guess what i've been up to?

hey all. it's atticus "the toddler" v.v. i would call myself "the todd" for effect, but that might get a little confusing.

anyway, i've pretty much been absorbing all the information that exists. or has existed. or will exist. get this: i can say over 20 words and counting. (well, i'm not the one counting...i guess i haven't mastered all the information that exists...note to self: learn how to count.) don't believe me? that's just the jealousy talking. get ready for this...

"mama,"
"yeah,"
"hi,"
"puppy,"
"baby,"
"belly button,"
"ball,"
"bird,"
"poop pants,"
"grandpa,"
"kitty,"
"no, no"
"nuk,"
"book,"
"sister,"
"thank you,"
"car,"
"truck,"
"choo choo,"
"bear,"
"baseball,"
"brown bear,"
"uh oh,"
"uh huh,"
"cheese,"
"excuse me,"
"whoa,"
and more (and literally, "more"), but you're you're not privileged to that information. (granted, i have to have an interpreter - i.e., mommy or daddy - for anyone else to understand what i'm saying, but still.)

i LOVE animals and can say, "woof," "meow," "baa baa," "neigh," "whoo whoo," "rrrrr" (that's a lion) and make an elephant noise. i have been known to say, "woof, woof, puppy" over and over. and over. and over. it's a thrill ride, it really is.

i also communicate with gestures, like waving; making gestures for birds, crabs, and fish; signing thank you, please, all done, and more; signaling i want to be tickled; hugging and kissing my baby sister; and...the ever classic mommy-slap any time i'm unhappy with her decision making. word to the wise: feed me whenever i tell you to or watch your back.


i love bath time, my nuk, my lion pal, and my books. my favorite books are 'brown bear, brown bear,' 'the very busy spider,' 'the belly button book,' 'moo, baa, lalala,' 'blue hat, green hat,' and 'biscuit visits the pumpkin patch.' oh yes, and 'goodnight gorilla.' i don't think i could live without having that book read to me about 20 times an hour.

i love climbing onto the kitchen chairs and the couch. i like pretending to do pushups like daddy does. i love all things with wheels and love balls. i LOVE being outside, even though we can't go far since we usually just play on the patch of grass by our apartment while penelope is sleeping.

i love helping mom to take care of penelope - let's face it, she's in pretty sorry shape and needs my expertise. i also love helping mom to vacuum, take out the trash, and eat all the cookies.


i do NOT like coming inside after playing in the 'yard' (or really, the 'patch'), sitting on my bottom while on the couch or chairs, not being read to, and not being treated like the adult that i am.


at my 18 month appointment i weighed just under 23.5 pounds (23rd percentile), was 33.5 inches tall (85th percentile), and played in the biohazard bin.

okay, well, anymore information and people magazine won't have any motivation to pay me for an interview. so i'm going to clap my trap, go grab my nuk and lay down for some beauty sleep - i'm outtie. (so is my belly button - yes, you're seeing that picture correctly.)

my mommy

my mommy loves me.

she is patient when i cry.
she is loving when i fall.
she is encouraging when i try.
she loves Jesus more than all.

she is there when i am sick.
she is there when i'm asleep.
she applauds all of my tricks.
she resists pinching my cheeks. (at times)

she is loving to my daddy.
she is always happy when he's home.
but more than that
she is most happy
finding faith in Christ alone.

so i'm not the greatest poet.
i'm also 7 months old.
what were you doing when you were 7 months old?

atticus

pretty eloquent for 6 and a half months, don't you think?

hi everyone, it's me again. i haven't blogged in a long time because i've been super busy. just ask my mom.

i am getting so big! i get to eat big boy food, like pumpkin, pears and carrots. (mmm, i love carrots!) i even get to sit in my highchair to eat now, because i figured out how to climb out of my bumbo...(the bumbo was sitting on the dining room table when i figured it out, too, so i got a major conk on the head when i fell off the table onto the floor, but i'm tough so nbd.) mom sometimes lets me hold the spoon when i eat, which i really like because she doesn't seem to know how to get it all over my face and in my armpits the way i like it. seriously, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

i can roll over both arms now, instead of just over my right side. what does this mean? i'm mobile. i can roll wherever i want to go. like over to mom's plants, or to the drapes, or under the bed. it's just not quite satisfactory, though, so i'm working on my crawling...i can get my knees up under me and can rock back and forth. i know this is supposed to get me moving, but i just can't figure out what the missing piece is to crawling. maybe it has something to do with moving my arms and legs? i'll figure it out soon enough.

i have not been eating in the middle of the night for a week and a half now! mom took some good advice from makenna's parents and has been feeding me an extra three ounces before bed. sometimes i wake up around 5:30 because i have serious pee-pants, but once i'm clean and dry i snooze until 7:30 or 8.

as has always been the case, i'm a huge talker. i love saying bababa, gaga, tatata, and mmmmmmm. i also love making raspberries, making oinking sounds, and making kissy noises. i don't laugh a whole lot, but i smile all the time, and when i'm really happy i like to squeal. i'm ticklish on my legs and in my armpits, and i have a sensitive spot on my back that daddy likes to rub - i turn all red and tense and my birthmark turns purple when he does that.

i started sitting up by myself! after about an hour of practice, i'm now a pro and hardly ever fall over. my favorite thing by far is STANDING!!!! standing fixes all boo-boos and all grouchy moods. i love to stand straight, then plop down and pick myself up. i love holding mommy and daddy's hands while i walk around. i can even hold onto the couch by myself, and last night i stood for a few seconds without holding onto anything!

i'm a really, really mild-mannered kid; i hardly ever cry if there's nothing to cry about, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE people!

my favorite toys are my snake pal, my singing alphabet worm, my 'bear loves opposites' book, and my red plastic cup. i also love my pimped out ride and any old magazines mom gives me to destroy.

well, i should probably go take a nap. (not to toot my own horn, but i'm an awesome sleeper - usually about 11 hours at night and 4-5 hours during the day.) it's garage sale season and all the deals tucker me out.

atticus.

hello world!

its me again. now that i have more motor control, writing these blogs should be a breeze. i just thought i'd clue you in on a few of my new faves and fave faces. (say that seven times fast. i can't. for various reasons.)

my favorites:
*sucking on my hand.
*putting my hands together.
*watching my hand.
*swinging my hand.
*pretty much anything else where i can involve my newly-coordinated hand.
*blowing spit bubbles.
*never actually swallowing my saliva. ever.
*doing the "modified cobra pose for itsy bitsies" while mommy does her grown-up yoga.
*growing growing growing like a weed.
*kicking my legs.
*grabbing stuff (although, once i learn to let go of stuff, this will probably get more fun.)
*standing, sitting, holding my head up.
*staring at brightly colored objects.
*putting whatever i can into my mouth.
*pooping pooping pooping (seriously, some things never get old.)
*using my voice to make happy squeals, coos, and the newly-discovered annoyed squeal.
*making these awesome faces:

i love mommy!

transitioning from "sourface" to full out crying.

kissing the camera and all my adoring fans.


chillin.


wiped. out.

thinking about getting older and hitting the big 0-3. months, that is.

after drowning my aging sorrows in a bottle of breastmilk. looking a little worse-for-wear.

loving the "tooth"brush.

not sure what the heck i'm doing here.

chillin with grandma in my bibbies.

a little groggy.

my farmhand face. and outfit.

not sure what to think of the eskimo gear my mom dolled me up in. it was 43 degrees outside and i got all sweaty.

hurnh?

ah, the elusive sourface, finally caught on film.

man, mommy sure is funny! (i have a feeling that once i actually understand what she's saying, her jokes won't be quite as funny. daddy and i can not-laugh together.)

snoozing, cuddled up to the nuk.

and again. so you've pretty much seen every single nap i've taken now.

RAWKFIST!! and i'm proud to be a van voorst, where at least i know i'm freeeeeeee.

another VERY pretty face, if you ask me.

who the crap are you? why the crap did you wake me up? where am i? why aren't you feeding me?

oooohh, stretching.

how i love my car seat.

love you! and love to poop out of this outfit! (that's probably what i'm getting ready to do here.)

go cardinals!

what the heck is going on? why do you keep flashing that light in my face? freaking paparrazzi.

annndd.... the dead guy.

both me and mommy are looking ridiculous. here, let me sing a song about it.

WHAT?!

ah yes. two months and learning how to express "coy"

"the old man"

so there's my life in a nutshell.

hello again

i forgot to mention a few of my very favorites:

stretching

staring at the couch (oh, man. i could do this all day long. i love that couch.)

i have decided to give a few things a chance:


..baths. they're not so bad. i guess.
..my pacifier. we're becoming fast friends, although i get angry when it jumps out of my mouth. why does it do that?
..smiling.

baby's first blog

hello all. in case some of you haven't met me yet, i figured i'd make my first post about my basic likes and dislikes.



i like when mommy carries me in the sling.

i like being the center of attention, like on my one month birthday.

i really like my activity gym.

(mommy likes sleeping in daddy's kurt cobain tshirt. kurt cobain likes staring at me while i stare at my activity gym.)

i like cuddling.

i do NOT like baths. on a related note, i do NOT like being cold.

i like cute girls.

i like sucking on daddy's fingers.

i do NOT like my pacifier. at all.

i like sucking my thumb.

mommy does NOT like it when i suck my thumb.

i do NOT like wearing my cap forward. i'm too cool.

i like wearing my cap backwards. i think it makes me look like an x-gamer.

i like doing what dad does.

i like following all the latest trends.

i do NOT like my car seat.

i like sleeping. most of the time.

i like watching football in my sweats with dad.

i like pooping. and farting. and making this face.

i like sitting in the bouncy seat that mommy's friend found on the side of the road.

mommy likes free stuff.

also, in the last few weeks, i've had many firsts:

my first bottle

my first smile

my first cooing

my first "birthday" (one month)

my first bald spot

my first kenny rogers theme party (and my first party in general)

my first ride (of many) in my new swing

and in four weeks, i will take my first airplane ride to arizona to see my grandpa tony and grandma jacqi. mommy's very interested to see what it will be like to travel with a baby. she's sure i've got a few tricks up my sleeve. who, me?!