Daycare bully

This morning at daycare, Vicram was upset. He's maybe five months older than me, and he has a little baby at home stealing all the attention. Since he was crying, I pushed him out of my way, sat on him, and played with the toy he'd been going for before his breakdown. Mommy and Daddy yelled at me for it, but my teachers just said, "How developmentally appropriate!" I'm turning into a bully at daycare, which I've already demonstrated with Tyler. So all you babies trying to start something, watch out!

What I say

There are several words and phrases I use on a regular basis:

• "Dadadadadada"* - this doesn't necessarily pertain to Daddy, but it's always amusing to have him answer me whenever I say this.
• "Babababababa"* - I don't use this to mean bottle or boob; it's more like a general commentary on the current state of things.
• "Mamamamamama"* - like "dadadadadada," I don't necessarily use this to refer to Mommy, despite what she might think.
• "Gah" - this is a universal, forceful "that" or "darn it," and my most common word. I use it to refer to the cats, books, toys, or, as was the case yesterday, a lack of anymore Locopops popsicles (I had Very Berry, and it was very yummy).

*Note: number of syllables varies depending on my attention span.

My new best friend

I love my kitties. They're so fun to chase and play with! I especially love when they do typical cat stuff, like bat at strings (or elastic, as is the case here). I spend a good portion of playtime everyday chasing Tybalt around; all I want to do is pet him, but he insists on running away from me! Fortunately Sappho will put up with me, in short bursts at least.

Mac'n'cheese

I love macaroni and cheese. A lot. I had it five times this week:

• dinner on Sunday - Mommy and Daddy also had it, with hotdogs
• dinner on Tuesday - leftovers from Sunday because I didn't like the barbeque sandwiches served for dinner
• dinner on Wednesday - leftovers from Sunday because Mommy and Daddy weren't hungry so they didn't make anything
• lunch on Friday - daycare served it, and I got mad because my teachers wouldn't give me seconds until I'd finished my green beans and bread
• dinner on Friday - my own special plate of it at Applebee's.

I also love Southern-style green beans (slow cooked with a chunk of ham or fatback) and mandarin oranges. And Locopops. I could eat those four things as a meal everyday and be a happy baby.

Like father, like son

Aunt Donna and Uncle Mark bought me this shirt, which says, "I love Mommy and Daddy, but my aunt and uncle are the best!" Doesn't it look spiffy with my new shoes (which I already broke in by spilling vegetable soup on them at daycare)? I look like a little boy instead of a baby! And I also look a LOT like Daddy when he was little.

Antisomnia

I have decided that I no longer need sleep. That means waking up at 5 a.m., not taking naps, and refusing to go to bed. Sounds fun, right?

For the last several months, I've woken up between 4 and 6 a.m. Mommy nurses me in her bed, and if I go back to sleep, I get to stay there until it's time to wake up for the day. If I become all rolly and punchy and yelly, I have to go back to my crib, where I fall used to fall back asleep. For the past week and a half, I've been crawling all over Mommy and Daddy, all the while taking short breaks to lie my head down because I'm still sleepy. But I can't go to sleep, because it's so fun to play! And if they try to put me back in my crib, I stand up and scream because I WANT TO PLAY!!! Then no one gets any sleep.

I've also given up naps at daycare. Who needs those? If the mean teachers make me take one in the morning, I scream, which makes the other kids scream too. So I win, and I don't take a nap until I pass out shortly before lunch. No afternoon naps for me either! On the weekends, I refuse to take naps, unless we're in the car, in which case I pass out almost immediately.

You'd think all this would leave me pretty tired and sleepy by bedtime, but you'd be only half right - I'm tired but definitely not sleepy. So, after dinner, bath, nursing, and a story, I'm still wide awake and ready to play some more! And if Mommy and Daddy try putting me in my crib, can you guess what happens? That's right - more standing and screaming!

A couple nights Mommy and Daddy loaded me in the car and we took a drive to make me fall asleep (Saturday night we made it all the way to Rougemont, which is about 15 miles north of us). Then Mommy and Daddy got all mean. Now they just leave me in my crib (morning and night) to throw tantrums. Stupid Ferber. I want to play!

First shoes

Because I now take tiny steps while holding onto furniture, and because the weather is becoming cooler, Mommy and Daddy decided I needed my first pair of shoes. I don't really like wearing them so far, especially since my feet were shoved into them despite my toes being curled up. However, everyone at daycare this morning thought they were pretty snazzy, including Baby Henry who kept leaning over to pet them.

And yes, for those of you wondering, I've inherited Daddy's big feet - I wear size 4W.

Aftermath of a playdate

We had another playdate at my house today. Owen, Jaekob, Dylan, and Louise came over. We crawled and rolled over each other and played with lots of loud toys. It was fun! Here's what was left after everyone went home. I think I have too much stuff.

Camera shy

I've been forcefully spouting my babytalk for awhile now, but Mommy and Daddy haven't been able to get it on video because whenever I see the camera, I clam up and smile cutely. Here are two videos taken last night during my bath - one pointed at the wall so I didn't know it was there, and one where I was aware that the camera was pointed at me in the tub. (I apologize for the bad sound - Mommy and Daddy apparently don't realize that our camera is meant to take pictures, not videos, and they should probably dig out the video camera if they want videos!)

You can do eeeeetttt!!!

I can't wait till I can walk; then Tony Little can help me get in shape to impress all the girls.

Beach!

We went to the beach this weekend. Mommy and Daddy weren't sure if we should, since Tropical Storm Gabrielle was supposed to hit Saturday night, but we went anyways. We went to Kure Beach, near Wilmington. It has a big pier, but we didn't go on it because it sways too much for Mommy, who has really bad motion-sickness problems.
Friday night wasn't too much fun. I had a fever all last week, and I was a major fussbutt. At dinner, I didn't want to eat - it was much more fun to watch the people, take food out of my mouth and throw it on the floor, and whine. Then when we got back to the hotel, I didn't want to sleep, even though I was really really tired. Mommy and Daddy were not happy about how this vacation had started.Saturday we got up early (because I don't sleep in on weekends!) and went to the aquarium. I watched the alligators, who watched me back. I pet the crabs and splashed in the water in the touch pool exhibit. We watched the big saltwater tanks and the jellyfish. I was pretty sleepy at this point, so I didn't really take much in.

Back at the hotel afterwards, Mommy and Daddy realized why I'd been so fussy - I had really bad diaper rash, plus I was covered with red spots (roseola again). After that I felt a lot better and was in a much better mood, which Mommy and Daddy were grateful for.

The food problem was solved next. I just wasn't given the right food!
Look what I had with lunch - yum! My cousin Chris liked lemons as a baby too, so I guess it's just more genetic weirdness.
After lunch we played on the beach, where I also had a quick snack.
Well, not so much a snack as a meal. I ate quite a few (6 or 7?) handfuls of sand. Yum! Daddy and I played in the waves while Mommy dozed on the beach. After dinner we went for a walk on the beach, where I realized that my parents are oddly fascinated with birds. Mommy and I chased the sandpipers, which made me really laugh! Daddy and I pretended to be sandpipers by running towards and away from the waves, until I fell asleep. Those big waves were really relaxing!

Science Museum again

I've decided that I don't need naps anymore. Here I am about two minutes after Mommy tried putting me down.
Today, after realizing how futile it would be to try to make me sleep, Mommy, Daddy, and I went to the Museum of Life and Sciences. I love this place! It was really nice weather, so we spent a lot of time looking at the outside exhibits.
I banged on the big drums.
I tried to catch the mist blowing in the breeze.I made friends with some big bugs.

When we went inside, Daddy and I played with the blocks. Daddy and I (well, mostly Daddy) made a tower, and then we (well, mostly me) of course destroyed it.
I also played with the beads that you push around on the wires. I love those! (And we also discovered that they have those at the library too!) We now have a membership to the museum, so hopefully I'll get to play there a lot! (Hint, hint, Mommy and Daddy!)

When it rains, it pours.

While sitting and eating our Locopops today (cookies 'n' cream for Daddy, strawberries 'n' cream for Mommy, and kiwi banana for me - yum!), Mommy noticed that I had another tooth coming in! It's just broken through my gums right next to the first one. Later during bathtime she tried to feel around in my mouth to find out if I had any top teeth coming in too, but before she could tell, I bit her finger! That's what teeth are for, right? She's always going on about "reciprocity this" and "reciprocity that," and if I can't stick my grimy little fingers in her mouth (or in her ears, or up her nose), she can't stick her fingers in my mouth! She'll just have to wait till I'm asleep to do all that routine maintenance stuff.