Yep, that's how it works around here lately. She can't resist me.

Let's Eat!

Can you tell I'm saving some of my food for later? I've discovered a great way to stock up on food in case I get hungry later. I just push it up to the roof of my mouth and, voila, it sticks! This does pose a problem when I try to place more food into my mouth. I'm discovering my mouth can only hold so much food. And, eventually, much of it will come out if too much gets "stuck." These days, I no longer will accept my baby oatmeal or baby food. I mean, come on, I'm one now. That baby food stuff is so over! So now, I'm really making Mommy work. My new food loves: peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, yogurt, teddy grahams, applesauce, mac and cheese. Mommy is hoping my list will grow. She says I need more veggies. Why? I can't store those up in my mouth.

Princess Fingers

One day after my nap, Mommy said, "Let's paint your nails!" To which I replied, "Yeah, let's paint!" Little did I know this wasn't the painting I was used to. You see, when I think paint, I think of me painting "by myself" on my easel with my big brushes. Well, this was a different kind of painting. And I couldn't do it. Immediately, I lost interest. Mommy was going to paint my nails. Most may be surprised that this is my first time EVER to have my fingernails painted. Yes, we're a little behind the times. At the rate we're going, I'll get my toe nails polished when I'm eight and my ears pierced when I'm twenty. But back to the task at hand. I think I disappointed Mommy by my lack of enthusiasm. But, come on, what's so fun about someone else painting? Mommy tried to talk it up by saying I would have "princess fingers." It didn't help. But, now when I see other people with "princess fingers" it does make me want to have mine back. So, maybe we'll give it another shot soon.

Play that Funky Music White Boy

When people first look at me, they don't think of me as cool cat, by that I mean a swinging jazz musician. Perhaps it's my red hair or my pastey white skin. But don't be fooled. No sir. I'm one cool cat. I can rock out the neighborhood with my sweet harmonica playing tunes. Once I get to blowin' there's no stoppin' me. The music just sails through my blood. I get lost in its melodic tunes. This white boy can play some funky music and play I will.

Water Painting

I've taken up a new hobby these days, water painting. I enjoy it so much! And Mommy likes it best because I can't make a mess! I'm into painting people these days. I've painted Mommy and Gwant a lot. I say, "There's you Mommy." I can tell she's super impressed. Mommy and Daddy better start saving up now for art school...I'm sure I'll be accepted at the rate I'm going.

Happy Birthday To Me!

We still have a lot of pictures to post...but we thought it appropriate to post a rememberance of this special day. Mommy said she is thankful not to be in labor with me but instead, is able to enjoy my birthday in a different, less painful, way. Today marked a lot of firsts for me besides making it through my first year. I got my first set of wheels...the Wheely Bug of course. I ate my first bowl of big boy cereal...Cheerios...and I loved it. I'm glad Mommy finally got the hint that I'm sick of that baby cereal. It's time for the big boy food. Speaking of big boy food, I also enjoyed my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Tasty!! I'll be having more of that! Mommy turned my carseat around...hooray! We leave tomorrow for Birmingham. Mommy says Friday we'll be in the car a LONG time as we head out to Kansas City with Grandma, Papa, the Sandersons, and Ashley. I get to meet my Great Grandpa and lots of Mommy's cousins, aunts, and uncles. So, Mommy hopes that turning my seat around will make me a better traveler. I'm still not the best car passenger...but I'm getting better. I also enjoyed my first taste of chicken pot pie. I think I'll be a fan of that too! And of course, I ate my first cupcake. I was a little hesitant at first but after Mommy put some on my tongue..I became a fan of that too. All in all, my day was good. It's hard to believe I've been around for a year. It's been a good one.

After Playing Hard

After playing hard out in the sun, Mommy decided to let us have an indoor picnic and watch Ice Age 2...for a little bit. We just watched the funny parts. Some parts are a little scary for us little guys. So, we had our sandwiches and baby food (that's for Gwant) on the blanket and laughed at that funny squirrel on the tv. He reminded me of that baby squirrel Daddy let me hold. We had a lot of fun!

My Favorite Part

Although the jumping through the water was fun....drinking it was my favorite part! I just gulped and gulped the water down. It was so refreshing. If you squint your eyes while looking at the first one, you see me as the next Mariah Carey...except...not so fluesy!

Chillin'

Since Mommy didn't think it was a good idea to put me out in the water (I don't know why), I got to take in the view from my stroller. Mommy thinks next time she'll just put me in my trunks and let me have fun too. I mean, I turn one on Wednesday, I ain't no baby. Hannah and Mommy did try to entertain me some. Mommy squirted some water on my tray (Whoopee) and Hannah showed me the sprayer (awesome). Take a look at my shirt though. Can you read it? At least I'm getting my message out there early. By the time I'm 20, I'll have a line of ladies waiting for my courtship.

The Hose

So, this is what the hose does! Along with my rake and shovel came a hose attachment. We used that to spray the water everywhere! I loved it! In fact, I loved it so much that I yelled, "Oh uh, Mommy, I gotta pee-pee!" Mommy told me to just let it out. So, I did. I couldn't tell what was my pee pee and what was the water! I had a blast jumping through the water. And then Mommy made it come down on me like rain! I said, "It's waining!"

Yahoo!

A few weekends ago, we were bored. B-O-R-E-D, bored. Daddy was working and we were a little stir crazy. That's when Mommy came up with her brilliant idea. I didn't quite get it at first, but I would soon. All I knew was that a swimsuit and water was involved. I knew it had to be good. You see, for the past, oh, seven months, I've been talking about going to the "poo" (pool). But I kept hearing, no, you have to wait. It's not open. I got it, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to keep asking everyday. Eventually that pool would have to be open and Mommy's answer would be yes. So, I asked Mommy if we were going to the "poo." No, but she did mention a hose that sprays water. "Can I swim in the hose?" I asked. My vocabulary is always expanding, but it hadn't quite incorporated the word, hose. She tried to explain I couldn't swim in it, but I could play in it. It's worth a shot, I thought. So, here I am, excited with anticipation of the hose! And there's Grant, always my supportive "brudder."

The Scavenger

Mommy calls me her little scavenger. That's because I do an excellent job at picking up any crumbs left over on the floor. Between me and Hannah, there are a lot and I try to get to them before Mommy does. Sometimes, like here, I'm successful. Other times, I'm not. But I will put up a good fight to get my little hands on that Cheerio before the broom sweeps him away forever.

My Birthday Photo Shoot

Apparently Hannah had to go through this as well when she had her birthdays. You see, on May 20th I'll be one. Yes, I'm aging fast. Mommy says that time has gone by even faster with me. When Hannah turned one she thought she was such a big girl. But with me she doesn't think one looks so big anymore (between you and me, I think she just doesn't want me to grow up so fast so she's telling herself I'm still a baby, but baby I'm definitely not). But, to celebrate she had to take some photos for my birthday invitation. Obviously I'm having a John Deere party. Why can't I just have a Grant Harman party? This is all a bit confusing. But this Saturday family and a couple of my buddies...Layne and Nolan....are coming to help me celebrate my first year of life. I can't wait. I hear there will be cake. And Hannah has already tried to pull out my birthday present. I know it's a Wheely Bug. I mean, come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out when Hannah pulls it out of the box and says, "Gwant, here's your beetle bug." But, I'll just pretend I don't have a clue what that white box with antennaes sticking out of it is in the dining room. It'll make Mommy happy.

Exploring and Trying to Become One with Nature

I come across as being dainty. And I am, I suppose. But, I don't mind exploring and getting my hands a little dirty (as long as Mommy cleans them off when I'm all done). So, when I got tired of shoveling and raking, which happened rather quickly, I was off to explore. I found beautiful yellow flowers, a bubbling creek, and, my favorite, rocks. Do you know how much I love rocks? ALOT. If I could fill my room up with them, I would. Perhaps I take after my grandaddy...the geologist. Mommy says I can make some pet rocks. Oh boy! I like the sound of that!

In the midst of all my exploring, I even got close to nature. . .sort of. I had to pee pee. So, Mommy, using her cross country running skills from the past, advised me to strip down to my bare bottom, and squat and let the river flow. WHAT?! It didn't go quite as smoothly as it did for Mommy in the past, I'm gathering. After tripping over my pants that Mommy was pulling off and being positioned into a squat, I got stage fright. Actually, I was just downright confused as to why I was standing in the middle of the woods with just my tennis shoes and a t-shirt. I used my better judgement and said I didn't have to pee pee. I just wanted my britches back on before some passer-by saw my stark white bottom! So, after almost face planting into the dirt several times, my shorts and panties were back on. Needless to say, once we walked into our front door I headed straight for the potty and found great relief. I think I'll mark off "cross country runner" from my list of sports I'd like to play. I prefer to pee pee on a potty.

Let's Get to Work!

Grandmama and Grandaddy got me my own rake and shovel for Easter. I was eager to try them out. However, we found our yard not to be rake or shovel-friendly. I wanted to rake up the pinestraw but Mommy said that wasn't a good idea. She had a better idea. We loaded up my shovel and rake...and Gwant...and walked to the nature trail in our neighborhood. It's full of fun stuff to rake. And I got busy. I found dirt to shovel. I found dead leaves to rake. I even let Gwant get in on the action...sort of. He held my shovel and rake for me while I went exploring. He did a fine job though.

Snaggle-Tooth

For awhile there, I was getting worried. You see, I only had one tooth coming in from my top pair. If you want to be cool, you want BOTH teeth to come down together. If you want to look snaggle-toothed...and thus, UNCOOL, then you only have one come in. I, I'm afraid, was the latter. UNCOOL.

THIS JUST IN: a few weeks have passed since this picture was taken...and...do I have good news to share. His buddy decided to make his debut. And now, I have TWO teeth. Now, one is a bit more prominent than the other, but at least it's out. PHEW.

Quite the Character

Mommy says I'm quite the character. Can you tell? For a cool look, I prefer to wear my shades. I also enjoy eating them, but, then again, I enjoy eating anything. For a quirky look, I prefer to wear these bunny ears. It's sure to make the audience laugh. It seems I can get into all sorts of characters. My latest character? Lets-throw-a-fit character. I've gotten really good at this. Here's what I do: when given a stern "no" or when not held after preferring to be, I simply fall flat to the floor on my back. Then, I scream...a very loud, shrieking, ear-piercing scream. As a result, my face turns bright red. Then, I do, what I like to call, the backstroke. I scoot on my back until I manage to hit something, be it a wall, a cabinet, a toy, or a leg. Then, I raise my scream to a higher level. On a good day, this does the trick. And I'm back in the arms of the ones I love. On a bad day, I continue with the backstroke and high pitched squealing. It depends on Mommy's mood. Although, it seems I've been in this character too often lately, because Mommy isn't falling for it as much. Hmm...maybe I should change characters.

Easter

Can you believe Mommy forgot to get pictures of me and Gwant in our Easter outfits? She did. So, these are the only Easter pictures we have. Gwant and I woke up to find 4 baskets filled with goodies "downdares." Grandma and Papa brought out buckets (which I love) early for Mommy to give us later. And then, on top of that, Grandmama and Grandaddy came down after church and gave us some Easter goodies. Whoa! Mommy and Daddy got us instruments and The Jesus Storybook Bible. Mommy wants to have an Easter basket theme each year if she's creative enough to do so. This year's theme: Make a Joyful Noise (to Jesus that is). Mommy and Daddy have been telling me about Easter some...that it's about Jesus. That's the best I can get right now. But apparently there's more to it than that. I'm sure I'll learn. Until then, Gwant and I will use our new kazoo (which we don't know how to play yet), harmonica (we're both good at that..more pictures to come soon), tamborine/drum, a fish thing, and yes...EGG SHAKERS, to make a joyful noise to Jesus! We hope everyone had a great Easter!

Friends

After the egg hunt, Ellie and I showed off our loot. Then, we went at ate some hot dogs and popcorn by the green, slimy pool. I sure hope it gets clean before it opens. I ask Mommy just about every day if we can go to the "poo." I can't wait until I finally hear, "yes." Anyways, Ellie and I mostly looked through our eggs and put stickers all over ourselves while we enjoyed the yucky pool. Then, some good friends came to sit with us for a bit. We had a great afternoon and I can't wait to hunt for those eggs again!