Completely true story.  We’ve had a humidifier in our upstairs all winter to make it easier for all of us to sleep, but we’ve gotten to weather that just doesn’t need any extra humidity, so I was packing it away until next winter.  Laying on the floor to unplug it and suddenly Kia’s playing the bongos on my brainbox.  After a couple rounds of drum solo, she lays her chest on the side of my head and bear-hugs me.  She’s very sweet, but definitely her mother’s child.  ;P

Stacy’s wearing a Celtic knotwork axe from http://shop.webomator.com/celtic-art-works/ and while you can’t see it, I’m wearing Kiandra on the side of my head.

Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere!  Word bubbles, too, as it happens.  Oh, and Kaelin!  Kaelin loves bubbles just as much as Kia does.  Seriously, it’s like she’s willing to completely ignore Kia grabbing her tail, hanging on her back and otherwise chasing her around, just so she can sniff some more bubbles.  Kia, for her part, bounces back and forth between chasing the cat and chasing the bubbles themselves.  Namphie will chase the bubbles too, but isn’t will to get grabbed for them.  And, yes!  Kia does, in fact, say bubbles!  She even does the sign language for it… sort of.  She tries.  Also, I’ve said bubbles ten times in this paragraph!  Bubbles.  Well, now I have.

Kia’s wearing a onesy with ruffles so big that you’d think it was just a shirt, along with some leopard print (or something) pants.  She’s also wearing lots of bubbles and cat fur.  Kaelin’s not wearing anything.  She’s naked under the fur.  Because she’s a cat, that’s why.

Stacy has a tendency to be a smart-ass, herself, but it can be hard to compete with a ninth-degree blackbelt like myself.  I don’t even have to try, it’s pure instinct, and on that particular morning, I was feeling all kinds of hyperactive, except my brain had yet to wake up.  Let’s just say that it’s a bad combination for anyone having a conversation with me.

We’re both wearing Mountain shirts – mine has a shamanic werewolf (by the artist Goldenwolf) and hers is a dragon made out of leaves, who is apparently headbutting the horn.  Actually, given her driving style, saying that there’s a dragon behind the wheel wouldn’t be far from the truth. 

It’s been a while since I’ve been smacked in the comic (certainly not in real life ), so I’m sure most of you are as excited as Kia is to see it happen here.  So there you are, happy birthday!  Or unbirthday, as the case may be.  Anyway, Kia is very much daddy’s little girl, which makes me all giddy.  She’s more willing to let mama hold her now that she’s adjusting to the new schedule, but she still reaches for me when we pick her up from grandma’s. 

I’m wearing a black fleece with an actual brand name displayed on it (a rarity for me; I didn’t even notice it was there until after I bought it ;P ) and Stacy’s wearing a Mountain shirt with some awesome Celtic knotwork and a faerie hiding at the bottom.  Kia’s wearing pink with a “navy blue” dress (Stacy says navy blue, I say off-black).  The dress also has some pink ballet slippers on it, but you can’t see them here because she’s sitting on my lap.  But that’s okay, because you can see the photo that was used for panel three as the new vote incentive!

She’s becoming increasingly interested in her Megablocks and really seems to enjoy tearing apart whatever random constructs we make with them.  It all started with a couple of singles and me showing her how to take them apart and put them together again.  It’ll be a while before we can introduce her to the wonder that is Lego, but she’s on the right path!  Oh, and Stacy’s sister likes working on car engines so, yes, she will happily show Kia how to tear apart my car.  Hopefully, one day Kia will have the focus to put it back together again, too.  ;P

I’ve got on my spiffy tiger and tribal pattern shirt from Animal Planet, while Stacy’s wearing her yin-yang kitties.  Kia’s got a cat with a heart-shaped eye marking on her shirt, corduroy pants and no socks, ‘cause she likes taking them off.

It’s true:  Her poop stinks worse with every day.  Some days, I swear she’s expelled a tiny bit of the Bog of Eternal Stench out of her butt.  Naturally, I prefer when she gives those particular little presents to grandma.

I’m wearing a Mountain shirt with a howling wolf and scenic backdrop.  You can’t see the wolf because the smell knocked him out cold.  Trust me, it’s better that way.  Stacy’s wearing her blue button-up and is about to do a disappearing act.  Yeah, I’m sure she just remembered that she needed to go clean her pump, leaving me to choke on toxic fumes of baby poop.  What a coincidence.

Kia’s a pretty smart cookie; she’s figuring out a lot of the signs we’ve been working on with her and she’s learning to communicate beyond screaming (for which I greatly thank her).  I’m pretty sure that she knows the difference between normal food and ye olde boob juice, but she probably doesn’t see a big distinction in the delivery system.  Milk is milk, be it from the bottle or, y’know… on tap.  ;P

I’m wearing a Michigan Geocachers sweatshirt that I got from a recent event.  What’s Geocaching?  Why, it’s the fine art of using million-dollar satellites to search for Tupperware in the woods!    It’s a world-wide, GPS scavenger hunt that’s a great excuse to enjoy some wandering in the wild.  Check it out at www.geocaching.com Great fun with the kids, too!

Anywho, Stacy’s shirt says “Although the voices aren’t real, they have some pretty good ideas.” and Kia’s stylin’ in a pink/black plaid, accessorized with one of her Little People blocks.

Well, I guess it was worth numbering as triple digits after all!  I’ve somehow managed to stick with this (and keep up with it) through a full one hundred strips.  I hope that they’ve been educational… but I doubt it.  ;P  And, yes, while it may be shocking to even Kia’s ears, it’s true.  I can, in fact, draw balls.  I can draw ears, even!  Sort of.   Can’t draw noses, though.  They always look horrible.

Anywho, all new shirts to celebrate the occasion!  Mine has a picture of the Milky Way Galaxy with a note “You are here.”  Amazing how those crazy little things always seem to be right, isn’t it?  I think they’re following me around.  Stacy’s looking lovely and elegant in a nice, black top and the miniature abominable snowman, there, is actually Kia in disguise!  This fluffy, white outfit was bought for her by my step-mother.  It’s extremely warm and she seems happier hugging it than wearing it, but hey… if she needs to blend in with polar bears, she’s all set!

Off switches are probably the most valuable thing that you can find on your child; they allow you to get back to bed faster.  Unfortunately, they tend to only work for a limited time… or maybe you have to catch her in the right state of mind.  Who knows?  Either way, treasure them when they work.  ;P

I’m wearing bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, which will hopefully be rectified shortly.

That’s right, Kia sensed a disturbance in the Force – felt the wibbly-wobbliness of timey-wimey stuff as it was distorted – and was awakened by it.  Between her natural connection with such things, her ability to melt hearts with a smile, and her knack for finding all the things that she’s not supposed to have, she’s got all the makings of a first-rate companion to a Timelord.  She better invite the old man along for the ride, though!

Oh, also, she has a Batgirl costume.  She’s going to be the queen of geekdom.  I’m so proud!    Anywho, had to get that outfit on her one more time before she outgrew it.  Love it!  Oh, and speaking of clothes, I’m wearing my VGCats “Rat-Flail” shirt (http://www.vgcats.com/) and Stacy’s wearing a new one with a design by the amazing Sandara (http://sandara.deviantart.com/), who put it out for free usage, since she couldn’t sell it legally (it’s fanart of DOTA).  She’s a first-rate person as well as a phenomenal artist, so check out her stuff!