We celebrated by second birthday awhile back. It was a typical Tuesday. I woke up earlier than usual, went to music class, threw a few tantrums, and refused to nap. Aside from that, Kaitlyn and Mommy made sure to remind me that it was my special day. And when Daddy came home we had a small celebration.
We had ice cream cake! I love ice cream cake.
I also opened some presents.
Kaitlyn drew me these birthday cards because she knows I love Elmo.
We were going to have a bigger birthday party but Mommy just got too busy to plan one. It had also been raining a lot so we couldn't have used our backyard anyway. Hopefully I won't look back on this blog post one day and say "man, I really wish I had a party for my second birthday."
Just a few more weeks til I'm two! I've been a pretty happy kid lately, a bit stubborn and cranky when I don't get my way, but otherwise pretty predictable.
I spent most of the last month with a cold and runny nose that never seemed to stop. Darn day care! I also took my first visit to the ER for an unknown allergic reaction - I woke up from a nap with hives all over my body and my face swollen and red. Daddy rushed me to the ER where I was given Benadryl and then waited for a few hours while they monitored me. We still don't know what caused it but I'll be going to see the allergist soon.
Developments:
My vocabulary is expanding so quickly. I repeat everything I hear and usually only have to hear a word once and I'll remember what it refers to. Currently the most frequently-heard phrases include "Mommy carry you" (when I want Mommy to carry me, which is all the time); "my turn;" "me too;" and "funny!" (which I'll say whenever I find anything funny). I'm also pretty good at remembering to say "please" when I ask for something.
I've started to exert my independence a lot more and always insist on doing things myself, especially when it comes to getting in/out of the car, snapping the buckle on my seat belt, and climbing into my high chair. The tantrums have become a little less frequent, but when I do have one, it's usually over not getting to do something myself.
Interests:
Music class is still my favorite activity and I love singing and dancing along to songs and nursery rhymes. My favorite song is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes - I'm always trying to sing it during dinnertime, during bathtime, and in the car.
And of course I'm always into whatever Kaitlyn is into. Lately there has been lots more grabbing and crying whenever we're together, especially during bathtime - even though there are multiple cups and toys to play with, I must always have the particular one that is in her hands. Somehow I always feel entitled to whatever she has. If we're both drinking milk, I always want to drink out of the exact cup that she has. Talk about difficult!
And since I can't get enough of climbing, here's another video of me climbing in and out of my crib - a favorite pastime!
After our Tahoe trip I still had a few days left with no school, so Mommy and Daddy took me to the Exploratorium for the first time. It's a big science museum with lots of interactive exhibits and cool things to play with. Mommy remembers visiting the Exploratorium when she was a kid. Since then it's moved to a much bigger location with lots more exhibits, but almost all of the old exhibits that she remembered still remain. Colin was in day care that day and even though I love my little brother, it was nice to have a special day with just Mommy and Daddy.
This was a water fountain!
There was so much to see and do to the point that it was almost overwhelming. Probably better that Colin didn't go with us (sorry bro!). It was fun to explore and we all enjoyed doing something a little different. Back at school I drew a picture of what we did during our break:
"I went to Lake Tahoe and I went to a science museum."
Over winter break, we took our first family trip to Lake Tahoe. It was the first time seeing snow for Brady and Colin, and the first time in years for me (the last time I saw snow was in Colorado, which I barely remember). As soon as we got to our cabin, I couldn't wait to get outside.
We spent most of our time playing in the big backyard and also drove to a nearby sledding hill. It had been a really warm week, so although there was a lot of snow on the ground, most of it was hard packed and icy. I still had a blast sledding with Daddy and building my first snowman. Too bad Colin was a little sick and clingy so he didn't enjoy the snow as much as we had hoped.
He played for about five minutes like this and then had enough.
Made with Mommy's help. Not exactly a round snowman, but the snow was so icy it was hard to shape!
We had rented a dog-friendly cabin, but didn't realize how dog-friendly it was until we arrived. Even as we drove into the street, the neighborhood dogs followed our car and waited at the house to greet us. Later two of the dogs came to our backyard to visit, and we ended up playing with them for hours. They just wouldn't leave! It probably helped that we gave them treats and threw tennis balls for them to fetch. We had such a blast with them, it was probably the highlight of our trip. We hope Brady had as much fun as we did!
Colin really enjoyed playing fetch with the doggies. Here he is throwing the ball to Ella while telling Brady to leave them alone.
We all fell in love with Kita the husky.
Even after we all went inside she still didn't want to leave!
The day after we left Tahoe got two feet of fresh snow! Too bad we missed it, but Mommy and Daddy have talked about becoming "Tahoe people" and taking trips there more regularly in the future.
Here are the valentines that I made for my kindergarten classmates this year.
Mommy also found these cute Star Wars valentines for Colin's daycare buddies. Of course after I saw them I wanted them too, so I ended up making separate valentines for the boys and the girls. What boy doesn't like Star Wars?
I also made a special card for a certain boy in my class. I think he has a crush on me. When Mommy saw me write this I told her, "don't tell Daddy!"
Finally, in class we all made books about things we loved. I only got to the first page but this is what it looked like.
I have been in school for 100 days! This was a pretty big deal, and all the kindergarten classes had a big celebration. We all wore our vests decorated with one hundred items and marched in a parade around school. In class, we did lots of activities that involved counting to one hundred, including making a snack mix that consisted of one hundred pieces. What a milestone!
