Activity Review: Pulling My Cat's Tail

Oh this guy...

 

Those of you who follow my blog are well aware of how much I love the cats that I live with.  Here's a little background on these fantastic roommates of mine...:  There are two of them.  One is white and one is orange and white.  They make a sound like this: "meeeowwww" (sometimes Mamamamama imitates the sound for me and her impersonation is spot on and quite enjoyable).  The cats are very funny (examples of hilarious things they do include sitting, walking, and walking then sitting).  While the white one (let's call him "Cat") is remarkably good at avoiding me at all costs, the orange and white one (let's call him "Other Cat") loves to snuggle with me and the feeling is super mutual. 

Sometimes I can get Other Cat to make a sound like this: "Raaaaooooorrrrawwww".  I've determined that this sound can be elicited through a healthy tail pull and that it means "High Fives!" because it is most often accompanied by Other Cat smacking me with his hand.  Other Cat has terrible aim, but I think if I keep up the tail pulls we can eventually improve his accuracy and get some stellar hand-to-hand high fives going.

Whenever I pull Other Cat's tail Mamamamama and/or Dadada usually look concerned and say things like "the cat doesn't like that".  Oh really?!  Well, as the British say, "Blocks!!" (did I pronounce that right?).  Other Cat and I are best buddies and I'm pretty sure my best buddy would let me know if he didn't like having his tail pulled!

Bottom Line: WHEEE!!!  You could try to tell me cats don't like having their tails pulled, but I think you'd be pulling my leg (which I would not enjoy).

Toy Review: Fake Cellphone



Oh hey guys, eavesdrop much?!

Like most Mamamamamas and Dadadas, Mamamamama and Dadada have smartphones.  They use those smartphones to take pictures of me, play music for me, have video calls with Grandma and Peepa, and CRUELLY TAUNT ME WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF UNHINDERED SCREEN SWIPING.

Every time I get close to one of their smartphones, they move it away from me.  The few times I've gotten my hands on one, and begun the glorious practice of screen swiping and icon pressing, it has been quickly whisked away and replaced with the toy pictured above.

Are you kidding me with this doodoo?!  Here's what's wrong with my "cellphone":

1. The screen is tiny and has no colour.  Also, it cannot be swiped and has no icons to press.
2. It is constantly on speakerphone mode.  Call me cautious but I don't want my private conversations broadcast willy nilly around the house.  If I want to tell the unknown voice on the other end of the line about what Slobber Bear (my favourite snuggly stuffed teddy) said about Mona the Monkey (handmade for me by my wonderful Auntie M), I certainly don't want Henrietta Hippo (another Auntie M special) to overhear.  She's sweet, but can NOT keep a secret.
3. This thing rings constantly.  There is no silent or vibrate mode.  I can't bring it anywhere.  Imagine how embarrassed I'd be if a call came through during my Rainbow Songs baby music class?!  So disruptive!
4. It's NOT A REAL PHONE.  What am I?  A newborn?!  I can tell the difference between an awesome real smartphone and a fake toy cellphone.  No matter how lovely the music it plays is or how inviting the friendly voices are, can I accidentally call one of Mamamamama's clients on it, or somehow, inexplicably, figure out how to access the App Store and randomly download an "identify this bird" App?  No.  No I can not. 

Bottom Line:  WAAAH!!!  Nice try Mamamamama and Dadada.  Nice try.

Activity Review: Pulling Everything Off of Every Shelf, Ever.

Notice I am not reaching for The Gruffalo.

Now that I've mastered crawling and pulling myself up to kneeling and standing positions, the world has become 200% bigger and better.  True story.  The best thing about a bigger and better world is that it comes with shelves (and drawers), and those shelves (and drawers) come with books, pots and pans, stuffed animals, blankets, and shoes, to name just a few.

Along with a multitude of items, I've discovered some really great facts.  Did you know:

1. Not all books come with hard thick pages?  Some come with easy-to-tear paper.  Fantastic fun.
2. Pots and pans can be banged together, AND banged against any other thing within reach, including floors and walls?!  Delightful.
3. Stuffed animals are generally light enough to throw halfway across a room? Done and done.
4. Blankets can be strewn completely around oneself such that one can become trapped in a virtual blanket prison?  Infuriating - but test it out - repeatedly, often, and unrelentingly.
5. Shoes can fit under furniture so that Mamamamama and Dadada can only find 1 when they next look for a pair in the shoe drawer?  Serious entertainment.

If you are reading this, you've probably been pulling things off of shelves for years, so I'm sure you'll agree with me that there's basically nothing better (other than waving, high fiving and stacking).

Bottom line:  WHEEE!!!  Shelving boredom since June 2014.

Food Review: Mango

I can't even...

Dear Mango,

Marry me you old so and so.  Prunes are dead to me.

Yours with undying love,
Ducky

Bottom line:  WHEEE!!!  Dum dum dumdum, dum dum dumdum...

Destination Review: Vancouver

A mountain making sure the sky doesn't go too far.

Five months ago Mamamamama and Dadada took me to a place called "Florida".  "Florida" was amazing.  It was warm, Grandma and Peepa were there (I just love those two!), and I had a bed, food and lots of attention.  Pretty much all the comforts of home, minus the freezing cold weather.  A++. 

Well just this past week Mamamamama and I left Dadada at home (the bad part) and went to Vancouver to visit Grandpa (the good part).

Vancouver is great!  I had a bed, food and lots of attention.  Plus there were mountains (for those of you unfamiliar with mountains, they are big shadowy things that connect the ground to the sky), and an ocean (best described as a large pool I was not allowed to splash in - though inexplicably a bunch of birds WERE allowed to splash in it - I'm still a little miffed about the injustice of that situation, but I digress...).  We went for lots of walks, met lots of people, snuggled with Grandpa and threw food all over his kitchen floor! 

The biggest drawback to Vancouver was the endless trip there and back.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy waving at every possible person just as much as the next baby, and Mamamamama is a delight to cuddle with - but an estimated 17 hours straight of nothing but waving and cuddling in an "airplane" is enough to drive any baby to fuss and/or nap. 

I wish we could go to Vancouver every week, but would prefer if it relocated to the Park down the street from our house.  That would be much more convenient.

Bottom line:  WHEEE!!!  The next best thing to throwing food all over my own kitchen floor.

Activity Review: Bubble Time

Aren't they beautiful?!

I'm about to share an experience with you, dear reader, that can only be described as magical.  When you are finished reading this entry, you must immediately go to your nearest bubble store to buy bubble water, and then head to your front porch to blow as many bubbles as you possibly can.

Now that it is no longer colder than a refrigerated jar of purée outside, Mamamamama and I have made it part of our routine to sit out on the front porch in the late afternoon.  We read some books, play with some toys, try to put leaves into our mouths when the other person isn't looking (no?  just me?), and watch with awe as bubbles float around us, courtesy of Mamamamama and a bottle of bubble water.

Bubbles are quite possibly the most beautiful and frustrating things on earth.  Beautiful because they fly and are full of swirly rainbows and are the most perfect circles.  Frustrating because they either fly too high to grab, or they vanish as soon as they feel threatened (which is basically ALWAYS, much like our cats).  Sometimes Mamamamama will catch one on her magic bubble wand and bring it to me, but bubbles submit to no one, not even Mamamamama, and they disappear the second I reach out to grab them.  The element of surprise is no match for a bubble's magic. 

Bubble Time is truly one of my favourite times of day.  Especially because a few days ago I made Mamamamama so proud she cried a little when I repeated her question "more bubbles?!" back to her (granted it sounded more like "ma baba", but I'm new to this whole "words" scene).  Now I let her know whenever I'm ready for more bubbles by telling her "ma baba" while clapping my hands.

I'm gonna have to look into this talking thing a little more closely, because it seems like a highly effective way to let Mamamamama and Dadada know exactly what I want...

Bottom line:  WHEEE!!!  Ma baba!!!!  Ma baba!!!!

Book Review: The Gruffalo

Writer's interpretation of the Gruffalo monster.  Not to scale.

If Mamamamama or Dadada tries to read me the Gruffalo one more time I'm going to sickup.  Who has the patience to get through this book?!  The word-to-picture ratio is 5 thousand million to 1.  If I want to have the Gruffalo read to me I will grow up, get accepted to Oxford and major in English Literature (with a minor in Clapping to Music).  I mean seriously - I happen to know that Dadada has read War and Peace (#proudbaby) and from the sounds of it, it is about 1/10th the length of the Gruffalo.  Yes, I've cited a hashtag, a ratio, a fraction and at least one made up number in this post.  What of it?!

For those of you with a couple of years to kill, here's what you're getting yourselves into: Mouse is stalked by several ravenous animals.  Mouse scares ravenous animals into retreat with tales of scary Gruffalo monster.  Baby gets distracted by paint drying and/or falls asleep.  Story continues for hours.  Baby gets fussy.  Story continues for several more hours.  Baby loses mind and pushes book away forcefully whilst trying to escape from Mamamamama's lap.  Story continues on ad nauseum.  Baby grows up, gets married, has children, enjoys a rewarding career while maintaining a fulfilling work life balance, returns to childhood home and finds Mamamamama is only halfway through reading the Gruffalo.

Bottom line: WAAAH!!  Longest.  Book.  Ever.