On a good night:

• Kai will wake up somewhere between 10:30pm and 1:30am and request Mommy (Mrs Bean).  Refusing this request will result in a back-arching semi-conscious tantrum so I usually just pick her up and bring her to Mrs Bean.
• Kai will toss and turn a bit, ask for Mrs Bean’s arm for support, and drink water a couple times before getting up for the day around 6am.

On not-so-good nights:

• there will be middle-of-the-night conversations about how she wants milk right now, ok fine water
• she will roll and thrash around, elbow Mrs Bean, steal the covers

On bad nights:

• she’ll wake and cry and cry
• she’ll wake, upset, multiple times a night
• oh, there’s more…but I’d have to ask Mrs Bean what else happens.

I fantasize about the day when she’ll be able to wake up and do her own thing – read a book, play with toys.  In the meanwhile we’re just trying to cope.  I haven’t written about our woes much because in real life people always have suggestions – cry it out, talk to her, this method that method.  We’ve tried them all.

We’ve been to the traditional Chinese medicine doctor (tui na and herbs), the chiropractor, the cranio-sacral therapist and the western doctor.  He suggested Unisom – this worked but we’d only use that in emergencies…and it means that she wakes up very well rested and ready to go go go at 5am.  The next step was prescription drugs which we decided not to do.

We’ve tried more physical activity, more food, bath before bed, no nap in the afternoon.  Our latest attempt to work on her sleep has been with homeopathic remedies and it seems to be having an effect.  We did a number of rounds with one remedy and are now on our second remedy. It’s supposed to take a week or more to take effect so we’re waiting and watching…please work!!!  Please!

Update/clarification
Mrs Bean tells me she NEVER sleeps until 6am.  I sleep until 6.  Kai sometimes goes back to sleep after a bit of milk in the morning.

Kai: I have baby in belly
Me: Really?
Kai: Yeah, see?  (lifts her shirt)
Me: Oh, I see.
Kai: No. Kai no have baby in belly.  Only mommy have baby in belly.  And mama.
Me: Well, just mommy.  Not mama.

"I want to try!": Helping Mommy make more cloth wipes

Kai does not seem to have a good relationship with any of her potties these days.

Yarn bombed yoga balls - woohoo!

First menorah! (the wood one)

Enjoying Chinese food with the Jews and heathens on Xmas Eve

Yes. Coming early July!

CAKE!

Ever since her birthday party, she has been very interested in cake.  She didnt’ really know about cake before but now recognizes cakes and will ask for not-one piece (aka many pieces).  Our amazing next door neighbor made her cake bright yellow at Kai’s request – see the picture?  It was very very yellow.

Tea!

We got Kai a Strider pre-bike (like a bike but without pedals) for her birthday.  She’s not really into riding it just yet, she’s been riding her tricycle and practicing her steering but she’ll probably get into it soon.  We got the Strider since it’s the lightest one – a good thing, too since we’ll head out on her bike and then she’ll make me carry it home.

Kai is also really into tea parties these days.  She’ll set out cups or cup-like objects for everybody (people, dolls, stuffed animals) and serve them tea. Very cute, except sometimes she doesn’t want the party to end.

Look at me!

Look how much she’s grown – just a bit taller than the local scarecrows!  :)

Where did this come from?  We were at the zoo and she saw a baby panda learning to climb.  It fell down – ka-boom! – and the rest is history…

Look at me!
Kai will ask me to do something, and if I do it “wrong”, she’ll say “Mama.  Look at me” with a stern look on her face and proceed to show me how it’s done.

She’ll also ask everybody to look at her when she’s climbing, wearing something funny, holding an interesting object, etc.

I dunno
Her default answer used to be No.  Now it seems to be “I dunno”.  Hmm.

A B C L M N O P R S Now I know my ABC na neh neh neh neh
Her version of the alphabet song these days.

Monkey and Me. There's a tail on the other side (of both of them).

Mrs Bean and I were…just us.

The bean had lots of fun at the halloween parade in our neighborhood, although she was initially overwhelmed by all the people and how strange they looked.  She was also curious as to why the kids would run up to peoples doors (“I want in”) but we told her they were going up to say hi.  Next year we may let her collect treats, for now she gets to watch.

If I remember, I’ll have to post a butt shot so you can see their tails.  (Take that, internet search!  Let see what search queries show up…)

Now that we’re home, she’ll look for yellow in her books and on her toys.  I’m fascinated by this love for yellow and wonder what else she’ll be loving soon.

• I want <insert desire> – she’ll go through a list of items if she’s indecisive or standing in front of the fridge.
• <insert desire> now - if she asks for something and we say later, she asks again and adds a very emphatic “NOW” to the end.
•  Silly mama – Mrs Bean calls me a silly mama often enough that Kai will say it when I’m doing something silly, like attempting to juggle.

She’ll tell us stories abou things that happened earlier and act things out.  She usually likes being at the site of the incident – like when she stepped into a deep puddle and became very upset because her socks were soaked.  Or when she bumped into the table, or rolled off a stool.  Sometimes it seems like she’s making up stories because we don’t know where the story came from – perhaps she is, perhaps she isn’t!  Our girl has a very active mind.

She also understands context very well – Mrs Bean asked me last night if Kai had played with her stacking rings recently and whether she should put them away.  Kai went over, picked up the stacking rings, and then proceeded to play with them – thwarting Mrs Bean’s goal of tidying up the house.

This morning, she said “I want potty. Poop poop.”  Great!  I got her to the potty just in time.  Unfortunately, it was 5:30am and she was awake for the day at that point.

We often go to the farmers’ market.  There’s a Saturday morning one that busy – that’s where the tacos, kolaches, tamales and popsicles are.  And the sampling station, as well as the kids’ food activity booth.  Kai likes going because it means eating and browsing (yes, there is produce there too) and playing with other kids.  We sometimes go to the Sunday one which is tiny, but has other interesting activities like an art room for kids and a warehouse-sized gallery next to the market that often has quirky things set up.

Sunday farmers' market: craft table made of giant spool

Sunday market: Drawing on the blackboard-wall

Saturday market: Yum. Okra.

Saturday market: hibiscus mint popsicle!

There is usually something happening near the farmers market.  This past weekend there was a dog house design competition. Kai wanted to get into a bunch of them but I didn’t let her.

Check out the rainwater collection system

Urban farm near our house.  We often visit the chickens there, and smell the mint and basil.  The pecans have started falling and Kai likes trying to open them with her little fingers.

Netting is fun when you're not tangled in it

Kai is really into books these days.  Computers, on the other hand, are a little foreign sometimes.

hallo?

Now that it’s cooled down (aka, it’s less than 95 degrees during the day) Kai has started painting outside. She will often multitask and eat a popsicle while painting stopping only to request more paper, more paint, more mommy or more mama.

hey!

Someday soon Kai will have interesting days outside the country – we finally applied for a passport!

Passports are Serious

Kai: Why mama work?
Me: To make money so we can live and eat (etc. etc.)
Kai: I have money
Me: Oh, you do?
Kai: Yeah.  Home.

[pause]

Kai: In piggy.

haha!  :)