33 months

I can't seem to keep dates and general information straight lately. After using every digit on every hand and foot and counting multiple times, I am quite certain that today marks Kumi's 33rd month. But I was also quite certain that her preschool ends in May (it doesn't) and that a friend's upcoming wedding is in June (again, wrong).

My brain is failing me, it seems. This is troubling because I have always had a memory like a steel trap. As a junior high school student, I was a contestant in a national academic decathlon -- geekdom at its finest, let me tell you -- and I managed to commit to memory an astounding amount of information ranging from Greek mythology to trigonometric functions and formulas. Somewhere deep in my "most embarrassing files" there is a newspaper article of the decathlon with a photo of me wearing heinous glasses and holding up a trophy. I think it may have even been for first place. Spelling bees and exams were a snap because I could memorize so much in such a short time.

Now I can barely keep track of playdates and bills that seem to pop up relentlessly. I'll finish reading a book and in the next instant won't be able to remember the main character's name. Such a shame. I can practically hear my brain cells fizzing and dying out like little Japanese fireworks.

What I do know and remember from this last month is that the words "I don't want to" is a powerful tool for a two-year-old. We have entered a whole new toddler world of deliberate disobedience. Even worse than last month. Trying times, my friends. I wish I could say I have been a paragon of patience and a gentle beacon of model behavior for my little girl. Usually I sputter a lot, which is really rather ineffective. Very few things are more humbling than being outwitted and outspoken by a toddler.

I knew I would be terrible at this whole disciplining business. I am actually rather lucky that Kumi is a very sweet girl who will follow instructions for the most part. But a transformation occurs sometime between 3:30pm and 7pm, when my cherubic child turns into a growling, screeching being that refuses to sit, eat, take a bath, or whatever it is that needs to happen at the time. We call it the witching hour and though the behavior doesn't last very long, it wreaks serious havoc on everyone involved. I am feeling a creeping sort of dread for the teenage years.

Yet. This has also been a month of utter fun. Every weekend we've had family time: swimming at a fancy pool or picnicking on the beach or going to the aquarium (complete with face painting). And Kumi went to a most amazing birthday party involving a rented gigantic pink and purple bouncy house, a pinata filled with organic goodies, a gazillion activity centers and a fabulous cake. The parents really went all out and Kumi had the time of her life. The weather has been cooperative for April and we've really taken advantage of the sunny days.

Here are some pix from the legendary birthday party -- you can see how enormous the bouncy house was and Kumi is the tiny form inside: