More Christmas fun!

Lovin my new bouncer that Granny and Grandaddy got me!

Me in my "special" Christmas outfit that the Cuddler brought me.

The monogramming was scratchy so she had to put a onesie on under it.

The onsie was way too small.

It left red marks on my giganto head and we could barely get it to button between my legs.

Morning Guy, Me and the Cuddler.

The Cuddler should have brought Morning Guy a Christmas outfit.

Orange clashes with all things Christmas.

My Aunt Susan, Mammaw and me!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

Merry Christmas

Well, Santa did visit us! I got lots of new bath toys, two guitars and a new teether! Lola got to sleep in side as her present and Izzy and Addy got two new bones. Apparently, Santa shops at Target!









The Cuddler never finished needle pointing my stocking so I did not get anything in my stocking! She said she will try again before next Christmas.

I was watching the Cuddler finish her dishes that we are taking to PawPaw's but all the excitement was too much.



Merry Christmas!

Yes, John Hinton, there is a Santa Clause

It turns out that Izzy, Addy and Lola were telling the truth. There is a Santa Clause! He visited my daycare! We laughed and talked. I asked him if he could remember Lola this year since he had forgotten her last year. He said he didn't forget her that she had been bad, but that he would do me a favor and bring her something this year. I'll keep you updated on what he brings.

Mack Daddy

We went to visit some friends on Saturday night. Here I am with Jane Gray and Anne Marie. Their moms are twin sisters who grew up with the Cuddler. My PawPaw and their "Big Daddy" have been friends for forever.




All three of us were born in October, but I'm three weeks older than them. I have moves that they have never seen. I wowed them with my Plum ways and won them over. See me workin that Plum magic, the ladies don't stand a chance.

My Pappaw

The Cuddler's daddy, a.k.a. PawPaw, sent her this picture this week.



It is of her Pappaw and my name sake, John Hammond Hinton. The picture is from his last fishing trip to Minnesota with PawPaw in 2003. Rumor has it that one day I may get to go on these fishing trips. All I need is a pair of boat shoes!

The Cuddler says that he was a wonderful person and that he would have liked me very, very much. The stories about him are all pretty funny so far. She says that he would say that I am slick as a new button.

This will be a busy weekend for us, I hear we are baking cookies tomorrow (although, I'm sure I won't be offered a cookie) and that we have two parties and that I am going to spend the night with Nonnie and PawPaw! Whew, what a weekend!

It could be worse

I don't take naps at daycare. I spend the 9 hours a day at daycare and my lack of naps makes me fussy for the few hours that the Cuddler gets to see me at night. I refuse to sleep through the night ("The Book" a.k.a. Baby Wise says that I should be sleeping through the night) and I like to get up at 4:45 a.m. All of these things are things that the Cuddler cannot control, and she is a control freak. Well, you know what I say to that, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

All of this is giving the Cuddler feelings of low self esteem. Her friend Jessica sent her this story to make her feel better about her mothering.

The mother in the story says, "Kids do things like this and it's out of your control." I'm guessing that the Cuddler will be in control enough to never let something like this happen. So maybe this is proof that my parents may not be the world's worst parents.

A New Year, The Plum and a Plan

I have had a great week with my Nonnie while the Cuddler was at work. Here I am with Nonnie and the Cuddler at Christmas...

I have the best time with my Nonnie so I have been contemplating an exchange program for myself. You see, I have previously mentioned my Nonnie’s dog, Shamrock.


She calls him Dahlin. That is the really southern version of darling. Anyway, she also calls me Dahlin. My Pawpaw says she that she shouldn't call me Dahlin because that is what she calls Shamrock and she has made him stupid. Shamrock is undeniably beautiful but he is not the brightest bulb. The Cuddler swears that he had potential until Nonnie kept calling him Dahlin and telling him how beautiful he was and never expected anything out of him. Now when you talk to him, he just drops to the ground and rolls around. I can’t tell that he knows any tricks and he even has a pedigree!

So, this past week I spent the night with my Nonnie and Pawpaw. It’s really great at their house. Nonnie thinks everything that I do is great and my Pawpaw gets up at 4:00 in the morning so he doesn’t whine and complain when I want to get up at 4:45.

I really think that I am much better suited to live there. I figure that we can just swap me and Shamrock out since we both have Dahlin qualities and no one will really notice. What do you think?


The only problem will be getting Shamrock to agree to come here!

With love, the Plum

P.S. Happy New Year!!!

New Friends

I have had such a busy week. On Monday night, we ate with the Nelsons. I’ll be glad when Baby Nelson gets here so I will have someone to talk to during these weekly dinners.

Tuesday night, we went over to Rayville, Louisiana to visit Addie Lee and Kimber. It was great. Can you believe how tiny he is? I know that I was never that small even though the Cuddler says he weighs more than I did when I was born. Look how big I am next to him!!

Unlike my parents, his parents already knew about nourishment from the Walmart so he is happy and gaining weight. In defense of my parents, I guess this is all new to them, and the Morrises have already practiced on Addie Lee so they know what to do with Kimber. Addie Lee loved and kissed on me while we were there. She is my favorite gal pal.

I got to see Addie Lee’s dog, Jake. He looks just like Nonnie’s dog, Shamrock. Jake has a pedigree and knows lots of tricks. I asked Izzy and Addie if they had a pedigree and they said they did not know. So I asked them where they came from. Apparently, the Cuddler just picked them up from the side of the road one Sunday. Seriously lady? They said she even trapped Ella in the same area. Ella went to live with my Nonnie and Pappaw on Dog Road (it’s a good name for their road because they have five dogs!!!) because she kept breaking out of the fence here. It was making Morning Guy angry and the Cuddler couldn’t handle it. Do you think I could go live with them if I learned how to break out of our fence?

Here is what they looked like when she got them…

Here is Izzy, Ella, and Addy now...



I’m guessing that they do not in fact have a pedigree, but they do know a few tricks. Ella does not know any tricks. This got me to thinking about where all of these cats came from so I started asking around. Lola was at the humane society—two weeks past her “final” date, Sassy was born at the scrap yard, and GmGm lived under someone’s trailer before she came here.

This all has me wondering where I came from. Did they pick me up on the side of the road or did they catch me in a trap? I don’t know what a “scrap yard” is but I don’t think that I have ever been there or under a trailer. I’m pretty sure that I have never had a “final” date.

The most encouraging part of this is that if the Cuddler and Morning Guy can keep those two pitiful looking puppies alive, I might have a chance.

The Cuddler says that I am heaven sent so maybe that is where I came from.

Christmas

Ok, the Cuddler got a tree for "Christmas". Here I am in my velour leisure suit and the Cuddler. Check out this hat she has on me. It's 72 degrees in this house. Why do I need a hat?

I'm sure this tree was perfectly happy outside but no, she had to meddle and bring it inside. I've been asking Izzy and Addy about Christmas. They gave a favorable report. Apparently, someone named Santa brings them delicious treats in their stockings and my PawPaw sends them special giant ham bones. I wonder if I will get a ham bone?

Anyway, the Cuddler went Christmas shopping the other day and it was just me and Morning Guy. Look what he did while she was gone. How humiliating for me.


I'm not the only one that he has humiliated. Look at Izzy, Addy and Lola, our other cat. What is with all of these cats. Does the Cuddler collect cats?

Lola looks angry. I am going to get some tips from her about dealing with the Cuddler and Morning Guy. Izzy and Addy are such kiss ups that they are useless to me. On the other hand, she said she didn't get treats from Santa so maybe I won't follow her lead.

I'll let y'all know when I get more details on Christmas. Oh, they have continued to give me the carrots. That, combined with the fact that I got to see my first snow made this weekend bearable. I think it may have been the first time that the Morning Guy saw snow. He was going on and on about how it was snowing. Here is a pic of me and Morning Guy in the snow. Keep in mind that it is 30 degrees out here, where is that freaking hat now?

CARROTS!!! and other exciting news

I knew they had been holding out on me. Finally, Wednesday night they came forward with the goods. CARROTS!!! It was delicious. I ate them with a spoon. That was a whole new experience.

I opened my mouth and cried when I wanted more. I'm not sure that they are going to keep giving me the carrots. I hear it might have given me a tummy ache, but I think they just don't want to change all the dirty diapers that it gave me. Nurse Shelly said that was normal and to give me carrots again this weekend, but can we really trust her after she stabbed me in the legs THREE times?



In equally exciting news, Kimber Todd Morris was born this morning. I hear from the Cuddler that we are going to visit him this weekend. That will be good. I'm going to go ahead and give him the run down on nourishment from the Walmart and CARROTS! What in the world can be better than carrots? I will also get to see one of favorite gal pals, Addie Lee.



If you see the Cuddler or Morning Guy, please encourage them to keep feeding me carrots. I also heard that applesauce could be coming my way. Don't let the dream die!

Can you hear me now?

As I have mentioned, the Cuddler took me to Dr. W for my vaccinations last week. My height and weight were at the 50th percentile but my head was at the 75th to 90th percentile. My head is enormous. That is why my Thanksgiving hat was so small on me.

While we were at Dr. Ws, she asked how I was sleeping. The Cuddler said that I will go to sleep around 10 and sleep about 4 hours then I have another bottle and sleep until 5 or 6 but not without a fight. She said that I don't want to go back to sleep after I take my bottle. See, what I like to do is lay in my bed for 10 or 15 minutes after the Cuddler gets into bed and starts to drift off to sleep and then I SCREAM for her!!! Doesn't this sound like the most fun??? It can go on for hours. What happens is...she will come in there the second that she hears me and say something soft and sweet and give me back my paci and I will be real still, then she leaves, gets into bed, starts to drift off to sleep, then I startle her and we repeat the game. This little routine gives her a false sense of security that I'm asleep, thereby allowing her to go to sleep, then I stike again!

Well, Dr. W was unimpressed by this little dance. She asked why the Cuddler keeps coming into my room. The Cuddler explained that she only comes back when I cry. They both agreed that there was nothing actually wrong with me during this time, and Dr. W said the Cuddler should let me cry. Can you believe it?

Well, the Cuddler didn't give into this nonsense until Friday night when we were one hour and 4 rounds into the game. I was winning at this point but she decided she did not want to play anymore. Since we had already played for so long, I gave in after two minutes and went back to sleep. The next night she didn't want to play but I was feeling rested so I didn't give in so easy and after a few minutes she gave in. I could hear Addison growling and barking from the kitchen telling the Cuddler to check on me because she was worried about me. Last night was same song different verse. We made so much noise that Morning Guy just went ahead and got up for the day at 4:30. I think part of this is his fault though. I keep hearing him say that I am fine and she should let me cry. I know if I can get him out of the picture that I could break the Cuddler. She is weak.

Dr. W said I could start yellow veggies to help me sleep through the night but of course, they have not given me any yet. Another example of them withholding food from me.

Here is my picture from my first day of daycare. I'm wearing a pimping Winnie the Pooh outfit that Miss Robin gave me. It was like catnip for the ladies.

Baby Bulldog!

Today was a great day. My great grandmother, Mammaw Ina, visited us for the football game...

and I smiled and laughed for her. She was so much fun. Then the Bullodogs won their game!!! The Cuddler and Morning Guy seemed surprised.



How good does my booty look? Thanks Mrs. Kathrine and Corban!!

Thanksgiving

I am thankful that this bunch has kept me alive in spite of themselves.

In the beginning,the Cuddler was trying some sort of "do it yourself" feeding program. Luckily, my pediatrician, Dr. W, told her that I was starving. I only gained one ounce in the two days after we left the hospital. Dr. W said she was going to label me failure to thrive because I could not gain back to my birth weight. So, she explained how the Cudller could get my nourishment at the Walmart. It was at this time that Morning Guy first started making his morning appearances with the bottle. To prove Dr. W right, I gained 7 ounces in one day on the good stuff from Walmart. I suspect that the "do it yourself" program was the cost saving brain child of Morning Guy. I hear that he won't even buy the Cuddler real cokes, only Big K.

Even though I am thankful that they are actually feeding me, it has not been without its set backs. First, the Cuddler used the wrong scoop on a couple of my bottles so they were only half strength! Most recently, someone (who asked to remain nameless) kept telling the Cuddler how I needed to eat every 3 hours instead of every 4 hours. As it turns out, the person thought she was making me my regular 6 ounce bottles but she was only making 4 ounces! She needs to wear her glasses!

Most recently, Morning Guy tried to over dose me. The Cuddler told him to dissolve half of a prevacid for me. Well, Morning Guy heard prevacid but not the half part. He gave me twice my dose! This seemed to particularly irritate the Cuddler even after they determined that I was going to live. She was going on about how I had been taking prevacid for seven weeks and Morning Guy still didn't know how much I took and that it was printed right there on the package. She seems to have gotten over it. However, I understand that this may be a trend for Morning Guy. The cat in the garage, GmGm, tells me that one time, she was on antibiotics, and the Cuddler asked Morning Guy to give her the medicine. Well, when the Cuddler went to give GmGm the next dose the following day, there were still two pills in the bottle. The Cuddler questioned Morning Guy about this but he swore that he gave GmGm a pill. So, she asked where he got this pill. Apparently, Morning Guy gave GmGm some of the Cuddler's migraine medicine (which was also clearly labeled). I will no longer accept medicine from Morning Guy for my own safety.


I am beginning to think that the Cuddler is haboring aggression towards me. On Wednesday she took me to see Dr. W and allowed her nurse to stab in the legs three times with sharp sticks?!? What is the meaning of this? The Cuddler called it my vaccinations. I understand from Izzy and Addy that they too have been subject to these vaccinations. Please tell how I can avoid these in the future. I will share more details of this visit in my next post.

Here is a pic of me that the sadist took in a hat that my Nonnie bought me that is clearly too small. It even left a ring around my head.


This morning, the Cuddler sent Morning Guy out to buy a tree. I have to find out why she would do such a stupid thing when we have trees in our yard.

Love, the Plum

It's a girl!

Morning Guy has spoken of a "little girl" but I have not met her. Today I found out that the Nelsons are going to get a little girl. The Cuddler and Morning Guy said this was great because we would be friends. I could use some friends so I did my happy dance.




















However, my joy turned to anger when I heard that Riley said I should stay away from his little girl because I was trouble!

The Plum's view on feeding

I am worried. I'm being intermittently denied food. I should start at the beginning. Let me explain the control freaks...the main perpetrator is "The Cuddler." She kisses and snuggles me constantly. "Morning Guy" typically carries out the Cuddler's orders first thing in the morning, hence the name.

They both start off giving me what I want, the bottle, but a couple of ounces in, they both snatch it out of my mouth and start beating me on the back. I am unsure of what I have done to anger them, but I try to communicate my disdain by whining and crying out. The Cuddler just smiles stupidly and tell me how cute I am. Morning Guy claims that I am crying like a little girl. I don't know what a little girl is, but she must be fierce. The only thing that intimidates them is when I belch in their face.

As if this is not bad enough, I understand that the Cuddler frequently withholds food from others that live here. I have befriended a feline name Sassy who lives on our front porch. She claims that since something called "the baby" came along she is lucky if the Cuddler remembers to feed her. As you can see her bowl is empty. She is also missing her tail. I must find out if this is a result of the Cuddler's anger.





Addy, a canine in the kitchen, tells me that the Cuddler is responsible for acquiring our nourishment at a place called The Walmart so I should not anger her further by resisting her kissing and snuggles.



Izzy's lips were sealed. I suspect that she was intimidated by Morning Guy or that she receives black market nourishment from the Cuddler.

Wish me luck. I will report more on the sadists later.

Love, The Plum

Meet Sugar Plum

Sugar Plum, a.k.a John Hinton, is making his blogging debut although he already has a following on facebook thanks to his dad who could get a second job with the paparazzi. The Plum is now seven weeks old and has decided to share his thoughts with his public. I am the Mom and typist for The Plum.

The Plum is sad about me going back to work on Monday but is looking forward to his time with his Nonnie (a.k.a. Beckey Hinton). He is dismayed that his newest formula, alimentum, makes all of his clothes smell like ickiness even after they have been washed. We will continue to work on this latest development for The Plum. If anyone has any suggestions, we would love to hear them.

Our sweet friends, Riley, Jennifer, and Rae, kept The Plum Thursday night and did a wonderful job. The Plum put them through their paces because Riley and Jennifer expecting Baby Nelson in April and he wanted them to be experienced. We are all waiting for Monday to find out if Baby Nelson is a boy or a girl!!! The Plum and Baby Nelson will be in the same class at MSU in 2027.

The Plum visited with Anna and Dan last night and a great time. He and Dan caught some sleep on the couch. It was super cute. For someone who refused to hold babies a few years ago, Anna looked like a natural.

The Plum appreciates you checking out his blog and he will keep you updated on his thoughts and promises to post lots of pictures!