h i l l t o t

We're moving!

2009-08-15T16:54:00.001-07:00

I've finally decided to simplify my life a bit by consolidating the family blogs into one:

This blog will stick around for archival purposes, but head over to the new one for updates! And be sure to check out the authors of each post, because hilltot and babyhill will be posting on the new blog as well (under their new monikers, zack-zack and mei-mei).

See you there!

The power of "No"

2009-07-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

I really like the word "no". It's so much easier to be demanding when I can shake my head and say "no" to everything. Two of my favorite things are to have someone read me a book and to have Mama sing songs to me while I eat. Now, not only can I ask for book time ("REE!" for "read") or song time ("row-row", because Mama usually starts off by singing "Row row row your boat"), but I can keep saying "no" until Mama figures out exactly which book or song I want.

Here's how breakfast went today:

Me: Row-row! Row-row!
Mama: Row row row your boat, gently down the...
Me: NO
Mama: Mary had a little...
Me: NO
Mama: Old McDonald had a...
Me: NO
Mama: The ants go marching...
Me: NO
Mama: Twinkle twinkle little...
Me: NO
Mama: There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-oh...
Me: (grin and clap)

See how well that works?

Needed: Translator

2009-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of words now and I understand most of what is said to me, but Mama and Daddy seem to need some help with translation. I like certain words and I use them a lot, but for some reason Mama and Daddy seem to think they mean different things and they keep trying to correct me.

Here are some examples (description/their word/my word):

where the car lives / garage / bye-bye
how we get into the house / door / daddy
what we eat / food / poo-poo
what I want Mama to do while I eat / sing / row-row
who's on Daddy's phone / lots of different people / papa
who's on Mama's phone / lots of different people / a-mah

I mean, it's not like I don't understand the words Mama and Daddy use. I also know that my favorite words have different meanings too (i.e. I know who Daddy is and I know how to say "bye bye" to people), so why is it so hard for Mama and Daddy to keep up with me? No matter how patient I am with them or how many times I try to explain, they still use the wrong words for things.

Hopefully this is just a stage and they'll outgrow it soon.

Practice makes perfect

2009-07-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

I'm supposed to be sleeping right now, but instead I am in my crib practicing my words:

"No... Oh yeah! No... Oh yeah! Bye-bye! Hi! Ah-MAH! Poo-paw! Poo-poo (hee hee)! Bye-bye! Hiiii! No... Oh nooooo...."

(Poo-paw is my version of Opa)

Friday photos

2009-07-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Video: Pteradactyl with a ball

2009-07-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

This means it's time for bed.

Video: Alone time

2009-07-16T13:26:00.002-07:00

Hanging out in my play room with a book, singing a little song

Video: New word

2009-07-16T13:26:00.001-07:00

Boys will be boys...

Operation Toddler-Proof

2009-07-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Operation Toddler-Proof is a complete failure in our house. So far, Mama hasn't found a single toddler-proofing device that I can't figure out. I pull out all of the outlet covers and bring them to her. I climb on the baby gate. I open all the drawers and cabinets unless Mama turns them against the wall. And today, I managed to take the doorknob cover completely off of the closet door so that I could get inside to play.

In other exciting news, my play room door fell off its hinges this morning. This would normally not be such a big deal because there's a baby gate there to keep me in. But my play room is also the guest room, and it's where Mama and Daddy will be sleeping when babyhill arrives and where A-Mah and Opa will sleep once Mama and Daddy move back upstairs. It opens directly into the dining room (which is open to the rest of the house -- our house is pretty much a giant open floor plan) and is right next to the bathroom. So having a door is pretty critical. Mama is convinced that this means the baby will arrive soon, just when things are falling apart.

In the meantime, Mama wants to get a bunch of baby gates so that she can at least slow me down. She plans to put one inside the closet, so that I won't be able to get inside the closet even though I can open the door. Ditto for the bottom of the stairs, maybe even for the bathroom. Hmmm. Hopefully she'll get more gates like the one we have, which has all kinds of great little footholds for me to use to climb...

Friday photos

2009-07-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted Friday photos. Mama has been focused on things that are going on with babyhill and I've been trying to help, so I haven't had as much time to post. Here are a few pictures of the things I do to help.

1. Reading up on my new role
2. Helping dad water the flowers
3. Watering the flowers by myself
4. Digging up weeds in the garden

To B or not to B

2009-06-15T13:43:00.001-07:00

I have some catching up to do because I've had an exciting couple of weeks, but I'll get to that later. Right now I just wanted to talk about how chatty I am and how I've turned into a regular parrot. I mimic words I hear all the time, but I usually just say the first syllable. And I really like words that start with a "B". What a great letter.

Here's a list of some of my new words. Since most of them start with a "B" and I only say the first syllable, you kind of have to be there to know which one I mean. I'm very contextual.

Ba (ball), buh (bubbles), boo (book), bzzy bee (busy bee), bay-b (baby), bee (bib), bees (please), caw-caw (the sound a crow makes), hoo-hoo (the sound an owl makes), ah-kay (OK), law-lee law-lee (lolly lolly, from the Hey Lolly song), me (me), mmmmm (yum), shu (shoe), haw (hot). Plus a lot of "L"-heavy babble sounds which are in my secret toddler language.

I'm also still a big fan of singing, and I even sing a few bars of the alphabet song when Mama sings it to me. But then I run to get my alphabet bus to provide the back-up music (I have to be sure Mama stays in key). And I love when Mama sings "Snuggle Puppy" to me because she ends by giving me snuggle puppy kisses, which make me laugh.

Cutest. Boy. Ever.

2009-06-03T11:54:00.001-07:00

He now "smiles" on command.

For my Uncle Jim

2009-05-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Representin'

Friday photos

2009-05-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

1. Ring around the merry-go-round...
2. I love the digger, even though I'm too small to work it myself
3. I think chalk writes better if you suck on it first
4. See?

Hey lolly

2009-05-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mama sings this song to me called "Hey lolly". It doesn't have real words, which is what's so fun about it -- you get to make up your own! So the version she sings to me always talks about how wonderful and clever I am, which is the best kind of song there is. I like it so much that I've decided to start singing along, although I just sing the "lolly lolly" part. That's the most fun anyway.

Oh yeah, the fact that I'm taking a bath during this performance is completely irrelevant. It's just when Mama got the camera out.

Chopsticks

2009-05-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Usually Mama feeds me with her chopsticks, but at lunch yesterday I decided it was time for me to feed myself. Granted, I held the chopsticks backwards and Mama helped me position things, but I think I did a pretty good job! Here are some pictures of me eating the filling from my jiao-tse.

I've also recently decided that it's kind of funny to wear my sunglasses. I used to rip them off the second Mama tried to put them on me, but lately I like to walk around the house with them and clap for myself because I'm so handsome (at least, that's what Mama tells me). She says that I wear sunglasses very well, just like Daddy. I think she's right, but I still won't wear them outside.

Here's a picture of me with my cool sunglasses on, plus a bonus picture showing me with my favorite thing in the world: the dust buster vacuum cleaner. I'm not wearing any clothes because I'm waiting for Daddy to give me a bath. That's also why I'm sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Daddy is upstairs and I'm yelling "BAAAA BA!!!" up the stairs to get him to hurry.

Another day, another playground

2009-05-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Magnuson Park, where Daddy took Cowboy for a quick romp in the dog park while I played at the playground with Mama. Daddy and Cowboy came back in time to check out some of the new play structures with me too, although Cowboy had to wait under a tree because dogs aren't allowed on the playground.

I got to swing, climb, slide, bounce, rock, and dig. My favorite is always the swing, but I really like the sandbox once I get comfortable. I spent a long time filling a pail with sand and emptying it again, and I threw a tantrum when we had to go home. However, I was very careful not to hit my head on the ground (I just got on my hands and knees and screamed) and I gave up when I realized that I wasn't getting a reaction out of Mama or Daddy. The other parents at the playground seemed to be veterans too, because they all ignored me as well. Hmph.

Beach day

2009-05-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a beach day! Since it was so pretty out, we to Golden Gardens to soak up some sun and enjoy the water. We walked along the beach, ate popsicles, cried when we got our feet wet in the surf (well, that was just me), and played in the sand. The beach is fun -- I hope we go a lot more often now that it's getting warmer! And maybe next time Mama will remember to bring my pail and shovel so I'm not stuck playing with a rock and a bottle cap.

On the way home, we stopped at Red Mill to pick up some cheeseburgers and onion rings. I've always refused to eat beef before, but I've recently decided that I like anything that's on Mama's plate. So I ate half of her cheeseburger (no tomatoes or pickles though -- yuk!) and then polished off my kichari and applesauce.

You may have noticed that I'm eating kichari a lot. That's because of those digestive issues I mentioned earlier. Mama's trying to feel me simple healthy meals that are easy on my stomach so that the probiotics have time to work and fix things up. She's hoping that my belly is just out of whack because I've had so many colds and viruses this spring, and once things are back in order I won't need the probiotics anymore. It does seem to be working so far.

Anyway, here are pictures from our beach day! I didn't get to eat much of the popsicle because Mama dropped hers in the sand right after she gave me a few licks. So my tongue didn't turn blue like Mama's and Daddy's tongues, but I stuck it out anyway.

Sunny Saturday

2009-05-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! I got to spend most of it outside, and when I wasn't outside playing, I was either eating or sleeping. It doesn't get much better than that.

I started off the day with a trip to the playground with Jammy. I haven't seen him in ages (other than briefly running into him at the U District Street Fair last weekend), so it was fun to do a bit of that toddler "parallel playing". Some day we'll be old enough that we actually notice and play with each other, and not just each other's toys. I did learn a pretty neat trick from him though: offer gifts to little girls to get their attention. It works especially well if you offer someone else's things (i.e. my sippy cup) to them. That way, you're not any worse off if they take the gift and run.

We had a great time playing in the sand (Jammy let me help him fill his pail with sand), going on the swings, spinning the toddler toys around, and climbing all over the play structure and slides. Mama tried to go down a slide with me, but she has a built in braking system she calls "pregnancy butt". It stopped us halfway down the slide, so after that she let me slide by myself.

After a morning at the playground (followed by lunch, a nap, then a snack), Mama, Daddy, Cowboy and I went to Woodland Park to hang out in the grass. I had fun roaming around the field, picking flowers, stealing Mama's sunglasses, talking to my Uncle Brendan on the phone, and eating more snacks.

Once I started getting more insistent about eating snacks (aka "whining"), we packed up and headed home so that I could get dinner. We stopped at Paseo for Mama and Daddy to pick up some Cuban sandwiches, then we went home and ate together. I got bites of their chicken and steak sandwiches (yum!) and ate my kitchari, spinach and apple sauce. After dinner, I had a bath, read some books, and was off to bed! See, I told you: today was all about eating, sleeping and playing.

Actually, now that I think about it, every day is about eating, sleeping and playing for me. I have a pretty good life.

Friday photos

2009-05-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

1. Taking my wagon for another cruise around the 'hood
2. The caravan
3. It's fun to hang onto Daddy's hair
4. Get your own water!

It doesn't take much

2009-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

When I wake up from my nap, I usually babble to let Mama know that I'm ready to be rescued from my crib. But sometimes instead of babbling, she hears me laughing. She videotaped the monitor because she thinks it's pretty funny:

But she was a little concerned about what exactly was going on in my crib. She came upstairs and stood outside my door for a couple seconds. When she opened the door, this is what she found:

I'm very good at amusing myself.

18-month check up

2009-05-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

I got to see the Dude today for my 18 month check up! Mama told me that I wouldn't have to get any shots, but she was sorely mistaken. Or rather, she was mistaken and I am sore. She felt really bad and apologized for giving me faulty information, and she made up for it by singing and dancing with me after I got the shot.

The Dude says that I am doing really well. I'm making impressive gains on the height chart, and my weight is nice and stable too. Here are my stats:

Weight = 24lbs 12 oz (35%)
Head Circumference = 48.6 cm (75%)
Length = 34.5" (95%)

Quite nice, if you ask me! I'm on my way to becoming a basketball player. The Dude asked me if I am taller than most of my friends (yes) and Mama mentioned that people are usually surprised at my age. I look like I'm older but I still act like an 18-month old, so sometimes people think that I'm a little, er, "slow". Although to be fair, what does "slow" mean at this age?

Mama asked about all of the fun things I've gone through in the past 3 months (roseola, hives, constant cold, rash on my legs, digestive issues) and most of them are pretty harmless. The hives were probably from a virus (like the roseola), the colds are part of being a toddler, and the leg rash is from dry skin. I have to put lotion on my legs 3-4 times a day to make sure the dry skin doesn't erupt into eczema, but other than that it's not a problem.

And the digestive issues? The Dude thinks I might need to take some lactobacillus acidophilus (that's a mouthful!) with my food to see if it will help balance the digestive enzymes in my belly. Mama takes it because she's lactose intolerant, and I might have the same problem. Mama's already been giving me lots of yogurt and less milk and that seems to have been helping a bit, so hopefully adding some lacto...blah blah blah will solve the issue.

I was very patient when the Dude checked out all of my vitals. I even sat calmly while he looked into my ears! Mama was so proud. And he checked to make sure that my legs are well-toned and I have good balance and flexibility, which means I'm not showing any signs of cerebral palsy (being a preemie and having such a low Apgar puts me at risk for CP, and I've just started walking on my tip-toes, which can be another sign of CP or other developmental delays). This is also when they check for signs of autism, and I passed with flying colors.

So now I don't see the Dude again until I'm 2 years old! That seems like such a long time. But apparently Mama will see him before, because my little brother or sister will get to hang out with him. Maybe I can go with them so that I can play with the mirror, pull the paper off the examination table, and set the thermostat to 95 degrees like I did today.

Here's my latest growth chart! You can see that my weight is increasing steadily, and my height is taking off like crazy.

Doublets

2009-05-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted Friday Photos for awhile, so I'm going to make up for it with a few sets of doublets.

Set 1: Hanging out at Woodland Park, where Mama lets me run around wherever I want to go. I refuse to go further than 30 feet away from the car.

Set 2: Hanging out with Mama at Noah's Bagels and heading out the front door for a solo excursion. Mainly these pictures are to show off my striped BabyLegs.

Set 3: Playing at the Wallingford Playground. I watched the older boys play with the dirt digger for awhile, and then I got busy playing with sticks and rocks. I am oblivious to that really cool-looking play structure behind me.

Set 4: Back at Woodland Park. Still within sight of the car. I could spend all day investigating this log.

Set 5: After church today. Daddy copied my outfit because I look so handsome. Mama is growing a nice little belly shelf for me to sit on when she holds me.

Set 6: At the U District street fair. I got a new sunhat with cool jungle animals on it, but Mama realized that she needs to exchange it for a bigger one. I can barely keep my pants up (I need suspenders), but apparently I have the noggin of a 4-year old. The second picture shows Mama and Daddy enjoying some roasted corn. I didn't get any.

Set 7: Cruising around the neighborhood. We put the canopy up on my wagon since it's so sunny out, and I have to say, I'm riding in style. I can relax, put my feet up, and enjoy some ice water in the shade while Daddy pulls me wherever I want to go. It's a pretty good life.

Taga, you're it!

2009-05-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mama found something new she wants: a Taga. It's a stroller that converts into a bike, and they even have a two-child option. Unfortunately, it's only sold in Europe, and apparently it's so cool that you have to call the stores to find out how much they cost. It's probably one of those cases where, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." (Oh wait, Mama just found a pricetag: $2600 for the basic one-child version. Yep, we can't afford it. Unless we sell a car or something.)

Still, I have to agree with Mama. It's pretty darn cool. Maybe by the time I have kids of my own, it will be sold in the US and will be more reasonably priced.

(Photo credits: Taga)

Newly-released videos

2009-05-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Squeaky shoes (aka "Cowboy thinks I've turned into a giant mobile chew toy")

Daddy makes me work for my food (including several samples of my beloved fake laugh)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

So today is the day that I'm supposed to treat Mama really well and let her know how much I appreciate her. Luckily, I had Daddy around to help me, because frankly, I wasn't really feeling up to it. I was super duper cranky all day long and Daddy got to experience the majority of it. That was actually kind of a present to Mama, because she was really happy that Daddy was handling me all day so that she could have a break.

We went to Cafe Flora for the Mother's Day brunch, which is one of Mama's favorite places to eat. I decided that I was not interested in being confined to the high chair, so Daddy tried to entertain me by taking me on walks outside while Mama had the food wrapped to go. We went home so I could eat my lunch and take my nap, and after my nap, we went to the Meridian playground with Cowboy. I had a lot of fun climbing, sliding, swinging, and running through the grass.

I got Mama a book called A Picnic with Monet because I really like to climb on her lap and have her read to me. Daddy got her a pregnancy massage at Dreamclinic, which apparently is the best place around for a massage. She really liked our presents and especially liked the card we got her (I wrote my own message for her). She had a nice day overall, even though she was really tired and spent a lot of time lying down.

Here are some pictures from today, as well as a few from our trip to Gas Works Park yesterday. At Gas Works, I climbed all the way to the top of Kite Hill by myself and played in the sundial on top. I even got to take off my socks and shoes and splash in the water -- it was great.

"Good"

2009-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Note: Lately, every video ends with Zachary yelling "Aaaaah" and reaching for my camera.

Happy 18 months to me!

2009-05-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a whole year and a half old! Can you believe it? It's amazing how much I've grown and changed in the last couple months, let alone the last 18 months. Now that I'm a full-fledged toddler, I have lots of ideas about what I like and how I want to do things. Here are a few things about me:

I've perfected the toddler tantrum, with a few self-preservation modifications as necessary. My original tantrum was the classic "throw body on ground and scream" but I had to change it when I realized that it hurt my head to throw myself on the ground so often. So now I hunch up my shoulders so that Mama knows I'm not happy, then I stomp off to a softer place (usually Cowboy's rug) and throw myself on that.
I've always been very independent and I continue to be self-sufficient. I'm happy to play by myself or wander off to explore on my own. I don't like to be held for too long because I'm a very busy boy and there are things for me to do.
I stand up for myself when I need to (even against the mean 6-year old who slid into me on the slide), and there are very few things that frighten me. Except for flying fish beanbags. I do NOT like flying fish beanbags.
Even though I am relatively fearless, I am still very cautious when I try something new. I like to watch and figure things out first, and I am careful about stepping onto a new surface or going up or down things like curbs or uneven pavement.
I love to go down slides, although it's best when Mama or Daddy is at the bottom to catch me. That means that slides are usually a two-parent activity, because one person has to go to the top with me and the other person has to wait at the bottom to catch me.
I love to climb. I climb on the furniture, I climb up the ladders to get to the slide at the playground, and I climb up the stairs to my room.
I like sticks, and I especially like to carry a stick around and use it to scratch in the ground. I also like dead leaves, and sometimes I carry small rocks around.
I mimic what I see Mama and Daddy doing. I brush my hair (or Mama's, when she lets me), I try to put on my shoes, I vacuum or sweep, I wipe up the table with the dish cloth, I wipe my face after I eat, I pet Cowboy or try to put his collar on him, I "talk" in the phone, I put on hats or sunglasses...
I LOVE to close (slam) doors. I especially like to shut Mama and Daddy outside on the front porch. It makes me laugh. I open the door for them and then slam it shut before they have a chance to get inside. It's so much fun. And if I see an open door anywhere, I run over to close it.
I take baths in the regular tub now, and I like to pull the plug and watch the water go down the drain. I also try to climb into the bathtub whenever I'm in the bathroom. I have a footstool to help me reach the sink to wash my hands, and I like to move that to the front of the sink (although I don't climb on it unless Mama or Daddy helps me). I flush the toilet whenever I can get to it, and I like to open the toilet cover and slam it shut, then clap my hands. Oh yeah, toilet paper is fun too.
I'm very good at basketball. I can make baskets almost every time.
In the kitchen, I go straight to the pantry and get the rice cooker top and steamer dish and use those to bang like cymbals.
I still like to eat, although I'm getting a little pickier. However, I'll usually eat everything as long as Mama is patient feeding me. I like: hummus, baba ghanoush, dolma, spanikopita (I'm a fan of the Mediterranean diet), rice, some beans (not black or kidney), most fruit (not honeydew or cantaloupe), onigiri, ba-zhang, potato katsu, raisin toast with peanut butter (just a little), spinach, sweet potato, avocado, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, Grape Nuts cereal, Hiroki's quiche, wheat crackers, anything on Mama's plate. I don't like: most meat, cheddar cheese, cooked cheese, tomato sauce, broccoli, beets, cooked carrots, zucchini, anything with a funny (grainy, stringy, crumbly) texture.
I like to share my food with Mama, although every third time I offer her a bite, I laugh and take it back so I can eat it myself. I also like to help myself from her plate. I'm quite good with my spoon and getting better with my fork, but sometimes I just hold my fork in my hand while I eat my food with the fingers of my other hand. I also switch back and forth between using my left and right hands.
I copy the words I hear (my latest are "bucket", "shovel", "xie-xie", and "bat"), but I don't use them very often. My go-to word is "ba-ba?" which is my question and usually means I want someone to come help me, get me out of my crib or play with me. When I want something, I point to it or reach for it and grunt loudly, and I use my sign words when I'm hungry or thirsty. I do understand a lot though, and I will get something for you if you ask (blue Lego flower, Mickey Mouse, basketball, alphabet bus, etc.). I will also put my toys away if you ask me to help you clean up. Updated to add: Today I seem to have picked a word that I am saying more consistently: "Good". That might be my official first word.
When I do something I'm proud of (make a basket, close the door, put away a toy) I will clap for myself.
I have a fake laugh that I use to get a reaction from people. My real laugh takes my whole face to produce (eyes scrunch closed, mouth opens wide), but my fake laugh can be done with minimal effort and usually gets a decent reaction.
I also have a fake cry.
I still need lots of sleep and get bent out of sorts when my sleep schedule is messed up. I go to bed around 6:30 PM and wake up between 7 and 7:30 AM, and I go down for my nap around 11:30 AM. My nap can last anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. It usually depends on whether Mama has somewhere to go -- I tend to sleep longer on the days when we have something planned.
I like to tease Cowboy. I chase him around the house with the vacuum cleaner, or I take his bone away from him and taunt him with it. I climb on him and pull on his ears. I also show him my food before I eat it. He's very patient though and lets me do what I want.

Well, that was more than a "few" things about me. What can I say? I'm a multi-faceted boy. But right now I've got to go grab the vacuum cleaner from Daddy so I can chase Cowboy.

Tip-toeing through the tulips

2009-04-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

For a couple weeks of the year, we have the best garden on the block (the rest of the time, our garden is...well...let's just say that no one's stopping to admire it). A couple years ago, Daddy planted a whole bunch of tulips because they are Mama's favorite flower. The plan was to enjoy the tulips for one year, dig them all up, and then plant a "real' garden the next year. Daddy got as far as planting the tulips and then digging them up, but never got around to planting anything else. And you can see how the garden looks after Daddy spent several hours digging up every single bulb. Apparently, tulips are pretty tenacious around here.

After a quick game of being tossed in the air, I ignored the tulips in favor of a dead leaf and then I wandered off to investigate some rocks. Daddy and Mama finally forcibly encouraged me to enjoy the tulips (I couldn't get off the rock wall without their help, so I had no choice) and I guess the tulips are pretty cool...for flowers. I do think it's a little weird that some of them are taller than I am though -- aren't flowers supposed to be dainty?

Oh so tired...

2009-04-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

...but that won't stop me from eating.

Friday photos

2009-04-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

1. There's nothing quite as great as laughing with your mouth full and food all over your face.
2. Mama, I changed my mind about pulling you in my wagon. You're too heavy.
3. I've got my water, wagon, and sneakers. Ready to head to the playground!
4. I need a quick water break before getting back on the see-saw.
5. Pondering life in the swings.

Making tracks

2009-04-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

I just pooped on the floor, stepped in it, and tracked it all over the house. I learned that trick from Cowboy, even though he hasn't done it since he was a puppy. He told me about it and I thought it sounded fun.

Friday photos

2009-04-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

1. What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine. Including your smoothie...
2. ...and your cereal
3. Is this where the place mat goes?
4. I'm coming for the camera!

Big shoes to fill

2009-04-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

I like shoes, and I really like putting on Mama's and Daddy's shoes. I can actually walk in Mama's shoes if I shuffle my feet, but I can't go anywhere in Daddy's shoes. Mama is glad that I'm not trying to chew on their shoes anymore, but I can't tell if she thinks it's as fun as I do when I pull all of her shoes out of the shoe cabinet by the front door. I can't imagine that she'd think it's anything but a good time, though.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-04-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

It's Easter, but it's also my Daddy's birthday! He's really really really old. But not as old as Mama. So that means he's not allowed to complain about it too much.

We've had a quiet Easter/Daddy-Birthday, mostly because the Masters is on TV and it's Daddy's favorite golf tournament. Plus, it's been pouring rain all day long. We made it out this morning for church, but since then we've been hanging out around the house.

Daddy and I both wore stripes today, and we both had Hiroki's quiche for lunch. I shared mine with Mama, and I think I'm quite good at sharing. I ate all of the inside of the quiche and I left the whole crust for Mama! I don't mind sharing at all, as long as I don't have to give up anything that I like.

Daddy's really excited about the golf tournament, so I'm going to take this opportunity to climb on things while he's distracted by the TV. Happy birthday, Daddy!

Now, how can I climb on top of the dining room table to get myself some more strawberries...?

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

For Easter weekend, Mama, Daddy and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo for the Bunny Bounce Easter Egg Hunt! We showed up right when the gates opened at 9:30 AM, along with half of Seattle. I had my wagon and my basket, and I was ready to go! And since this is Seattle, I had my fleece sweatshirt, rain coat, and fuzzy wool hat too. We got in quickly and made our way to the Toddler Egg Hunt in the north meadow.

The Toddler Egg Hunt was so much fun! At first I had to look really hard to find the eggs. I'd see a bunch of eggs and watch as the older kids swooped in and filled up their baskets. I was a little wobbly walking on the bark, so I couldn't get to the eggs quickly enough. But one little girl was really nice and gave me one of her eggs to start my collection, and then I discovered that I just had to stand there and someone from the zoo would come by and sprinkle eggs all around me! Mama and Daddy helped me fill up my basket, and then I found a stick and was really happy. We left the Toddler Egg Hunt (recycling our eggs on the way out so that other kids would have lots of eggs to find) and I rode in my wagon with my stick and a yellow egg that I really liked.

After the Egg Hunt, we stopped in the Zoomazium so that I could climb around in the toddler play area and listen to the zoo ladies tell a story about a mommy bunny and her baby bunny. Then I got to see a real live bunny! But at that point, I was already tired and cranky and gearing up for a performance of my full-body tantrum.

You should see my tantrum, it's quite a show: I arch my back and kick my legs out and throw myself on the ground or twist and cavort in the air if someone is holding me. I often hit my head on the floor or a nearby object, which makes me scream or cry louder. For some reason, Mama usually doesn't seem to realize that I'm mad and thinks that I'm dancing with her or calls me a wet noodle (that's when I refuse to hold myself up) and wiggles me around in the air, which makes me laugh. It's hard to keep up my performance when I'm laughing though.

Anyway, I was at the end of my rope so we left the Zoomazium and headed back home after a quick visit with the sheep, rabbits and chickens at the Family Farm. I'll post some of those pictures later -- today it's all about the Bunny Bounce and Egg Hunt!

Friday photos

2009-04-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

1. Teeter-tottering with Daddy
2. Swinging with my buddy Oliver
3. When Oliver is a little disheveled after going down the slide, I take the opportunity to kick him
4. Ready to head down the slide again
5. Swinging on the lounge swings with Mama
6. Finishing up a busy day with some pasta at the Spaghetti Factory. Daddy, are you going to eat that meatball?

What goes buzz buzz?

2009-04-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Bees go buzz buzz! And where do bees live? In hives! And where can you find hives? All over my body!

Yes, another first for me. Hives. Everywhere. Apparently I'm allergic to something. I haven't had anything new to eat or touching my skin in the past several days, so we can't figure out what I'm reacting to, but at least the hives don't bother me too much.

Mama noticed a welt on my arm last night after I played at the playground (so it might be some kind of pollen or bug bite that got me) and within an hour I had hives all over my body. She gave me some Benadryl before my bath, which cleared everything right up. I didn't have trouble breathing or anything, so I went to bed and slept just fine. This morning I had them all over my body again, so I got more Benadryl and went about my day. Another dose of Benadryl after my nap, and now I'm back in bed for the night. Like I said, they don't really bother me (except when Mama or Daddy try to look at them) so we're just waiting for them to go away. Hopefully it's a one-time reaction to some mystery substance and I won't have to worry about them again!

Here's a picture of me before my bath tonight. The hives are just starting to come back again, about 3 hours after my last dose of Benadryl.

Sunny days and cats

2009-04-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been so nice, I've been able to spend lots of time outside. Here are a bunch of pictures from the last couple days so you can see what I've been up to. I've been riding my wagon all over the neighborhood and I even figured out how to sneak some of Daddy's herbal iced tea while he was busy pulling the wagon. I made my rounds at a couple of the local playgrounds, where I played on the swings, slides, merry-go-round and in the sand. Daddy got stuck on top of the climbing bars while I found a nice private place under a play structure to sit and play in the bark. I also spent more time focusing on the straw sippy cup A-Mah brought me from Taiwan than playing on the equipment. As usual, I refused to wear a hat or sunglasses (although I wanted to play with Mama and Daddy's sunglasses).

In my non-outdoor adventures, I've started to whisper when Mama whispers to me (I say "pee pee pee pee"). I also really like to meow at cats. I went to a baby shower and meowed whenever I saw the cat (I also tried to catch him, but he was pretty fast). I meow when I see a cat outside, I meow when I see a picture of a cat, and I even meow at my little Lego cat. Today I really impressed Mama when I was playing with my alphabet bus and hit the "c". It said, "C goes ck, like the first sound in the word cat" and so I meowed. Mama was so proud, but really, what's the big deal? My alphabet bus and I were talking about cats.

Now THIS is bed head

2009-04-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

It only takes one warm day to turn my nursery into a sauna. And it only takes one sweaty nap to turn my hair into this.

Have wagon, will travel

2009-04-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

Now that I'm a big boy of 17 months (happy 17-month birthday to me!) and it's a gorgeous sunny day out, I got to try out my new wagon! It's really cool. It's a lot bigger than the little one that I push around the house and it's a lot more comfortable to ride in. I think I could even fit Cowboy in there with me!

Mama, Cowboy and I took my wagon for a walk around the neighborhood this morning. At first I rode in the wagon, which was so much fun! I kept rocking back and forth to make Mama pull it faster. Then I got out and decided I wanted to push it. I loved pushing it and pushed it for several blocks until we finally hit an uphill. That's when I decided it was time to ride again.

Of course, I had to take a couple breaks from riding and pushing to pick up sticks, leaves and rocks. Imagine how many treasures I could fit into my new wagon!

Wagon!

2009-04-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

I got my new wagon today and I'm not sure who's more excited, Mama or me. Mama's been waiting for it ever since she bought it and when the FedEx man brought it today during dinner, we both couldn't wait to get it out of the box. Daddy's going to put it together tonight, but I had lots of fun climbing in and out of it and lifting the seats up and down, even though it doesn't even have the wheels on yet. It's supposed to be sunny and warm this weekend, so we'll get to test it out! I'm sure Mama will take lots of pictures.

In addition to getting my awesome wagon, we went to the playground today and I had a lot of fun playing on the swings, sliding down the slide, spinning the captain's wheel, and picking up rocks and sticks. Daddy pushes me really high on the swings, which I love. I could do that all day long. And when we got home, I inspected our garage and did a bit of sweeping on the front porch. I like it when the sun is out.

Friday photos

2009-04-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

1. What do you mean by "smaller bite"? I'm fine here.
2. Who says all the same shapes have to be in the same stacks?

Preparing for my next head wound

2009-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

What it means to be a boy

2009-03-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

You know the picture from my earlier post of me sitting in my wagon, waiting to be pushed? Well, as much as I used to love pushing my wagon around, now I love to be pushed in it. Unfortunately, my wagon is not made for riding (the sides are only about 2.5 inches tall and it's pretty wobbly), as I discovered yesterday. I was outside with Daddy pushing me in my wagon when I took a header on the pavement. As you can see, I landed on my face. It did not feel very good.

I'm a pretty resilient boy, so after some tears and cuddling with Daddy, I felt much better. And today the scratches and bruises are already almost gone! Apparently healing is one of my super powers. Which is a good thing, because this isn't my first facial contusion, and I have a feeling it's far from my last.

Luckily, Mama already got me a real wagon that I will be able to sit in to be pulled around the neighborhood. It has two seats so I can share it with my little brother or sister, and in the meantime I can stretch my legs and enjoy the ride! With a seat belt on. And maybe a helmet.

Weekend warrior

2009-03-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty mellow weekend except for one little event, which I will post about separately. I hung out at home, I went to church daycare and ate all of their crackers, and spent Sunday afternoon with Daddy while Mama did this weird thing called a pedicure (which she seems to like but seems painful to me because when she came home, her toenails were all red).

I'm trying to be a good boy, but it's sometimes hard to remember what I'm not supposed to do. But now, once Mama says "no no" to remind me, I look at her, stop what I'm doing, and walk away clapping for myself. Because I deserve applause for being so well-behaved. Mama agrees and she claps for me too.

Even though I'm generally a good boy, I'm have more and more tantrums. Mama usually just lets me scream and waits for me to be done, which isn't nearly as fun as it would be if she'd get all excited too. So my tantrums are usually pretty short, especially when I stomp my feet and Mama thinks that it's time to dance and she stomps her feet too.

You can see from the pictures that I'm getting more and more handsome, although the first one shows me right after waking up in the morning. I'm a little slow in the mornings, and I get some serious bed-head. But once I have my morning milk and get some breakfast in me, I'm ready to roll! Oh, and that last picture? That's the last time I wear those pajamas. Not only are they ridiculously short, but there's nothing flattering about a skin-tight thermal one piece, even if it has footballs on it.

Friday photo (and video)

2009-03-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Mr. Blue + my rock-on fingers = happiness

I know a lot of signs, but my favorite is the one I use most during meals. So far, I haven't needed to use those silly "all done" or "enough" signs that Mama keeps showing me.

Collection

2009-03-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

My French "easy" button
A warm fuzzy slipper
The cordless dust buster
And television clicker
My toddler-sized basketball and
Cow in the wings
These are a few of my favorite things...

Skillz

2009-03-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

So far I've got traveling and blocking down...just need to work on my free throw.

Living la vida loca

2009-03-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

1. Maybe Daddy won't notice if I remove this from his hand verrrry slooooowly...
2. What? No, these pills have nothing to do with the huge grin on my face.

Disclaimers: I did not actually get the beer out of Daddy's hand, and the pill bottle contains pennies -- it's a great way to make toddler-proof shakers.

Please pass the beans

2009-03-25T11:59:00.001-07:00

Mama's a little concerned that my current eating habits are just a tiny glimpse into what it will be like when I'm a teenager. She's afraid she's going to have to spend half of her time cooking food and the other half shopping for more food. While Daddy works 150% of his time to pay for the food.

Yesterday Mama gave me a lunch consisting entirely of finger food (sandwich cut into strips, avocado chucks, slices of pears, cheese), and I didn't look up once from my plate until I'd polished off every last morsel. And last night when Mama was making my dinner, I ran to my high chair and pulled it out.

Today for lunch, I had a full grown-up serving of spinach lasagna (with the yucky cheese taken off -- remember, I don't like cooked cheese and I spit it out if it sneaks into my food), half of an avocado, and two tangerines. And I kept asking for more, so Mama gave me some of her lasagna too. Then she decided that it's time for my nap even though I was still signing for more (albeit with my head resting on the table).

I can't wait until I wake up from my nap and get my snack! I'll probably get yogurt with sliced strawberries or cottage cheese with sliced grapes. Yum! Food makes me very happy.

Decorating (with) eggs

2009-03-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

I know it's not quite Easter yet, and I've never even seen a goose, but I still managed to give Mama a nice goose egg on her forehead today. I headbutted her when I was trying to get away from Daddy during our "Gotcha" game, and it seems that my head is a fair amount harder than hers. Although I have a red bump on my head, it didn't even faze me. Mama, however, couldn't see straight for several seconds.

Why, I otter...

2009-03-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here I am catching my next cold at the zoo yesterday.

It's a zoo out there

2009-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to the Woodland Park Zoo* for a few hours. We got there right when it opened, along with all the other parents and their early-bird toddlers. I still don't appreciate it quite in the same way Mama and Daddy seem to, but I had a fun time. We saw lots of loud monkeys, elephants, giraffes, bears, a wolf that looked like a really big Cowboy, and even a peacock walking around the food court plaza! My favorite animals by far were the otters, but not the real ones. I liked the bronze otter sculptures they have in the bear den. I wanted to stay to play with them and give them lots of pats, hugs and kisses (Mama said that it's no wonder I get sick all the time), but eventually I had to let the other kids play with them too.

We had a quick lunch in the food court, where Daddy paid an arm and a leg for an order of sweet potato fries (which I wanted to eat instead of my sandwich). Then Daddy gave me a ride through the rest of the zoo on his shoulders, and he only hit my head against branches a couple of times. I got him back by using his ears as handles. I fell asleep the minute we got in the car and didn't even wake up when Mama took me out, took off my coat, shoes, socks and pants (I spilled a cup of ice water on my lap during lunch), and put me in my crib. The zoo is exhausting!

*How in the world did they manage to get the URL "zoo.org"? Someone in their IT or marketing group was on the ball!

10 Things I Like About Me

2009-03-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

When I eat with my hands, I always hold one piece of food in one hand for safe-keeping, and then eat the rest of the food with my other hand. That way I know I always have one piece left.
I've picked my own word for Daddy. Even though I call him "Daddy" on this blog, I call him "Papa" or "Baba" in real life. When I see him come home from work, I yell out, "BABA!!"
I love to play with my Lego Duplo blocks. They are in a box that is hard to open, so I bring the box over to Mama so that she can open it for me. Then I take all of the blocks out and pull apart whatever Mama has built. Sometimes I put things back together, but I generally prefer destruction over construction. However, when Mama asks, I will put all of the Legos back into the box.
I often hold things I like behind my head when I walk around with them. It's how you would hold a phone to your ear, if your ear were on the back of your head. I started doing it with phones, but I also do it with remote controls, shoes, my recorder, and anything else small enough to get back there.
I love the dustbuster vacuum cleaner. I can play with that all day long. And I'm very careful to get under the furniture and inside Cowboy's crate.
I like to play with Cowboy. I pet him when he walks by, and sometimes I chase him around the house. He's very nice, but he runs away from me when I chase him.
I've learned how to take smaller bites, so now I don't stuff huge pieces of banana or sandwich in my mouth (well, usually). I'm especially good with banana.
I like to play games with Mama and Daddy. I play hide-n-seek with Daddy (he's a really good hider) and I play "Where's my boy" with Mama. She asks "Where's my boy?" and I dive-bomb her and either give her kisses or zerberts all over her face.
I still eat more than my body weight every day. I especially like bananas and avocados, and I'll even eat a little bit of meat now and then. I still don't like beef, but I'll eat a tiny bit of pork or bacon.
I talk all the time, but I don't usually use the same kinds of words Mama and Daddy use. I have my own, but every once in awhile I'll slip in a big boy word like "dog", "milk", or "cow". My words are more fun. My currrent favorites are "blogl-blogl", "cogla-cogla" and "bloo-bloo-bloo" (I like the "L" sound). I still use my sign language words though, because that's how I get critical things like food, drink, toys and diaper changes.

Friday Photos

2009-03-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

1. You'd think I was pretty funny too, if you could just learn to speak toddler-babble.
2. I love my giggler toys! And no, I didn't make that mess behind me.
3. Wheee! Push me higher!
4. This is Prince Charming. Mama says he has to stay in the neighbor's garden, but I like to move him around. Also, you like my backpack?
5. Are you just going to look at me, or are you going to pick me up?

Fire fighters

2009-03-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors are tearing down their house next week, and since the house will be completely demolished, they invited the Fire Training Academy to use it for a training exercise. I walked Cowboy down to watch 15 fire fighters run around, knock holes through walls, and even climb on the roof and use a chainsaw to cut a hole through it! They wore all of their gear and made lots of noise, which was really fun. They even had fake smoke coming out of the house, and we could hear the bells going off as they ran low on air or other warnings sounded on their equipment.

The nice fire fighters even came over to us and answered our questions and let us look at their equipment. Mama really liked the thermal imaging camera and I was pretty interested in the chainsaw. However, I was a little wary of the fire fighters themselves. They are very large and outfitted in scary yellow uniforms. I cried when Mama tried to get a picture of me with one, and then Cowboy came to the rescue and wouldn't let him near me. So no pictures of me with fire fighters. Mama says she bets I'll like them more when I'm older and that I'll be SO excited to sit on their trucks. That's the same thing she said about that Santa guy. We'll see.

Same height

2009-03-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is the last post of the day, I promise! Just wanted to show you that I've caught up with Cowboy in height and will soon be able to terrorize him a lot more effectively. Of course, he still has 50 pounds on me.

Wearing o' the green

2009-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

St. Fat Lip Day?

2009-03-17T18:13:00.001-07:00

As another way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I gave Mama a fat lip. I actually split her lip (with a bottle of lotion), but now the bleeding has stopped and it's just fat. I still haven't achieved Cowboy's double-whammy feat of giving her a split lip AND a black eye at the same time, so I have room for improvement.

Just another day

2009-03-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's easier with or without Mama sitting there.

Happy St. Pat's Day

2009-03-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

One of my Mama's friends said her Nana told her, "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough." Thanks to Mama, I'm lucky enough to be part Irish, so I guess that makes me pretty lucky! But when I went for a walk today, I still wanted to be on the safe side (after all, my looks don't exactly scream "Irish") so I made sure I wouldn't get pinched.

Helpful boy

2009-03-15T15:05:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to be helpful by collecting things from around the house and bringing them to Mama. She usually thinks it's nice (I know she needed that tea kettle while she was folding laundry, and who wouldn't want my socks and one of Daddy's sneakers?). But for some reason she doesn't seem too happy when I pull the outlet covers and corner guards off and bring them to her. Something about "baby-proofing" not working so well for toddlers. I have no idea what she's talking about.

Sleep-a-rama

2009-03-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I must be going through a growth spurt or something, because even though I'm not sick anymore (my spots finally went away today), I'm still sleeping a lot! After the miserable night of the spiked fever last Sunday, I've essentially been hibernating. I've taken a 3-4 hour nap every day and I sleep 12-14 hours every night. My appetite is back too, but it's hard to fit in as much food as I'd like when I'm too busy falling asleep at the table. However, I did manage to eat a huge bowl of oatmeal with berries and an entire banana today for breakfast. I was super excited about the banana especially.

Friday photos

2009-03-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

1. A little trashy
2. Polka-dots are all the rage
3. What?

Just because

2009-03-12T14:23:00.001-07:00

I suspect I'll be mentioning this video in therapy 25 years from now.

I told you I'm sleepy

2009-03-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mama took me to run some errands and I didn't last very long. Not surprisingly, Mama had her camera with her (is there ever a time when she doesn't?) so she managed to catch me as I tried to fight off sleep. You can hear when I finally give in because I stop sucking on my fingers.

And my new development for today: spots! Starting on my face this morning, spreading all over my body by bedtime. So far they aren't itchy, so it's probably not chicken pox. It could be roseola or measles, but it doesn't really make a difference because they are all spotty diseases caused by viruses which have no treatment other than "wait it out". Since my fever has gone down, Mama is just going to keep an eye on my spots to see what they do. But I think spotty = no Gymboree for me tomorrow.

The sleep continues

2009-03-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

Mama was worried I wouldn't sleep last night after my 4-1/2 hour nap, but I had no problem. I slept from 6:30 PM - 8 AM, which is longer than I normally sleep! And then after eating half of my breakfast and staggering around my play room a bit, I fell asleep in my stroller when Mama took me to the grocery store. I slept for 45 minutes, then came home, refused lunch, and went back to sleep in my crib.

Mmmm...sleep...

I would play Sleepy Dwarf in the movie

2009-03-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today after my doctor's appointment, I came home, ate a bowl of yogurt, and then took a nap. A very long nap -- from 12:30 until almost 5 PM! Mama was a little worried that I wasn't going to wake up. Then I had some dinner (I still don't have my appetite completely back, but I managed to eat half of an avocado, some cottage cheese, and half a bowl of beans with sweet potatoes), drank an entire sippy cup full of milk, had a bath, and went back to bed at 6:30. I'm not sure if I'll sleep through the night (that's a lot of sleep, even for a sick little boy) but Mama's keeping her fingers crossed that I won't wake up with a fever!

I thought we had McAfee for this

2009-03-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Mama and Daddy take better care of their laptops than of me. They have McAfee anti-virus software loaded on their computers, but nothing protecting me!

Last night was the hardest night I remember (although Mama claims that there were some pretty long nights when I was a newborn). I kept waking up crying with a high fever. Then the crying would make my throat hurt so I'd start hacking. Which would make me cry even more. Mama spent most of the night rocking me in the glider, singing to me, giving me water to drink, and giving me infant Tylenol every 4 hours. The Tylenol would help me sleep a bit, but then I'd wake up crying a couple hours later. Daddy even changed my diaper at 2 AM because the amount of water I was drinking was sure to overflow, but it turns out the tears and the sweating from the fever took care of most of the extra fluids.

This morning we went to the doctor since I've had a fever on and off for 4 days. She checked me out and said that it looks like I have the virus that's going around right now. Runny nose, fevers, sore throat. I can't take anything for it other than Tylenol, Benadryl and Maalox (to help soothe my throat so I can eat). She said my fevers should start coming down on their own by Wednesday...two whole days away! But at least there's an end in sight.

Here's a picture of me at the doctor's office. I was having a moment of happiness because Daddy let me play with the paper.

I've had better days

2009-03-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm having a really rough couple of days. I'm sick with a cold (at least, Mama hopes that's all it is) so I've had a fever for the past 3 days and I have a hard time sleeping. Today is the first day that I've actually lost my appetite though -- I ate most of my spinach at lunch but I didn't want anything else. I'm trying to take a nap, but I keep waking up and crying because my throat hurts (you can hear how raspy it is when I cry) and my nose is clogged up. And to top it off, one of my back molars is cutting through! Mama can also feel the bumps in my gums where I have other teeth pushing their way up. So all in all, it's pretty miserable being me right now.

Still not a fan of snow

2009-03-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Reunited and it feels so good

2009-03-08T08:51:00.001-07:00

Remember my original posse? My friends from Mama and Daddy's birth & labor class? I've known them since I was in the womb! And now that we're all such big kids now, we decided to get together for a little party last weekend. Not everyone was able to make it (no Jammy or Oliver), but I still had a lot of fun.

I saw Amadea, Kirsten, Enna and Hieu and played in Enna's big blue tube (I love that thing) and stole everyone's food. They didn't realize how good I am with a spoon, so I'd nonchalantly sidle up to someone with a plateful of food and quickly dig in for a bite of hummus or bean salad. And then Hieu's mom Thy pulled out a banana, and of course I had to get a piece (or three) of that!

I'm no longer the smallest one there (remember how everyone kept commenting on how I'm the oldest yet the smallest at the last get-together?) but Amadea is still leading the pack (and yes, she's the youngest). I think I'm a close second though, and if it weren't for her ponytail I might even be the tallest one.

Kirsten's going to have a little brother in July, so she and I are both preparing ourselves for this whole new world of "sharing" and "not being the center of attention". Hieu liked to bang on things as much as I do, and Amadea seemed to have the sweets for Hieu. Enna was super nice because she shared all of her toys with us (did I mention the tube?).

I had a great time running around with everyone and wore myself out by the end of the afternoon. And there was no way Mama was going to get a picture of all of us together. Are you kidding?

Mama posted all of the pictures on Flickr, but here are a couple favorites.

Moving on up

2009-02-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

I was kindly informed today that it is time for me to move to the big kids class at Gymboree. What, it's not cool for me to steal toys from the babies that can't walk yet? But it's so fun and easy! And I like having all of the big equipment (like the slides and ladders) to share with Oliver. Now we're going to have to fend off bigger kids? Just when I get to be the biggest kid in class, I get moved to a class where I'll be one of the smallest? Hmm. I'm not sure if I like that.

Mama said, "Now that you're the big fish in a small pond, time to move you to a bigger pond!" Why can't I just eat up all the other fish and happily be king of my pond? Daddy said, "Get used to a lifetime of this. Once you get big, you'll move to another school or job where you'll be little again. Until you're old. And then you're just old. For the rest of your life."

Gosh, that's a cheery thought. I think I'll stick to pretending I'm a fish in a pond. Glub glub glub!

Patience is not a virtue

2009-02-24T22:33:00.001-08:00

Why I cannot be left unattended

2009-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

When I'm in my stroller, car seat or high chair, I'm strapped in with a 5-point harness. But when I climb, I prefer to free solo. And I've found that Cowboy makes a great crash pad.

Last-minute trip

2009-02-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we took a last-minute trip to Colorado to attend my Great-grandma Marie's service. I never got to meet her, but I'm glad that I got to go and hear stories, see pictures, and meet so many people who knew her. She loved the color pink, so I saw lots of pretty pink flowers and I even got to walk around during her service and say hello to everyone in the church! I also got to meet some of my relatives from Kansas and some of Papa and Gramma Hill's friends.

I had a fun time on the trip, even though the plane rides were not my favorite. It's really hard for me to stay still for more than 5 minutes, so nearly 3 hours of having to stay on Mama and Daddy's laps did NOT please me. I kicked, screamed, hit, bit...pretty much did everything I could to express my extreme displeasure before I finally passed out on Mama's and Daddy's very uncomfortable laps. They said that next time I either get my own seat (a couple rows away) or they're sending me FedEx overnight.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I'm calling everyone Aunt and Uncle because it's too confusing to count how many "Greats" are supposed to be in front of their names. And how come you go straight from Uncle to Great-uncle? What happened to Grand-uncle? (Oh yeah, I do call Great-uncle Jim and Great-aunt Marsha by their "great" names, because I have an Uncle Jim and I didn't want to confuse you.)

1. After finally wearing myself out on the plane
2. Gramma Hill and Papa read me a bedtime story
3. I try to climb up on Mama's lap
4. Cheri, Daddy, Aunt Robin and Uncle Ray look at old pictures of Great-grandma Marie

5. Uncle Brendan gives me a beer (not really...Daddy gave it to me)
6. I show off how I can do "no hands" while I eat
7. I brush my teeth on Papa's lap
8. Aunt Robin and Gramma Hill admire my extraordinary handsomeness

9. Aunt Kimberly teaches me to play the piano
10. I make sure to Swiffer under all of the furniture
11. Pink flowers for Great-grandma Marie
12. My uncles David, Brendan and Patrick with Gramma Hill and Daddy

13. My aunts Jenny, Meghan and Kimberly with Mama
14. Everyone plays cards while I eat dinner
15. Hanging out with my Great-uncle Jim
16. Cuddling with my Great-aunt Marsha

17. A last-minute Swiffer before I go to bed
18. Watch out people, I'm coming through!
19. I shake my Uncle Darren's hand good-bye
20. Wore myself out again on the plane ride home

Strapped in

2009-02-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

Mama strapped me into my new toddler chair harness today. It's actually half of a grocery cart/high chair cover, but she's hoping that we can use it when we travel. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but it turns out that it works pretty well and I don't really mind it. I even laughed and clapped to make Mama feel comfortable...but I'm actually laughing because I know that I can probably rock this chair enough to tip it over. And then I will be free to grab my tea kettle, a couple of remotes and a book and carry them around the house.

Time for an upgrade

2009-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

My play room may be baby-proofed, but it's not toddler-proofed! I can now open the closet door to pick out my favorite shade of Mama's nail polish, and I can climb up onto the futon to lounge around. Next goal: opening the window for my big escape.

Busy bee

2009-02-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

I am a very busy boy. In addition to eating, drinking, napping, yelling for Mama and having my diapers changed, I've got many tasks to accomplish each day. Here are some examples of my workload:

1. Move things (such as the tv remote) to the kitchen
2. Move other things (such as the tea kettle) to the living room
3. Move the dust buster to my play room without Mama noticing and then proceed to take it apart and play with the Cowboy fur, dust and dirt
4. Play with Daddy

It's amazing I can fit it all into one day!

15 month check-up

2009-02-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

I had my 15-month check up with the Dude today and I'm a healthy boy! I weigh 23lbs 4oz (25th%), my head circumference is 47 cm (50th%) and I'm 32" tall (75th%). So I'm still a tall, lean boy. And the Dude was very impressed with my growth. Mama mentioned that I've slowed down how much I eat and he said, "I HOPE so! Otherwise you're going to end up with a 60lb 2-yr old on your hands!"

I'm also right on track developmentally, even though I don't say many "real" words now. Since I understand what Mama and Daddy say, I know how to use my baby signs correctly, and I've invented my own words for things, the Dude said that I clearly understand the association between words and objects. Plus, I'm quite talkative for being a guy of so few (or no) words.

I was very good with the Dude and let him check my eyes, ears, teeth and body parts without complaining at all. He let me sit on Mama's lap during the whole check-up and his voice is so calm and soothing...it's like snuggling with my Thunder Bear, Ralphie, and Mr. Blue all at the same time.

I was in a very happy warm fuzzy place, and then Nurse Ratched came in with the evil pointy needles. She poked me three different times! I was great with the first one and pretty good with the second one, but the third poke put me over the top. I screamed and started crying, but Mama picked me up right away and sang to me. I quieted down and then started laughing when she danced with me, especially when she dipped me so I could see myself in the mirror. I guess it wasn't so bad.

Here's a view of my growth chart. After that little dip below the line at 6 months, I've been doing pretty well!

All in the family

2009-02-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

When I had my one-year pictures taken by the fabulous Judith Fernstrom (I know her as Jammy's Aunt Cookie), Grandma Hill sent over an outfit that she wanted to me to wear. It's the same outfit she put my Daddy and my Hill uncles in for their one-year photos, and she wanted a picture of me in it too. I don't know if the outfit goes back another generation (maybe my Great-Uncle Ray was photographed in it too?), but it turns out that it does go back another generation in my Mama's family! Here's a picture of my Grandpa Walt with my Great-Uncle Keith (Grandpa is the older one with the great hair). Great-Uncle Keith is wearing the same outfit! That picture was taken sometime in the 1940's. Pretty neat, huh?

Stuck with you

2009-02-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Something my Uncle Jim and I have in common: getting stuck in tight places. The picture on the left shows my Uncle Jim getting stuck under the bed (Mama turned the picture sideways so it would match mine more closely). The picture on the right shows what happened to me today when I tried to get my sippy cup that rolled under the futon. Mama is not sure how I managed to move the whole futon to squeeze myself in there. And I'm not sure if it's a good sign that both A-Mah and Mama took a picture before saving us from our predicaments.

Energizer bunny

2009-02-01T16:06:00.001-08:00

This is why I've graduated from "cruiser" to "toddler" at church. This is what I do all day. And Mama spends the whole day behind me, picking things up as I move them around the house. Some of my favorite things to move around are the tea kettle, the handi-vac, and Mama and Daddy's shoes. And of course, I still love my remotes. I usually have at least two nearby.

Movin' on up

2009-02-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day in the "creepers and cruisers" room at our church daycare! My walking has gotten so good that the teachers said I'm ready to move up to the toddlers room! It looks so fun over there. They have a slide and all kinds of big toys. I can't wait to try it out next week! I just hope they have a Cheerios bar too. I love the Cheerios bar.

Today was also the first time I ran across the room yelling "Mama!" and ran into her arms for a hug. Normally I'm rather oblivious to when Mama and Daddy are around, especially when I'm in a room full of toys. But I felt kinda huggy today. It made Mama really happy. I think she almost cried, but she's been kind of teary lately. When she started tearing up during an episode of "Full House" she blamed it on something she calls "hormones". I'm going to use that excuse the next time I throw a tantrum.

Now that I'm getting so heavy, Mama lets me walk all the time instead of carrying me. I walked back to the car from church this morning, and then walked all the way down the block to our house (we had to park a block away because our street somehow became "the" place to park this morning...Mama can't wait until we get our garage rebuilt so that she can actually park near the house). I can even step over the cracks and doormat without tripping! I'm not as fast as Jammy or Oliver yet, but I'm getting there.

Welcome to my new place

2009-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

Please make yourself at home in my new and improved big boy blog. I know I'll outgrow this one too, but Mama says by then, my new brother or sister and I can share. She's using this word "share" a lot. To me, it seems like whenever she says it, she takes something away from me. But she acts like it's such a fun thing to do! I'm not so sure, but I suppose I'll give it a chance...

Sharing

2009-01-31T08:14:00.003-08:00

*** Please pardon the interruption by Mama ***

I'm going to be making some changes to this blog soon, but I'm not really sure which direction to go. The problem is that our little boy isn't a baby anymore and his blog needs to grow with him! Plus, well...he needs to share. I haven't decided if he'll get a whole new blog (with a different URL) or if I'll just make some alterations to this one. Any preferences?

*** Back to your regularly scheduled blog ***

Wait. Does this mean I'm going to have to share my toys too?

It's not the texture

2009-01-29T11:33:00.003-08:00

Mama thought that I don't like ground beef because I don't like the texture of it. Well, I turned that idea on its head today! Mama gave me a garden burger (same texture as beef with none of the flavor) and I scarfed the whole thing down. Mama hasn't seen me eat with that much enthusiasm in a long time! I wanted more, but she wouldn't give me another one (she says one burger is plenty for a little boy, but I KNOW there's such thing as the "double double" out there). So I ate some carrots and peaches instead.

Bring on the garden burgers!

Drinking and driving

2009-01-28T22:25:00.003-08:00

The Bumbo

2009-01-28T22:17:00.003-08:00

Remember when I could barely hold myself up in the Bumbo and I'd lean over and slump on the side of it? Back when Mama didn't have to put the tray on just to keep me in? Well now she can barely snap the tray on over my belly. I still like the Bumbo, but it's getting to be a tight squeeze. And now I can squirm my way out of it, even with the tray on.

3 months old, 14 months old

I'll have what you're having

2009-01-28T11:32:00.003-08:00

As I've gotten older and my tastes are more refined, I've gotten a little pickier about what I'll eat. I still have my standards that I'll always eat (lentils and barley, sweet potatoes, avocado, cottage cheese, applesauce) and the things that I'll never eat (I do NOT like meat sauce or anything -- other than Käsespätzle, see below -- cooked with cheese) but I'm choosier about other stuff. Sometimes I like peas, sometimes I don't. I like pasta cooked in some ways, not in others. I don't like bread crust, but I love crusty toasted English muffins. And to make it more fun, I never know how I'm going to feel about something so Mama has to just give it a go (and have a stash of lentils and barley on hand just in case).

Lately, Mama's been cooking more food that she likes, and I'm a big fan of this trend. She made homemade Käsespätzle the other night and then tried to convince me that I didn't like it. It didn't work. Now she has to make more, because I ate it all. And she also tries to give me stuff like macaroni and cheese (yuck!) while she eats spicy Taiwanese noodle soup. Hah! I end up eating at least half of her noodles. And just today, she tried to give me some pasta and sauce while she ate spinach lasagne! Granted, I don't like the cheese and sauce on top of the lasagne (Mama takes it off of hers too), but I LOVE the spinach and the lasagne pasta is pretty good.

Mama says she's going to make some Spätzle mit Jägersoße sometime this weekend, and I can't wait to try it! She'd better make a lot because I'm probably going to eat more than my fair share.

In other news, I taught Mama some sign language! Well, I guess she actually taught it to me first, but she forgot about it. A few weeks ago, she taught me the sign for "water". Then she forgot it and stopped using it. The past few days, I started using it during dinner to tell her that I want some water to drink. She didn't recognize it at first, but after talking to a friend who knows sign language, she realized that I was using the sign she'd shown me weeks ago. She thinks I'm pretty clever for remembering it.

Happy Lunar New Year!

2009-01-26T12:56:00.003-08:00

Today is the first day of the year of the Brown Cow (Earth Ox), and you all know how much I like cows. I can already tell this is going to be a good year!

Rock and Moo

2009-01-23T16:44:00.003-08:00

Grandma Hill is having a tough week and I know how much she loves to hear me sing, so I put together my latest piece for her. I do my best singing when I rock and now I can even rock myself on Moo Moo (I only need Mama's help to get on and off)! Sometimes I rock a little too vigorously and then I throw up on Moo Moo's head, but not this time.

Where's the beef? Not here.

2009-01-23T14:30:00.003-08:00

Mama's been trying to figure out ways to get me to eat meat for awhile now. I'm just not a big fan. If she purees it so that I can't pick it out of my mouth, then I'll eat SOME beef, but not a lot. I will eat chicken though, as long as it's ground up. Here's the tally so far:

NO - beef, chicken chunks, ham, pork, turkey, tuna
YES - pureed or ground chicken, cod, crab, salmon

Luckily I get plenty of protein from milk, cheese, tofu and beans, so that's not a concern. Mama's just wondering if I'll ever eat a ham sandwich, or will she be packing crab rolls and salmon burgers into my lunch box.

First haircut

2009-01-22T11:39:00.003-08:00

1. What's going on?
2. Bye-bye baby mullet
3. Oh no, not the comb-over too!

Words?

2009-01-22T07:35:00.003-08:00

Mama keeps waiting for me to say my first word, but now she's starting to suspect that I've already said a few and she just didn't recognize them. I tried to TELL her that she needs to work on learning my language!

In addition to my baby signs (I sign "more" and point when I want something, I sign "eat" when I'm hungry, I kind of sign "all done" -- it's closer to waving my arms in the air -- when I'm ready to go, and yesterday I started signing "milk") and my baby language ("gn" for Cowboy, "ayyy!" to say hello, along with a wide variety of screeches, yells, coos, squeaks and babbles), I also say a couple word-like sounds.

When Mama gives me something to eat that's a little too warm, I open my mouth, wave my hand in front of it, and say, "Haw haw haw!" I learned that because Mama always asks me, "Is it too hot?" I also say "mama", "mum-mum-mum" and "daaaay-dy", and Mama even caught me saying "milk" and singing "moo moo" while rocking on my cow. I sometimes say something awfully close to "cow", and I bark "arf arf arf!" when Cowboy barks.

So even though Mama may not have realized it, I've been talking for awhile. I hope that she learns more quickly from now on.

Watching history unfold...

2009-01-20T20:07:00.003-08:00

...while chewing on a book

Like lightning

2009-01-19T19:25:00.003-08:00

Today I was out walking with my wagon again, and Mama tried valiantly to get non-blurry pictures of me. These were the three best out of over 50 pictures. She's going to have to work on her technique if she wants to keep up with me!

Walkin' in my 'hood

2009-01-17T18:19:00.003-08:00

I've got my hat...on
I've got my sneakers...dusty

I've got my wagon
And my pup
His name is C-c-c-c-cowboy
Wassup

Walkin' with my friend
Mama helps us steer
Moving so fast
Everything's a blur

Veering off the path
In the grass we go
Trying to steal her hat
I'm a Steeler too, ya know

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

2009-01-17T15:10:00.003-08:00

There's nothing I like more than pushing my wagon around. I can do it all day long, and today I even got to do it outside! With my fancy new big boy shoes on! It's SO much more fun to walk up and down the sidewalk than go around and around the living room. And once I get the whole steering thing down, I'll be ready to hit the road for longer excursions. Jammy, Oliver, Soy -- wanna go cruising?