Anyway, I still like to eat, but I’ve started getting a little pickier. I don’t care for potatoes, unless they are of the french fry variety. But give me grape tomatoes (pronounced no-no's), and I will eat them till Mama says I’ve had enough (something about there being acid in tomatoes? I don’t know what she’s talking about. They’re good!). Sometimes I like tricking Mama and Daddy. I like something one day, but act like I can’t stand it the next. It’s fun to keep them on their toes. I need to remember to ask them to measure my height sometime soon (though please, PLEASE not at the doctor’s office) because lately, I’ve felt like I’ve been doing some growing. This growing stuff…it’s tiring work!

I can now count to twenty. Of course, I bypass fourteen through nineteen, but so far, everyone thinks I’m pretty smart despite the oversight of those numbers. Mommy keeps working with me, though, and one day I’ll remember to say those numbers. (by the way, I pretty much understand the concept of counting – I don’t just do it by rote!)

I’m obsessed with school buses. I call them rah-rah-rah’s (round-and-round). We sing that “Wheels on the Bus” song on the way to school in the mornings, and I love love love it! By the way, sometimes the mommies on the bus say “shhh”…sometimes they say “I love you”…and sometimes they say “No.” Just depends on my mood.

I love to yell. Randomly. And loudly. It drives Mama and Daddy nuts, but it’s just that I have figured out how to effectively use my voice to get attention. Oh, okay. So I’ll go as far as admitting that I just like the attention and yelling is a sure-fire way to secure that attention. I’ve added random loud yelling (and spitting water out of my mouth) to my “showing out for new people” routine. So if you come to my house, or if I meet you in public & warm up to you…be prepared for me to shout at you. Don’t be offended. It actually means that I like you!

I’ve also started using names to get what I want. Instead of just whining about something over and over, I’ve figured out that if I say “Mama” or “Daddy” – to get their attention – they actually hear me better! Then I can tell them that I want what I want…or I can show them something. Using someone’s name is a great way to get their attention. You should try it sometime! Mama keeps helping me use more than one word to express myself. If you ask me, it’s a lot easier to just say “drink.” But she always reminds me to say stuff like, “I want a drink, please.” With a little more encouragement and practice, I may decide that using more than one word is a good idea. (I’m already starting to put words together…and Mama and Daddy are so proud of me!)

I’ve recently decided to be obsessed with boo-boos. You know, I had surgery & had a boo-boo. My Grandmom had surgery & had a boo-boo. And, well, just being a boy causes other random boo-boos. If I have a boo-boo, I’m going to go around the room and let everyone kiss it. Including you. So just go ahead and kiss it. It’ll make me feel better!

I’ve also started biting my finger…because if I don’t have a boo-boo, why not just create one? (it doesn’t really hurt, but I pretend it does!) For some reason, when I do this, Mama just tells me that I am okay. She says that if I bite myself, then that’s not grounds for getting a mommy kiss. What is up with that?

I’ve also figured out that other people can get boo-boos too. I was really worried about my Grandmom this past weekend, because everyone kept telling me that she had a boo-boo and that I should be careful around her. If you don’t have a boo-boo, I’ve figured out that if I throw a ball at your leg, then you very well could have a boo-boo that needs kissing. Mama and Daddy both say that it’s not nice to try to create a boo-boo on somebody, so I’m thinking about not doing that anymore. But I hear talk about my empathy development…and I guess that’s a good thing.

Mama and Daddy have also been talking about choices lately. They give me choices…and it’s cool to have a say in what I do! The problem is when I make a choice that is not so good. Like this past weekend, Grandmom ordered barbecue for us to eat (so she wouldn’t have to cook). All the grownups thought that everything on the food table was out of my reach…but it wasn’t. I reaaaaaallly wanted to see what was in those cups sitting on the table. I guess Mama and Daddy thought that redirecting me away from those cups (with the spoons in them!!) would be enough to keep me away. But the moment they had their backs turned, I ran to the table and grabbed one of the spoons from the little cups (I’m pretty fast, you know). I decided to taste the liquid that was on the spoon, and as it turns out…I had a mouthful of bbq hotsauce (as in, not the mild variety) before I knew it! Mama happened to turn around right at that moment, and she ran over to me, saying something about a choice that was not-the-best. So I guess I learned a lesson about choices…and they learned a lesson to push things way back on the table. I am getting taller, afterall!

Well…I guess that’s all I have time to write for now. Mama says that Easter pictures will be coming soon, and for you to be patient (she only took about 200 pictures, so I guess sorting through them takes a few minutes). By the way, I found that Easter was a lot of fun – hunting for eggs is the BEST!! (and I’m pretty good at it, too!)

Until later,

Iliya