Princess of Bavaria

My parental units and I recently went to a wondrous land of tall mountains, beautiful buildings, and a sleepless night. The drive in our carriage was of an unknown length due to My Dear Sister and I sleeping nearly the entire ride. When I awoke, there was much hullabaloo about a blue building and horsies. We left soon thereafter and went to eat in a land with wondrous lights. 

We had to wait to eat, a concept I have yet to grasp. Why must one wait to be fed? Should it not be instantaneous? Why must we torture each other so? Yet I am a patient princess (unless it is nighttime) and so I allowed myself to be carried through shops. This was to be a small taste of the next day's activities. Shopping is where we walk through places where there are many objects that everyone except me is allowed to touch. I continue to test this rule, in case someone other than me begins to recognize the hypocrisy behind it. We ate at the restaurant, but I avoided the odd noodles and instead stuck with veggie straws, a new favorite. When we returned to the blue building, we were all expected to sleep in the same room. Whoever thought this was appropriate was sorely mistaken. I required to be rocked to sleep before being laid in the bed which made funny noises when I scratched at it. As I was being rocked to sleep, My Dear Sister refused to be silent. I did, eventually, fall asleep, but awoke in the odd bed multiple times henceforth. We again went into town the next morning, but the shops were closed. Again, we were made to wait. All was well, though, as I had my feet to keep me busy. Daddy drove the carriage out of town, stop, then go, then stop. He did this often enough to keep me from getting comfortable and falling asleep. While sleep evaded me, my feet never can, so I was not terribly disappointed. I was strapped to the front of Daddy for all of the shops. Daddy is cleverer than he looks, and has learned dubious tricks which keep me from being able to grasp the items which I most wish to chew upon. Excepting, that is, the most valuable of objects. In one of the shops, we were treated with chocolate. Daddy granted me a small portion, and then attempted to block me from the rest. As you can see, this theme of withholding food seems to be a trend. Thankfully, I am cleverer, and as soon as I knew how glorious the chocolate was, I was able to shove as much chocolate as I could into my mouth. That chocolate was the highlight of the trip. What more is there to say?

"Hey fella, ya got anymore of that chocolate on ya?"

Pumpkin Slaughter and Chocolate Soliciting

There is a time-honored tradition in the land called Halloween. It is a tradition which starts long in advance before the actual holiday. The early stages begin with costume design and creation. My Dear Sister received a new dress, Daddy made a hat, Mommy got a crown and altered a dress, and I got a hand-me-down cocoon of fluff. I minded this very little for the most part, as I was warm and cuddled, but I did not appreciate the hood which I was forced to wear. The next step of the celebration is spent slaughtering helpless gourds. 

Thank you, Papa, for introducing me to this kind pumpkin...

...which Daddy promptly disemboweled.

"Do these results justify the means?"

All of this culminated in My Dear Sister soliciting chocolate from strangers. I was given very little - a fact which I have not forgotten, dear parents. Why did these unknown persons willingly bestow sweets upon marauding children due to a thinly veiled threat from the children? If someone were to knock on my door and offer an alliterated ultimatum I would not bequeath any of my precious chocolate. I can only assume that all of the homes we visited were decorated so fiercely in a failed attempt to scare away the aforementioned smugglers of sweets.

"How did this become a thing?"

Kangaroos vs Kitties

Sometimes, when Mommy takes me on an outing, I am regaled with the view from a sling placed upon her belly. This position allows me the comfort of being close to Mommy while still seeing all that there is to see. I thought that this was a rare treat only granted to princesses until recently when I saw animals doing the same. These tall animals, called Kangaroos, hold their children in a similar fashion. I believe my position is far more favorable, however, as it allows a better vantage point and greater ease in wiggling. Mommy held one of the said children next to me, and I pet its fur politely. I also pet the tall adults with no fear. Daddy says that kangaroos have been known to really hurt people, but I knew these giants to be gentle creatures. 

Don't you dare expect me to touch a kitty outside, though; I will scream. How dare you even try. Indoors, a kitty is a harmless, gentle, furry creature which I love to pet. Outdoors, they are the most horrifying creatures I have yet discovered. Whenever I see one, I emit many "Hmms" of fear and dread. Daddy even directed my hand to touch a kitty's fur in the wild of my grandparents' backyard. I emitted a squawk of trepidation so immense that Daddy has never tried since. Outside kitties are loathsome creatures and I refuse to be associated with them.

Pointing at the Zoo

I went to a place a long while ago where there were many animals. I pointed at them all. Some made me go "Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!" Hmm communicates far more than one would think. It can express fear (in the case of kitties in the wild), excitement (in the case of pumpkins), or nearly any other emotion. In fact, I use it because of its versatility. It has become nearly entirely a replacement for growling and babbling. I digress. I pointed at all of the animals I saw to indicate their presence to others. There were many odd and large animals which, thankfully, I have never seen since.

"This animal which you call a chicken seems least frightening."

"Well, hello there penguins. I apologize for chewing on your stuffed variety so vehemently."

"Beware, My Dear Sister! There is a tiger behind you!"

"Excuse me, coachman: should we not be going this way?"

"Why are all beasts not this size?"

Princess Jekyll and Lady Hyde

As I have mentioned multiple times in the past, I am an exceedingly good tempered princess. A moment without a smile upon my face is rare indeed. Until the sun goes down, that is. Once the twilight hours have hit, I awake from my slumber a very different princess than the one that was laid down. I am, I admit, quite the monster. I wail and gnash my seven teeth. I kick and scratch and refuse any comfort offered to me. When I do return to my unconscious state, the smallest change in my altitude will cause me to rise once more. I truly am a terrible sight to behold. Why must this curse rest upon the shoulders of Mommy and occasionally Daddy? Much like them, I dislike waking up at night, too; I am simply more vocal about my distaste.

"Just you wait! We are going to have fun tonight!"

The Hospital, or, The Dungeon of Torture

I had an illness recently. Luckily, it has passed. I can only assume, however, that Mommy and Daddy were unaware that I was sick when it was at its worst. When I was struggling just to breath, they believed it was an adequate time for me to have a checkup. This was unlike any of the fun checkups My Dear Sister gives me, though; this was the worst checkup ever. An odd device that blew air was put on my face, and it did not cease its attempts to hurt me, no matter how much I fought it. 

Then, I was given disgusting medicine that I immediately sent back, and thus had to have my clothes changed. Finally, when I thought all was over, I was stabbed. Despite my mistreatment, and the late hour, I did my best to keep my nearly constantly high spirits.

Playing Catch Up

Hello admirers! This is Ada speaking. As My Dear Sister is now fluent in English, she will no longer be contributing to this collection of thoughts, except for in cooperative entries. Her views on life are now being recorded in a collection of quotes. Someday, when I speak English, too, I will contribute to that. Well, to state that I do not speak English at all is a fallacy, as I can very clearly say Dada, Ada, Mama, and Grrgrr, although I am not entirely certain of the meaning of these words. While this seems to be a sound means of communication, Mommy and Daddy still fail to understand me. Until the time that I speak as well as My Dear Sister, Daddy will attempt to play catch up on recording how I am playing catch up with My Dear Sister. I admire her greatly, and hope to some day be just like her, if not slightly more calm and less willing to pick up a younger sibling by the neck. I spend much of my day following in her footsteps. Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing her - not toys, Daddy, nor even Mommy. She appears to exist for the sole purpose of entertaining me. Even when she is shoving me away from her toys, this is entertainment, if not of a macabre sort.

Sitting - Ada

I can sit now without assistance. I like it. These photos are outdated, but they were the first time I did it. I only briefly did it without holding on, but that is not included here. Sitting makes playing more simple. It also brings me one step closer to being like my dear sister. I can also more easily play with her toys. She does not like this, however, no matter how patiently I share with her.

I still, however, cannot sit for very long before I must return to my crawling studies. I transition, as I do with everything, in the most graceful way possible. This typically includes me falling flat on my face. Gracefully.

The best part about sitting up, though, is that I can now eat at the table with the family. This makes me immensely happier and makes the delivery of sustenance to my awaiting maw simpler.

Finding Dowy - Ellie

I recently saw my very first movie I have seen in a special place known as a theater. For those who have never been in a theater - which I assume to be exceedingly unlikely as there were many, many people in the theater - it is a large building with many rooms with big televisions that show movies. The best part, however, is the inordinate amounts of popcorn that is distributed to the patrons. I got impatient waiting for Mommy to get napkins and Daddy to put salt on the popcorn, and decided to head off on my own to find Dowy. I had been told that we were going to go see Finding Dowy, and, having seen Finding Nemo the day before, I knew how much I cared for Dowy, I set out on my own to find her. "DOWY!" I called into every doorway. "DOWY, WHEH AW YOU?" Mommy and Daddy caught up with me, and showed me the way into the correct room. The seats inside were innumerable and full of people with whom I made contact individually. The television was gigantic. I wish our television at home was that large. The movie was delightful, but I had some slight criticisms. First, I was disappointed that the beginning of the movie was disjointed, seemed to have very little to do with the rest of the plot, repeated this odd green screen, and had no Dowy. "Wheh's Dowy?" I asked repeatedly. I was told to wait. So wait I did, snuggling into Daddy and starting into the popcorn. Popcorn is delightful. I like popcorn. I ate it through the entire movie, which lost some of my interest when the popcorn was depleted. When that happened, I spent some time making eye contact with other patrons and kissing Mommy repeatedly. Anyway, the only other issue I had with the movie was the scawy part. Luckily, it was short. Otherwise, I liked it, especially seeing Dowy's Mama and Dadda and making whale noises (OoooOOOooh!). Afterwards, we took pictchohs by some very flat versions of characters from the film.

Pre-Crawl - Ada

I have an exceedingly active sister. I love her deeply, and wish that I could do more to play with her. As of right now, she mostly plays with me by trying to kiss me, hold me, and body slam me. Needless to say, I would appreciate more ways to play. Thus, I am actively attempting to utilize my own limbs in my movement. I began by getting up on my feet and my hands at the same time.

This resulted in difficulty with moving my feet without falling, so I moved on from there to being on my knees.

I am thus able to move my knees sequentially. This would seem to be the answer to my quandary if it were not for the fact that I have not the slightest clue as to what my hands are supposed to do. Thus I remain, on all fours, waiting for the day that I will discover the next step in the process. Occasionally I will fall onto my tummy, inching my way towards objects, but, typically, I wait, staring at my hands and willing them to do something useful. While I wait, my dear sister keeps moving incessantly. Even when she is attempting to help me, I can't help but find it a little insulting.
 

Undawatoh Amals with Gwamma and Papa - Ellie

 We have been visiting Seattle quite often lately. I like Seattle. This latest excursion included a site we have visited many times before which I call "Fwench Fwies and Boh-dees." Here all except me eat fish while I feast upon their fwench fwies. We then feed the fwench fwies to the boh-dees who fly around outside. In the past I have held out fwench fwies for the boh-dees to eat, but it is s'awy, so I let Daddy do it. All one must do is hold a fwench fwy aloft and it is taken from one's hand by a boh-dee as it flies by. I also mourn the loss of all catsup delivery devices lost to boh-dees. Throughout most of our trip, Papa was my pal, although Gwamma stepped in occasionally, too.

 

 We then went to see undowatoh amals. I was quite frightened by them at first. As in times in the past, I found the high amount of water and the odd amals' ability to swim through it disturbing. I turned to Gwamma for comfort.

Slowly, with some help from Papa, I was able to warm up to the concept.

There were places to touch the amals, but I thought it was slightly excessive. Instead, I settled for touching the watoh once,

and the statue of a seal.

My favorite amals were the sea otters, seals,

and the amals from Finding Dory - Dory, Nemo,

and Pink the Octopus.

There were multiple places to put my head. The problem with these is that I can never see what I look like in them.

The Aquarium, or, A Lovely Place with Strange, Delightful Animals - Ada

I recently visited a delightful site where odd animals, suspended in liquid, moved about above my head. This was especially helpful as I could then see the animals from my carriage. 

While I did just fine in my stroller, I am happy to say that my mother took pity on me and allowed me to be carried for most of the time in the aquarium, allowing me an even more effective vantage point.

The carrier also afforded an effective chewing device.

While I loved all of the animals, there was one that was especially intriguing. Oddly humanoid in shape, it was able to wave at me and play peekaboo with me. I found it to be a very friendly fish.

 

I also found the small, translucent fish named Bubbles to be fascinating.

After an afternoon of fiercely studying these strange creatures known as fish, I have yet to come to a conclusion as to how they dwelt inside the walls and how they moved about. I wish to be like them. Unlike my dear sister, who showed fear upon her initial encounter during this aquarium visit, I appreciated every moment I could spend in the fish's presence. 

Best of all, at the end of our expedition, I was awarded with a fish of my own.