Bed manners

Dear Casey,

I can't say I blame you for leaving your room at 2AM. Clearly, you had enough of Sydney's crying and said, "F$^^& this, I'm going to Mom and Dad's room to sleep".
I absolutely LOVE the fact I got to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was your face, your big brown eyes and your smile. I love the fact that I got to snuggle you, and give you a head massage so you would fall asleep.
However, I would be neglecting my fatherly duties if I didnt take this opportunity to give you some advice. Trust me, this stuff will come in handy in the future, when you share beds with other people besides your mom and dad. (Read: girls)
People don't like to get kicked in the ribs while in bed. Lay straight, with your head toward the top of the bed, and your feet towards the bottom.. diagonal across the whole bed is not an option. Save some room for your co-inhabitants. I can't figure out how little ol you had control of such a large area of the bed, and big ol me was confined to a little sliver of bed, right next to the edge. We'll work on this... I assume (err HOPE) we'll have time and opportunity to practice a lot before you go off and start bed-hopping with "others"

Parrot

Parrots are famous for being able to mimic human speech. Toddlers aren't far behind. Casey has reached that age where he will repeat stuff he hears. No, he's not dropping f-bombs and cursing like a sailor. Amazingly, the four letter words do not flow out of my mouth when Casey and Sydney are around! But recently, Casey has repeatedly blurted out two phrases over and over again...

1.) "You're driving me bananas!!" -- That one is all Mommy.

And the past couple days, when I come downstairs in the morning, Casey points back upstairs and says,

2.) "Go back to bed!" -- He must have gotten this one from us, when we greet him during his 6am wakeup call visits.

Nai Nai's Special Books

Casey and Sydney have the greatest Nai Nai in the world. You see, she makes special books just for her grand kids. They focus on favorite topics, like trucks and animals. Recently, Casey got to experience the world famous San Diego Zoo, (Big Zoo) and the Wild Animal Park. Subsequently, Casey got a surprise in the mail.. His very own picture book, based on his visits to the zoo and animal park!

Casey opening his surprise.. Check out Sydney's expression!


Casey reading his special animal book!

Morning Wake up call

Last weekend, we converted Casey's crib to a toddler bed. Before that day, I didn't know what that entailed. It's exactly like taking the bars off a jail cell. He is now free to come and go as he pleases. Well, today, at 6 AM, what pleased him was to come into my room and say, (and not quietly) "Daddy, wake up!". He followed with, "You want go downstairs". Notice the lack of a question mark. That's cause it was phrased as a command, not a question. I came back with, "No, Daddy wants to sleep, NOT go downstairs."

Casey reiterated, "Daddy want go downstairs, watch TV"... Hoping to salvage something out of the exchange, I said, "OK. Go downstairs and watch Sportscenter."

He didn't fall for it. He said, "No, My turn. Go downstairs, watch Sesame Street."

Long story short, we both went downstairs, we both watched Sesame Street.

Casey checking out his new bed.


JAILBREAK!!!


Sydney... Wondering, "Why can't I bust out like that?"

Boogers!

I know what you are thinking.. Why am I writing about boogers now? After all, Casey has had boogers essentially since he was born. I've previously written about the clear, runny stuff which leaks into his mouth; about the stringie green ones which can hang and dangle; about the solid green ones which he can pick and flick...

Well, now he can blow his nose! We can get a tissue, hold it to his nose, and tell him to blow. Tonight, after his shower, he had some stringie green ones protruding from his nostrils. I got a tissue, held it to his nose, and told him to blow. Some came out, but as I wiped, the stringies just expanded and stretched. So, I grabbed another tissue, and had him blow again.. One wipe later, his nose was all clear!

Expressions

I know its a little overdue, but back in Sept., Sydney began his modelling career. Following in his big brothers footsteps, he modeled Cutie Baby Cloth diapers. In no particular order, check out his many expressions...

My 1st Halloween

I got to experience my first Halloween. My parents dressed me up as a monkey. My big bro was an elephant. Honestly, I didn't get much out of it... I was stuck in my stroller all night long; we followed Casey has he went from house to house carrying a giant pumpkin. It was cool though, I spend the whole time just checking everything out, and soaking it all in.. I think I got it... Come next year, I'm going to go door to door and get hooked up with some treats!

My costume...


Chillin' in my stroller...



I think my bro realized I was starting to lose interest. He was trying to pull me along...


And he tried the sweet approach.. He gave me kisses...