things i like:

• doing the karate kid kick, just like OG ralph macchio.  i learned this by watching koda “wave” with his foot.
• giving eskimo kisses
• blowing raspberries on other people
• feeding bear.  so far, dried mangoes and elmo crackers seem to be his favorite.  and he’s the only one that i feed.  my other animals never get hungry.
• buckling myself into my booster seat and snapping on the tray
• blowing on my food and touching it to my lip (like mama does) to make sure it’s not too hot
• riding on koda, just like i ride the animals on the merry-go-rounds
• wearing mama’s and dada’s shoes around the house.  i only wear one at a time, though.  i always trip when i try to walk around with two over-sized shoes.
• picking out socks to coordinate with my outfits.  mama was wondering when i would start showing preferences for the clothes i wear.  i’m gonna start picking out my entire outfits pretty soon!
• wearing pants with big pockets.  i look cool when i walk around with my hands in my pockets
• undressing myself to change into my pajamas.  i have trouble pulling my shirts off, though.  they get stuck on my big head
• making fun-shaped ice cubes (stars, trees, etc) and putting them in my drinks
• dipping my food.  apples in caramel, pancakes in yogurt, and elmo cookies (graham crackers) in peanut butter, just to name a few.

things i don’t like:

• when i sign “thank you” to people and they don’t acknowledge my politeness.  so what if my made-up sign looks like a profane gesture?
• when people don’t put on their seatbelts before the car starts moving.  safety first!
• staying in my bed when i wake up in the middle of the night
• when chuck my talking truck comes to life — it’s like straight out of a stephen king novel!  we were friends until mama turned on the sound activation switch.  now, every time i go near him, he starts his own engine and tries to run me over!
• raw unseasoned bean sprouts.  they look just like noodles, but they taste yucky.  i keep eating them anyway, hoping they’ll get better.  they don’t.

things i like:

• communicating through a combination of words (my favorite is “no”), signs, pointing, and some well-timed grunts
• getting food for koda.  i need help loosening the lid on the food bin, but i do the rest by myself.  it takes about 30 scoops for me to fill his bowl because i don’t get very many pieces of kibble in each scoop — sometimes, none.  but at least i’m getting good at not spilling kibble all over the floor
• eating mama’s spicy food, then wiping the flames off of my burning tongue onto her shirt.  and then i go back for more.
• (mandarin) oranges.  i have always loved eating them, but now i can even peel them by myself.  (mama still has to start it for me because my fingernails aren’t long enough.)
• having my teeth flossed.  mama flosses them for me first, then she lets me take a second pass by myself.  i like flossing so much that i sign “thank you”(unprompted) after mama helps me with it.
• mama’s ponytail.  it’s hilarious when she whips it around because it looks like koda’s tail wagging.
• “calling” mama and koda on the phone.  i usually hold a phone up to my ear (including gung-gung’s old motorola microTAC), but i even make calls with my shoe, my snack cup, and anything else laying around.  one time, i even put a  piece of mandarin orange in my ear like a bluetooth headset.  when i call koda, i hold the phone up to his ear so he can listen/talk.
• youtube.  i mostly like to watch the videos that daddy made of koda and/or me, but i have a few other favorites (like the wiggles singing “twinkle twinkle little star” and my dream girl singing “head, shoulders, knees and toes”).
• stomping.  i learned this from “if you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet…”, and i’ve added stomping to my repertoire of dance moves.
• swinging on the big kid swings.  everyone thought i hated swings, but it’s just the baby swings that i don’t like.
• slides.  i know, that’s old news.  but i really like playing on the slides at the playground.  and now i can even walk UP the slide by myself!

things i don’t like:

• when daddy massages mama’s shoulders.  he says she likes it but it looks like he’s hurting her!
• being forgotten at other people’s houses without mama and daddy
• going on trips without koda
• giant sea creatures that are bigger than me (like whales and sharks) that get right up in my face like they’re going to eat me

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

i am one and a half years old today.  i dunno why, but every seems to think that that’s a big deal.

things i like:

• music.  every time i hear music, i start doing my signature dance — the booty drop.
• trains.  especially thomas the tank engine.
• legos.  the duplo sets are just the right size for me.  i have a toy story duplo lego set and i always put the gas pump on the roof of the truck.  grown ups don’t get why i do that, but i like how it sticks up like an antenna.
• elmo.  who doesn’t love elmo?
• tractors and dump trucks.  when i hear the garbage truck outside, i always rush to the door to watch it in action.
• airplanes.  whenever i see or hear one, i stop, look up in the sky, and wave to it.
• pressing buttons on elevators and crosswalk signals.  it doesn’t matter if i actually need to get on the elevator or cross the street, i could just push the buttons all day.  one time, i even pressed the emergency alarm button in an elevator!  oops.
• climbing up and standing on the kitchen chair.  it’s fun to watch/help mama and daddy cook, bake, and wash dishes.
• bubbles.  it’s pretty cool when other people make magic bubbles, but i love it when i get to hold the bubble wand and (try to) blow the bubbles myself!
• regular cups.  i drink out of regular cups at meal times, now.  and for some reason, the front of my shirt often ends up all wet.
• hanging.  the high bar is my favorite apparatus at gym class.  i like to hang for as long as i can, then like to jump down for a crash-landing on the foam mat.
• still rings.  my regular gym just installed some, and i love playing with them.  i’m working on my iron cross.
• using my potty.  well, it’s not so much the potty that i like, but i like reading my favorite books (which are are now kept in the bathroom), and i like the big celebration that i get to have after i go
• sugar.  i have a sweet tooth like mama and daddy.  and every once in awhile, they let me try a tiny morsel of the real desserts that they eat (cake, ice cream, cookies, chocolate mousse, meringue swirls, etc.).  delicious!  i only get one tiny bite, and then they tell me i’m all done.  but i’m not all done!  there is lots more, but they just don’t want to share.  one of these days, i’m going to get my hands on entire cake and gorge myself on all the sweet, rich, buttery goodness.  i’m tired of eating all the healthy yucky no-refined-sugar stuff that mama makes for me.

things i don’t like:

• zip lining.  WAAAAAHHH!!!
• squeaky shoes.  i refuse to walk in them.
• big crowds of grown ups.  i don’t like it when i’m the shortest person in the room.  but if there are other kids around, i’m good.

things i like:

• poking mama’s belly button.  her belly is getting BIG, so it’s pretty easy to find.
• playing follow the leader.  except, i only like  being the leader.  and how come i always have to pull everyone by their fingers to get them to follow me to where i want them to go?
• patting the couch/chair where i want people to sit or patting the table to indicate where they should put my plate of food.
• gym class.  i’ve always liked gym class, but now i just looove it.  i get so excited whenever we pull into the parking lot that i kick my feet, my eyes light up, and a silly ear-to-ear grin creeps across my face.
• housework.   i like to sweep the kitchen floor and wipe down the table after meals.  i also like to vacuum, but i need help pushing the vacuum cleaner because it’s bigger and heaver than i am!
• jamba juice.  i even got my very own kyden-sized jamba juice today   i guess mama got tired of me stealing hers all the time.
• spicy food.  mama is so surprised that i like to eat her food — even spicy curries and other things that she adds hot sauce to.

things i don’t like:

• sleeping without my special blankets.  po-po (grandma quon) knitted some blankets for me many years before i was born.  i have been using them, along with many other blankets for my whole life. but lately, when i get into my crib, i hug my special knitted blanket and then lay down next to it.  and if one of those blankets is not there, i get really upset and i won’t sleep.
• eating sriracha sauce straight outta the bottle.  i tried to suck some out of the bottle but mama wouldn’t let me.  so she squirted some onto her finger and fed it to me.  i cried.  mama is so mean!

things i like:

• my new la-z-boy chair!  mama bought it for me so i could sit in it and read (which i do), but i have found other uses for it too.  (recliner, drink, tv remote…  what else could a guy want?  wait, where are all the hawt chicks???)
• playing iphone games.  now i can play by myself because i know how to swipe to unlock and launch my apps.  but when i push the wrong button, i need help getting back to the right screen.  (just like gung-gung with the tv remote.)
• zippers.  i could zip and unzip my jacket (or anyone’s jacket) all day long.
• dancing.  i just started doing a new move:  the booty drop.  mama and daddy think it’s so ghetto, but sooo hilarious.  they have no idea where i learned it.
• kissing mama on the cheek all the time, just like she does to me.
• drinking out of my big boy drinking cups.  they are supposed to be for 24+ month old kids, but nothing gets between me and my drinks!
• using a fork to stab anything within arm’s reach.  that includes koda, the table, my cup, my chest, my head, and sometimes my food.
• my daily jog along the creek.  i can run so much faster now that i’ve learned to swing my arms while running
• cleaning.  i like to wipe down the table, fireplace, floors, etc.  sometimes i even take tissues and clean koda with them.
• baaaaa-ing like a sheep.
• saying “mama”.  i know other words, too, but i like saying “mama” all the time.

things i don’t like:

• saying “dada”.  daddy is not very amused by the fact that i’ll say “doda” (koda), but when he asks me to say “dada”, i say “mama”.
• shoes.  i take them off within seconds of getting into the car.

things i like:

• dancing.  i got moves you never seen before!  (and even though mama has watched my dancing video dozens of times, it still makes her happy every time she sees it.)
• charming the ladies by blowing kisses and giving hugs.  (tip to my buddies:  old ladies are suckers.  blow ‘em a kiss and you can get anything you want.)
• feeding myself with a fork.  actually, i just like stabbing things with the fork.  feeding myself is just an added bonus.
• drinking out of real adult glassware (without a straw).  i still need help though, cuz when i try to hold the glass by myself i end up pouring my drink all over myself.
• walking up and down the stairs like a big boy (instead of crawling like a baby).  i still need to hold an adult’s hand when i do this so i can pull myself up/down each step.
• riding in elevators.  (1) i get to push buttons, and (2) when the doors re-open there is a whole new world to explore.  what’s not to like?
• “ree-ree-ree”ing.  (translation: reading.)  since i always read before nap/bedtime, mama and daddy know that when i ask to “ree-ree-ree”, i must be sleepy.
• being naked.  when mama or daddy are try to change my clothes, i run and hide in all the corners of my room so they can’t put clothes on me.
• piggy-back rides
• string cheese
• noodles

things i don’t like:

• when i accidentally break my books (e.g. tear pieces off of the pop-ups/sliders/flaps that make my books interactive).  this can be traumatizing enough to cause night terrors.  don’t laugh.  it’s not funny.  i’ll write more about this later.
• vacuum cleaners.  it’s loud, it’s bigger than me, and it might suck me up!
• vibrating massager.  i dunno what the heck it is, but i don’t like the way it punches me 100 times a minute.

things i like:

• head-butting (koda, people, walls, the floor, anything…)
• turning things on and off (tv, baby monitor, lights, laptops…)
• plugging and unplugging mama’s laptop
• pulling things down from countertops that mama and daddy don’t know i can reach
• opening doors (i can just baaarely reach the door handles in our house when i stand on my tippy toes!)
• brushing (my hair, mama’s hair, my teeth — i think i have all of them now!)
• “touch” books that have different textures to feel on all the pages
• playing in water (ponds, fountains, ocean, sink, water works exhibit at CDM, koda’s water bowl… it doesn’t matter)
• collecting rocks at the percolation ponds (where we take koda to swim)
• playing my drums and xylophone (i’m still working on my aim with the drumsticks and mallots)
• helium balloons (i know i used to like them when i was younger, but now i looove making them bounce and dance along the ceiling!)
• “helping” mama and daddy — taking clean clothes out of the dryer, closing drawers and cabinets (after i’ve opened them), putting trash in the garbage can (after i’ve dumped it out)
• eating at the dining table with the family (so much better than eating by myself in my high chair.  after all, eating is supposed to be a social experience, right?)
• pumpkin pie!  (but how come i only get to eat a little bite when everyone else eats big giant pieces?)
• cereal (real grown-up cereal — no more baby puffs!)

things i don’t like:

• sharing mama with other babies (her arms are for holding ME and her lap is for ME to sit in!  i never want to have a little sister!!!)
• napping in my crib (i hate missing out on all the excitement going on just outside my door)

mama said that after you turn 1, you no longer get to make a big deal of your month birthdays.  fine.  but there are still so many changes every month, so i’m gonna tell you about ‘em.

things i like:

• throwing my toys outside of my playpen (mama and daddy just LOVE it when i do this)
• washing my hands (mama and daddy used to think that i liked playing with koda’s food and water, but really, i just like washing my hands… which i always get to do after playing with koda’s food and water!)
• my new parking lot (daddy made it for me so i would have a place to park all my cool rides — 2 strollers, cozy coupe, 2 ride on cars)
• sign language (just when mama was about to give up on me, i started signing back to her.  i blame her for not being consistent and daddy for not even trying at all.)
• banging (knocking) on neighbor’s doors
• barrel rolls (i learned this in gym class)
• decorating the bathroom by unrolling rolls of toilet paper and dragging them all around
• PB&J
• riding in my forward-facing car seat
• nature walks around the neighborhood
• cruising around in my cozy coupe
• “reading” to myself (i really am reading and turning the pages of the book.  it’s not my fault that nobody understands me)
• trying to figure out how our porch light knows to turn on when i’m standing there and turn off when i leave (it’s like magic!)

things i don’t like:

• socks and shoes (as soon as i am out of sight/reach mama and daddy hear the sound of my shoes being un-velcro’d.  a few seconds later, i hold up my socks and shoes and beam with pride )
• the torture table in my doctor’s office (this is where the nurse always sticks me with needles)

happy birthday to me

things i like:

• walking (finally!!!) and running around like a crazy man
• helping mama and daddy get me dressed and undressed by extending my arms into my shirt sleeves and raising my arms so they can pull my shirt off over my head
• turning off the light by myself (part of my bedtime routine)
• doing everything by myself (i like to brush my own teeth, hold my own cup when i’m drinking, and when mama helps me open the flaps on my lift-the-flap books, i swat her hand away so i can open the flap by myself.
• riding on mama’s shoulders
• “talking” into big containers to make my voice sound funny
• hanging from the uneven bars at gym class (my teacher is impressed by what a strong grip i have!)
• opening the cabinets and taking things out from where they belong
• using the tv remote (i’m really good at pausing and muting the tv)
• waving (i had to re-learn how to wave because everyone used to make fun of my “miss america wave”.  i now flap my entire forearm for a much manlier wave.)
• magic yogurt puffs (the new baby crack for fall 2010.  my old rice puffs were sooo last season.)

things i don’t like:

• playground swings
• staying still (which makes it really hard for mama and daddy to trim my nails, cut my hair, photograph me, etc.  so much for my modeling career!)