Milestone Minutiae

While watching King of the Hill , there was a scene in which a baby boy pees on his dad. Just after that scene finished playing, Emmett said "Turn it back on. That was funny. The peeing."

Emmett and I survived a July trip to Disneyland, and we had a great time. Emmett loves Dumbo, so we rode it many times. He also learned no fewer than three songs -- It's a Small World , The Tiki Room , and Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing. Emmett again had a great time meeting characters, this time hugging Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy. And he waved to lots of performers in the parade, too. Early morning, while riding Dumbo for the second or third time, I looked at Emmett and said "I'm having a good time with you today." He said "I miss my dad." (and almost made me cry) We actually stayed in the park until almost 11pm, and Emmett didn't fall asleep in the stroller on the way back to the hotel. (!?) So after showering, unwinding, and getting into bed, it was nearly midnight when I turned off the light. A minute or two later, I heard Emmett singing "It's a Small World" for a verse or two before finally falling asleep.

A few weeks ago, I started teaching that song to Emmett. He loves to sing it now, and it's especially cute to hear him sing "If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious." When I sing it with him, I usually sing slowly so he can keep up, but a CD recording of it really moves. Now, he's started saying "Louder!" when I sing it slowly (meaning faster, not louder), because he likes the speed of the CD version.

Emmett has started learning how to name two-digit numbers. This started with looking at speed limit signs while out on the road. He clearly has grasped the pattern, correctly naming 83 before I introduced the word "eighty." Then, of course, there are the problem numbers: one-dy one, one-dy two, etc. And he's said "five-dy" too. In fact, with the 5x numbers, he followed exactly the predictions of the language acquisition books -- first getting the irregulars right (pure mimicry), then getting them wrong (applying the pattern), and then getting them right again (learning the irregulars one by one).

Watching Emmett figure out the world reveals that there are an absolutely astounding number of things to learn: Good place to bounce one's face: couch seat cushions Bad place to bounce one's face: couch arm rests (Twice, now, he has voluntarily bounced his face off the couch arm rests. This is in addition to the time he did so accidentally, and had a round little nose for a few days.) Frequently he'll complain about how the world works. For example, it never fails to bother him that when he drinks liquid through a straw, the level of the liquid in the cup goes down. "I don't want it to go down! I want it to go up!" Sometimes this really upsets him. And yesterday, when he was holding a game by the box lid, he was upset that the bottom of the box was falling out. "I don't want it to fall down!" I showed him how to hold the box from the bottom. Crisis averted.

Emmett has started asserting "That's not fair!" at random times, not connected with anything in particular. For example, we're all eating dinner, David and I are talking about something, and Emmett will yell out "That's not fair!" When I ask him what is not fair, he'll just look blankly at me and yell "That's not fair!" again.

That's what Emmett has been saying (occasionally) when we're playing and I give him kisses. It's always accompanied by lots of giggling, so I think he knows what he's saying and why it's funny.

Earlier today, Emmett said "I'm very (mumble mumble) for you to read The Plant Sitter." I asked him to repeat it, and after a bit of back and forth, the following statement was revealed: "I'm very moderated for you to read The Plant Sitter." I then asked him what that means. He replied "It doesn't mean anything. It just means I want you to read The Plant Sitter."