There's a Tree in My House

I woke up the other morning and there was a tree in my house. Now I may be only 14 months young, but a tree? In my house? And ever since we came back from Grandma's about two weeks ago, mommy and daddy have been playing the same music over and over again. Something about somebody making a list and checking it twice? Oh and then there's the shopping. Tons and tons of shopping. Daddy came home last night with bags and bags and BAGS of stuff. Was any of it for me? Nope, still playing with the same toys. So can somebody please explain to me what's going on here? Mommy says we're going to see Aunt Maryann in two weeks and it will all be explained then. I don't know about that but what I do know is that means I get to see my cousin Ava and that's so cool! See you soon, Ava because we're taking the show on the road. That's what's going on in LANDEN'S WORLD!

Christening

I look around me and see a mommy and daddy who truly love me, grandparents who travel tons and tons of miles to see me, pictures of me everywhere (somebody must think I'm really cute), great grandparents who can't stop talking about me, and I live in one of the coolest cities in the world, and I think to myself - wow am I blessed. Well this past weekend I was literally blessed and now I can add to that list - I have two wonderful godparents. Thank you, David. Thank you, Christine.


These past two weekends have been all about family. Let's not forget it was still October so we were still celebrating my first birthday. Two weekends ago, my grandpa Ryan visited me. See what I mean? He came all the way from Florida just to see me. Now, mommy and daddy tell me he came to visit back in June of last year. I wasn't born yet so I guess I'll have to take their word for it. Anyway, during that trip, they all walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Well this trip, we all walked across the Manhattan Bridge and I was actually around to see it. Pretty cool!


Then even more family visited just this past weekend. There were aunts and uncles, grandmothers, and great grandparents, oh my! It's been non-stop fun around here. If you take away all my toys, all the cell phones I can get my hands on, all the hummus, all the lollipops, and all the episodes of Elmo's World, as long as my family is around I'll be happy. But don't let my mommy and daddy hear me say that because I don't know if I could live without playing with cell phones! That's what makes me smile, all in a day in LANDEN'S WORLD!

Me Mum

I love you, mom. I really do. You always let me lie in bed with you while I have my morning bottle. Even though it confuses daddy, you always rearrange my clothes in my drawers so what I need most can be quickly reached. You were the first to feed me. You were the first to hold me. I like how you always give me your phone to play with, even though that one time the 3, 6, and 9 buttons didn't work for a while because of my drool. And you really love sending pictures of me out to everyone; you're my personal marketing rep. You discovered my name and you found daddy. Thanks for being such a good mom. Thanks for helping to create LANDEN'S WORLD!

Still The Birthday Boy

Well I didn't have more cake, but, I did have a CUPCAKE! It's like my own little cake. I loved it. My shirt loved it. My pants loved it.



It's still October so I'm still celebrating. Last Saturday, mommy and daddy threw a big party for me. They invited all my friends, some of their friends, and the band! Oh I told you all about this - Music For Aardvarks. Well they came. It was so cool. The singer, Sivan, mentioned my name in almost all the songs and at the end, he sang Happy Birthday to me! I walked around and told all my friends, "Yeah, I'm with the band." So let's see who was here - there was Matan who lives across the courtyard from us, my bestest buddy Jasmine who lives on the other side of Flatbush, her friend Tess, my big buddy Harrison who lives in the same building as Jas, Charlie who is two weeks younger, little baby Mia, pretty Emelia from Manhattan, my East Hampton buddy Jack, sleepy Theo, and lovely Maggie. The whole gang was here! And they were all here to see me. Thanks, to all my friends.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me. Why not sing it again? It's my world. It's LANDEN'S WORLD!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! And so many more! Monday was my first birthday and boy was it special. I rode on a plane, I saw Grandma and Grandpa Ryan, I ate cake. I ATE CAKE!

Now this cake thing, how exactly does it work? Do I get it every birthday? It's really soft and I liked the way it felt on my fingers. Soon after this picture was taken, I had cake all over me. I like cake. Maybe I can have cake on my pretzels, instead of hummus.


So my birthday isn't just one day. This Saturday my mommy and daddy invited some of my friends over, along with a band. The band is called Music for Aardvarks and they sing some really cool music. One of my favorites is the one about being a kid in the city. Actually, it's called City Kid. And then there's the one about the Staten Island Ferry. Actually, it's called Staten Island Ferry. I wish everything was this easy to remember. That's on Saturday and we're going to have lots of fun and food and hopefully more cake!!! Then, two weeks from this Saturday, we're having another party. This one is for all my family. And since everyone will be staying the weekend, it's more of a weekend party. Pretty much the whole month of October we'll be celebrating my birthday. My uncle Thomas also has a birthday in October. My Great Grandpa Giambalvo has a birthday in October. My aunt Christine has a birthday in October. And then, before you know it, it's Halloween and we're walking down Seventh Avenue for the parade! I went last year. I was a three-week old pumpkin.


It started getting cold out. Mommy and daddy have some new clothes for me, plus Tutu Kathleen sent me some great clothes for the colder weather. Oh, and Grandpa Ryan gave me some way cool boots. I can't wait to wear all my new clothes! Well, to tell you the truth, I really couldn't wait. I already tried on my new hat. Whadya think?


Well one more time for the folks who we're too shy in the beginning . . . Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me. Why not sing it again? It's my world. It's LANDEN'S WORLD!

Family

I love my family. It's a big family, you know, but I was born with a big heart so there's enough room in there to love 'em all. And the things my family does for me, WOW! I can tell they really love me. I remember the day I was born - mommy held me close and my proud daddy started making the phone calls. When he called nana to tell her the wonderful news and finally announce my name (they'd kept it a secret), she was already on the highway en route for New York. Then, just six months after I was born, mommy was parading me around the country, introducing me to the rest of my family. I remember, she took me to Orlando to meet my Grandma Ryan, my Great Grandma Johnstone, and The Mouse! And let's not forget all the people who came to New York to visit me. There was my Grandpa Ryan and Ellie, my wonderful aunt Maryann with her kids, big Uncle David and Rebecca, my aunt Joan with her beautiful children and Chris, my Great Grandpa Giambalvo and Barb, and my special aunt, Aunt Tara. It was so special to meet you all and to those who are no longer with us, we are blessed to have had you in our world.

Who Am I?

Well I already told you my name - it's Landen. But what is it that a devilishly young, handsome dude like myself does in a way hipster city like Brooklyn? I eat. Yeah, I like food. Hey I'm only eleven months and just a few days before my first birthday old, so I gotta eat like it's going out of style! I love hummus. Oh let me tell you. Hummus on crackers. Hummus on bread. Hummus on my face. Hummus on an apple. If it has surface area, I'm putting hummus on it. I'm also a big fan of cheese. My parents have me eating all sorts of funny cheeses, but do you really think I care whether it's Gouda or Gloucester? I just like the different colors. Oh and don't forget pretzels! The pretzel rods are my favorite because they fit right in my little hand. And of course, hummus on pretzels. I've moved onto milk, but that's a recent development. Love that whole milk! I still drink out of my bottle, but at lunch and dinner I get milk in a little plastic cup and slurp at it like a puppy. I've tried a straw a couple times now but just can't seem to get the hang of it. Oh and I have my sippy cup but mainly that's for water. I just can't seem to hold onto it (probably because of the hummus all over my hands).


Around the house I have building blocks and those funny foam squishy blocks. I really like those. Daddy and I put those in our mouth and make funny faces at each other. I'm not quite walking yet but I certainly get up and down quite well on my own. There are these two entertainment playgrounds that I stand at all the time. One sings to me about "rocking to the numbers" and the other sings the alphabet, in english and in spanish. Those two things are loads of fun but what I really like can't be found in our house. It's the SWINGS! We live in Park Slope and one thing Park Slope is known for is being a great place to raise a family. There are parks all over the place and all of them have swings. At first I had a little trouble with the swing and mommy would put a blanket behind me for a little extra cushion. Now I'm a pro at the swings and mommy swings me high into the sky!

I'm getting to be a pretty good sleeper. I have a pretty good streak going for sleeping through the night. Daddy said something about not talking about a streak, during the streak, so that's all I have to say about that. Then in the morning, I wake up, catch some Elmo's World, and do it all over again. Pretty nice life, huh? That's what it's like in LANDEN'S WORLD!

Welcome!

Hey there! My name is Landen Giambalvo and welcome to my blog. I'm quite the precocious little one so you might find it surprising that I'm only, well, almost one! I was born 8 October, 2006 at 1:30pm. My mom was such a trooper; I don't know how she did it. For those nine months I was inside her, daddy and she treated me like I was already apart of their world. They would talk to me, sing to me and put their hands on mommy's belly so I could feel their love. I'm a very lucky wee one to be born into a family of so much love - and it's all for me!!!! I'll tell you a secret though: my parents don't think I can understand them, but sometimes I can hear them jokingly remind each other who came first. Yeah well, you may have met each other first but that was then and this is now. This is my world. THIS IS LANDEN'S WORLD!