lately, when i get tired or frustrated, i like to scream, kick, hit, spit, and/or throw things.  sometimes i slap the walls or other hard surfaces and it stings my hand.  mama and dada just laugh at me and say “maybe you shouldn’t hit the wall, huh?”.  everyone assumes that i’ve been acting up because of baby sister, but it’s not her fault.  i love baby sister — i always take care of her and treat her very gently.

so now, everyone figures that i’m going through my terrible 2′s and acting age-appropriately.  the other day, dada told me that he knows that i’m just going through a phase, but he asked me to be “a little less terrible”.  i’ve always been a little bit ahead of the curve with my physical development, so it makes sense that i would start my terrible 2′s early, right?  mama actually thinks that i entered that phase when i was 15 months old, but i’ve recently kicked it into high gear.

but why now?  so mama thought about all the changes in my life and thinks she might have figured it out.  before baby came along, mama used to take me and koda out somewhere fun (park, ponds, creek, etc.) every day after my nap.  but now that dada is back to work, mama hasn’t dared to try taking me, baby, and koda out by herself.  today, we finally did it.  we just went for a stroll around the neighborhood (i led the way), but mama made it seem like it was a huge accomplishment.  i don’t get what the big deal was.

we’ll see if getting my evening exercise helps make me any less terrible.  mama and dada sure hope so.

while mama and dada were in the hospital with baby sister, koda stayed with his sister at uncle henry’s house.  he came home earlier this week.  i sure missed him!  mama said that he probably loved his kid-free vacation — nobody to step on him, nobody to run into him with ride-on cars, nobody to use him as a body pillow…

baby sister was sleeping when koda came home, and since she went back to the hospital later that same day, they never really got the chance to get to know each other.  but she finished her baby tanning session today, and now she’s finally home to stay.  yay!  we were all happy to welcome her home.  and koda was finally able to give her a proper greeting.  it reminded me of the first time that i met my furry brother.

mama says that poor koda will soon have two crazy kids torturing him.  but if you ask me, i think he’s lucky to have a brother and a sister who will take care of him.

wait a minute…  i just realized that i am now a middle child, aren’t i?

i like getting food for koda, but i don’t like it when he rushes me.  when he starts whining, i make him wait even longer.  use your words, koda. that’s what mama and dada say to me when i whine.

two nights ago, i slept in my big boy race car bed with my brand new mattress for the first time!  my new bed is awesome because i can climb in and out all by myself — no more crib rails to trap me in

1st NIGHT

i took a bath and went through my beauty routine like usual, and then i went to my room to change into my pajamas.  but then, instead of sitting with me in the glider, mama brought me to my car bed in my new room.  she laid down next to me and told me my usual bedtime stories and sang me my usual nighttime songs.  then she kissed me goodnight and went downstairs.

about 5 minutes later, i needed my diaper changed.  (stomach flu.  you get the picture without me having to go into details, right?)  so i climbed out of bed and was planning to sneak downstairs to find mama, but koda busted me.  by the time i reached the top of the stairs, koda was already standing at the bottom, barking loudly.  koda is such a tattletale!  mama didn’t know what koda was barking at, so she was telling him to be quiet.  she didn’t want him to wake me up.  she obviously didn’t know that i was waiting for her upstairs, so i called for her.  “mama!  mama!”  mama came upstairs, changed my diaper, then put me back to bed.  then she kissed me goodnight and went back downstairs.

about 10 minutes later, i climbed out of bed again.  “mama!  mama!”  mama came upstairs and put me back to bed.  i told her that i was thirsty, but she didn’t believe me.  she figured that i was just faking it to have an excuse to get out of bed.  she laid down with me again, told me my story again, sang me my songs again, kissed me goodnight again, and then went back downstairs… again.

mama was preparing herself for a very long night, expecting me to climb out of bed many more times.  but that was it.  i slept through the night in my new room, in my new bed.  not too bad for my first night in a new bed — especially being sick, and all.

2nd NIGHT

same nighttime routine.  but this time mama didn’t lay down with me — she just sat next to my bed.  she got up and left the room after my story and songs, even though i was still awake and kicking around.  and guess what.  i slept through ’til morning and didn’t get up one time.  i figured that even if i tried to sneak out of bed, koda would just bust me again.

mama says that i’m going to get cool car sheets and decorations for my new room soon.  she is going to move my clothes, books, and toys into my new room, too, but i’m in no rush.  i like having two rooms all to myself

everyone says that little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.  but i’m not a girl.  and everyone says that i’m sooo sweet.  i guess it’s because i like to blow kisses and give hugs, even to aunties and uncles that i don’t know very well.  i give real kisses too, but only to mama and daddy.

in the past week or so, i’ve discovered how fun it is to blow raspberries and give eskimo kisses.  these are also reserved for special people.  but for some reason, people don’t feel so special when i give them raspberries — maybe because i slobber all over them.  mama loves eskimo kisses, though.  koda seems indifferent.  his nose is weird — it’s always cold and wet.

i always like having playdates because i have fun hanging out with my buddies.  but i especially like going on double dates with koda.  and it’s even better when we get to go on dates with girls!  do you remember when we went on a double date with celine and shasta last year?  well, we had another date with the same girls this evening.  i helped koda get ready by putting on his collar (with mama’s help) and trying to squirt sunscreen on him.   koda didn’t seem to like the sunscreen.  i dunno why.  i love having sunscreen rubbed all over me because it means that i get to run around wild outside!

when we got to the girls’ house, koda and shasta played together for hours — non-stop — like long-lost puppy lovers.  between me calling for koda (“doda!  doda!”) and celine calling for shasta (“da-ta!  da-ta!”), there was a lot of babbling going on in that house.  celine and i also shared our snacks with each other, and we played together a little bit, but not much.  i guess we just weren’t all that into each other today.  emily, however, is a whole ‘nother story…

emily is celine’s 5 year-old sister.  she brought out lots of toys for me to see what i would like — a piano, cash register, finger puppets, etc.  she even assembled a giant wooden train track and played thomas the train with me   my favorite toy was the cash register.  i liked it so much that i think mama is going to buy one for me.  and that’s saying a lot because mama never buys me any toys.  but my most favorite thing of all was emily.  she is so pretty, and so smart, and she showed me how to play with so many new toys that i’d never seen before.  i really want a big sister.  or maybe i just have a thing for older women.  i’m not sure — they sort of seem like the same thing to me.

i had so much fun in san diego, but i missed koda.  i asked about him hundreds of times, and each time, mama and daddy told me that koda was playing with kiara and that we would see him when we got home.  mama was careful to tell me that we would see him either sunday or monday, but you know how it is when you’re on vacation — you lose track of what day of the week it is.

when i wake up in the morning (and from my naps), i always call for “mama”.  but this morning, i called “doda?  doda?  doda?”  (that’s what i call koda.)  he didn’t come.  i guess it wasn’t sunday or monday yet.  but then every time i asked for koda throughout the day, mama told me that we would go pick him up after my afternoon nap.  i was so excited to see him that i took an extra short nap and i skipped my snack.  i was so happy when when we got into the car to drive to uncle henry’s house.  and then when we got there, i couldn’t stop smiling and kicking and shrieking!

when we went inside, koda and kiara were out in the backyard.  i ran to the sliding glass door and pounded on the glass and screamed for koda.  he must have been excited to see me too, ‘cuz when he came inside, he licked me all over my face and neck.  bleccch.  i wanted to hug him, but i didn’t want to get licked again.  so i waited until he was lying down and then i gave him a big hug.

welcome home, koda.  and thank you to kiara and uncle henry for keeping him company while we were gone

last night, mama and i went out to dinner and froyo with gung-gung and uncle henry. while we were out, koda had a play date with kiara at her house. and then when we were getting ready to leave and go home, mama forgot koda! i kept trying to go back inside uncle henry’s house to get him, but mama wouldn’t let me. and during the entire drive home, i asked for koda at least a hundred times. (i’m not exaggerating.)

then this morning when i woke up, i looked for koda but i couldn’t find him. i started to put food in his bowl just like i do every morning, but mama wouldn’t let me. that’s when i knew something was fishy. but mama said not to worry. she said he was having a sleepover at dog’s house (that’s what i call kiara) and that i would see him when we got home from san diego. san diego? what’s san diego?

well, we got onto an airplane this morning (that was a fun adventure that i will tell you about later) and as we were walking off the plane 1.5 hours later, i started calling for koda again. i thought that the airplane might have been called “san diego” and that koda would be waiting for us when we got off. he wasn’t. i still can’t find him. i hope he’s not mad at me for leaving him at uncle henry and kiara’s house. it wasn’t my fault. mama is the one that forgot him

things i like:

• piggy back rides.  i “hold tight” around mama’s or daddy’s neck and hang on — they don’t even have to hold me up.  i guess all that working out at the gym is paying off!
• taking care of koda.  i furminate him, put on his collar (with help), hold his leash when we walk, and fill his bowl with kibble (with help).
• playing fetch with koda.  for some reason, koda doesn’t seem as excited when i throw sticks for him as when mama does.  maybe it’s because i can only throw the stick about 2 feet away.
• throwing rocks and sticks into the ponds and the creek
• wind chimes.  i like walking past the houses that have wind chimes so i can wave to them and listen to the music that they make.
• weighing myself on our digital scale at home
• wearing sunglasses around my neck like a necklace
• balancing things on my head.  dog sits still better than my other stuffed animals because he sits on all fours.
• big kid slides.  they’re taller and steeper than the baby ones, so i slide down really fast!
• taking showers.  i still like bathtime, but showering like a big boy is fun, once in awhile.
• looking at pictures of myself, my friends, and my family… but mostly myself.
• animals.  i like dogs, roosters, cows, geese… any kind of animal.  i especially like birds because they fly away like airplanes when i chase after them.  how cool is that?!
• climbing up and riding on my rocking tiger.  yeah, you read that right.  i don’t have a rocking horse, i have a rocking tiger.  RAAAWR!
• eating with chopsticks.  most people need two, but i only need one to stab my food with.
• drinking soup out of a bowl.  forget the spoon — that takes too long.

things i don’t like:

• canned or frozen foods.  when mama tries to feed me canned or frozen foods, i go on a hunger strike.  i would rather starve to death than eat that stuff!  i want my meals home-cooked with only the freshest quality ingredients!  (and mama wonders where i get that from )
• being left at home when mama and koda go out for a walk
• when mama starts reading “goodnight moon” before i’m ready with my blanket and bunny in hand
• when the “if you’re happy and you know it” song plays, and people don’t clap when they’re supposed to

ever since i was little, koda has taken care of me.  he protects me from strange dogs and people that i don’t know.  he cleans up all the food that i accidentally drop during mealtimes.  and when we’re out and about, he checks on me often to make sure i’m okay.

well, now that i’m as big as koda is (when we’re both standing), i have started to take care of him, too.  every evening when i wake up from my nap, i take him out somewhere.  first, i hold his collar and he “suits up” by stepping into his collar.  then, mama helps me fasten it around his neck.  sometimes we go to the dog park or ponds where he doesn’t need a leash.  but when we go for out walks, i  insist on holding the leash because i want to walk him by myself.  and then today, i saw mama furminating koda.  of course i stepped in and took over cuz i wanted to furminate him by myself.

koda and i take care of each other ‘cuz that’s what brothers do.  i can’t wait ’til my new baby arrives so i can walk him and furminate him, too!