Puppy Love

I adore puppies, and my chocolate lab Mocha is no exception! He doens't lick my face much, but I still love him.

Drink it coffee

I love to help mommy "make it coffee" so much she uses it as a bribe to terminate the worst of my morning brattiness. As you can see, I take after my daddy, who loved coffee at my age, too. Mommy doesn't let me drink much though, because she needs my naps more than do.

Repair work

Mommy says the car has an ouchie and that Daddy will fix it, but it's been a month and he hasn't bothered. I'm thinking I'll escape sometime and have a look myself.

Bring in da noise, bring in da funk

As you can see, my career as the godfather of half-Korean hip-hop is just getting underway. Here I'm checking the levels on my latest unauthorized Wiggles remix. Da-Da, Da-Da-Da Dorothy! Da dinosaur!

The daily roundup

Today's likes: erging (20 minutes worth!) Mocha, my puppy!

Today's dislikes: Food. Didn't feel like eating

New words (well, old words used in a new way): "My tummy!" (Shouted as an objection to wearing PJ's.)

Antic of the day: Patting sleeping daddy on the head to make him jerk!

Daily roundup

Today's likes: Sleeping (5 hour nap, anyone?), helping Mommy make a coffee cake

Today's dislikes: Getting out of the bathtub (an hour and a half just isn't enough time to get everything done!)

Today's words and phrases: "little bit"; "no naughty!" (what I told a girl at the gym who told me I was being naughty for climbing on the furniture)

Love me, love my Teddy

Today, Daddy Teddy joined me for a late supper. Don't we make a cute couple?

Shake it, baby, shake it!

I love things that sprinkle. Salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, you name it. So when we went to an Italian place for my birthday, I was in heaven! Too bad they don't make shakers big enough for fruit snacks.

Birthday daily roundup

Birthday likes: Yanking coupons out of the dispenser at Harris Teeter, playing with the doggies I met during a walk with Daddy, coming home with a dozen balloons from a neighborhood baby shower I stumbled across

Birthday dislikes: Daddy's singing (see below)

Today's words and phrases: "No Daddy sing Cucaracha!" (what I told Daddy when my favorite Wiggles song came on); "Stupid Daddy!" (what I said to Daddy after he tried to sing some more)

Antic of the day: At the restaurant where we had my birthday dinner, I sprinkled salt and pepper on the table and blew them off the tablecloth. Good times.

Daddy's thoughts on my 2nd birthday

(Daddy asked me if I would let him post some thoughts on my life thus far, in honor of my birthday. I admit, it's a bit early to have retrospectives about me, but since this is a fundamentally narcissistic blog, I figured what the heck.)

Two years ago my son emerged from the womb and promptly grabbed ahold of the nose-sucker they were using to clear his nostrils. He started screaming immediately and more or less didn’t stop for four months.

Now, he shouts “MOON” at the top of his lungs when he spots it in daylight from the car. He identifies everything he can—clouds, just to show off. He struggles to keep himself awake at night by thinking of the names of animals he knows and announcing that they are to be found “outside.”

He can be so very frustrating at times—especially when he refuses to nap or struggles to stay awake at night—but that’s just a symptom of something wonderful. He loves his life. He loves every minute of it, exploring, learning, and triumphing in showing off. He loves to investigate and discover, take apart, open up, turn over, and see what’s around the next corner. He loves to get his parents to pay attention and show them he knows something surprising, as when he opened an oven, looked in, and announced “Pizza, ALL GONE.”

It’s exhausting and exasperating and hard to take, because he hates to sleep and miss anything, and he won’t sit still for 10 seconds when awake. But it’s all because he’s happy. Happier than he probably will be ever again. And I can’t help but want more little happy characters like him around. Looking at him today embracing a beagle and giggling, I couldn’t wait for another, and another, and another. Sometimes it seems like he’s trying to kill us, but he’s not. All he wants is another adventure to fill up that big head of his, and it’s not his fault that daddy is old and slow and has boring responsibilities to worry about.

Daily roundup

Today's likes: Pocky sticks from World Market

Today's dislikes: Naps, again.

Today's words and phrases: "Flamingo outside" (what I was telling Daddy when stalling before bed)

Antics of the day: When we drove past the courthouse, I pointed and said, "Daddy work!" Later today I made Mommy buy me a rubber ducky at World Market, and at the checkout I waved it around and said "Pool!" to make sure everyone knew where I wanted to take it.

Karate kid

I have this bathtime game where I place my little floatable friends on the bathtub ledge and kick them off, one by one. I have to hone my martial arts skills to beat up anyone who makes fun of my nail polish (yeah, that's right, I like a little Wet 'N Wild from time to time--you got a problem with that?).

Good to the last crumb

There is nothing better than one of Mommy's brownies--you know, made from scratch, with little drops of heaven mixed in for good measure.

Getting dressed for dinner

In the olden days, people used to dress for dinner (see, e.g., any P.G. Wodehouse novel). Today I tried to continue that tradition, but got rather stuck without a Jeeves to assist me. Drat this huge head of mine!!!

Vroom, vroom!

Did you know that Matchbox cars drive pretty well through milk? They make a cool splatter pattern, too. I wonder if Mommy and Daddy will let me do a test drive through ice cream tonight--gotta simulate winter conditions, after all.

The daily roundup

Today's likes: Using chopsticks to attack Daddy's face

Today's dislikes: Naps (didn't take one today)

Today's new words and phrases: "Honey, I need you!" (what I yelled at Mommy and Daddy this morning when I woke up); "Be careful, whale! Be careful, duck!" (what I admonished my bathtub friends before smashing them together and trying to drown them); "Cookie stars" (what I called the star-shaped baking sprinkles that I swiped off the shelf at Harris Teeter; Mommy is going to put them on my birthday treat, whatever that will be)

Today's antics: Tenderly comforting a crying girl at daycare by putting my arm around her (who says chivalry is dead?); giving the nice lady at our favorite Chinese place a big hug (yeah, I know how to get good service!)

The daily roundup

Back from a hiatus due to my busy Barney-watching schedule, it's the daily roundup!

Today's likes: Taking pictures of Daddy, the carpet, and my fingers over the camera lens

Today's dislikes: Not being able to make coffee with Mommy because the sugar ran out. C'mon, Mom, learn to drink it black!

Today's words and phrases: "Be quiet, Daddy!" (what I said to Daddy last night at 4 am when he told me to go back to sleep)

Antic of the day: When Mommy tried to put me down for a nap in her bed, I rolled Matchbox cars on her face and arms for half an hour

Shutterbug

All day I am subjected to the intrusive tactics of the Papa-razzi (get it? har har!!!). I know it's the price of being gorgeous and all, but today I thought I would turn the tables on Daddy. Annie Leibowitz, eat your heart out!

Pass the salt

My daddy and I share an odd genetic trait--we are both addicted to raw salt. Mommy thinks it's gross, but she's the same person who mixes syrup and ketchup and puts it on her hash browns. Now that's gross.

Another new friend

I've been getting lots of mysterious packages in the mail recently. Mommy says they are "birthday presents," but I have no idea what that means. All I know is that it's fun to tear off wrapping paper, and that styrofoam peanuts are fun to crumple into little bits.

Today I got a new birdie, who I took with me to the gym. Isn't she cute? Well, not as cute as me!

PS--Keep those packages coming. I love ripping that paper!

Daddy Teddy

I recently discovered this poor old bear mouldering under a straw hat in Mommy's closet. Sure he was ensconced in a rocking chair under a blanket knit especially for him, enjoying his retirement and collecting his Social Security checks. But darn it, this bear was made to be dragged around, barfed on, and forced to participate in tea parties, so I have officially ended his retirement and recalled him into active duty. From now on, he shall be my faithful companion and fellow Barney devotee.

Fun with snow

It's cold, it's slimy, and it makes a great projectile... What is there not to love about snow?

Bubbalicious

This evening I demanded that Daddy let me blow bubbles. I couldn't get many good bubbles to form from the wand because I was blowing too hard, so I ended up just blowing them directly from the bubble mix that got on my lips. (That stuff doesn't taste bad at all. Plus, maybe I'll end up blowing bubbles from the other end tomorrow--wouldn't that be cool?)

Maybe it's Maybelline?

Mommy says it's unfair that guys have long eyelashes, but I don't need to feel guilty about being fabulous. How else am I going to get girls to pick me up and feed me at daycare?

Daily roundup

Today's likes: blowing half a bottle's worth of bubble mix in the bathtub (say that 10 times fast!), chewing on my old pacifier

Today's dislikes: Anything that's not fruit-related (my food today consisted of a banana, half an apple, and two packets of fruit snacks)

New words and phrases: "No deal!"; gecko

New skills: "helping" Mommy organize her coupons by spreading them on the floor and randomly shoving them into envelopes

Daily roundup

Today's likes--watching snow fall on trees, imitating snowfall with the salt shakers in the law school cafeteria

Today's dislikes--when Daddy prevented me from pushing the emergency button in the law school elevator

Today's new words and phrases--"Daddy sign cup" (when I saw Daddy writing my name on my sippy cup); "I eat salt" (cf. today's likes)

Antic of the day--eating Cheerios off a plate like a dog (gets the job done without soiling any utensils!)

Let it snow

Today was the first snowfall of the winter here. I had fun running around letting it crunch under my feet. I wanted to slide down the driveway, but Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me. Party poopers! But they did let me eat some pizza at Mommy's law review meeting, so the night wasn't a total wash.

Here are some pictures of me getting ready to go out. I don't like itchy wool sweaters, and I really need to get the hang of this jacket thing some day.

The daily roundup

Today's likes: Sticky doughballs, cleaning up my high chair with the dustbuster, singing the "Hokey Pokey"

Today's dislikes: Having Daddy open my fruit snacks for me--doesn't he realize that I'm a completely autonomous human being (i.e., not a baby?)

New words: dough, liver (from a very interesting cover story on the WSJ--no, Daddy, you don't get dibs on my liver until you get me that Baby Genius Sleepytime dvd)

Antic of the day: At Gold's gym daycare, I allegedly climbed over a gate to get into the movie room, climbed up two large steps, and deposited myself into an Exersaucer before I was caught. What gave it away was my maniacal, triumphant screaming. Gotta be a little more subtle next time...

Wherein I practice for the Tchaikovsky competition

Gotta practice, because I have a date with destiny in about twenty or so years. Gosh, I hope I can reach the pedals by then!

Making bread

Daddy and Mommy wanted to make something called naan, so naturally I volunteered to "help." I had fun kneading the dough with my grubby little fingers. I think I'm ready for my shot at Iron Chef now.

Bliss

Happy happy joy joy, I conned them into giving me more cookies 'n cream. Parents can be so gullible. Not to rub it in completely, I deigned to eat a few baby carrots for dessert.

Daily roundup

Today's likes: Fastening the rear seatbelt of Daddy's car and crawling under it, then declaring "I go gym"; fastidiously dropping one coffee bean at a time into the grinder, taking an appreciative whiff before letting go

Today's dislikes: Having Mommy confiscate the Aveeno, just when I had squeezed half the tube out; wearing clothes of any kind after my bath

New words: Windsock (from my Baby Genius dvd), disgusting (what Mommy called my sleeve after I wiped my nose on it)

New skills: Recognizing the letter "I"

Funny faces

See, I can do Jim Carrey and Macaulay Culkin already, and I'm not even 2 yet. Time to send in some demo tapes.

The daily roundup

Likes: pineapple from Mommy's Hawaiian pizza (not so Hawaiian after I was through with it)

Dislikes: anything but Barney (seriously, what is with my annoying parents trying to watch The Office tonight? Jim and Pam got nothin' on BJ and Baby Bop.)

New word: fire engine (we saw one on the way home from the gym, and I imitated the sound it made)

New skills: getting a wedgie from the Exersaucer

Exersaucer derring-do

This is totally retro of me, but lately I've been reliving my glory days and playing with my Gymini and Exersaucer of yore. Maybe I'm having a mid-toddlerhood crisis or something. Is there a patch for that?

I'm lovin' it (NOT!)

Mommy claims she is on a diet, but I am always sabotaging things by demanding a trip to McDonald's on the way home from the gym. Today I discovered that "Sweet and Sour" sauce is more sour than sweet. Blegh!

Working out

Today I did some lifting and cardio. Gotta lose those holiday pounds before swimsuit season. I think a personal trainer would be nice, but I'm not sure I can find one who does dirty diapers as well. Good help is SO hard to find these days.

Drumsticks

Every so often I think I'll post an old picture of me from the archives and tell you about it. Here are my legs circa March 2005. As you can see, I had real body image issues back then. I shudder to see those fat rolls again! Since then, I've changed my diet and exercise more. (That Tae Bo is a real life saver, I tell ya.) Now my legs are lean and mean--hardly any cellulite left. But Daddy still refers to them as drumsticks and had a dream the other night that he killed a turkey but couldn't eat it because its legs looked like mine. How weird is that?