One small step for a baby

Tonight, right before dinner, I took my first steps without any help from Mommy or Daddy. Mommy and Daddy clapped and cheered for me. I clapped and cheered for myself. Once I master walking, then it's on to running. And once I conquer running, there will be no stopping me!

They should call Autumn "Fall" instead

JapanseMaple04
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

Lately I've been watching the leaves fall from the trees. I wonder why the leaves don't want to stay so high up in the air? You don't see as much when you lie on the ground. I know this for a fact because when Daddy puts me on his shoulders I can see all around. When I crawl on the floor I can't even tell if the pair of legs I see in front of me are Mommy's, Daddy's, or a stranger's.

This weekend we went for a walk and took many pictures of the leaves. I thought the leaves were green before, but they must have changed clothes because now they are red and yellow and orange and brown. Please look through my photo album of my leaves and trees.

Bundled Up

Bundled Up
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

This is me ready to explore the outside world. Mommy dresses me warmly because it is very chilly outside. I have these things that are like socks except they go on my hands. I don't have shoes for my hands though. Daddy puts my hat on and gives me a blanket once I have my seatbelt on in my stroller. I love the cold weather. It makes my face feel funny, especially when Daddy goes running with me. It's like the wind blows all the time.

Birthdays and Halloween celebrations

HalloweenGirls02
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

I've been really busy lately, so I haven't had much time to blog. This past weekend I was down in California with my family celebrating birthdays, lots of birthdays. There was a party for Ji-Chan's 60th birthday. It was at Uncle Ed and Auntie Misa's house. Ji-chan was very surprised to see me. He was surprised to see everyone else too. There were a lot of people there. I didn't remember a lot of them even though Mommy said I met them before. And even though I just re-met them, I already forgot their names.

There was also a birthday celebration for me. I don't think these people realized that I just celebrated my birthday a few days before, or maybe I'm another year older already. I got a lot of presents. I really like the boxes and the paper. I also really like the red fuzzy toy that dances and sings.

My cousin Katie also celebrated her birthday. She turned 8 on Halloween. We went out to dinner and then went trick-or-treating. I was a karate girl. Mommy was a pink robot. Daddy was a citizen of the city, but he just wore the same clothes that he normally wears. Katie was a vampire. Kelly was a spiderweb ghost. They were very scary looking! But underneath their spooky costumes they were still the nice cousins they've always been. Madison was a pretty princess fairy (not fairy princess) and had a sparkly crown and magic wand.

I had never been trick-or-treating before. It's a funny thing. Daddy carries me up to the door of every house. My cousins ring the doorbell. Someone answers the door. Now, sometimes this person is dressed up as something spooky, sometimes this person is normal clothes, sometimes this person is in jammies. Anyway, we say "trick-or-treat!" and this person gives us candy. Then we say "thank you" and leave. We walk up to the next house and do the same thing all over again. We got a lot of candy. We even went to a haunted house and scary people jumped out at us and there was a lot of fog and spooky music playing. Mommy held me so I wasn't too scared.

Mommy and Daddy have eaten most of my candy. They tell me that they are "checking" it to make sure that it's not poisoned. One of these days when they aren't looking I'm going to get my hands on my candy.

I'm 1 year old

No More Cake
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

Yesterday was my first birthday. I've been here for 1 whole year. That feels like a very long time. I've learned a lot of things though, like crawling, eating solid food, and sign language. There are also a lot of things that I was born knowing how to do, like crying, pooping, and sleeping. I do all these things very well.

For my birthday, Daddy stayed home from work for the morning and played with me. Mommy made me a chocolate cupcake. Mommy and Daddy sang Happy Birthday to me. The cupcake had this white stick on it with this hot orange thing dancing on the tip. Mommy said not to touch it though because it will hurt. Anyway, Mommy and Daddy blew on the orange thing and it went away. The cupcake was pretty good, although I really liked the pasta I had beforehand. That's me in the picture with chocolate crumbs on my face. And if you think that's messy, you should have seen the floor!

After my little party, Mommy and I dropped Daddy off downtown at his work. Mommy and I went to see a movie. I don't think it was very good because we left before it ended. I was tired. I took a nap on the ride home.

Mommy went to her knitting class in the evening so I played with Daddy. What a lucky girl I am; I played with Daddy in the morning and at night! He told me he's very happy to be my Daddy. I said, "Ga!" which means, I'm happy to be his baby girl.

My photo shoot

Yoshimi02
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

Here is one of my pictures from my photo shoot.

My weekend

Two nights ago Mommy and Daddy went out on a Date. I don't really know what a date is but for some reason they didn't take me along. Instead, Cassie came over to babysit me. I had fun playing with her, but then I wanted my Daddy and Mommy and they were no where to be found. I was sad, but Cassie tried really hard to cheer me up. I really liked when she held me and she squatted up and down. She told me the next day that her legs were sore from that. That's funny because my legs felt fine afterwards. I was beginning to think that Mommy and Daddy were never going to come home, but they did. I was upset at them for leaving me for so long. But I was also happy to see them again. I hope that Cassie is still my friend after all the crying I did in front of her.

Last night I went to a birthday party for Mommy and Daddy's friends' Martin and Tiana. I ate yummy food like cucumbers, spring rolls, bread, a bite of cookie. I tried drinking Daddy's beer. I played with this black, fuzzy doggie named Maverick. He is very big and I got a little nervous around him, but he was friendly. He even let me stick my finger in his nose, although I don't think he liked that very much. There were other people at the party that were more my size but they didn't want to play with me for very long. They all could run around on their feet and I haven't figured out how to do that yet without holding on to a sofa or table. I cramped their playing style since I only can crawl for the time being.

This morning Mommy and Daddy went running and pushed me in my stroller. The air was chilly so I dressed in long pants, a long sleeve shirt, a thick jacket, and had a warm, cozy hat on my head; I snuggled under my blue blankie. We stopped at a bakery for breakfast. I had some of Daddy's coffee cake and juice. It was very yummy.

Smile for the birdie

Today I had a photo shoot at JC Penney, commissioned by Bachan. I wore a brown tweed jumper with pink accents, white tights, and a new pair of pink cupcake shoes. I felt very grown-up in my sophisticated outfit. I wonder if people who saw me thought I looked older than Mommy or Daddy since they were not dressed up. The lady who took my picture was very nice and friendly. We played peek-a-boo. She said I was "cute as a button." Maybe she saw me yesterday when I wore my shirt that said the same thing on it. Mommy and Daddy had a hard time choosing from all the cute poses I did. My photo website will have my pictures from my photo shoot within a couple weeks.

Splish Splash

Usually I take my baths in the kitchen sink. Mommy and Daddy wash the dishes there, so I figured that's where everything gets washed. I couldn't figure out how Mommy and Daddy fit in the sink to wash themselves. They are too big. Last night, I found out that they clean themselves in the bathroom. Mommy let me take a bath in the big tub with her. I felt like a grown-up! There were all sorts of bubbly suds. I tried to eat them. Daddy put some suds on my head and on my face. He said I had a beard, but that's just silly because only boys have beards. Mommy taught me how to splash around in the water. Daddy gave me some toys to play with. It was a lot of fun. I hope that I can take more baths in the bathtub.

Busy as a bee

I saw lots of people this weekend. Last night Mommy, Daddy and I went shopping, but it wasn't like the usual stores we go to. This one was at a house, in the basement, which is a large grey room that is under the ground. There was a lot of yummy food and drinks, and fun music, and many people, and a few doggies. The doggies are big and furry and they scare me a little, but Mommy or Daddy holds me and I don't feel so scared. Mommy and Daddy bought clothes for running. I don't know why they don't wear onesies or feetie pajamas and ride around in a stroller like I do; it's so much easier than letting your feet touch the ground. Anyway, there were a lot of people I knew, and a lot of people I didn't know, and there were people that I think I should have known, but couldn't remember.

Today we went to a housewarming party at Phil and Christy's house. Phil works with Daddy in a big office building, but he lives down the street from us. I played with some bread; I ate some bread. I played with some leaves; I ate some leaves. I watched Mommy and Daddy play croquet. Then I got tired so we went home.

Pint-size vacation

Mommy, Daddy and I are staying in a hotel. The wood ground inside our house is being fixed so we had to live elsewhere for last night. The hotel is fun. There is a tv and a large bed in the room. Sesame Street is on tv right now. I like Grover. So does Daddy. Grover must be super old because Daddy once told me he used to watch Grover when he was little. There is a swimming pool and hot tub here, but I didn't go swimming because the pool was too cold and the hot tub was too hot. I like things "just right," like Goldilocks. We had breakfast here. I had cereal in the shape of O's. I had some yummy blueberry muffin, a chunk of bread, and a bit of yogurt. I tried to drink Mommy's coffee but I ended up spilling it on the table, chair, and floor. Whoopsies.

My third toof

I have a tooth coming in. I can feel it when I rub my tongue on the top front part of my mouth. It hurts. I cry sometimes. Luckily Mommy or Daddy has this magic goo that they rub in my mouth and everything feels all tingly and then numb so I don't hurt so much. I also have a runny nose. Mommy says that sometimes when teeth come in it can cause a nose to run. That's strange because I don't even know how to walk. How can my nose already know how to run? My legs need to learn from my nose. And where does my nose go? Isn't it always in the middle of my face?

"Ba"

Yesterday Mommy and I played Ball, also known as the roundy thing. She asked me if I could say "ball" and I said "Ba!" She was very happy. I was very happy. She clapped. I clapped.

Daddy and I play a game. He gets on one side of the sofa. I get on the other side. We lie on the floor and look under the sofa at each other. I laugh. Daddy laughs. Repeat.

A wedding, Grandparents' Day, A birthday

On Saturday I went to a wedding in California. Mommy and Dadddy's friend Darin married a very nice lady named Sylvia. Mommy tells me that there is a little baby growing inside Sylvia. How exciting! The wedding was fun. I played with my cousins. I played with my friend Nikka. I played with people I don't remember.

Yesterday was Grandparents' Day so I had breakfast with Ba-chan and Ji-chan. I gave them a card for the occasion. They liked it. After our meal, we went back to their house and we played for a bit before Mommy, Daddy, and I had to go to the airport to get on a plane. I like planes. I can practically fly one by myself.

Yesterday was also Mommy's birthday. Daddy said Mommy was born in the 20th century. That's OLD! Daddy took Mommy on a date yesterday so I played with Mark and Amy at their house while Mommy and Daddy were gone. Amy also has a baby growing inside her. It's a boy. Boys have cooties. Mark and Amy took me to the park and I swung on the swings and watched people play soccer. When I finally started missing Daddy and Mommy, they came back and we all went home as a family.

My playgroup

Yesterday I went to my first playgroup. It was at my Book Baby friend Syris's house, which was a little hard for Mommy to find. She got lost, but I didn't mind because I was taking a nap in the car and it gave me some extra napping time before play time. I was a little shy at first but then I realized that all my baby friends were playing and having fun so I joined in. There were toys and books and food and other friends my size. What more could I ask for? I can't wait to have my friends over at my house to play.

Pick-a-nick

CucumberSalad
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

Monday was a holiday, called Labor Day. I took the day off. Mommy and Daddy and I went on a picnic on top of a volcano. I didn't see any lava or smoke though. There was a nice view. I could see Daddy's work downtown, Mt. Hood, and lots of hills and trees. We sat on a blanket. I crawled to the edges of the blanket and there were lots of green, stringy carpet strands and it came apart when I pulled on it. I had some cucumber salad, pasta, and watermelon. Yummy!

Redecorating

This morning when I went to play in my room I noticed that the sofa that used to be in the room with the other sofas is now in my room. I wonder how it got there. I heard that sofas have legs so maybe it walked? I put my hands on the sofa when I stand up and I can walk side to side. Mommy and Daddy like to lie down on the sofa while I play. And what's neat about it is that it opens up to a bed, so I can entertain overnight guests. Of course, my own bed is in Mommy and Daddy's room, but I don't mind sharing my play room with others, just so long as they put the toys back after they are done playing with them.

Yoshimi the massage therapist

This afternoon I helped Mommy relax. I gave her a back massage. She sat down on and I stood behind her. I put my purple plastic egg in one hand and my orange and blue egg in the other hand and rolled them down Mommy's back. I had a little trouble bringing the eggs back up and ended up dropping them, so I had to pick them up and start all over. Mommy said it felt really nice on her back. I had fun rolling the eggs.

Books

Mommy bought me a book today. It's a book with pictures of people talking with their hands. I already know how to say "milk" and "more" by using my hands. It's nice when Mommy and Daddy know what I'm talking about. With this book we can all learn how to communicate together. Sometimes I have no idea what the big people are saying. Other times I think the big people have no idea what I'm saying. It leads to a lot of confusion. I hope this book will help.

Another game

Mommy and I taught Daddy a game last night. It's called Chase The Spinny UFO. I have this UFO toy and Mommy spins it on the ground. I crawl over to it and pick it up. I give it a good shake and then I toss it away. Mommy picks up the UFO and spins it around again. I crawl over to it, pick it up, shake it, and throw it again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. When we taught this game to Daddy, he took over the role of what Mommy did. And then once he learned how to play, we all played together. First Daddy would spin the UFO and then I would get it and throw it. Then Mommy would get the UFO and spin it. I would get it again, pick it up, shake it, and toss it. Then Daddy would spin the UFO. What a fun game!

The coast, a wedding, a barbeque

I had a very busy weekend. To prepare, I slept a lot Friday night. Daddy ran a big race so he couldn't play with me so I went to bed early. The next day, Mommy said that we were going to meet Daddy on the coast. The coast is nice. There is a lot of water and grainy tan stuff on the ground. There were so many people around I was afraid that Mommy and I wouldn't be able to find Daddy. But Daddy spotted us right away. He walked funny and said that he hurt his foot. Today he is going to see a doctor about it. I told him not to worry because I just went to my doctor last week and she was really nice and made me feel good about myself. At the coast we also saw some friends, Sean and Cassie, Torrey and Angela, and those people we had pasghetti with the other day.

After we left the coast we went to a wedding reception for our neighbors Marisa and Brian. It was at a whinery, which I guess is a place where people complain a lot, but I didn't hear anyone complaining. There were a lot of plants with clumps of juicy, round things on them. Daddy was stinky from running so he used the shower there. My Book Baby friend Lilybell and her mommy and daddy were at the reception so we all played together.

The next day Daddy and I played together while Mommy went to the store to buy things for a barbeque. I missed Mommy when she was gone so I cried, but only a little. We went to the park by my house and set up for the barbeque, which meant that Daddy and I played on the grass while Mommy brought all the stuff over. Mommy said Daddy shouldn't be walking on his bad foot. I learned that a barbeque is where this hot, orange thing cooks food and then people eat it. They eat the food, not the orange thing. Mommy didn't cook her milk for me though. Lots of people came over for the barbeque. Heather held me for a while. Heather is the one who helped bring me into this world. She was the first person I met. Amy also held me. Mommy says that there is a little baby inside Amy. I wonder why the baby doesn't come out and play with me?

After the barbeque Julie and Jay came over to my house and we played. They are a lot of fun. Julie let me pull her hair and stick my fingers in her mouth. Jay said that I'll be ready to walk soon. But why should I walk when I can be carried instead?

I'm so tired from writing about my weekend that I think I need a nap!

B is for Bubble

Today I went to Book Babies at the place where all the books are. One of my favorite things to do there is to play with the clear, round things that float around in the air. When I was at Uncle Ed and Auntie Misa's house last week, they also had the clear, round things. I heard they are called bubbles. The bubbles are fun. Sometimes they pop, sometimes they stick to the ground. Sometimes I eat them, but I can never feel them in my mouth. I want to bring them home with me but I haven't figured out how to put them in my pocket.

Pasghetti

Tonight Mommy and Daddy took me to one of Daddy's worker friend's house for a pasta feed to fill their tummies up and get lots of energy to run a big race tomorrow. I met a girl bigger than me but not as big as Mommy or Daddy. Her name is Kris and I like her very much. She shared her Cheerios with me. She showed me how to put a puzzle together. Then she let me play with big blocks of different shapes. I liked the one shaped like a round stick. I also met a little boy smaller than me named Mike. He was carried in a bucket seat that looked like the one I used to be carried around back in my younger days. He didn't do much. His mommy carried him a lot. I tried to teach Mike how to crawl but he wasn't interested.

What's up, Doc?

This morning Mommy and Daddy took me to see Dr. Pritchard for my nine month check-up even though I'm ten months old. She put this thing in her ears and it had tubes that came to a circle thing that she put on my chest. It was cold. She said she was listening to my heart. I couldn't see the heart she was talking about. Then she put it on my tummy. Then she put it on my back and listened to my lungs. I didn't know I had lungs on my back. I can't see my back though so I believe what I'm told. Dr. Pritchard looked at my eyes with a light. She also looked at those things that stick out on the sides of my head. Then she stuck a popsicle stick (without the popsicle!) in my mouth. She smiled at me and said I looked good.

The nurse weighed me. Sixteen pounds. She measured my height. 28 inches. My head is 17 1/2 inches around. I hope these are all good numbers. I got lots of smiles so that must be a good sign.

I got poked with a sharp thing in my finger and red stuff came out. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to cry. A doctor took the red stuff. I don't know where it went. I got a blue bandage wrapped around my finger for my owie. Daddy held me and told me I did a good job. I later tried to eat my bandage.

My Trip

CaptainYoshimi
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

I went to California and visited family. I saw Ba-chan on her birthday. She bought me my very own stroller for my visits. She took me on a walk to her work where I met some of her friends. I was shy and clung to Ba-chan.

During my visit, Mommy and I stayed at Auntie Misa and Uncle Ed's house. It is a very nice place. The floors are very soft and fuzzy. It's like crawling on clouds. I spent a lot of time in a room that has clear walls. I heard it's called a Sun Room, but I didn't see the Sun inside. Uncle Eric and Auntie Wendy also stayed with us. One evening, we all went on a boat ride. Uncle Ed even let me steer. That's me in the picture wearing my captain's hat and holding a toy gun.

My cousin Kelly had a party that I went to. She used to wear these shiny metal things on her teeth for a long time, but now they are off and she had a party. There were all sorts of chewy candy and other foods that she wasn't allowed to have while she had the metal thingies on. Mommy wouldn't let me eat any of it since I only have two teeth.

My Auntie Wendy taught me a new game. It's called Bumping Heads. She puts her forehead against my forehead. We bump. It's a lot of fun.

I also visited Mommy and Daddy's friend Lisa and her family. They let me play with colorful blocks that stick together.

I did a lot of other things on my trip, but my memory is not very good so I can't write about it.

Play Ball!

I play this game where I throw my roundy thing across the room and then I crawl as fast as I can to get it. Once I pick up the roundy thing I throw it again and then crawl and pick it up again. I do this many times. Sometimes Mommy plays with me. She will roll the roundy thing on the ground and it will stop in front of me. I pick it up and throw it across the room. Mommy gets the roundy thing and rolls it to me again. I call this game Throw The Roundy Thing And Get It. Mommy calls this game Ball, but I don't know why.

Paper or plastic?

Paper or plastic?
Originally uploaded by littleyo.

Today I went to the place where Mommy and Daddy get the things they eat. I don't know why they don't just drink milk. It would make things a lot easier. Still, I had a good time. I drove the basket. That's me in the picture steering the basket. Mommy and Daddy put the food in the the trunk. After we were done, we left. This time Daddy drove home. But it was the car and not the basket.

A new friend

Mommy and Daddy's friend Mario is here today. He came all the way from where Ba-chan and Ji-chan live. He flew on a plane. I've been on planes before. They are neat. Things that are normally very big look very small from way up high in the sky. Mario played peek-a-boo with me. That was fun. We also played Blocks together. That was fun too.

Tonight was a hard night for me. I didn't feel very well so I cried a lot. Mommy and Daddy tried to make me feel better, but I just couldn't tell them what was wrong. Sometimes I think we have problems communicating. Don't they know that when I say, "Wahhh!!!" it means that I'm hungry, and when I say "Waah!" I need my diaper changed, and when I say "Waaa Waaa" I want to be cuddled? Daddy took me in the stroller and we walked by the houses around my house until I was all better. My stroller makes me happy. So does being with Daddy.

If you're happy and you know it...

...clap your hands! Today Daddy and I played a game of clapping. If you don't know how to clap, don't feel bad. I just learned how to clap. If I can do it, you can. You open your hands and bring the palms together. The palm is the big, flat part of the hand, not the sticks, but the stick parts of the hands come together too. It takes some coordination, but if you don't get it right the first time, keep trying. When you do it right your hands will make a noise. Repeat many times. It's fun.

So now Daddy and I play this game. He claps, then I clap. He claps at my clapping, and then I clap at his clapping. I don't know how we know it's time to end, but eventually it stops. I like this game. It makes me laugh. Try it with your Daddy. I'm not sure if Mommy knows how to play yet. Maybe I will teach her.

Merrily I stroll along

This morning after I woke up Daddy went running and pushed me in my stroller. My stroller goes fast. I always beat Daddy. No matter how fast he runs, I'm always in front. Sometimes Mommy runs with us. My stroller is faster than her, too. The world goes by fast when I speed along in my stroller. I see streaks of green and grey and blue and other colors. It's pretty.

I'm a Book Baby

Today I went to the place where all the books are. I go there a lot with Mommy. There are other people my size and we sing songs and read books and play with toys. It always starts off the same. There is a lady that blows these clear, round things that float in the air. When I try to touch them they disappear. Where do they go?

Sometimes I play with a toy and another baby grabs it away from me. That makes me sad. But then I see an even better toy and I play with that. That makes me happy. And sometimes I see toys that other babies play with that I want to play with too. I try to get it from them, but I usually am not very successful. Today I shared some of my special toys (the ones in Mommy's bag) with Ethan and Tyler, two of my Book Baby buddies, because they were sad and I wanted to cheer them up. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't get my pink rattle and green caterpillar back, but Mommy remembered to get the toys while I explored the room.

Watch out evil-natured robots!

Hi! My name is Yoshimi. I'm a black belt in karate. Pow! Pow!