Pea Diary: The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

            It's hard to get attention around here. I have a big sister, two doggies, two kitties and a Mommy and Daddy. With all those things around making noise, it's hard for the little person to get noticed. Luckily, I have discovered a way that always seems to work: screaming like a banshee. I'm not exactly sure what a banshee is, but when I hear Mommy talking about me that's the word she uses. Banshees must be really loud and I'll bet everyone pays attention to them. Mommy also said that the noise I make sounds like something from a movie called Dumb and Dumber-she says there's a part where they make "the most annoying sound in the world" and that my noise sounds like it! For not quite being two yet, it's pretty cool that I already sound like I could be in the movies. For a long time, I really didn't need to make much noise at all. Princess likes to think that she knows what I need, and most of the time I just go with it. After all, about 80% of the time she's right which are pretty good odds since I don't think she can hear what I am thinking. I used to think that maybe Mommy and Daddy could hear what I was thinking, but when I was really little they never got anything right so I don't think they can. I used to scream at them for hours and while I was screaming, "I need to burp and I can't!" they thought I was saying all kinds of things like, "I want milk" or "I'm tired" or "Take me for a drive in the car" or even "Set me on the washing machine in my bouncy seat during the spin cycle". They never quite got it, but sometimes it was interesting to see what they came up with. Anyway, I heard the doctor ask Mommy if I was saying any words yet, and I was happy to hear that I am saying a few, but evidently I need to work on it. The doctor told Mommy to try and encourage me to say the word of the thing that I want by saying the words when she gives it to me. This seems like it could be a lot of work. Why do I need to say anything when I can just scream whenever Mommy touches or gets remotely close to the thing that I may want? It seems to me that it would be a lot easier to just be able to make one noise that works for everything instead of hundreds of noises only work at certain times. Then again, sometimes it's frustrating when she can't get it right... especially in the car. I really have no idea why she won't just turn around and look at me and why I have to stay all buckled in that silly seat, but when she just starts handing me random things it sometimes takes her awhile to figure out what I was asking for. You'd think the fact that I am screaming at, reaching for and looking at the thing I want would be a tip off, but as I said she won't turn around and look at me in the car. What choice do I really have but to just scream louder? I suppose this word thing could be good though. After all, Princess talks all the time (and I do mean all the time) and it seems that she doesn't have to scream quite as much. My throat does get sore sometimes... maybe I will give this word thing a shot. After all, if it doens't work out, there's always the banshee.