Solid as a Rock, er... Rice

Mommy and Daddy fed me my first solid food today -- rice cereal. I had to wait til 6 months for this because of my cow's milk allergy. Apparently that makes me more prone to food allergies. Other things I have to wait on... milk (1 year), eggs (2 years), peanut butter (3 years). So I guess I won't be able to have my first PB and egg sandwich washed down with milk for quite some time.

Check out this short video (short by Daddy's standards, that is... if you've ever sat thru one of his epic videos, you'll know what I mean) of me in all my solid food eating glory...



I didn't quite finish everything in my bowl. Nor everything on my face for that matter...

6 Months Old!

It's that time of the month again! I'm getting this whole chair thing down now. It only took 3 takes to get this shot. Can you believe I'm already half a year old? Let's take a walk down la-z boy lane...



(Click on the picture for a larger view.)

Bowled Over

Check out the cool bowling set Great-Grandpa Abe sent me! Bowling is a Goldman family tradition so this present was right up my alley.

Who's the Big Spoon Now?

Remember Lammie -- the gift from Laurooke Mittlehols? Well we still love to snuggle but it's now it's only half the lamb it used to be.

A Foot in the Mouth is Worth 2 in the Hand

Waiting in the Wings

Bubbie and Zayde were chomping at the bit to see me after we got back in town. It had been over 2 weeks and, with the stranger danger I had developed before our trip, they were afraid I wouldn't respond well to them. Not to worry, after a week in a house with all those Neimans, I've become completely desensitized.

Ship of Fools

Sorry, couldn't resist that title. For our last day in the Outer Banks, we decided to head down to Ocracoke to see the famous lighthouse. It took a 2 and a half hour drive and 45 minute ferry to get there...



...only to find out it was closed to the public. So we snapped this pic and then turned around and headed back to the house.



Indeed, Ocracoke was not all it was quacked up to be...



Even though our last day was a bit of a letdown, all in all, it was a great vacation. Looking forward to the getting the band back together again soon.

This Video Sucks

Here's a video of Cousin Ben and me playing on the floor. After the first few frames you might think this is shaping up to be another bruising boxing match but we settle in and play nice. Ben shares his toy with me and even lets me suck his thumb. Listen closely and you can hear Cousin Brad in the background discussing the merits of inner-family thumb-suckage. Of course that's the same Brad that was encouraging this picture yesterday.

The Whole Gang's Here...

Present and accounted for. Hard to believe we got this shot in just 3 takes. Scroll over the pic to see the cast of characters. And click on it for a larger view.

In Case You Were Wondering...

...what our shirts said.

The Proud Papa

We're so lucky Great Grandpa Dave was able to make the trip and spend time with all of us. And not just because he was good at the games that required knowledge of movie stars from the 40's and 50's. We miss Great Grandma Miriam but she's in our hearts.



Oh yeah, here's one more reason why we like having Great Grandpa Dave around!

Waxing Poetic

What is it with these Neimans and their whole kissing cousins business?

Tag, You're It

I was a little, ok... a lot cranky at dinner tonight so everyone took turns tending to me. Fortunately, Grandpa's shift came before he dug into those ribs and got his hands all greasy.

Costume Change

I'm sure you're wondering how I managed to go all day without soiling my Neiman family reunion shirt. Truth is, I didn't. I wore this getup until right before we snapped the pic with all those Yahoos.

All for One and One for (B)all

Our house has become a Kibbutz. Everyone pitches in and everyone shares everything. Each night another group is responsible for killing and preparing dinner. And all us kids are sharing our toys... and germs. This here's Jonah's flex-ball thingy...



So many holes, so little time!

Gone Fishin'

It rained a bunch today so we went to the Outer Banks Aquarium. I was entranced by all the fishies and tried to grab them anytime I got close to the glass. Cousin Jonah makes a cameo in this video but no whale.

Reflections of You (and You and You)

We were all transfixed by the otters (especially the female ones.) I guess we saw a lot of ourselves in them.

Cool Chick

This shirt (a gift from Mommy and Daddy's friend Jonny) says everything you need to know!

Ellephino

Having all these girls with names starting with El around reminds me of a joke. What do you get when you cross a rhinoceros with a hippopotamus?

I Believe the Children are our Future

Randy Watson would be so proud.

Let's Put Our Heads Together

With 18 people in the house it wasn't easy but I managed to get in some quality alone-time with Mommy today. I got a chuckle when she told me how Great Uncle Denny hummed the Odd Couple theme instead of Pink Panther during the big game of Crainum last night.

Knockout Punch

There's no question I have a future in boxing or at least ultimate fighting. Watch me go the distance with Mommy in the light, er... babyweight battle of the century. Using mostly uppercuts and jabs, I also mix in a few backhand slaps and pinches to batter my oppontent. As exciting as this fight was, not all the fans seemed that interested. Notice how Great Grandpa Dave goes from reading the newspaper at the beginning of the video to passed out half-way through to wearing the lampshade at the end.

My First Words

Daddy's been trying to get me to say "Da-Da" pretty much every day since I was born. Well today I finally said it... sorta.

Handful

Also got to meet my cousin Ben (Ella's brother) and see cousin J-dawg again. Looks like he's ready for another kid!

Wet Willy

I already have a Facebook account but Ben's not that computer-savvy so since we can't poke each other on FB we have to do it the old fashioned way.

Tower of Power

Behold the Eileening Tower of Pisa.

A Hairy Matter

It's nice having all these Neiman men around. Anytime I start to feel self-conscious about my bald spot, I just look at them and know it could be worse!

Being Brought Up-Right

Getting propped up on this couch was a nice change of pace from the big brown chair at home. And Daddy really likes how this leather keeps me stuck in the upright position long enough for him to take pictures.

The 3 L's

When I woke up today the house was suddenly full! Got to meet my cousin Ella, which was cool but a bit confusing since our names are so close. Works well for Daddy though when he's trying to get us to pose together -- he just has to yell, "Hey L, over here!" Ella took an instant liking to me and always asks about me when I'm not around. Not sure why. Probably just for the "L" of it.

2-Piece Meal

Our house has a pool and is across the street from the beach so I have ample opportunity to model this season's latest swimwear before it goes out of style (or I outgrow it, whichever comes first.)



Definitely dig the water. Was cool in the pool for about 25 minutes. Borrowed cousin Jonah's floaty thing so I didn't have to work too hard. It was tube-ular.

Loved playing with the strings on Auntie Em's swimsuit. When will she tie the knot?

Life's a Beach

Today was my first time on the beach. The red flags were out since the water was pretty rough. Tropical Storm Hanna passed thru yesterday and we're still feeling the after-effects. And here we thought we were getting away from the Windy City.



Check out this fancy sand castle I built. Just don't rock the moat, don't rock the moat baby.



Made sure to leave my mark on the beach before we left. That's one small step for babies...

Fly Me to the Moon, er... Norfolk

Took my second airplane trip today. We flew the friendly skies to Norfolk, Va. Once again, we got lucky and the plane wasn't full so I got a seat to myself.



When you're just 26 inches long, even coach can feel like business class.

There's a Sucker Born Every Minute

From Norfolk, we drove to Nags Head, NC to meet up with the fam. Auntie Em couldn't wait to get her hands on me. And I couldn't wait to get my hands in my mouth.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Baby Scorned

Went to dinner at Outback. I was a bit grumpy so Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Em, and Grandma had to take turns with me out back behind the restaurant. The silver lining was we caught this golden sunset.



Daddy made sure to get every possible view of this beaut. And the background scenery was pretty too.

The Perks of Being a Baby Blogger

As part of their new member recruitment, the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association hooked me up with some sweet CIMA gear. I guess they're trying to make an early impression on the techies of tomorrow! They gave me 4 onesies -- all different sizes -- so I'll be branded CIMA no matter how big I get. I think they need to order up some adult onesies and have their board members wear them to the holiday party. Don't worry Tony, they have sizes up to 6'9.