The Adventures of Clover!: August 2007

Friday, August 31, 2007

Sick Puppy

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Mommy and I were all set to go out and buy Basil some dog cookies when we suddenly noticed that he didn't seem to be feeling too well. In fact, he didn't want to move at all - he just laid around, and wasn't interested in eating, going outside, or anything.

Later in the day, we noticed that he seemed to be moping around with his head lowered. When Mommy tried to lift his head, he whimpered a little. So... maybe he's got a piece of bone stuck in his neck, or he's really strained his head and neck muscles. Anyway, throughout the day he perked up a little bit, but... he's still pretty down and out.

Hopefully he feels better tomorrow. I keep offering to take him to the doctor and trying to give him hugs., but... Mommy's concerned that I'm bothering him. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that he has a nice, pleasant rest.

Listening to: Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Drugstore Gossip

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning Mommy took me to the drug store to do some quick shopping, where I kept grabbing stuff off of the racks and gossiping (quite loudly, actually) about the other customers in line with us. Just for good measure, I threw in a huge tantrum and made a big scene while we were on our way out. Mommy wasn't fallin' for it, though.

We came home, had lunch, and both of us hopped in my little inflatable pool outside... it was insanely hot out today, after all. I made something of a fuss when it came time to have a nap, but the random "I love you"s I threw Mommy's way throughout the day made up for it all.

Man oh man, did I eat a lot of soup at dinner today.

Listening to: They Might Be Giants - The Else

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Nanticoke

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I wanted to have another picnic with Daddy and Leslie today... instead, the wall-inspector guy came over to inspect our apartment for weather and/or rodent-induced structural damage. I decided not to come out and visit him, and preferred to stay hidden in my room.

Mommy took me for a nice walk in the afternoon, and in the evening, after Daddy came home from work (really grumpy), I re-named my 'Cinnamon Bunny' toy 'Nanticoke' (I heard a guy on TV say it), which moved Daddy to drive us out for some ice cream. Yay, ice cream! Yay Nantocke!

Listening to: Cake - B-Sides And Rarities

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Cwover Wong

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I guess part of being two years old is having to figure out moods, temperament, appropriate emotional responses, and my parents' tolerance limits. I woke up really early this morning and demanded that Mommy snooze with me - she did, and we both slept in. I had a relatively normal day, until I refused to go down for a nap. Instead, I fussed, screamed, yelled, and ...chatted.

The afternoon was nice, once Mommy gave up on the whole napping schtick. I helped her make a pizza for dinner, and when it was time for bed, once again I broke out the crazed tantrums. I worked myself up to a fever pitch, wore myself out, and fell asleep after a nice book. All in a day's work for "Cwover Wong."

Monday, August 27, 2007

Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam*

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning I did a lot of playing out on the front lawn with Mommy and Daddy. I taught them how to fly by flapping their arms, and they taught me how to do push-ups. I hung out with Gammy and Grandpa while my folks did some grocery shopping, had a quick brunch, and then drove off for a hike in the woods.

Daddy's appetite got the better of him, and when I woke up in the car it was full of junk food. I happily partook before we reached our destination and went for a fantastic walk along a particularly wonderful section of the Bruce trail. Daddy and I pretended we were off to see a bear - once we got to his imaginary cave, though, we pretended that he was sleeping, and we turned back. On the way, I learned about screaming "Echo!" into a big, hollow, dead forest. Fun!

*I really pleased my parents when I spontaneously started to recite a Monty Python sketch I heard on the radio.

Listening to: Monty Python - Another Monty Python Record

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Macintosh / PC connection via IP over FireWire

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Mommy and I had it all planned out... we were gonna go to the park to meet a bunch of of our Mommy-and-kid friends. Unfortunately, it was pouring with rain, so... no go on that. Daddy wasn't as unhappy, because it meant he didn't have to drive us, and got to sleep in a bit.

After lunch, Daddy took Mommy and I out for some errands - we picked up a cable for his new computer, sold off some of our old / outdated DVDs, CDs, and video games, went to the bookstore, and then went for a nice, long afternoon (off-road-ish) drive in the pouring rain.

When we got home, Daddy and Grandpa started the process of moving files from the old computer to the new one - so the living room is a death-trap of cables, wires, and machinery. I really really really fought going to sleep.

Listening to: Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight

Saturday, August 25, 2007

No Baby Goats!

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Better weather today - in fact, it was downright boiling outdoors. So much so that Mommy actually joined me in my blow-up pool outside! We had a nice time paddling around... at one point I felt moved to take my diaper off whilst playing in the pool. Mommy was gonna freak out, but then figured "...ah, whatever."

I talked to Papa on the phone (Mommy bought us tickets to go visit him in several months), and when he told me he had a baby goat waiting for me, I told him in no uncertain terms that I did NOT want a baby goat.

Daddy came home from work with a gigantic new computer in tow... seems as though his birthday has come early. He's a happy camper! I'm surprised we were able to pull him away from it to buy us all (including Gammy and Grandpa) dinner and take us grocery shopping.

Listening to: Monty Python's Flying Circus - Monty Python's Previous Record

Friday, August 24, 2007

Mommy Built a House

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Mommy and I played with some of my word puzzles today, made some cookies, pancakes, and had a really short nap together. After sleeping for about thirty minutes, I woke up and proceeded to scream "CLOVER NEEDS A DRINK!" at my sleeping mother until she couldn't ignore me. I was pretty chipper for having had such a short nap; Mommy, on the other hand, felt as if she had been dragged along a gravel road for that half hour. Must've been the house she built yesterday.

After Daddy came home from work and we had dinner (which I didn't like much), he went for an emergency coffee run, which turned into a lovely walk in the beaches. I got extremely excited to go to 'Starbucks' which I can ask for by name, and which I can recognize on sight. Yikes.

Listening to: Imperial Teen - The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Happy Birthday Cake

[As transcribed by Daddy]

So... I'm hanging out with Mommy and Gammy and stuff today, and they're all teaching me to say my full name... anyway, Gammy asks me what her name is, and so I say "Old Lady", and everyone kinda freaks out in laughter and shock.

Prior to going out for dinner tonight, while I was helping Mommy with her sewing, I spontaneously decided to bake her a birthday cake. My recipe:

Clover's Happy Birthday Cake for Mommies:

1 Plastic Gumball Machine
2 Felt fragments (yellow and brown)
1 foot of ribbon (red)

Place Felt fragments on gumball machine. Garnish with ribbon for decoration. Serves 3.

Listening to: Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Beautiful Boogers

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Another oddly cloudy and chilly day today. Mommy and I did a little bit of shopping today, and when we got home, some weird stomach ailment seemed to really hit Mommy. While she wasn't feeling well, I kinda entertained myself with my toys or by watching television.

Gammy finally rented that Penguin DVD I keep grabbing at every time I'm in a place that sells DVDs. I was pretty happy to watch it, and made sure I brought my penguin toy to watch with me.

Daddy came home from work, played with me outside for quite a while, and then took Mommy and I out for a trip to buy some toner. How exciting! I made sure to pick my nose and show everyone in the store my 'beautiful boogers.'

Listening to: The New Pornographers - Challengers

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Shoppers With Leslie*

[As transcribed by Daddy]

It was oddly chilly for a mid-August day today, so Mommy and I figured it'd be a perfect weekday to hit the zoo, right? Well, we got all the way out there, and apparently eight trillion other people thought the same. There were so many people we couldn't see most of my favourite animals, and we got tuckered out pretty quickly. Still... I was happy to ride the bus. Love the bus!

Daddy came home from work and asked me what I did today - I told him I went to *"Shoppers with Leslie" for some reason. Whatever. After a lovely thanksgiving (I told you it was oddly autumnal), Daddy and Gammy took me out for ice cream. Finally, I had something of an early night, due to my not having much of a nap today.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Cheese Sandwiches in the Sky

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Mommy and I were able to convince Daddy to take a break from his animation work in order to take the bunch of us out for a hike. First off, we went to a store to buy some new shoes for Mommy. We headed out past Glen Williams and found a nice little trailhead out on the side of the highway.

The hike was nice - the mosquitoes ate us alive and I spent most of the trip up on Daddy's shoulders, yanking on his earrings, but all in all we felt good to get in a decent wilderness walk. I had fun throwing crab-apples and figuring out what the clouds looked like ('cheese sandwiches'). We had great weather!

We headed home to discover the Mini actually parked in the garage. How did that happen?!

Listening to: Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Fun with GG

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning, as usual for a Saturday, Daddy drove Mommy and I to the butcher's, where we picked up a few groceries. We quickly headed home, had some lunch, and then boarded the car for the long traffic-ridden drive to Guelph to visit GG. I finally fell asleep in the car about fifteen minutes before we arrived.

I was really happy and excited to visit with GG, but I was so full of beans - I think I kinda wore her out a bit. I got to run around her apartment, play on the balcony, play the piano, and play with a pair of binoculars and a magnifying glass that I found. I made a mess of my dinner, but managed to have fun.

Thankfully for everyone, I fell asleep in the car on the lovely drive home, and went to bed really quickly once I entered the close vicinity of my crib.

Listening to: Silverchair - Young Modern

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Starlight, Starbright

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Today Daddy noticed that as he walks around the apartment, everywhere he goes there are stuffed animals lying face-up in little makeshift beds with blankets / facecloths / clothes up to their necks. Apparently, I've taken to putting all my toys 'to bed.' Odd, but adorable.

It's pretty windy outside - Mommy and I took a nice walk to the drug store and managed not to get blown away. Gammy taught me how to dance the twist, and then later on in the afternoon, Mommy gave me cute pink toenails.

After dinner, Daddy took Mommy and I grocery shopping and out for a coffee. When we got back (way past my bedtime) I saw a starry sky and almost perfectly spontaneously recited the 'Starlight, Starbright' poem. So sweet!

Listening to: Spoon - Get Nice!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Good-night, Hubert

[As transcribed by Daddy]

The sound of raccoons fighting outside kept Basil up - which in turn kept my parents up most of last night. Shortly afterwards, I would wake up at about six in the morning, join my parents in bed, and be about as quiet and restful as a 747 engine. Let's just say that they were both pretty out of it all day long.

I did a lot of playing outside today - as soon as I went down for my nap (which, just to keep the practical joke going, I cut ridiculously short) Mommy somehow managed to clean up the whole apartment. I was really impressed!

Daddy came home from work, went out and got a pizza, and then brought his friends Hubert and Renee over to record some audio for his cartoon. I made sure I was extra-sweet, and impressed the heck out of everyone with my unfiltered cuteness, excellent behaviour, an unprovoked "Good-night, Hubert", and the speed with which I went to sleep.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The Ladies

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Well - what does everyone think of the new blog design?

Mommy re-filled my backyard pool this morning, and I frolicked in it amongst the sound of jackhammering and construction nearby. While watching a tv show at lunch, I saw a character ride a bike. Immediately, I grabbed my helmet and tricycle and headed outside with Mommy.

Once I got to the front yard, I met up with a whole gaggle of the neighbourhood kids. I chatted with them for a while (mistakenly telling them that I'm "two months old") and called them all 'ladies.' They're pretty cool, and hanging out with them made up for the frustration I felt in not being able to pedal my trike properly. I later asked Mommy if we could throw a birthday party for 'the ladies.'

After Daddy came home from work, he took Mommy and I out to the mall, where I made sure he didn't buy any toys. We also prepared to take some food to GG's... I reccomended "Oranges and Redses."

Listening to: Mae - Singularity

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Fixing Myself Lunch

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Daddy's workin' on the new blog design - it's coming soon!

Mommy did some laundry and cleaned the kitchen this morning while I stood by and waited for lunch. Eventually I got fed up with waiting, went into the refrigerator and pulled an enormous chicken carcass out and took it to the living room to eat for dinner. All on my own. I'm Basil's hero.

After my nap, I spent the most of the afternoon playing outside - paddling around in my new inflatable pool, playing in my sandbox, and closely observing insects and fauna. When Daddy came home, I asked him to give me a bath and then take me out for marshmallows, coconut, and hot cocoa. I said please, so... he indulged me!

Listening to: Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Playing Dice

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Since raccoons shredded my previous kiddie pool, Mommy blew out a lung trying to inflate a larger, more formidable one. I love the fish and octopus drawings on it, but didn't really wanna get inside it.

The only way Mommy could get me to have a nap was to join me. We both accidentally slept for over three hours - when we woke up, Daddy was just getting home from work, and it was dinner time! While Mommy assembled the iron Hibachi Gammy and Grandpa gave my folks for their anniversary, Daddy and I played outside (in the pool and on the front yard and in the sandbox) for quite some time. He even taught me to play dice, and I invented some magic tricks.

I got to stay up a bit and watch TV with my folks after a picnic dinner. I'm a noisy audience member.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Shama-Lama Ding-Dong

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I was up early today - ready to help everyone continue cleaning out all the junk in the house. Mommy and Daddy were both pretty exhausted and sore from yesterday, though, so most of the cleaning came down to Grandpa. We all did a lot of dust-induced sneezing, and I learned that an appropriate response is "Shama-Lama Ding-Dong."

For lunch, Daddy took Mommy and I to a restaurant, since we're all out of food. Immediately afterwards, we went to the grocery store and rectified that problem. I came home and napped while we finally got some much-needed rain.

After I woke up, Daddy and I took Mommy to the mall, and then to Ikea, where we bought some storage bins and stuff. Before the day ended, Daddy had to say good-bye to several old toys, games, books, and magazines that vanished into our dumpster. He was sad, but... I can tell he enjoyed throwing it in, at least.

Listening to: Philip Bailey - Chinese Wall

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Iron Anniversary

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Today is my parent's sixth (iron) anniversary, so this morning there were lots of presents to be opened (jewelry and iron squirrel door stops for Mommy, marshmallow bars and an iron doorbell for Daddy), and then we joined Grandpa in cleaning out their house. While Mommy did tons of work and Daddy and Grandpa actually pulled a massive 1950s-era refrigerator up a flight of stairs, I kept busy by playing with styrofoam packing materials and old toys of Cool Uncle Gareth's that I found in the garage (including a stuffed Penguin I named 'Chongo Chingi').

After a hot, sweaty day of all that work, a nap, and a trip out for ice cream, Mommy and Daddy left me with Nee-Nee and my grandparents while they went out to dinner to celebrate their special day. I'm quite happy to report that everyone managed to stay sane... by this time tomorrow, I hope everyone's muscles aren't so sore from all the cleaning that they can play with me some more!

Listening to: Van Halen - Van Halen

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Dumpster

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning Mommy and I took a few buses down to the beaches. We found ourselves a nice big playground (full of some crazy kids) to play in - or, at least I did. It was a real exercise in 'letting go' for Mommy... as much as she wanted to be my shadow, she decided to nervous stand back and let me play and climb on my own. Good for her! Afterwards, we did some shopping, and grabbed some lunch on the way home. I actually ate my grilled cheese sandwich... as a sandwich!

When we got back, I discovered a huge dumpster parked in our driveway. It wasn't long before Grandpa showed up to photograph me standing in it (see above). Also, Gammy taught me how to dance like a ballerina.

Daddy came home from work, and Mommy made "Slop" for dinner. I loved it!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Toopy and Binoo ...Live!

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Today started out pretty normally - Mommy spent the better part of the day promising me 'a surprise' after my nap. I reluctantly had said nap, and when I woke up, Daddy was home from work a bit early and drove Mommy and I all the way down to the lakeshore, where we went to Ontario Place for my surprise.

We did some walking (saw the lovely Chinese Lantern festival-thing), and then much to my shock and awe, we attended a live performance at this little theatre set-up of these two people in bear costumes. I loved it, and danced along as they sang. All the other kids and parents looked at me like I was from Mars. An amplified voice then announced the arrival of... Toopy and Binoo, the stars of my favourite cartoon. My parents will never forget the sheer joy that radiated from me.

The other kids and I were pretty happy, but seeing them there in three dimensions was a little weird. My attention span was a bit depleted by the dancing bears, and the entire experience was kind of emotionally overwhelming, so I was pretty up and down over the whole situation (plus my parents let me eat two ice cream cones simultaneously), but all in all, it was an AMAZING experience.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Stinkyface

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I was full of pure, unrefined and spastic toddler energy all day today. What a handful! I kept the tantrums and emotional outbursts to a minimum, but was full of enough vim and vigour to wreck the apartment, spit a cupfull of milk all over the coffee table just for the heck of it, dump a box of crackers on the floor (thank goodness we have a dog), and just generally scatter my toys everywhere - all while providing a nonstop running commentary in a bizarre invented dialect of semi/partial-English and toddler-esque gibberish.

After Daddy came home from work today, he took Mommy and I out for dinner. The waitress at our restaurant was pretty stunned when I ordered my meal clearly and concisely, and then called her 'Stinkyface.' She thinks I'm really bright, insults aside.

Listening to: Okkervil River - The Stage Names

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Toddler Ergs

[As transcribed by Daddy]

It kept threatening to rain today, so Mommy and I just kinda hung out at home and didn't really go anywhere. I also wasn't in the mood for any toilet training shenanigans, so... that didn't happen much today, either. We vegged out, watched some television, read some books together, and did some playing. Rainy Tuesday stuff.

After Daddy came home from work, he and I played in my room - I made him a few pretend milkshakes, pretend marshmallows, and pretend cups of coffee before dinner. I'm a pretty decent imaginary chef!

After a lovely dinner, I fought against going to bed (as has been the norm for the past while) but eventually passed out, having burned every erg of toddler energy.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Port Colborne

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Nana took me off of Mommy and Daddy's hands this morning, as they got ready to drive me back home. We all had a nice visit, then said bye-bye to Nana, Aunt Marion, Zoe, and Rosie, and headed home. Once we crossed the border, we stopped in at the Canal Days Festival in Port Colborne. It was busy and hot, but kinda neat... I got to pat a horse and eat carnival food.

I napped on and off on the rest of the way home, stopping once for some ice cream. I was happy to see Gammy and Grandpa and Basil and Nee-Nee, and even happier to see all of my toys, which I threw all over the place. I guess it was partly due to the excitement of the trip, but I had a hard time winding down and was something of a handful. I actually ate a piece of chalk.

Listening to: Spoon - Kill The Moonlight

Monday, August 06, 2007

Stinky Sodus

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning Mommy and Daddy and I got up pretty early so that we could drive to Aunt Marion's house just outside Rochester, N.Y. The drive was fine - Daddy's bladder was on the verge of exploding when we hit the U.S. border, which made everything exciting. Once we got to Sodus, I was happy to see Nana and Zoe and Aunt Marion, who were all waiting for us! Oh, and Aunt Marion's little dog Rosie. Can't forget her.

After Daddy had an afternoon nap, we drove out to the beach, where I got to eat an awesome ice cream cone, and then play on the stinky beach in the stinky sand near the stinky water filled with the stinky dead fish.

We went back to Aunt Marion's house for a fantastic dinner - I got some one-on-one time with Nana, and then Mommy and Daddy and Zoe joined us both for another little hike past an apple orchard, where we saw several wild bunnies. When we got home, I talked myself to sleep on the bedroom floor.

Listening to: Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Must've Been The Syrup

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I was up really early this morning. Somehow, though, I managed to sit and play on Mommy and Daddy's bed - while they slept - for almost an entire hour! Mommy eventually had to get up and cook me some pancakes, though. I can only wait so long.

After Daddy woke up and joined us for breakfast, I got really hyper (must've been the syrup) and threw some serious tantrums while Mommy and Daddy both tried to clean up the apartment. I calmed down and went to the butcher with my folks before lunch.

Mommy and I hung out while Daddy was out working on a project - once he got back, he took me for an enjoyable walk in the park.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Sleepy Family

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Daddy had the day off from work today... he spent the morning with Mommy and I before we all realized we were all out of milk. So... we all walked over to the drugstore in million-degree heat, which really seemed to wipe us all out something fierce. I sat on Daddy's shoulders and steered by yanking on his earrings, which probably didn't help all that much. Daddy had about four lengthy naps throughout the afternoon (he's probably recovering from his recent project).

I woke him up after I had my nap, too... we played outside, and I poured some soap into his coffee mug. We had a nice dinner, and then read books with Mommy in her bedroom while she drifted in-and-out of sleep.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Crackers with Cream Cheese

[As transcribed by Daddy]

Mommy and I braved the morning humidity to walk to Julie & Sara's place this morning, where we joined Lily, Lenore, and James - the newborn baby who growls, rather than cries. We had a nice morning - when it came time to head home, Julie made me some snacks. The crackers with cream cheese were a HUGE hit.

I didn't really want to have a nap this afternoon, and I fought against it pretty hard. When I woke (two hours later) I did a lot of playing outside, making volcanoes and tunnels in my sandbox. Daddy came home from work and joined me - we played some word games and he helped me pour water all over myself right before a picnic dinner outside. Awesome!

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Being Patient

[As transcribed by Daddy]

I was bugging Mommy about something this morning, and she told me that I needed to wait. I replied with "Clover, you need to be patient," a phrase I apparently understood and applied correctly.

Mommy had a headache, so we took a break from toilet training today, and played outside for a good chunk of the day. I saw a caterpillar and named it "Daddy's Friend Weesa", made sandcastles with Grandpa, and even brought my Ball House outdoors and played in it.

While we waited for Daddy to come home from work, Mommy and I read some really cool and cute magazines together. Did you know that they have pictures of yummy food in them? They do!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

O, U, G, and W

[As transcribed by Daddy]

This morning I said goodbye to the Nixons, who went back home today, and I then resumed the toilet training. I only peed in the potty once today, but seem to be getting the hang of wearing underpants and then informing Mommy when I pee myself. This urination thing is tricky. I'll get there. In the meantime, I got to wear a very pretty, twirly dress.

It was pretty humid outside, and we discovered that raccoons (or saboteurs) slashed my little wading pool. I played inside a lot, but scattered my toys all over the apartment and then complained when they'd be in my way.

I had a pretty awesome bath today, and scribbled all over the tub with my waterproof bathtub crayons. I'm blowing people's minds with my ability to scribble and then approximate letter shapes in said scribbles. I'm particularly good at O, U, G, and W.