Autumn Leaves

Now that it's winter, sometimes I like to think back to the time when I was small (only 14 months old) and I used to play in the autumn leaves. That was fun! Now there are no leaves left because Mom-mom and Pop-pop packed them all away. But I still like to play in the garden. There are flowers there, and sometimes there are birds, or a cat!

Petit Lutin

Isabelle (my assistante maternelle) is helping me get ready for Christmas. I am making lots of surprises in my workshop!

Biking!

Now that I'm a big boy, sometimes I like to go for a ride on my bike. I take Daddy along too, since he needs the exercise.

I am walking very well now. I like to walk around our new house. The kitchen is great! There are no doors to keep me from doing my very important job - moving the spoons and forks around from one room to another!

I am spending the weekend with Mabé and Papé and Tonton Didier and Léo in Trets. It is fun! I like to run around their house and collect keys from the cupboards.

I started going to a new place - Isabelle's house. She takes care of two other little boys my age. We have lots of fun playing with toys and reading books and dancing.

I can't wait to see Mom-mom and Pop-pop! They are going to be happy to see what a big boy I am!

Runaway Bunny (again)!

Mommy caught me in the middle of planning my next escape. I'm calling a cab to take me to the airport. Where do you think I should go?

Big Bunny

Here is a picture of me looking very serious. Now that I am a big boy (over 1) and not a baby anymore, I sometimes look back at my early childhood with a tinge of nostalgia.


One thing I like to look back on is the nice time I had with my cousin Abby in New York. That was back when I needed help to walk around. But I'm walking pretty well now. I like to walk all around the room holding things like telephones and CDs. I really love climbing steps, too, but Mommy doesn't like to let me do that.

Walking

The other night I decided to walk all the way across the room to Mommy and Daddy, but of course they weren't holding the camera at the time, so you will just have to take my word for it. On the other hand, they did manage to catch me taking a few steps. Walking is fun!

My Birthday

Guess what? It's my birthday today! That means that I am one year old. Mabé made me this big pear tart to celebrate, and I got to blow out the candle. Then I tried to eat the whole thing with my hands, but Mabé decided it would be better if I ate with a spoon. That wasn't as much fun.

I like my birthday. Everybody sang to me, and I got to do whatever I wanted. I played in the grass, swung on a swing, and chased Léo le Chien. It was a big day and now I am very tired. But it was a lot of fun. I think every day should be Noé-day!

My new computer

Mommy got me a new laptop. So here I am, blogging away!

My tent

Here I am setting up my tent, rugged outdoors-baby that I am. For Labor Day weekend, I decided to camp out in Riverside Park. There is a lot of wildlife there, like dogs and pigeons. Plus there is a giant sand trap and a spectacular geyser! And guess what else - a swing!

My new shirt

What do you think? I think it fits me better than Daddy. Though on these hot summer days I enjoy walking around naked (not unlike Daddy). Shirts are really just for special occasions, like going to the playground to meet girls.

The best thing about my new shirt, besides how devastatingly handsome I look in it, is that I can clap in it. Here I am applauding myself for being so adorable.


Feel free to join in.

Ball and Spoon

I invented a new game. It's called Spoonball! I thought of it after watching the Olympics. It is much more fun than baseball!

I have started standing up a lot on my own, but I am still being careful and not trying to take many steps by myself. I keep asking Mommy and Daddy to walk me around instead. Moving around more means getting more bruises too! I have started getting into lots of trouble!

I am getting better at eating on my own. I can eat a whole plate of peas all by myself. And I really love cheese. Daddy says that's because I'm French. He says that when I get older we can eat cheese together. At the moment he doesn't really like my taste in cheese.

Green Mountain Bunny

I took my parents on a trip to the Green Mountains in Vermont. It was lots of fun. I got to sleep in a tent even though my parents didn't. And we had a campfire, and Daddy grilled steak and gave me some. It was yummy!

We went hiking and walking around a little village with lots of white houses. I even got to go to an art show.

The best part, though, was canoeing! We went to different ponds and saw water lilies. The trees were even starting to turn red for the fall! I did most of the paddling in the canoe, of course. I did let Daddy and Mommy do a little when I got tired, but they weren't quite as good at it.

My swing

I found a big swing at the playground. It is different from the swing I have at home. It is not very high, but it is just right for me!

Mommy is happy because I am getting better at eating by myself. Today I ate a whole cup full of peas by myself! Mommy has noticed that I don't like vegetables without meat mixed in with them. I guess I take after Daddy! Well, sometimes yogurt does the trick. I like yogurt. It tastes like milk!

I still love to dance, and now I am tired of crawling. I want to walk everywhere! I make Mom-mom walk with me all around her house. I think that if I keep practicing, I will be able to walk on my own soon! Now I can stand up without holding onto anything for a long time.

Tomorrow I am leaving San Francisco to go to Boston. I am going to visit some friends of mine and then go to Vermont to see the Green Mountains, and maybe some cows!

San Francisco Bunny

I am visiting Mom-mom and Pop-pop in San Francisco. I also got to see my cousin Julianne and my brand-new cousin Asher, and their parents, Uncle Gary and Aunt Michelle. Cousin Julianne are having lots of fun together. We went to Tilden Park to ride the toy train and feed goats (I had a stalk of celery, and the goat stole it!).


Yesterday we went to see an art exhibit and to play in a playground. I went down the slide! I liked it so much that cousin Julianne decided to take me to an indoor/outdoor playground today. There was a playhouse and even a big swing, and another slide! I am practicing walking, but I still like people to hold my hands when I do it. But I even got a pair of shoes just for walking in!

Alpine Bunny

I went to the Alps with Mommy and Daddy. We drove up the mountain to a place called La Rouine, where Mabé and the Papé and Léo were waiting for us. I have already been to La Rouine once before but this time it was more fun because I got to practice walking. I love walking around the coffee table. I can go around and around. One of my new favorite games is to let go and see how long I can stand up all by myself. Then I fall down and make a big boom! Mommy and Daddy say it's better to play that game in my crib than outside on the patio. I don't know why.

We also walked to other places. We saw lots of trees and water, and even a waterfall! I put my foot into the water but it was a little cold, so I decided not to go for a swim. For now I think I'll stick to my bathtub!

I slept very well in La Rouine - sometimes I slept in until 9 or 9:30! Everyone seemed to think that was a good idea. I also got to eat a lot of yummy things. And I visited my great-grandparents in their garden.

I tried to play with Léo but he doesn't seem to like it when I pull his tail. I don't understand dogs. They seem very complicated.

I got to play with my grandparents while my parents were out looking at flowers. Here is a picture they took while they were out playing. Doesn't it look nice? Mommy and Daddy said it was like a Windows desktop picture, whatever that is. I like flowers. Some of them taste very good!

Applause

A few weeks ago I learned how to clap my hands, and now I just love doing it. I also love standing up, but I haven't quite learned how to do both at the same time!

Summer!

I love summer. Mommy and Daddy take me to the mountains to see the horses and the cows, and I even got to sleep in a tent, which is a place with a slippery floor for sliding on. Plus, I get to spend time outside in my playpen, which is a great place to practice standing up and balancing. Soon I am going to be able to stand up without holding on to anything I bet! For the moment I'm not taking any chances, though.

I have discovered a lot of new toys, like a train that plays music I can dance to, a fish that rolls around, a bunny that I can ride on, and the cap to my water bottle. But my favorite new toy is Mommy's optical mouse.

Of course, sometimes, after a hard day of crawling around, standing up, and doing something that Mommy refers to as "making trouble," it's nice to just sit back and relax.

Just cruisin' along

This weekend we went to the Gers to go for a walk. The best part was the train! I just love the view from the windows. I think taking public transportation is a great way to relax.

My parents just can't believe how quickly I am learning new things. Just last week I learned how to sit up by myself, and then a few days later I learned how to pull myself up to a standing position. It took me an extra few days to learn how to sit down again. I think I'll be walking in no time!

My Toys

I just love my toys! I have so many of them, I don't know what to play with next! Maybe I will eat them instead.

Swimming Pool

We took the train to visit my friend Emile last weekend. That was fun. I got to eat lots of different food with Emile. He is a big boy, and he can move around a lot faster than me. He has a lot of nice toys, too, like a big airplane and an inflatable pool to play with in the backyard!

Ravioli!

Yum!

My Ball

I have a new toy. It is called a ball and it rolls around everywhere. I like to throw all of my toys around, but for some reason when I throw this one everyone claps!

La cuisine

The kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in the house. Not only do I get to eat yummy things here, like apple sauce and bananas, but I get to watch Mommy and Daddy cook and do the dishes. They look like they are having fun!

La Garderie

I have started going to a place called the "halte garderie." It is a place where they put lots of kids together without their parents! It is pretty nice. They have big playmats, and a little corner for the "bébés." For some reason they keep trying to put me in the "coin bébé" even though I am a big boy! I don't understand that at all. It reminds me of when my parents refuse to let me slide off the couch so that I can walk around on my own. Everyone is always trying to hold me back.

I discovered a new food I like - Cheerios! Mommy was complaining about them because apparently the multi-national corporation Nestlé only makes sweet cheerios, whereas on her home planet she can have plain cheerios. But I have to say, they taste pretty good!

I like bathtime, as you can see from the big smile on my face! I get to sit up and splash water around. Plus I have my own rubber ducky!

Busy Busy Busy

I guess you've noticed I've been away for a while! My life has been terribly exciting in the past month, so I've hardly had any time to update my blog. But I finally have a few moments to look back on all of the wonderful things I have been doing! First, there was Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's visit to Toulouse. We had a lot of fun jogging, walking, and shopping. They liked to take me to the market, too! Here we are relaxing at home.

Then I went to spend time with my other grandparents, Mabé and Papé, in Trets, not to mention my great-grandparents, Pageo and Nanou. I started to discover all sorts of wonderful things, like Léo Le Chien. Plus I learned how to slide backwards on my tummy. I'm finding it to be quite practical for getting around, except when I end up stuck under an armchair! One of these days I might try going forwards, but I think backwards is pretty fun. You never know where you might end up. I also started trying lots of new foods and even ate my first cookie! I have almost four teeth now, which is going to come in handy for eating all the things that Mommy and Daddy seem to like to eat.

After Trets, we went to La Rouine to pick up Daddy. He and Papé took me to see snow! I hadn't seen snow since I was a little baby in New York. It was quite tiring going through all that snow. Afterwards I was happy to relax with Mabé for a while.

I also saw something really exciting in the Alps - little lambs! I don't have any pictures of them, but they were very cute. Not as cute as me, of course, but they reminded me of my stuffed animal Noé l'Agneau. He sleeps with me at night and I like to chew on his ears.

I also developed a new interest in watercolor painting. Actually, to be honest, my real interest is in eating paper, but I have been learning about a few other things on the side, too!

Quoi de neuf?

Mommy and Daddy have been so busy unpacking things from boxes (including my beloved swing!) that they haven't had a chance to update my blog! So I bet you are wondering what I have been doing.


Well, first off, we got back to France, and we went to visit Mabé and Papé for a weekend. It was quite relaxing.

Then, Mommy went to work for a few days so I got to stay home with Daddy. It was fun hanging out, just us guys.

And there's one more big thing - I started eating solid foods! Well, they call them solids, but they are still pretty mushy. So far, I like sweet potatoes, but I'm not sure about zucchini. I like carrots when they're nice and mushy too. But my favorite thing in the whole world, besides Mommy's milk, is apple sauce!!!

Uncle Gary

This is me with my Uncle Gary. Don't we look cute? When I first got to California I went to Uncle Gary's house and saw Cousin Julianne. She is bigger than me and she already likes to read books!



But we had to go back to Irvine to meet Daddy, too. I saw my aunties Mary, Belle and Nina. They are like my Grandma - they like to spoil me!

Dada Dada

Mommy and Mom-mom think it is funny that I say Dada all day long. They think I miss my Daddy. Mommy says he is coming soon, now that he is done with his big interview! That will be fun. I have been having fun playing with cousin Julianne and her parents, though, too. Julianne always comes to check on my when I cry. She thinks it is mean when my parents put me in my crib and I don't feel like sleeping!

We are going back to Irvine to wait for Daddy tomorrow. I will miss San Francisco and the big bridge. I don't even need a night light here, because there are lots of lights on the bridge!

California Adventures!

I guess you have been wondering where I have been lately. Last Thursday Mommy took me on a big plane and we got to see clouds and mountains from way up high, and then we arrived in California, where we saw Mom-mom, Pop-pop, Uncle Gary, Aunt Michelle, and cousin Julianne, and even Everett and Griffin, who are big boys. The big kids like to run around and make lots of noise. I wish I was bigger so I could play with them.

I have been having a good time, though Mommy was complaining because it took me a while to learn to sleep here. I have teeth growing in too, which means I will be able to eat real food soon. Though I am not sure I am ready for that. Last night Mommy ran off and Mom-mom tried to give me formula, and I said no, no, no!

I can almost sit up on my own, and I roll over when I need to reach my toys. But my favorite thing is still jumping up and down!

Noé says hello

Mommy is having too much fun playing with the video feature on Daddy's camera...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I had a fun weekend. Papé and Mabé came to visit me again. We went for a long walk in the sunshine, and then we went to a museum to see modern art. The grown-ups weren't very impressed by the art but I hope we get to go back there again. It was a great place to take a nap!

I also got to play cards. I played belotte with Daddy and I was very good at choosing which cards he should play.

I went to the pediatrician's office on Friday and had more vaccines. That wasn't fun. But I liked being weighed. I weigh over 8 kilos now, or about 18 lbs. I can almost sit up by myself, and the doctor says my teeth are starting to come in. She says it's almost time for me to eat apple sauce! Yum!

Today it is raining again so I have to stay inside. I have been busy though, taking care of my pets...



And practicing my speech for my Daddy's job interviews. I am going to introduce him! That way he is sure to get whatever job he wants.

Rando!

We went on a walk with my friend Titouan. My parents and some friends of theirs came along too. Here I am with Titouan's daddy.


We visited the ruins of a castle, plus we saw the Pyrenees. One day I am going to play in the snow up there!

In other news, I graduated from my baby sign language class last week. I learned a lot of new songs and signs to go with them. Most of the songs were about fish. I have never seen a fish, but my parents like to sing songs about fish when I am taking my bath. (I have started taking my baths in the big bathtub, with my big rubber duckie and my little rubber duckie.) Anyway, I liked the new songs, but my favorite songs are still "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "The Hokey Pokey" because I get to jump around when Mommy sings them.

Back in Toulouse

It's been a few days since I updated my blog. I've been very busy! First my friend Emile came to visit. He is already 9 months old! So he can sit up and he likes to splash the water around in the bathtub. We had fun together, taking our parents for walks and to the pizza place around the corner.

Other than that I have been busy growing and learning new things. I like to practice talking - now I can say da da da and ya ya ya. I think it's fun to laugh too, especially when Mommy and Daddy laugh first. And I like to grab my toys and bang them on the table! Being a baby is fun!

J'ai deux amours....

Paris is fun. There are lots of exciting things to do here, like play with my dragonfly! I like the metro too. It's fun to look out the windows as we go through the tunnels.

Noé Goes Forth!

This weekend was Daddy's birthday, so we did lots of fun things! First we all went to see the movie "Juno" at the "séance bébé" in Tournefeuille. That is when they let babies bring their parents to the cinema. I liked the movie because it was about babies. Then we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and ate pho. Yum!

Then, on Saturday, we drove to Rieux-Volvestre to go for a walk. We found the walk in a book that I got Daddy for his birthday, about exploring the region on foot. I didn't go on foot though, I got carried by Mommy and Daddy! I can't decide who is better at carrying me. Mommy is bouncier and I like to know that my milk is right there next to me, but Daddy is taller and his voice always rocks me to sleep.
On Sunday we went to Foix, which is at the foot of the Pyrenees. My parents ate foie gras and duck and drank wine, and then we visited the castle. There was a tall tower with lots of steps, and Daddy carried me all the way to the top! It was fun but it was kind of tiring for me. Being carried up stairs is a lot of work! It was fun to go sightseeing, but I still say that nothing is as fun to look at as my feet! I don't know why my parents don't take more pictures of my feet. They are so beautiful!


We like our new apartment. I got a crib to sleep in, and now I have space for all my toys. I still like playing with my giraffe, but I have also started to play with my dragonfly from Aunt Burçin and Uncle Jeff a lot. I get to play with it when I am in my stroller, and when I am in my carseat. My parents like it when I am in my carseat, because otherwise I make lots of noise because I am bored. Mommy especially doesn't like that because she isn't very good at driving.

Chez moi!

We finally got to move out of our moldy gite run by the mean ladies and into our new apartment! I like it a lot. I have my own room and lots of new things to look at. And it's warm and cozy! Mabé and Papé are coming to help us get everything ready this weekend and Mommy and Daddy are getting new furniture. So come see me soon! I want Mom-mom and Pop-pop to come play with me too. Then Mommy and Daddy will go to the movies and we can have a big party without them, and I can get spoiled!!!

My Feet

I love my feet! They are fun to move and to look at, especially when I am wearing shoes. Or even just socks!

And I like standing on them too!