1 Thursday + 1 New shirt from Target + 0 Smiles =

I'm a 1 year old..

Nothing about me screams baby anymore.  Well, if you don't count the fact that I'm still carried 89% of the time, I can't talk, I maybe wear diapers, and I prefer for you to hold my sippy cup to the point that when you hand it to me I just hand it back to you and put my hands at my side so you have to hold it to my mouth - other than that, I'm totally a big boy.  So, I guess b/c when it was time to plan my party I was still considered a "baby" - mom and dad had to plan my party for me.  Afterwards I made a list of pros and cons so I could remember for next year when I plan my own party.

Gettin' Ready for the BIG day

How does one do that, you ask?  It's easy...follow this simple formula if you want to have the best first birthday of your life.

1. Start to get your molars b/c that is REALLY fun.  Let me give you an example of just how much fun it is.  When I started to get my molars yesterday I became REALLY happy.  When I say happy I mean happy to the point of tears.  I cry when you want to put clothes on me, I cry when you offer me milk (yes, all you need to do is merely offer and I'm so happy I just start crying), I cry when you try to give me medicine that would make me less happy, I cry when my tummy sticks out so much it pushes my tray off my chair and my grapes almost fall on the floor, I cry when I start crying while grapes are in my mouth so I start choking on said grapes, and then I cry when you finger swipe them out of my mouth in hopes that I would stop crying.  So many tears of joy - that's the first way to prepare for your first birthday.

2. The second way to prepare is to cold turkey your bottles.  I mean, you can't show up to your first birthday party still taking bottles so you just spit in their face one day and be done with them.  Now I get milk and not just any old milk...whole milk.  Dad referred to it as crack tonight b/c it's THAT delicious.  I think it's fine - I take it now in place of that baby formula business but I'm not obsessed with it like dad is.  OH and I only use sippy cups with straws...that's how the cool kids are doing it these days.  Plus, Grayce told me that it helps my muscles used in speech when I can suck from a straw.  I started using that cup yesterday and today I said full sentences.  Grayce is so smart.  PS. Other BEST thing about the straw...don't have to tilt the cup back - I never could figure that out.

3. And the last way to prepare for your first birthday party - put on a pink shirt, pop your collar and have a photo shoot, of course.....

Valentines Day

My first Valentines day has come and gone.  I know I'm a little behind in posting about this but since it's still technically February I figure, better late than never.  Now, listen - I have been getting a lot...and I mean, A LOT of questions lately about my relationship status.  I don't know if it's because I'm about to turn 1 or maybe because the hair on my head is growing in so much it's even inching a little over my ears or WHAT, but I want to address the masses.  I do have a girl that I text A LOT.  I would facebook and tweet her but her mom won't let her have an account.  We even talk on the phone sometimes but mom gets jealous and I've had MANY an instance when my lady friend will call and mom will answer as I'm sitting right there and I'll hear, "oh no..sorry, Gray isn't here right now, can I take a message?" or the worst "sorry, you have the wrong number" and then she hangs up.  Mom, if you're reading this listen up, I'm almost 1 and I know it's hard for you to let go but I don't need you to baby me anymore!!!  I can already hear her now, "if you're gonna live under MY roof you will live by MY rules.." blah, blah, blah.  Don't worry, Lucille - one day I won't live under this roof and you'll get your own Twitter account and life will be as we dream...

I digress.  So, there's another lovely lady too that I think the world of but unfortunately I haven't gotten to spend too much time with.  Grayce Phillips. I mean, seriously - Grayce and Grayson (she may or may not spell her name with a "y" in it but I'm assuming she does..who wouldn't?)-- how could that NOT work out???  But I have yet to really hang out with Grayce like I have with Lucille to know if we really have the connection or not...but I've seen pictures and I know immediately her and I have the same love of food and she is QUITE the looker!

Moving on.  So, as the big V-day approached I went to the best place I could to get the best advice.  Dad.  I mean, Dad managed to score Mom who is 2.5 years older than him!! HOLLA BACK, DAD!  If there's anyone I know that's got the moves... it's him -- so, I asked him for his advice.  He replied, "son, you GOTTA play it cool.  Don't act needy, eager, or desperate.  Show your lady she's special but don't try TOO hard to impress.  You gotta leave time to improve - if you go all out in year 1 you'll have the pressure every year of topping the previous year and that just gets expensive.  Here are the top 5 things you DEFINITELY don't want to do on your first Valentines Day..."

1. Don't wear anything cheesy on Valentines Day..like red things or heart shaped things and don't show too much skin.

2. Don't do anything that's too showy - for example: Absolutely no flexing and no one-arm push-ups.  That's just overkill.

      

3. Don't play the "I love animals" cards.  Just because her mom is a Veterinarian - don't be that dude that has to walk around with a puppy just to get a stare.

4. Never show too much skin.  Don't ever show her what's under the bib- you gotta save something for the wedding day!

5. Don't smile too much.  Smiling shows weakness and nervousness - just play it cool like you've done this a million times.

Got it, Dad.  I hear EVERYTHING you're sayin and I'm following ALL your advice.  Wait, I think I just heard by phone beep - must be my lady friend shooting me a text.  GOTTA GO!

Family, Flyers, and Friends

Hey sports fans - we got a lot going on in the Brock household these days and so I guess the only real way to handle all that is to just let it loose -

1. Did mom tell YOU she was going back to work full-time in February?  I sure didn't receive that memo until the first Tuesday of February when I woke up with my usual UNBELIEVABLY filled dirty diaper that I like to greet her with (you know, the ones where she even has to put me in new Pj's b/c the diaper can't contain all the goodness I have to offer it) and all of a sudden it was GRANDMA that had to deal with that mess.  I was so embarrassed - if I had only known I wouldn't have made it such a bad one. (confession: that is a lie..I would have still made it just as bad b/c I continued that behavior for the rest of the week..even after I picked up on the fact that Mom wouldn't be home to deal with it.  sorry Grandma).  BUT, I had TWO weeks with Grandma and it was incredible to say the least.

2. Do y'all know what "S-N-O-W" is?  I think that's how they spell it...everytime I try to say something new it just comes out "ddaazzzzz-ie or da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da" but we got a TON of this snow junk.  Here are the things I know about it.  It's cold.  It's wet.  It's white.  When it comes, mom and dad stay home and dad builds me friends to play with.  Those friends are great b/c I can pull their arms out and their eyes out and I don't get in trouble AND it apparently doesn't hurt them.  The ONLY problem with them is that mom and dad won't let my friends come inside and it's really too cold outside to play with them for very long.  I begged and begged to let my new friend sleepover but again, I was told if I wanted to have a sleepover with my friend I would have to sleep outside.  Are the rules this strict at your house???

3. I got a radio flyer from my Grandma for my birthday (which is coming up on 3/13...you might want to jot that down).  It's no joke, either - just straight up the REAL deal.  There are no other words needed for this so I just told Grandma to take a pic.  I've only done inside laps so far and I'm pretty sure when I get this puppy outside it's going to rock my world.  OH and what you can't see is the umbrella that came with it - you know, to protect my fair and innocent skin.

4. Two other things - I'm pretty much literate now and what you can't tell from this picture is that I'm actually reading this book to mom.  I wanted her to sit on my lap but as soon as we tried she couldn't hear me anymore.  She sometimes struggles with the big words but I just sound them out slowly.."D-d-z-z-z-z-z-z-i-e and da-da-da-da-da-da-da" sometimes I even clap as I sound out the syllables and that helps her, "d-zzzzzzzzz-ie...one, two, three" and "da-da-da-da-da...one, two, three, four, five" - I think eventually she'll pick up on it but I'm trying to be patient with her.  4a. You may remember "I've been everywhere, man" and if not, you need to get more serious about following my blog.  But, that video was just the beginning.  Now not only am a I crawler like no other but I want to pull up all the time and even like to take some steps if you're holding my hands.  It's not that I can't support my weight if you let go (I know you think I'm heavy-set but I can do it if I wanted) - it's more just that I REALLY like dancing (again, see Dinner with MJ below) and so when you hold my hands I feel like we're dancing..slow dancing ;).

5. Right now my Gammy and Great Aunt Lynne are here caring for me, mom and dad, and helping mom and dad make a headboard for their bed.  I will post more on that later but in short, it's been glorious.  And that about wraps up this blog post.  Let's give me a round of applause.

Listen..I've been busy - I plan to update soon, okay?

Dinner with my new friend MJ!

Oh yeah...and we're snowed in!  More pics to come.