I'm almost 1 you know....

Hello everyone! I am almost 1 if you were not keeping track. I got my first hair cut last week and boy do I feel like a big boy now. I was very good in the chair. I went to the place mommy gets her hair cut and Aunt Stephanie's friend Jodi cut it for me. I sat on mommy's lap and played with some really cool combs, sucked on a purse hanger and watched mommy's gum....before I knew it, it was all over and my hair was all over the floor. Mommy says I look so grown up now. I have been loving swimming lessons, even though mommy has had to work late the last 2 times and has not gone with me. What would she ever do without Aunt Kate and Aunt Stephanie? She sure is lucky....and so am I of course!!! I am still improving on the walking. I can turn in circles now and I can almost run. I am pretty talented in that I can carry things, throw things and drink from my sippy while I am walking. I know, athlete in training....just ask my mom and dad. I am getting really good at climbing.....mom and dad are placing bets as to when the first visit to the emergency room will come. I can climb up on my rocking chair and reach just about anything I want to. I push it to where I want it and then just climb as high as I need to. I also have this shopping cart that Santa brought me and I like to climb in there too. Look out trees, I am coming to you next. I figured out how to pound on the gate long enough so that it comes loose from the wall and then I can push it up and crawl underneath. There is no stopping me! I can also move furniture that people think will prevent me from climbing stairs, I made it all the way to my bedroom the other night before anyone figured out where I was. I got caught drinking from the dog dish last week. Daddy told me that it was yucky and mommy told me to, "Stay right there, I need to get the camera". She is so funny sometimes. I have almost given up my bottle completely. I do not get it during the day anymore and I only get it at night when I go to bed....and when I wake up in the middle of the night screaming. Mommy is working herself up to getting rid of it completely. She let Aja do the hard part and she is being a softy on the night time routine. I did hear her say that she was going to make it her goal that when I go to my 1 year check up on March 2nd that I will no longer have my bottle. Get out your earplugs, there are going to be some long, loud nights in the Albert household. Mommy says once she gets past this hurdle, the rest of my childhood will be a breeze. I will be the decider of that one! Ok, I better get some supper because I have swim lessons tonight. PS: Big birthday party coming up...can't wait!!!!
~Blayke

swimming pictures

Here are some pictures Aunt Stephanie sent from my first night of swim lessons!

Swimming

Hello everyone! I had my first swim lesson last night! I was very cold and my teeth, all 2.5 of them, chattered the whole time. My aunt Kate went in the water with me and mommy and aunt Stephanie stood outside the pool and took video and pictures the whole time. There are 3 other kids in my class, 2 boys and 1 girl. I liked it and was a pretty good boy but I would have been much happier if my mommy was in the water with me. So, I think after listening to mommy and daddy talk last night that mommy is going to get in the water with me when I go back on Thursday. I would really love it if mommy and daddy would get in the water, but we will see. I will have to talk real sweet to my daddy to make that happen. I worked on kicking, splashing, blowing bubbles, floating on my back and doing turns from my back to my stomach. I DO NOT like the back floating thing, I think it is because I can't see what is going on. I am pretty sure I missed most of what my teacher was saying because I was so busy paying attention to everything else that was going on at the pool. I also spent a lot of time watching the daddy that was sitting on the side of the pool watching his baby. Overall it was a very fun time and I can't wait to go back on Thursday. I am walking all over the place now. I am walking more than I am crawling these days. I can even walk and drink my bottle at the same time. Pretty talented wouldn't you say? Well, I think so! I am big into climbing right now. I can push things over to the couch, climb up and then do a nose dive off the side. Mommy gets all freaked out but I think it is pretty fun. I think my mom is going to sign me up for tumbling after swim lessons are over. So, if you know of any place that does tumbling for small guys like myself, let my mommy know. I guess that is about it for now. Have a great week!
~Blayke