Look what I found

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote. I've been running around everywhere. Literally. Well, almost.

Perhaps most importantly, I discovered Tupperware. Mommy left one of the kitchen cabinets open, and I spotted some plastic. I really like plastic. So I went over to check it out, and there were tons of plastic bowls. They were so cool because of the sound they made on the hardwood floor. I got as many of them out as I could and spread them all over the floor so I could evaluate which one was the best. It took a while, but I finally found the perfect bowl that made the perfect sound. So I took it with me over to the carpet to play a while.

The rest of the week has been pretty fun -- and active.

As you may know, Saturday wasn't the best of days for us Tennessee fans. The Vols got pounded by Florida. I couldn't watch any longer after the Gators began to pull away, so me and mommy went to Target to let off some steam. On the plus side, I got to wear two of my new Tennessee shirts and shorts on Saturday (the first one got a little wet ... oops).

Monday was an interesting evening, too. We went to eat Mexican food, and I was fully expecting to have my usual -- country chicken and vegetables in a jar with some puffs. But when I woke up at the restaurant, mommy and papa had ordered me a quesadilla. I had no idea what a quesadilla was, but it was good. For those who were like me, it's simply cheese inside a flour tortilla. And I am here to tell you, they are GOOD. I ate more than half of it as well as some spoons of rice and beans. Now, I know what you're thinking. Not the best thing for the stomach. But so far, so good. I love Mexican food, and I'm ready to go back again.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you -- I tried sweet tea, and I love it. It's not as good as water, but it is good, nonetheless. We were at Cracker Barrel Thursday with some folks from church, and Ms. Kati was sly and gave me a straw-full of tea. Good stuff. Mommy and papa were cool with it, and they even let me have a drink at the Mexican restaurant Monday night.

So overall, it's been a good week. By the way, that whole shoes episode I pulled a while back -- I'm over it. I realize I'm starting to be a big boy now, and frankly big boys don't go barefooted all the time. So I've been wearing my New Balance shoes and even wore my brown shoes to church Sunday and again Tuesday at school for picture day. Stay tuned on how that worked out!

Hudson W. Pate

New shoes

On Friday, mommy got me about six pairs of shoes at a consignment sale. Nice gift. Only problem is, I don't wear shoes.

At least I haven't worn them in a while. I had some from when I was smaller, but I grew out of them and simply haven't put any on in a while. Socks don't stay on, either. Especially when I crawl.

So on Saturday before mommy and I went out for a spin around town, she put on my socks (no big deal) and then a pair of New Balance shoes. Uh, what? I don't have beef with New Balance. But the shoes were the most annoying thing I've ever seen. I immediately started crying and trying to get them off, all while mommy and papa just laughed at me (it wasn't funny).

I crawled away from mommy -- because she obviously wasn't going to take off my shoes -- and I took them off myself. The shoes didn't hurt; they were just constricting.

Anyway, the weekend was my nine-month birthday. We didn't really celebrate. But I have been making great strides in the balance department.

That showed on Sunday morning when mommy and papa were getting ready for church. I wanted a bath, so I went to check out my tub. Mommy made me wait a bit, but I did need cleaning. But I wonder why mommy and papa don't use my bath?

Anyway, another milestone happened Sunday: I learned to clap. Everybody had been doing that for a while, but I just never put it together. One hand hits the other and it makes a sound. Amazing.

On a side note, Monday morning mommy put my shoes on again. And again, I was annoyed. Once I got to daycare, though, I was cool because I saw my friend Tyler. It was a great day. But by the time I got home, it was time to kick my shoes off. For that, I'll clap.

Hudson W. Pate

Pain and parties

Let's talk rollercoasters because Friday was one dip down to the lowest of lows and one big climb back up to the top.

Friday was doctor day and mommy and papa sprung it on me. No forewarning. It was my nine-month checkup so that meant no shots. At least I thought so. Weight was good (20.5 pounds). Length was good (can't remember exact digits). Head was right on target. Only problem was Miss Linda, the nurse, thought I was a girl ... until she took off my diaper! :) Then ... THEN came the talks of drawing blood. And for what?

I knew something was up when mommy took me into this room with two different scrub-wearing women and they told mommy to hold me tight. Huh? I was not happy, and I let mommy know. And papa. And the two women. And the rest of the people down the hall. And the people in the waiting room. They finally got the blood they needed and I got my clothes back on. Still not happy. And on top of that, I had to wear this big bulky Band-Aid.

But things got much better.

I went to daycare for the rest of the day until mommy and papa picked me up and we went to Ms. Leila's house to celebrate Amy's birthday. What a great time.

Everybody was swimming, but I just got my feet wet -- didn't want to hog the pool. I had a great time sitting in the grass with Mr. Mike and when James and Christy made faces and sounded like Elmo to me. Amy fed me some bread. Marlene rocked me back and forth. And Amy's friends went on and on about how cute I was. What can I say? I'm a hit with the ladies.

The bad part was everybody kept asking about my ugly Band-Aid -- but it did prove how tough I was. The cool part about it all was I got to stay up a little late. I can get the hang of this.

So although the day started with some difficulties, it ended with some smiles. And that I can live with.

Hudson W. Pate

I'm pooped

Easy there, amigo. It's not what you're thinking.

I know last time I wrote, it was clear that something I was eating didn't sit well with me. But that's not what I mean here.

Things got back to normal a little after the weekend with memaw and paw Arnold. Wake up, daycare, eat, play, sleep. But this past weekend, Nana and Uncle Matt came down for a quick visit and some really good times.

When they got here Saturday, we immediately went shopping. Not the best scenario in my book, but anytime I can get out of the house, I'm all for it. Later that night, when we got back and when papa got finished working, we all went to LaFonda. Never heard of it? You're missing out ... see for yourself. It's the best Cuban food around, or so says mommy and papa. It was late when we were there -- a little past my 8 p.m. bedtime. But I still had a good time dancing to the music and checking out the scenery (ask Uncle Matt, he knows).

Sunday we went to church, and I don't know if it was the fact that I stayed out late or what, but I was a little fussy, I'll admit. Mommy even had to come calm me down during service (oops). It was a lazy day after that, just sitting around, napping and eating my biscuit bars (mmmm, although messy).

Monday I got to lay out of school and stay home with Nana and Uncle Matt. We had fun playing around and I showed them how I can crawl all over the house. Papa and mommy tell me they give me a workout, but I think it's the other way around.

I don't know what time it was, but last thing I remember was playing under the table and then boom -- I was out. I must have fallen asleep right there. Oh well, what can you do?

Hudson W. Pate

I'm a star, but I'm not Hollywood

Alright, whew. It's back to the old routine. That's nice, but I will say this -- the last couple of weeks have been amazing.

This past weekend was big for me. While mommy and papa and Grammy were in Los Angeles, I spent some QT with memaw and paw Arnold. And what a time we had. I'm sure they're still tired from chasing me around the living room, but it was well worth it. At least as far as I'm concerned.

Papa left on Thursday, and when I got home from daycare, memaw, paw and Grammy were there to greet me. We had a fun time together that night, but the next day was sad -- mommy and Grammy left for L.A. I was sad for a minute, but then I realized it was just me, memaw and paw.

We played in the floor, paw chased me around while I crawled everywhere. I even started climbing up his knee.

Memaw fed me some new foods like peach Jello, chicken and some beef. I really liked the chicken, but it also resulted in a few more diaper changes. Or was it the formula? Memaw did that like a pro, too. A side result was a little more bathing. I'm OK with that; I like splashing in the water.

I slept all night every night for memaw and paw, and I'm sure they liked that. I figured by the time we went to bed, I was worn out, they were worn out, so it suited us all if I just went ahead and slept until 6:30 instead of waking up for an early-morning chat.

When I did wake up or let out a yell in the middle of the night, Macy came to check on me and then nudged memaw's arm to make sure she was awake. She was, but Macy was persistent. My big sister takes care of me. We're cool like that.

As much fun as I had with memaw and paw, the time went by faster than a Wal-Mart diaper. On Monday night, mommy and Grammy were almost home when I went to bed. Paw was watching Tennessee and UCLA (papa was at the game) while memaw fed me before I went to bed. The next thing I knew, it was morning and mommy and Grammy were back. It was good to see them, but mommy had to go to work. And by the time I was eating my 9:30 meal, papa was home. How he could go to the football game and be home the next morning, I haven't quite figured out.

It was good to see mommy and papa; I've been crawling all over them and hanging out to try to make up for lost time. It was good, though. I needed my space from them for a weekend -- just don't tell them that. But the weekend was one I'll never forget. I'll get some pictures from Grammy's camera in a few days.

Thanks memaw and paw. We'll do it again sometime soon.

Hudson W. Pate