week 29

so i heard dad was going outta town on business again...well, this time mom and i decided to stow away...i'm packed and ready to go...does this count as a carryon, mom?

music city, usa...here we come! i enjoyed my first plane ride...i slept for half of it and bounced back and forth between mom and dad for the other half (good thing it was a small plane with just two seats on either side of the aisle, so no 3rd party to witness my escapades 1st hand).

"s" is for sumpter...it's like they knew we were coming...how cool is that?

this was my baby jail...i mean bed. it wasn't as bad as it could've been, but it definitely wasn't home.

dad would come "home" after a long day of training and spend some quality time with me rolling around on the floor.

when in nashville, we had to do as the nashvillians (i'm not sure if that's a word or not but you know what i mean)...

it was buy 1 get 2 free, so mom and dad couldn't pass them up...

unfortunately, they didn't have any in my size, so daddy got 2 and mom got 1...maybe if dad takes really good care of them, i can borrow his in about 16 or 17 years.

there was country music stuff everywhere...and i do mean everywhere. they even had country music playing as you wait to cross the street...here i am in front of the honky tonk lengends. we stopped to get souvenirs and saw lots of stuff about rednecks, jack schit, and confederate flags...we opted for a little spoon that said "nashville".

here's our hotel...

which was across the street from the tennessee state capitol. which ironically was designed by noted philadelphia architect, william strickland (who desinged the tower of independance hall). philly connections are everywhere.

we went to the tennesee state museum and learned way more than we ever thought we could about tennessee history...did you know they contributed 100,000 confederate soldiers to the civil war efforts? that's probably not a surprise, but did you also know they had almost 50,000 who fought for the union? me neither...tennessee was a state divided...who knew?

whew, all that learning really wore me out...museums seem to have that effect on me.

we went "down home with the neely's" and got some good southern bbq...barbeque nachos...who woulda thunk it?

thanks nashville for a grand ol' time! i slept all the way home on the flight back...can't wait for my next trip...

week 28

mmm, dad's father's day breakfast sure does look yummy. hopefully mom's taking orders for children's day...i'll have what he's having...

challah french toast makes me giddy...happy 1st father's day to the best dad ever!

we went to the cheesecake factory for lunch...turkey burger and fries...more tasty vittles i can't have...

ok, so it's no turkey burger, but pureed turkey breast is as good as it gets for me these days.

did anyone ever tell you pureed meat is very messy?

mic check one, two...is this thing on? mom pulled out the pack n play again, and i must say, i like it much better minus that bassinet feature. since i've gotten more mobile, this is where mom puts me when she needs to go do mom stuff...it's not so bad.

this is me and miss dana from church. we had a community fun day on saturday...complete with moon bounces (mom and dad wouldn't let me get in) a dunking booth, basketball, cotton candy, popcorn, water ice...and more good stuff i couldn't partake in. even though mom and dad were complete party poopers, i still had a good time.

oh yeah, i went to the dr's office thursday for my 6 month check up, and i weighed in at.......... 17 pounds and 9 ounces, and i'm 26 inches long (so i gained about 2 pounds and 2 inches in 2 months). the shots weren't so bad either.

happy father's day

this was my gift to dad today...an action figure (commando baby).

mom said life as they know it will never be the same :o)

week 27

here's grandpa sumpter getting in that last little bit of quality time before he went back to jacksonville on monday.

grandma sumpter went back home on saturday...mom, dad, and i really appreciated them coming up to lend a hand and hang out with us...and thanks to grandpa, "i believe i can fly..."

here's mommy after she came back from ms. margo's bridal shower...they had afternoon tea and the ladies wore hats and gloves...mom looks pretty snazzy...for a mom

tea anyone? i was eyeballin' her hat, so she let me try it on...now dad thinks i've been traumatized...he's so crazy :oP

can't ever have enough shots of me and mom...

i turned 6 months old on monday...mom is still looking for my pause button...her and dad can't believe i'm already half a year old (me either)!

mom can't ever pass up a cute bum shot...this is one of a silly puppy dog. i've got my 6 month check up thursday, so i'll let you guys know how it goes and what i'm weighing in at these days

week 26

here's me and grandma sumpter as promised...she came up to watch me while mom does bootcamp...grandma's are great!

my bib says it all, "my grandma loves me"...both of them...i get 2 grandmas to shower me with hugs and kisses and lots of lovin'...how lucky can one guy be?

here we are out on the patio enjoying the evening...

here's grandpa sumpter, he came down to stay for a week to help dad out...

now you can see why dad might have needed a little help around the house...he had arthroscopic (betcha didn't know i could spell that) surgery on his elbow. i offered him my thumb to help him feel better (it works for me), but he said he'd pass. percocet's got nothing on the tumb...

welcome to the jungle...

so i started out with bananas, then i had sweet potatoes, and now i'm on to avocado...

i think i like it...now if i could just figure out how to work this spoon thing...

i was a little curious listening to dad talk about his trip to the hospital, so i decided to take a trip of my own. i had my first (and hopefully last) ride in an ambulance on saturday night. i didn't feel so great, i was a little pale (with purple lips), and had a bit of trouble breathing. i started feeling a little better on the ride over to the hospital and even held my oxygen as they wheeled me in to the ER. the doctor said my chest x-ray looked like i might have a bit of pneumonia in my left lung, so i'm taking antibiotics (which are quite tasty). i was back to myself before we left the ER sunday morning (around 2:30), smiling at my nurse, pulling at my leads, and chewing my oxygen mask. thank you to all of you who called, emailed, and prayed for me and my recovery...until next week...stay cool

week 25

this week's posting is brough to you by the letter "B"...



"B" is for bootcamp...which is what my mom has been doing during the day for the past week and a half (that's why we're so behind in posting pictures...behind also starts with "B"). no she didn't run away and join the military...she's in dissertation bootcamp...she needed someone to crack the whip at her.

"B" is also for my blue sippy cup. mom gives it to me every now and then with a little water to play with. i haven't quite gotten the hang of it, but it sure is fun to watch the water drip out.

"B" is also for bananas which i got this week, and that's exactly how i responded to them...i went bananas...mmm mmm good. and "B" is also for brilliant...which is what my mom is 'cause she put my high chair together all by herself. imagine my surprise when i got up the next morning...i love it!

"B" is also for B & B...

yes, i had my first trip to a bed and breakfast. dad and i got to tag along with mom on the fontaine society planning retreat in cape may, nj.

i think maybe there's a contest between all the B&B's to see who can mix and match the most floral patterns...

here's me chillin' on the window seat...i gotta get me one of these for my room...

oh yeah, my friend nyla was there too...along with her mom and dad and big brother...she's got teeth now, so i gotta keep my eye on her.

"B" is also for the beach...well, they call it the "shore" in new jersey, but you get my drift. dad and i went to go walk on the boardwalk (also a "B" word) and down to the beach. imagine daddy's surprise when the lady asked for $4 to get on the beach. being from florida, dad found this a bit crazy, i left my wallet at home, so we just watched the beach from afar...i ended up falling asleep in the bjorn anyway.

i had big fun this week and saturday night the sumpters arrived (after being a bit delayed because of the weather), so i've got pictures with them for next week's post.