Bananas!

I'm a monkey! I love my bananas BUT I will only eat them if Mommy gives them to me like this. I won't even TOUCH them if they're cut up on my tray. I won't eat them off a fork or spoon...but only if I can bite off my own pieces from the whole banana. Ooo ooo ooo aaah aaah aah! I'm a little monkey!

Mommy had tried over and over to get me to eat them as a fruit and not as a baby-food-puree. Well, one day, she sat down on the kitchen floor for a break and I slapped my little hands on the ceramic tile and crawled into her lap. She started to eat a banana and asked if I wanted a bite. Surprise! I ate the whole thing!!! : )

And look! I close my eyes in pictures just like my Mommy! : ) Geez, look how big my feet are in this pictures. I'm so cute.

I'm going to help wrap presents today. That should be great fun. Hahaha. I plan to be a little helper but I think I'll destroy more than help.

I love everybody!!!

love, tj

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Three Cheers for TJ!

Mommy had a Dr. appointment yesterday and she wanted me to come along with her. I know why they call it a waiting room now...we waited a very long time! It was a brand new clean building just upstairs from where I see my doctor. You know, the Shot Lady. Anyway, the waiting room was filled with people waiting to see their doctors and we sat next to a nice grandmotherly woman who talked my Mommy about ME the whole time.

I was interested in the Annapolis Convention on the tv there. (I was the only one watching it, actually.) At one point, a speaker had finished and everyone in the tv audience started clapping. I took that as a cue and I started clapping too! Mommy flipped at how cute and funny it was...and so did the whole waiting room full of people. Wow, I got a huge reaction from clapping my chubby little hands. Cool!

Anyhow, I got antsy after awhile so Mommy wheeled me around a lot. We took the turns around the couches and chairs really fast. She made me think I was gonna fall out a few times. She had me under control, but she made me think I was in danger. Hahhaa! It was awesome!

Then, we "walked" around the room quite a bit...and our name got called. Yeah! The nurse was really nice and I liked the stethascope she had around her neck. I actually went to her and played with the other nurses until Mommy was done. Everyone was amazed at how good I was. Especially Mommy! Three Cheers for TJ!!!

Love, TJ

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My Old Lady

Mommy got the wind taken out of her sails today. You see, since she takes care of me all day, her wardrobe has drastically changed from "working woman professional" to "mommy day care frumpy". She wears sweatshirts and jeans and flip-flops all day long. Well, after some encouragement from Daddy, she got all dressed up for shopping at the mall. She had a corduroy skirt on with brown heels, a new top, and a neat coat from her working days. She thought she looked decent and Daddy did too. So, we waved good-bye to my Dad and proceeded to drive to the mall.

We had a great time looking at the HUGE Christmas trees in the mall, the lights all over the place and tons of red SALE signs in the windows of all the stores. We even went by Tiffany's and looked the the jewelry. It was tons of fun. Well, our final stop was a store called Delia's. Mommy wanted to look at winter hats there but after trying it on, she decided to pass it up for a pair of cute, black patterned tights instead. Before checking out, an employee told her that all tights and knee-high socks were buy two get one free. She showed my Mommy and me the cute items and Mommy asked what she could wear those socks and tights with. The girl described some outfits - none of which fit Mommy's "new" wardrobe. Then, the girl ended her sentence with "and they'll still be age appropriate". AGE APPROPRIATE? Mommy caught her breath and said "no thank-you, just these tights will be fine". Then we left. Mommy sighed as she wheeled my little stroller out to the main mall and whispered to me: AGE APPROPRIATE??? What was that supposed to mean? Being a boy of very few words, I said "goooon"? And Mommy laughed.

I think I called my Mommy a goon at the very worst time possible, but she loved it. I don't think she's a goon. And I don't think I'll be practicing "old lady" anytime soon. "Mama" fits better for now.

Love, TJ

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22 lbs. 2 oz. of 100% BOY!

I am in the 25-50th percentile for height and weight, but I am 100% boy! I'm not kiddin'. I roll around with my trucks and fall into walls and nothin' gets me down. (Except for naptime, but that's another story)

I like my milk straight up, my lady friends older (Sophie, my best pal, is 15 months), and my t.v. remote control. Watch my video and you'll see how I get "zoned" when I get to watch a t.v. show.

Mommy and I are going to finish our Christmas shopping tomorrow. We need to finish early this year because of our traveling and Mommy's surgery. It'll be fun. I can't wait to see more Christmas lights and candy canes.

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I wanna go to school...

My Mommy said I look really cute in my bookbag...but that I'm too young to go to school. Someday though. Someday in a long, long, long time, she said. Then she didn't want to talk about it anymore! : )









I don't think I'm too young. I think I look just right in my bookbag...so I pulled and pulled on her pink jammie pants. She said we'd have "play school" at home like when she was a little girl. Before kindergarten. So, I guess that'll have to do for now. : )

I even tried giving her my flirty eyes...but it still didn't work. It did get her to buy me a McDonald's cheeseburger for lunch though. So, I'm happy!

Don't I look satisfied???

Love, TJ

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gooon

Does anybody know what I mean when I say "gooon"? I have been saying it over and over lately, and my Mommy and Daddy are trying to figure out what I mean. Geez, it's not rocket science! : )

I saw a doggie on our morning walk today. I actually spotted him before Mommy did and I almost flipped out of my stroller. I was so excited! I squealed and laughed and pointed. I love doggies. Where did my doggie go? I miss him!

Mommy let me pick out my outfit today. It doesn't match at all, but it sure is comfy. I'm all about comfort. Speaking of comfort, I cannot wait to eat turkey dinner tomorrow. I wore a sweet outfit last Thanksgiving...but I didn't get to show it off (except in pictures) because my Mommy was hurt and we couldn't go anywhere. This year we're going to be alone too. Hmmm. That makes me sad. But we have a great Christmas to look forward to this year! Yeah!

Well, if you could let my Mom and Dad know what I mean when I saw "gooon", I would appreciate it. So would they! : )

Love, TJ

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10:16

It's only 10:16 and already, today downright sucks!

I got a whole mess of shots at my 1-year visit to the doctor. Dr. Anna is really nice and pretty but I'm starting to wonder about her. I always leave her office pretty sad.

When I got home, Mommy snuggled me a lot and then changed me into sweatpants and my Cool as Ice shirt. Very snuggly outfit. There's nothing like sweatpants, right? I immediately felt better and my Ibuprofen started to kick in. Nap time right? Nope. I just couldn't sleep so Mommy got me out of bed and we played with my new toys. Wow! I'm so happy for having 85 band-aids all over my legs and finger.

I get to try scrambled eggs tomorrow morning. I can't wait! Plus, I'm almost done with bottles completely. Mommy is buying me whole milk today instead of formula. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do with it, but we'll see. Well, I'll write more later.

Love, Big Boy TJ

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Birthday Video

After a few great, happy action shots...the mood quickly changed to: "Get this icing OFF ME!"

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to meeeeee!

I woke up at 5:12 am because I was so excited! (But mostly because I had peed through my jammies.) Mommy came and got me and sang "Happy Birthday" to me while she changed me and my bed sheets. We went downstairs and did our usual morning bottle thing, and then played with my toys. Daddy went running before work and he sang the Birthday Song to me twice before he left. He said he's gonna sing the Birthday Song to me using each of my nicknames. Wow....it's gonna take him all day long to do that!

Anyhow, my cake party was planned for after lunchtime so Mommy and I did fun things and errands until that time came. I ate grilled cheese and squash for lunch (my favorites) and then they brought out the CAKE! My eyes got really wide when I saw the lit candle. I didn't know how to blow it out so my Daddy and Mommy did it for me. Then, they set the cake in front of me and just watched me with big, goofy smiles on their faces. At first, I was pretty shy about this round, white, sugary thing in front of me. I stuck one finger in it. And tasted the icing. Then I patted it with my hand, and some of the icing stuck to my hand. It went DIRECTLY into my mouth. And ohhhh, it tasted good. I ate more and more little bites of it and then WHACK! I dug into the chocolate cake part. I dug in and had some fun UNTIL...my hands were covered. I felt trapped! What could I do? My hands were suffocating in icing! All I could think to do was cry because I don't know how to say, "GET THIS STUFF OFF OF ME!" in English.

Wahhhhhh! I just cried with white icing and chocolate cake all over my face and hands. I don't really think I ate very much, but it was fun while it lasted. I think I'm glad that I don't get another whole cake until my 2nd birthday. Maybe I'll be more mature then and enjoy it more. Like with a fork or a spoon! : )

Bathtime was fun after that. There were lots of chocolate floaties in the water. Cake floaties, not poop, people! Now, I am napping. It was a pretty traumatic morning for me. I'll post pictures and tell you about opening presents later.

Love, TJ

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Whoa!

"The Greats" (my Great Grandparents, Nonny and Pawpaw) got me an awesome outfit for my birthday, which my parents just adore. MY favorite part of the gift was the blinking Rudolph nose! How cool is that! I'm playing with it in this picture. When you pull the strings, it lights up and I carried it around with me all day. I was sad when Mommy wouldn't let me nap with it. But I got it back when I woke up. Thanks "Greats"!

I saw my birthday cake in the fridge today. Yummy! I cannot wait until my birthday. My parents can't either! It's my first one!

I got to open a few presents early this year...like when my Grandma and Auntie Wee-Wah were here...and when Tenley came yesterday. As you can see, I love when it rains tissue paper! Thank you EVERYONE for being so loving and generous and sweet to me! I love you!

I'll have some great pictures of me eating cake tomorrow! See you then! Love, TJ

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My Boy Scooter

This is a picture of Mommy and Scooter. Daddy took it right before Scooter left to be with his new family. Zac, Scooter's new friend, called Daddy a few times on their way to Ohio and even sent a few pictures to his cell phone. We got to see pictures of Scooter sleeping on the front seat and pictures of Scooter next to National Park signs. How cool is that! Scooter's gonna have a lot of fun experiences ahead. But that hasn't made it a whole lot easier for Mommy or Daddy.

There have been lots of tears today. Lots. THANK GOODNESS THERE'S ME!!!!

I will never forget you Scooter! Even though I am just shy of 1 year old...I promise never to forget you. You made me laugh all the time and I want you to know that I love you!
On a sillier note, Mommy made turkey cookies in honor of Thanksgiving and our football party on Saturday. Aren't they silly looking???

Love, Timothy Jonah Budic "The Almost One-Year Old"

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I want a rematch!!!

Last night, we had a big competition in our household!!! It was Mommy, Scootie, and me against Daddy in Nerf Basketball. Ummmm, I'm embarrassed to say this but....we lost. How could we lose 3 against 1? I'll tell you how. My Mommy shrieked like a cheerleader (no offense, i love cheerleaders) when Daddy would try to get the ball from her and a few times she just threw it at him because she didn't want to get an elbow in the face. What a Baby she is! Scooter was good at stealing the ball and I was good at being cute. Anyhow, I had a great dunk at the end of the game but we still lost 5-0. It was so much fun though!

Tenley came to see me today for my early birthday! She brought me lots of presents and at this point, I have no choice but to be a Clemson Tigers fan. I'll show you some of the clothes I got...you'll love 'em too! : ) Second to Ohio sports teams, I LOVE ME SOME TIGERS!

After I opened my prizes, we went to the US Whitewater Center to hang out for awhile. It was the most gorgeous 76 degrees I've ever seen. Ahhhh. What a day. Well, I'll write more later!

Love, TJ

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Big Boy Haircut

I went in for my first Big Boy "Hairhuck" and it was a day to remember. I sat in the waiting area on my Mommy's lap like a good boy. We had to wait for a little while and I didn't make a peep. I just watched the lady in black cut the old man's hair. (Not my old man's hair...he's letting his grow) When it was my turn, I sat with my Mommy in the big swirly chair and we both got to wear a cape! Mine was cool blue with a ton of doggies all over it. Mommy's was just plain black.

Anyhow, I sat there pretty quietly while my hair got sprayed with water and a comb was run through it. Of course, I heard numerous comments about my "beautiful locks of hair" and it made me proud. The lady cut lots of length off my hair...and I had more of a mullet than I thought. She even trimmed my sideburns. Wow! I am a true man.

Mommy didn't think she'd get emotional about my first haircut. She really wasn't sentimental of my hair ... but rather of the fact that I was old enough to need a haircut. She's actually pretty upset that I'm turning one. Wanna hear a secret? She missed me so much last night that she came into my room around 10:00 and sang me a song while patting me on the back. I think she sorta wished I'd wake up and want to be rocked, but I slept right through it.

Alright, I need to go play with Scooter because this is his last night in our house. That's all I can say for now.

Love, TJ

PS Isn't this a cute picture? I forget how old I am here, but I look so adorable!

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Homemade Orange Juice

Today, I ate mandarin oranges with breakfast. I had a little piece of an orange on my lap that I was saving for later...but it fell off when Mommy picked me up out of my highchair. She didn't see it fall on the floor. But I did. Oh yes, I went right for it and stomped on it a few times before smearing it all over the floor. It only took me seconds to make pure orange juice...but I wasn't allowed to drink it. Oh well.


It's about 77 here in Charlotte today. I love the warm weather because I go for walks more often. I'm about to go on another walk now...and then for a run in the babyjogger with Mommy later. (I didn't wear gloves today in the heat...this pic was from a freezing morning...fyi)


Mommy is working in the nursery now at our church. She works in the Crawler's Room which is where I go, so I'll get to hang with Mommy in the nursery the first Sunday of each month. Cool, huh!


My Mommy's cousin just got engaged last night. How exciting! Mommy was so happy when she got the call. Lynnie even asked her to be in the wedding. Wow! So now, Mommy gets to be in 2 weddings! Lynn's in May and my Aunt Carey's in June. I get to be in my Aunt Carey's wedding also! I'm totally pumped about that. I will look pretty hot in my tux and tall socks - or whatever she makes me wear. I'm really working on walking so that I can do it really, really well by the time June 21st rolls around. Yeah for weddings! I love love! : )


(Sorry Daddy, I know I'm talking like a girl right now. I promise to be more rough and tough in my next blog!)



Love, TJ-Tux-Boy

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Santa and TJ Video...hope it works!!!

Mommy and I are going Christmas shopping tomorrow. I've never been Christmas shopping before so I can't wait! Plus, I'm not spending my own money - which really works for me!

I'm not sure I ever made an official announcement on this blog about my Mommy's book, but she's going to be published! The release date is not set yet, but she sent in the last details and illustrations just last week. We're all very excited about Ebenezer Flea and the Right Thing to Do. She's working on a website to help market the book. As soon as it looks decent, she'll let you know the web address. That's it for now! love, tj

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Magic Trick

Hello Everybody!

Today, I performed my very first magic trick. Mommy put my down for my morning nap, and when she came in to get me a little while later, I was standing in my crib...without any pants on!! Yep, I magically took them off and threw them on the floor right in front of the crib. I cannot reveal my secrets...so please don't even ask me how I did it.

I can wave bye-bye now! Yeppers! I do it backwards though so it looks like I'm waving bye-bye to myself. I open and close my fingers toward myself and it's really, really cute. Mommy will try to catch it in a picture soon.

Tomorrow, I am going in for my very first professional haircut. Mommy's not doing it - don't worry. (she does Scooter's hair and we all know how that looks) My Mom and Dad are taking me in for a new look because my mullet is reappearing. And, as much as I love the south, I don't want to fit in too much! Hahaha, that's such an untrue stereotype...most of the time.

Okay, gotta go blow green boogies out of my nose!

Love, TJ-the-lovable-green-booger-monster

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Dr. Seuss!

I love my bathtime!!! I like to crawl around and splash in the water. Lately, I've been discovering new "things" in the tub that are attached to my body. Mommy hopes I forget about those "things" soon. : )

Grandma and Mommy gave me a funny hairstyle and I look like I should be in a Dr. Seuss movie. But I'm cute, right???

My favorite part of my bath is actually watching the tub fill up with water. The noise used to scare me, but I like it now. See me watchin' it? I'm a big boy. Look at my mus-cles!

Love, Clean TJ

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Santa is Scary

I got my picture taken with Santa the other day....and it turned out just like every other little kid with Santa for the first time. I screamed and my face was more red than my hair. But what do you expect? I'm just a little dude.

I do have to say one thing. I looked pretty hot in my new outfit! : )

Love, TJ-the-Santa-hater

(but that doesn't mean I don't want Christmas presents, okay Santa? I just think you're kinda scary!) MY PICTURE WITH SANTA WILL BE POSTED LATER, OKAY?

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What is Victoria's Secret?

Daddy, Mommy, Grandma and Auntie Melissa and I went to the BIGGEST mall ever! It was in Concord and we had so much fun. I got lots of clothes and toys for my birthday coming up. Grandma gave me some of her french fries at lunchtime and I liked them a lot. Mmmmm.

The main thing Mommy wanted to find were shoes for my feet. See, I have some big, big feet. They are really fat and kind of look like bread dough rising. Yeah, I'm not kidding. So, she's been finding it nearly impossible to fit shoes in my feet. Well, we looked in about 19 stores (for real) and decided to check out Payless as a last resort. Guess what! I got two pairs of killer kicks there. Check out my picture! I'm also decked out in my new clothes. Thanks Grandma and Auntie Melissa!!!

We decided to go into Victoria's Secret as a joke to take some pictures of me in there. Well, one of the ladies who worked there didn't think it was very funny. Mommy wanted to say something to her after the mean look she gave us, but decided to be nice and just smile and leave. The mean lady glared at us, made some eye-rolling gesture, and picked up the phone. I bet she was gonna tell on us! Too bad, lady! We got some cute pictures of me holding a thong. So there! (Mommy says it'll be 30 more years before I'm allowed back in there...or any place like it!)

When we got to the car, Mommy put me in my carseat and noticed I had peed completely through my diaper, onesie, pants and coat. Yes, I had that much pee in me! So, I got a new sweat outfit at Toys R Us and wore it on the way home. Maybe I should pee through my diaper more....I get things when I do it!!

Only a few more days until I am ONE!!!! love, TJ

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I'll only say it once...

Scooter has found a new, perfect home! My Mommy and Daddy are very sad, yet relieved. Scooter is going to live with Mommy's and Daddy's friend from College and his dad back in Ohio. We'll get to visit him whenever we want to! He'll have a 40-acre strawberry patch to run around in and more attention than he does now. Which he deserves! Mommy and Daddy feel sick about having him live somewhere else but at the same time, it's a perfect fit for Scooter. He'll be in paradise by the New Year!

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Mmmm...ketchup!

Mommy and I went to a Colt's football party last night and had a great time! Daddy couldn't go because his boss was coming in from Cleveland and he had to get him from the airport. We sure missed him and all of our friends were asking about him! My Daddy's the best!

Anyhow, Mommy was talking to the other mommies about how I just won't eat turkey or chicken anymore. They told her to try ketchup. Lots of ketchup. Well, she put ketchup on my turkey today, and I ate all of it! Mmmmm! I am lovin' my new ketchup flavor!

I tried on some of my winter hats today...I look pretty cute in them. Mommy put them on me a million times, and I took them off a million times. I kept laughing about it. What a fun game! My hair got static crazy! I'm sure you can imagine!

Well, I gotta go. Things to do. Games to play. Pots and pans to rattle.

Love ya! TJ

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Sesame Street Rocks!

I actually watched part of Sesame Street today. Here is a picture of me in the act...


I love you guys!!!


love, tj

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Bob Kabob

Mommy went out for a night on the town last night! Daddy really wanted Mommyy to go out, and Mommy's friends really wanted her to go out...but Mommy just wanted to stay home and hang out with her boys. Well, after Daddy threatened to not talk to her anymore for the rest of the week if she didn't go out, Mommy decided to go. And you know what? She had a grrreat time!

We all had dinner together, then she put me to bed while Daddy put the house back together (he painted the living room and it looks AMAZING! Great job, Daddy!). Mommy asked Daddy to help her pick out an outfit for the evening...and he did! A dab of lipstick and some mascara later, and she was out the door.

The girls went Uptown to a few upscale bars and an Irish pub called Re Ra's and had a great time. The city is so awesome during the day, but even more cool at night! Mommy said there were people everywhere and everything is so new and clean uptown. She loved seeing it at night. Mommy's friend Jen even showed her the best street vendor for late night snacks. His name was Bob Kabob. Mommy passed on the snack, but she loved his name!

Anyway, when Mommy got home, it was really late. She came in to check on me, and it was a little bit chilly in my room. So, she put a blanket on me. Guess what!? It woke me up. Yes, I can sleep through fire alarms with digital voices screaming "FIRE FIRE" and yet, at 1:30 in the morning, I woke up to Mommy putting a blanket on me. I couldn't go back to sleep. Mommy was having such a hard time keeping her eyes open...while trying EVERYTHING to get me back to sleep. After an hour and a half (or more) she set me back in my crib...screaming. (I was screaming, not her). A little while later, we were both asleep. Finally.

Bright and early, I woke up at 6:30. At least it wasn't a 5:30 wake-up time for me. Yeah! My Mom might take a nap when I do today. Then we have a party to go to for the Colt's game. I will get to play with my friend's Samuel, Kate, Caroline, Knox and Clare Elise.

Talk to y'all soon!

Love, Babbling TJ (yes, I said y'all)

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Meatloaf

It was discovered today that I LOVE MEATLOAF! No, not the singer (ew!) but the actual food! Mommy gave me some thinking that I'd spit it out...but I gobbled it up like a little beast. I ate a whole piece!


I've also begun doing the bear crawl. I'm not sure why I do it, it's just fun. I look and feel silly when I do it because I wriggle my little butt in the air. You should try it sometime. It's great fun!


A few months back, Daddy bought me a lion walker...and I played with it a little bit. But all of a sudden, I've fallen in LOVE with it! I walk back and forth across the living room and bedroom floors for what seems like hours. I am really strong too because I can stop it when I want to even though it doesn't have brakes. It probably won't be long before I can walk on my own. You should see me with this thing! I ram it into the wall, and then let go with one hand to make sure someone is watching me...then they turn me around and I do it all over again until I run into the next wall. : )


I miss you guys! love, tj the lion tamer

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