...and Equal Time for Mommy too!

Gotta mention mommy too!!

Hugging Daddy...

...just a cute picture of me hugging daddy while watching Sports Center!

My First Blizzard...

Mommy and Daddy went to Dairy Queen and had Blizzards! And once again, I thought I was *FINALLY* going to get some ice cream! This really delicious looking Blizzard was set down next to me, and I looked at it and then I looked at Mommy and Daddy for a clue as to how to eat it...


And then they took it away. WHERE IS MY BLIZZARD, huh? Here I am, nearly 4 month old, and I've yet to have any ice cream. Is that fair? Face it -- it's been the toughest 4 months of my life and nobody will give me any. I'm getting really annoyed!!

Swing!

Daddy bought me a home swing, so I don't have to venture to Grandma and Grandpa's place to swing any more... But he didn't get it, as the only reason I liked to swing was the fuss that Grandma, Grandpa, Hopps the Dawg, and everybody ELSE made over me...


But sometimes I'll just sit there and pretend to enjoy it. So it isn't THAT bad...

Learning to Crawl

People keep making a big deal over this "crawling" thing. To "encourage" it, mommy or daddy plops me down on my stomach a couple times a day and then proceeds to watch me roll around like I'm actually enjoying it...


Well, let me tell you something : I DO NOT ENJOY IT ONE BIT! It's hard work.


In fact, there is only one solution:


SCREAM VERY LOUDLY until someone picks me up and takes me where I want to go! It is sure easier then walking! Some day, one of us will learn -- and I'll bet it'll be them!

REVENGE!

Oh, I got them back for saying I looked like Mini Me -- I threw up all over their bed last night! Muhahaaaahaaaahaaaa!

Perhaps this will teach them -- I'm not "Mini Me" -- I'm the real thing, Doctor EVIL! And like Blofeld in James Bond, I'm the head of S.P.E.N.C.E.R. -- Yup, the SPecial Exectuive for Napping, Crying, Eating and now Revenge! or is it Spitting, Pooing, Eating, Napping, Crying, Eating some more, and Revenge? Who knows.... That's the mystery of S.P.E.N.C.E.R.!

Daddy said I was evil after spitting up all over everything. Mommy said I was evil as well. Clearly, I'm doing somthing right!

Evil Twin? Seperated at Birth??

Well, I think mommy is starting to lose it. She says I look like Mini Me! Really? Ok, so we both suck our finger. And we're both short. And we're both small. And we're both related to someone who refers to themselves (or probably should refer to themselves!) as "Doctor Evil" -- Daddy when he puts me to bed, him ... as a clone of Doctor Evil.





But I'm *MEGA* cute and he isn't. So really, it's not fair!

Cute photos....

What happens when mommy feels artistic?


Yes, you get pictures of my hands, which she seems totally fascinated with. I don't quite get it, but hey, I'm only 3 1/2 months old!

The BIG stroller

It's cool...I'm hip...and I've got a hot new set of wheels! Yup. I got a big stroller now, that I can kick back in and relax *and* see where I'm going.

I simply love it and the long walks that mommy must take me on...daily!

New Crib!

Well, as if sleeping with mommy isn't enough, I now get a *real* bed! No more sleeping in this little Spencer-sized box. Nope! I get a proper bed now!! One where I can roll over in and kick around without having to worry about hitting my head on the side...



...and it even has a bunch of little animals on it! And, there is a light-up-spinning-around thingy with even more animals that plays music and gives me something to stare at while I nod off... Excellent!


Now, if Daddy could just learn -- please! Don't take pictures of me in my nappy! I'm modest and don't like showing off...yet!

Prezzies!!

Hey! I got a new toy in the post. It arrived and mommy handed me the box. I looked at it and then suddenly realized: I don't know how to open it! They put it in front of me, leaving it there, almost daring me to do something... But I couldn't, so, I screamed!


Eventually, it was opened and inside was a mega cute little outfit (which I'll be sure to wear on my next date, whenever that is!) and yes, *another monkey!* He kinda likes stealing the lime light, which means, I've got yet another evil monkey in my closet!


But that's ok, as I kinda like evil monkeys! Anyways, my thanks go out to Betty and Julian for the little monkey...

Mommy's Bed

Mommy let me sleep in her bed. I snuggled up under the blanket and slept soundly, while she was completely out of it! What's really funny though is she has now taken to sleeping like me, with her hands above her head! It's amazing what mommies learn from us kids!


Now, if Daddy would just pay attention, I'd be set!

Songs from the BIg Chair...

Daddy has been listening to lots of this stuff called "80's Music" -- which really makes me wonder who he is. He said I reminded him of "Tears for Fears", not that I know who they are yet. But after hearing their song, "Shout", it sure gives me ideas!

What time should I wake the neighbors tomorrow?

The BEST show on TV...

...is definitely Hell's Kitchen. At first, I thought it was a bit on the neighborhood in New York near where I used to live...but no! It turned out to be this dramatic, over-the-top cooking show!

Daddy tried to put me to bed about 5 minutes into it. I would have none of it. So I cried until he brought me downstairs. Then, a bit later, mommy tried the same thing. Nope! Crying and fussing caused her to relent too. So, I cuddled with mommy and interferred with her television watching...

Now if I could just figure out what they mean with all those bleeps, I'd be set!

There is a special place...

Ah, yes...the joy of being a little dude. Well, guess what? I've learned something -- there is a special place in hell for people who tease dogs. And you know what? There is even a more special place in hell for people who eat ice cream in front of me!

Mommy and Daddy discovered the "Oberweis Dairy" in Glenview. And what do they do? Ice cream. Just look at mommy's total joy as she eats it.


Which was cool, but then she *offered* me some...

Ice cream? For moi? I was going to *enjoy* this!

But no, it wasn't to be. She took it away and my dreams of some day eating proper ice cream will have to wait... Daddy wasn't much better. He wolfed down his cone without even giving me a good look!

Smiting Evil Monkeys...

Evil monkeys are everywhere. Some live in closets, but others? Well, they just sort of sneak up on you. This one dropped into my chair, and fortunately, I had my rattle.

So I smote it.

Smiting as it is means taking careful aim, and striking the evil critter with sufficient force that he gets the message. I sent him flying of my chair, and half way into another zip code....



He got the message. He has since been a good monkey. Personally, I was hoping that Obama would do a good job of smiting the banks. Alas, he hasn't seemed to actually suggested anything for them to get the message. Daddy says that 20 years ago they bailed out the Savings and Loans. Now, we're bailing out the banks. I'm expecting to have to do it again in 20 years...

Looooong drives...

Do you know what lies between Grandma and Grandpa's house and this new place we're moving to in some place called "Illinois"?

Well, neither do I. We left veryvery early with Grandma practically shoving us out the door.

It's long, it's boring, Grandpa drove, and staring out the window leads one to nod off and sleep. I thought the flight was long, but that drive? It was silly! It was a good excuse to sleep... Mommy fed me twice on the trip, which was cool.

So we arrived in Northbrook, Illinois and watched the movers leave. Everything was still in boxes, which was ok, so I got to watch everybody unpack. If Christmas is like this, I think I could enjoy it!

Eventually, we headed out for dinner. It was a place called "Yardhouse". I didn't like it -- it was too noisy. I kept crying whenever I was inside, making daddy take me for a walk to keep from disturbing the others. They enjoyed the food, but hey, it wasn't my cup of tea.... Besides, I like milk anyways!

New Friends!

I met Betty and Julian today. They thought I was the totally most cutest thing ever! I was very inclined to agree with them, as I am the most totally cutest thing.


They were so totally thrilled, they even sent me a prezzie! So they are definitely on my list of favorite people!

Grandma and Grandpa's house!

They have a swing. I like swings. Swings are so cool. I need to get my own swing. Definitely. I need my own swing.


They also have a dawg. His name is Hoppers, or Mister Hopps, Hopper Boppers, and simply, "Oi! Dawg!" He likes licking feet. It kinda tickles!

Flying!

Hey, you know the coolest way to travel? It's to fly! And I got to do that. We left Auntie Francine's place after saying "Goodbye" to Sophie and headed off in the car for a loooong trip. A good nap later, we arrived and stood in various queues. What few things I still owned mommy packed into a bag which then vanished into a big dangerous looking machine!

We then headed through security. Hurry up and wait in line, get checked, prodded, and watch even my nappy bag vanish into an even bigger, more evil looking machine. I'm not sure about all this stuff...

We then wandered through this terminal thing for a while... BORING! I tried to sleep...but couldn't. We then got on this big cylinder thing with wings, sat in some seats. How strange...


But it was ok, I got a window! How cool is that? I got to watch the clouds pass us by. Which was fun for, oh, 20 minutes. I then slept for the whole rest of the flight to Minneapolis...

Hot Dates!

I had my first kinda date. It was with this hot chick Sophie. My dad introduced us (yea, I know! Meeting girls through your parents is so totally uncool)

...and we hit it off right away! She totally worshiped me!

I, of course, was too cool. She kept calling me "baby", which was kinda sweet. I thought about calling her "Darlin'" or something cute like that, but of course, being a bloke, I was a bit too stunned by her and managed only a few drools.

What do you mean...

MOVING?!? I'm MOVING?!?

The first I found out about this is when some strange guys showed up and started putting my stuff in boxes. Yea, boxes.


All my toys disappeared. And I cried. And then my mat vanished. And I cried. And finally, I was bundled into my carseat and off we went to Francine's place as my chair also disappeared. Daddy promised me it would be like Christmas on the other end when we got to open all the boxes. But if that's what Christmas is, remind me to ask for a shotgun so I can keep all the elves from stealing my toys NEXT year!


The worst part about this is that I have yet to have a proper coffee from Joe's, Jack's or Mud. I'm yet to sample the world famous pizza. I haven't had a proper bagel, a proper slice of cheesecake, nor a true Ruben sandwich. Nor have I had a vodka gimlet. So, I'm clearly leaving New York at least a good 21 years too soon for my tastes!

Stranger from Oz?

I'm not entirely sure where this "Oz" place is, but this strange person showed up from there. He had a cast on his arm and shaving was clearly something that he and daddy don't have in common... He spoke with this American-German-Australian accent -- not that I'm entirely sure what all of them are. They called him "Soren", which is something like Norwegian. Speaking of which, according to rumors, I'm something like 1/8th Norwegian -- that does *NOT* mean you can send lutefisk under any circumstance!


As you can tell, he was totally *thrilled* to meet me. I'm wondering where my prezzie is....

Appologies...

Well, it's been a very busy week and a half. I need to sit down and write about it now that I finally have an internet connection again. There will be lots of new stuff. I promise! Details of my great cross country adventure shall follow...

Some shots of Brooklyn...

A couple quick shots of Brooklyn as we will be departing soon and heading West. "Go West Young Man", so the line goes, and yes, I'm going to be going west soon... But here is a shot of my current favorite artist, as well as the moon over Brooklyn...

The Many Faces of Spencer, Part 4

The last and final collection of faces for the time being; I'm sure I'll do some more later when I develop a bit more. But for now, just simply two final clues for you to decipher "THE SPENCER!"

Starting with ... hungry! Looking at mommy and licking my little lips, and making little "FEED ME!" noises...


And lastly (for the time being), I'd just figured out how to control how to make the rattling elephant make a controlled noise. Ok, I don't like the noise, but at least I now know how to control it. This is my "smarter-then-the-average-3-month-old" look...


...and somebody needs to tell mommy to quit dressing me in brown! I much prefer Liverpool Red!

The Many Faces of Spencer, Part 3

Continuing on with my latest series, I figure I should do the easy ones... First, Happy! And blissfully so...


And to go with it, seriously annoyed! Yes, probably at daddy for interrupting the nice happy quiet time I was having with mommy by taking yet another picture, but I can't tell *him* that...

Another concert!

Wow! They are popping up all over. I went for a walk under the Manhattan bridge, and low and behold, an impromptu concert popped up! They were kinda funky and kinda jazzy and acted a bit strange -- which, I must say, is pretty normal for New York!

The Many Faces of Spencer, Part 2

First today ... excited! I'm always happy to see mommy, as that usually means good things! Lunch, cuddling, playtime and all those wonderful things that mommies do!


Then there is my sort of smug look. It's the "Hey Daddy, I've got MOMMY! Ha ha ha!"

And finally, there is my protective look. You need to be careful when you see this! One of the good things is that daddy has taught me how to beat on things with my rattle. It's a good feeling to have a nice, solid rattle in your hand. Daddy says it reminds him of the manager in "Spinal Tap" ...