"No" means I'm growing up

We have gotten pretty used to a generally amiable child over the past year or so. Binbin generally listens and responds to reason, if you explain why something could be dangerous, he'll use as instructed. And, still, he won't insist on eating something if you tell him it has egg or soy or peanut in it. We've also gotten used to a kid who marches to the beat of his own drum, literally and figuratively. If all the other kids are running after a ball, Binbin is content with gazing at vegetables and remarking on the smallest one ("a teeny cucumber" "a baby carrot" "I love it") or the biggest one ("ooh look! it's a big beet"). But nowadays, he is more apt to feel left out. Especially if Coco and Anjali are running through the sprinklers at Miss Donna's, and he isn't keen on exchanging pants for shorts or having water run down his face.

Fortunately, the moodiness passes. But there are days when, if I could have a dollar for every time he said "no," why, I'd be rich! But then I realize that my life is already rich.

allergy update

Binbin had his annual round of allergy testing yesterday. He's much more aware of those prickly needles on his back and not at all happy about the itchy discomfort that must be endured for 15 minutes, but all in all, he was very brave.

It looks like he is definitely *not* allergic to melons or corn...hurray! And, he seems to have outgrown his allergy to oats. Cheerios...here we come.

The egg yolk allergy and the soy allergy may not be quite as severe, but we await more results from blood testing.

This morning, I took him to the lab to have blood drawn for confirming the skin test results. And again, he was not too happy about that needle going into his arm. He cried and wimpered, and seemed terribly injured. But by the time we headed back to the car, he told me it didn't hurt, and he quietly studied the two spider-man stickers the phlebotomist gave to him as a reward.

the machines and all you need

According to Binbin:

The red machine is hot. The blue machine is not hot. The red machine, it has saws. Look, here and here and here and here and here. They are all saws. The saws cut wood. That one cuts pasts. And that one cuts wood. This machine goes. Look. Watch. From here to here and here. They are all saws. This one cuts carrots. and this one makes bread. It makes little breads and big breads. That one is hot. This one is not hot. Look. I can stick them together. Oops. Sorry. It broke. I can snap it together. These are the machines.

[He brought them to the Kopper Kettle for breakfast on Saturday]



We celebrated out tenth anniversary in June, a few weeks back, and received from the Klines this Beetles card. Binbin recognizes John, Paul, Ringo, and George. And one day, he decided to find all the ancient jade and bronze magnets and surround the message: All you need is love.

It's true, isn't it?

friends

Yesterday, we went to visit Binbin's new friend, Coco, and her family. Anjali and her family came, too. The three toddlers had a blast, running through the house, playing with Coco's kitchen, throwing red balloons at each other. They also played a sleeptime game in between jumping on Coco's bed. Here, they pretend to be sleepy bugs.

First, the album cover:



Now, the snapshot:



All three kiddies go to Miss Donna's daycare, where it's beginning to look like post-United Colors of Benetton.