over the long weekend, i had another date with my girl maddie at the children’s discovery museum.  now that we’re both card-carrying members, i think that CDM is going to become a frequent rendezvous spot for us.  even though i’m a regular there, something different grabs my attention every time.  yesterday, it was the art studio.  actually, it was maddie that wanted to get creative, and i didn’t want her to go into the studio without me.  (you know, with all those other boys in there.)

i was so excited about my dough sculpture, that i fell out of my seat — literally!  really, that’s how i got the bruise on my cheek and the bump on my head.  no, really.  that’s mommy’s story and she’s sticking to it.  so you can call off child protective services.

today, i had my regular (every tuesday) workout at the little gym.  of all the gyms that i’ve tried out, this one is my favorite.  compared to others, this class is more focused on a real physical workout.  pull-ups, back flips, tumbling…  i still need a spotter for most of the activities, but i was able to hang from the uneven bars by myself today!  i need to stay fit if i’m gonna impress the girlies, right?  so i signed up for an annual membership.

so, that’s a lot of memberships that i have, right?  but wait, there’s more.  i am currently a card-carrying member at all these places:

• children’s discovery museum:  to get some culture and nurture my creative talents
• almaden valley athletic club:  to get my cardio workout in the pool
• the little gym:  to do my strength straining and get hubbed out like governor schwarzenegger
• the tech:  to get my geek on (actually, mommy is a member, but i get to go with her for free!)

i’m a renaissance man in the making.  now if i could only get a season pass to disneyland…

my buddy matthew turned 1 today.  happy birthday matthew!

i had been looking forward to his party for a long time because he was planning to have a dol, and i had never been to one before.  for this special occasion, i got dressed up in my collared shirt and argyle sweater vest.  and during lunch time, i even wore my formal bib   mommy and daddy said that i looked like a country club kid.  they must have been sooo proud of me dressed up all proper-looking and chewing with my mouth open

matthew wore his special korean outfit and performed a traditional fortune telling ritual.  he picked the ball, dropped it, and then picked up the hammer.  so what’s the ruling?  does that mean he’s going to be an athlete (maybe not a very good one, since he dropped the ball), or will he be a builder?  or maybe he will become a builder after his pro athletic career is over.

there was also a balloon man at matthew’s party!  he made the most amazing balloon creations i have ever seen.  there were princesses, flying dragons, winnie-the-poohs holding baby rattles (that actually rattled), and all kinds of fancy things.  but all i wanted was a koda   i love balloon-koda, but real koda is not so much a fan.

i don’t think that balloon man is a korean tradition, but even if he is, i don’t care — i want him for my birthday party.  and now that i think about it, i want to do the fortune telling thing, too.  i’m definitely going to secure my future by choosing the wad of cash.  although… would a roll of bills mean that i’ll be rich, or will i just be a frequent patron at a gentlemen’s club?  or maybe both…

sorry, no photos of me with the birthday boy.  the grown-ups wanted to take a group shot of all us kids today, but matthew and i raced away from the paprazzi!

koda came home today.  for the past 3 nights, he was at his sister kiara’s house for a sleepover.  i missed him, but i hafta admit that it was kinda fun being an only child for a little while.  normally, weekends are for me and koda, but this weekend was all about me.  we were able to stay out and play all day and not worry about koda being bored and lonely.  so while koda and kiara were putting each other’s paws in warm water and crank calling animal control, i had a fun-filled weekend of my own.

after spending saturday at u-me with logan, we went to erik and matthew’s house for auntie jill’s birthday party.  i saw some old buddies, met some new friends, and we all got to play with a house full of toys!  it was so fun that i could have sworn that it was a kid party.

on sunday, i finally got to play with daddy’s new phone. my buddy isaac moved across the country, but with facetime on the iphone 4, i can see him all the time!  yay!  the audio and picture quality was fantastic — none of the lag that you get with a webcam.  so ladies, if you wanna see my handsome face, gimme a ring at… ummm… my daddy will give you the digits.  (how embarrassing.)  daddy, now that you have an extra iphone, can i have one of my own?

i also had my swim lesson on sunday, as usual.  and guess what — there is new girl in my class who is a model!  i figure she must be a sports illustrated model because she was swimming topless  boys, i’m telling you, AVAC is the place to be.

and the highlight of my weekend…  getting a mohawk with gung-gung!  don’t we look like twins?  actually, gung-gung’s mohawk is real.  mine is more of a fauxhawk.  gung-gung was loving the new ‘do that uncle jamie gave him, but i didn’t want those clippers anywhere near my lovely locks!   i’m all for bonding with my grandpa, but that’s taking it just a little too far.  although… i think daddy is in need of a haircut…  UNCLE JAAAAAMIE…!!!

today, logan and i took a drive up the peninsula to check out a new hangout spot called u-me. logan got in for free because he is under 6 months old. i tried to slip in without paying, but i got carded and ended up shelling out $20 for our family   i don’t get it. logan and i are almost the same size — don’t you think we can pass for the same age?

we had a good time, but like many local hotspots, there will be lots more for me to enjoy when i get older.

these are some of the things that i had fun playing with today:

personal ball pit:  now that i know how to swim, i’m not afraid of drowning in the sea of balls
ride-on fire truck:  it’s just as fun to walk behind and push it as it is to ride on it and be pushed.  mommy gave me a realistic fire truck experience, driving super crazy fast!
tent stocked with camping gear:  this was my favorite play area.  mmm, flashlights are tasty.  uncle greg!  i’m ready for the annual camping trip!
humungo legos:  it’s way more fun to knock down towers than to build them up
life-size ship:  i couldn’t see above the steering wheel, so i crawled out of a porthole to go for a “swim”

there are a lot more things for bigger kids that i will have more fun with when i get older:

giant slide:  you have to climb up a handful of platforms to get to the top of the slide.  it’s for ages 3 & up.  mommy said it was okay for us to climb up and slide down together because the average of our ages is definitely greater than 3.
play market:  it has a checkout scanner that beeps!
outdoor area:  i wasn’t allowed to play with the sidewalk chalk because they look like giant sweet tarts.
performance stage with mic stand and costume chest:  mommy raided the chest and dressed me and logan (and uncle greg) as girlie butterfly fairies!  gah!  i crawled away as fast as i could, but daddy was too quick with the camera on his new iphone 4.

oh, and for the grown ups…  there is an organic cafe where you old people can hang out and eat paninis and sip lattes and talk about us kids while we’re playing.  or you can play with your kids and take breaks to feed yourselves (and your kids), then go back for more playing!

u-me is probably too far away to make this a regular hang out, but it was fun to spend the afternoon checking out this new local hotspot.  thanks for joining me, logan!  from now on, we’ll pick our own costumes for dress up time.

anyone have any wrinkle cream recommendations or other tips for looking younger?  i’m determined to get in in for free next time

logan, zachary, and i took 13 adults and 6 doggies out for a stroll along the alameda trail yesterday.  and naturally, we were the leaders of the pack!

but before i tell you about the afternoon walk, lemme tell you about our quest for an all-terrain stroller.  after lots of research and test drives, mommy and daddy decided that we should get a baby jogger city elite.  the problem was, nobody around here carries them.  so on saturday, we took a drive up the peninsula to lullaby lane in san bruno.  i got my luxurious new ride — on sale.  score!  and on the way home, we stopped in burlingame so that daddy could get a burrito and mommy could get some meringues.  it was a good day for all of us.  mommy even shared a meringue with me.  yummy

we were so excited about our new all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that we assembled it right away.  well, daddy assembled, mommy supervised, and i QA’d his work.  good job, daddy.  now that i have my ATV, we can go to koda’s favorite spots without mommy having to carry me the entire time.  she says i’m getting too heavy.  hmph.

so, back to yesterday’s walk…  cesar milan (a.k.a. the dog whisperer) brags about how he rollerblades with his pack of several dozen dogs.  well, me and my buddies cruised in our ATV’s, leading a pack of half a dozen dogs and more than a dozen humans.  cesar ain’t got nothing on us!  (this photo was taken by uncle eric.  mommy took a picture with her phone, but uncle eric said that his would turn out much better.  he was right.)

we all had a great time.  mommy and daddy got to catch up with good friends, koda got to swim and run around, and i got to cruise with my buddies on my ATV’s maiden voyage.  the long walk worked up our appetites, so we all went out to lunch and gorged ourselves on mexican food.  since i gobbled up all the food that mommy brought for me, uncle henry let me try some of his carnitas

koda and i were both so exhausted that we konked out in the car on the way home.  what a great day.

july fourth is supposed to be the day of four F’s — fireworks, food, friends, and fun.  but sadly, mommy and daddy haven’t seen fireworks for the past couple of years.  last year, it was because they stayed  home with koda, just in case he got frightened by the loud firecrackers (like most dogs do).  he was oblivious.  this year, nobody got to watch fireworks because they didn’t come out until way past my bedtime.  i guess it could be awhile before i get to see my first fireworks show.

but fireworks or no fireworks, nothing stops daddy from firing up the grill on the 4th of july.  daddy especially likes to grill steak.  and since steaks have eyelashes (and mommy is an anti-eyelashitarian), daddy had to call in backup.

luckily, uncle henry, uncle paul, and auntie leeya were up for the job!  chloe came over too, but she didn’t really help with the steak.   she and i mostly just played together — and what a fun time we had!

the last time chloe and i hung out, it wasn’t all that fun.  back then, i was a little preoccupied and self-conscious about being a pinhead.  but tonight was different.  we played together in my playpen and i shared my toys with her.  she kept blabbing about something that i couldn’t understand (typical girl, right?), so i had to shush her a couple of times.  i challenged her to a race, and she beat me by a mile.  then we had a re-match, and she beat me again!  i think she has a couple of distinct advantages:  (1) she doesn’t get distracted multiple times on the way to the finish line (like i do), and (2) she “crawls” using one knee and one foot!  (wait a minute…  is that cheating?)

so, on our 4th of july this year, we had lots of food, friends, and fun — but no fireworks.  3 outta 4 ain’t bad, right?  maybe we’ll hit the fireworks show next year

i am crazy.  i climb on everything, crawl all over the place, grab/pull/bang on everything that isn’t mine, and screech like a pterodactyl.  now you know why mommy calls me a madman.

yesterday, my buddy logan came over to visit, and when he arrived, his daddy announced him as “psychopath”.  he is not as crazy as i am yet, but i know he’ll get there soon.  and when he does, he’ll have the hair to match.  look at that wild ’do!  i have hair envy.  i miss the fauxhawk i had when i was 3 months old.  *sigh*.  those were the good ol’ days.  my hair has gotten boring in my old age.

while logan was here, he kept stealing all my toys (actually, mommy was giving them to him), but i kept snatching them right back.  i have to show him who’s boss while i still can.  even though i’m 6 months older, he is going to be bigger than me very soon!

madman and psychopath – what a great pair we’ll be as we grow up together, huh?  and with names like those, we could have promising futures as WWE stars, dontcha think?

the children’s discovery museum has become my go-to spot to bring girls on dates. my first time was with sierra — i was about 2.5 months old. aside from watching sierra create an art masterpiece, i mostly sat around, people-watched, and soaked in all the sights and sounds.  i did spend some time in the “crawl space”, an enclosed area especially designed for pre-walkers, but since i didn’t know how to crawl (or even sit up) yet, i needed mommy’s help to explore the enviornment.

today, i went back to my spot with maddie.  now that i am crawling like a madman, i had a lot more fun.  i was able to pull myself up to look at some of the cool displays intended for toddlers, and i was able to interact with a lot of the exhibits.  i was so excited to be crawling around and exploring on my own, that when i lost sight of all familiar faces, i didn’t care one bit.  i even found a giant block with a K for KYDEN!

there is so much of the museum that i am too young and too little to appreciate, but every time i’ve gone, i learned a lot and had a great time. of course, it doesn’t hurt that all my dates have been cutie pies i plan to continue visiting the children’s discovery museum as often as i can. it’s free for kids under age 1, so why not, right? who wants to be my next date? if you’re under age 1, it’s my treat!

i’m planning on surfing in hawaii later this year, so there are a few things i need to do to prepare:

1)  learn to swim  (you know the saying “crawl before you walk”?  well, i say “swim before you surf”!)

2)  improve my balance so i can stand up without holding on to anything

3)  look cute in a rash guard

i heard that babies are born with a “dive reflex” — the natural instinct to open our eyes and hold our breath underwater.  aaand, until about 6 months of age, we move our arms and legs in a swimming motion when placed face down.  that means that babies less than 6 months old are natural swimmers!  well, i missed the window by a couple of weeks, but i figure… better late than never, right?

so, i went swimming with my buddy isaac today.  it was just like bathtime — i got to kick and splash and get mommy all wet.  the only differences were that there were lots of people in the bath with me and that i was wearing a rash guard instead of my birthday suit.

mommy dunked me in the water over and over again to test my dive reflex.  isaac’s mommy is nice, so she didn’t subject him to the chinese water torture.  so, my study ended up having a sample size of only 1, but it appears to prove that the dive reflex really does exist.  yup, i’m a natural swimmer.  it helps that i’ve mastered spitting because i was able to spit out the pool water that got into my mouth, rather than swallowing it.  check me out!

(i already look good in my rash guard, so now i just gotta work on standing up by myself.  i’ll be surfing in no time!)

now that i’m eating solids, mommy has been having so much fun using my food mill to make food for me to eat.  and not only have i been enjoying eating it, but also rubbing it into my eyes and painting mommy with it.  mommy looks good accessorized with spinach.

currently, my twice daily meals consist of a grain, a green veggie, and a “sweet” veggie.

• grains:  rice cereal is ok.  my friends jacey and matthew recommended oatmeal, so daddy bought some for me.  i’m looking forward to trying it soon.
• green veggies:  spinach and broccoli are yummy.  what should i try next?  zucchini?  green beans?
• “sweet” veggies:  i love organic carrots, but regular carrots are yucky.  they taste like dirt.  (mixed with rice cereal and some formula, the dirt carrots are edible.)  i wanted to try beets next (mommy just bought some fresh ones!) but they’ll turn my lips red and make me look like a girl.  maybe i’ll go for yams, like uncle henry suggested.

i also get an afternoon snack — a piece of fruit in a mesh feeder.  so far, i’ve tried cantaloupe, apple, and strawberry.  i am definitely a fan of the cantaloupe and apple, but undecided about the strawberries.  mommy thought i might be allergic to strawberries because she noticed some red splotches around my mouth and chin.  so you’d think that she’d keep those things away from me, right?  but no!  she actually tried to force feed strawberries to me today.  i swatted them away, but she kept shoving them in my face!  when i grow up hating strawberries, please remind her that it was her fault for traumatizing me at a young age.

<TMI warning>

lots of people have been asking me if it’s fact or fiction about poop changing after you start eating solids.  this is a fact.  my poops are much bigger and less frequent than before.  and for the first few days, my food looked the same… before and after.  i.e. carrots and spinach going in = orange mush with green specks coming out.  gross, i know.  but you failed to heed the TMI warning, so you asked for it!

what about solids making your poop stinky?  fiction!  yes, mine is stinky, but it has been that way for months.  don’t blame the yummy yummy carrots!

</TMI warning>

another thing that has changed now that i’m eating solids is that i have been brushing my 6 teeth every day.  who wants spinach stuck in their teeth, right?  not me — especially since i have paparazzi for parents!

speaking of teeth, when will i get to use mine?  mushed veggies are getting old.  bring on the pizza!