Playdates & Big Boats

While I was out of town last week, The Dad took The Goose on a Playdate with a Park Regular's Grandson. This particular Park Regular happens to have a fantastic hobby, which includes baking us delicious sweet treats and leaving them on our doorstep. A couple weeks ago he left a chocolate cake and brownies, just in time for Aunty Ummy's visit. The combination of having Ummy here and having a whole lot of chocolate was really just OBSCENE. Even The Dad, who never splurges and has Will Power of Steel, was caught hacking off about a quarter of the cake and stuffing it down his throat. Anyway ... back to the kids ...

The Goose and his new friend are about the same age and size and share many of the same interests:

Sliding.

Loading buckets.

Drinking.

A coupla busy guys.

Earlier today The Goose and I took a walk in the sweltering heat. It was either that or go to the mall to ride the escalators. Our Sunday afternoon traditions. Today was definitely a walk day because The Dad was working on one of the trails with the mule (a small truck-like thing), which is a Goose Obsession. One day we saw a ranger named Shane driving the mule and pulling a boat behind it and ever since then The Goose has been saying, "Nane. A mule. That big boat." I love that he now applies the rule about singular count nouns requiring an article.

He likes to say "Big" with anything, but particularly with the word "boat." Now here I have to stop and go off on a tangent for just a minute about tense and lax vowel sounds. Case in point: Have y'all seen Finding Nemo? There's a part in that movie where Nemo and his buddies are looking up at a boat from under the ocean. One of the kidfishes says, "What's that?" and another answers, "I think it's called a butt." Another says something like, "Wow. That's a big butt." And that, my friends, is an example of the tense/lax vowel contradiction. The vowel sound in "boat" is more tense (tenser?) than that of "butt." Just feel how the muscles in your throat and mouth contract while saying each of those words out loud.

Now, picture this: One day just after that Brownie/Ummy incident, I was in The Goose's room on the floor doing some back stretches -- which included Downward Facing Dog Pose -- while The Goose was still in his crib waking up. As I pushed myself up from Table Pose into Down Dog, he looked down at me and said, "BiiiiiIIIIG BOAT!" I'm not sure, but I think that perhaps he has the same problem as Nemo's friend with his tense and lax vowels.

Just to get in a little more practice with segmental phonemes, y'all should try to say this one too: "BIIIIiiiiiig Boots."

Now I know y'all are all just sitting there wondering how I can possibly link all of this randomness together, but watch this ... I am good:

Thank you very much Mr. Park Regular Baker Man for letting The Goose play with your grandson, and for adding the few extra pounds I needed to be mistaken for a Big Boat.

As a final anecdote, I would like to tell you all about our new method of Passing Time in the Car. First, we hear a screech from the Toddler Car Seat Area (TCSA). Then, Mama says, "Use signs or words please." Next come the signs "sing" and "please" from the TCSA. Mama now says," What song should we sing?"

"DIIIIIiiiiiiiggggGGGG!" from TCSA.

Mama: "OK, let's sing the digger song: -- The wheels on the digger go round and ...

TCSA: "Dah-Dah! Ha ha ha! Dah-Dah! Diiiiiiig!"

Dah-Dah: "round, round and round (arms rolling in front of chest/tummy area), ... all through the town."

Mama (still singing): "The lights on the digger go flash, flash, flash (fingers/hands open and shut -- TCSA says, "FASH! FASH!! FASH!!!"), flash, flash, flash, flash, flash (repeat) ... all through the town.Here he is doing some "FASHING."

Mama (still the only one singing although other passengers seem highly motivated to participate nonverbally): "The excavator bucket goes ..."

TCSA: "Dig dig dig!!!!!!!!!!!!! Diiiiiiig Diiiig Diiiiig! Dah-dah! DIIIIiiiiigggg!!! Ha ha ha. Dah-dah. DIIIIiiiiiiggggg! Meow!!!!!"

Mama: "Kitty cats on the digger say 'meow, meow, meow' ... Arty Dogs on the digger say 'woof, woof, woof,' ... The babies on the digger say, 'wah, wah, wah' ... The mamas on the digger say, 'shhh, shhh, shhh' ...

ALL THROUGH THE TOWN.

And now wouldn't you know that Pottery Barn makes an entire bedset called "Little Builder." It has a quilt with excavators and dump trucks on it and we may just spend part of our Future House Downpayment Money to buy the whole set just because it would make him smile.

Have a great week!