ABC Song

Daniel was singing the ABC song this morning. Here's how far he got:

"Ay Bee See Dee Eee..."

"Good job, Daniel! What's next?" Daddy asks.

Daniel pauses and repeats through "E."

So Daddy says, "Eff! Gee!"

Daniel wanders off.

Fireman Sam = good, Robots = bad

Yesterday evening, Daniel wanted to sing the Fireman Sam theme song over and over.  We sing it as:

When he hears that fire alarm,

Sam is always cool and calm.

If you're stuck, give him a shout.

He'll be there to help you out!

To cue Mommy, Daniel sings "whennn" "whennnn" and, if I pause after "he'll be there to", Daniel will enthusiatically proclaim "Help You Out!"

In other news, robots are bad.  We had a preview of this sentiment over Christmas when Uncle Ryan gave everyone remote control robots.  Daniel did not like their looks or their (seemingly) independent movements.  Yesterday, Elmo and Zoe pretended to be robots.  Daddy reports that this behavior was not appreciated by Daniel who would watch briefly then leave the room obviously disturbed by what he saw.

Memory: Online

In the last 2 weeks - 1 month, approximately, Daniel has begun to show impressive displays of memory, and he is communicating them with us.

Several weeks ago, I told him Fiona was coming over and he piped up: "Ice cream!" (we often get ice cream when we see Fiona).

Several days ago, when I told his Tidd Grandparents that he had recently gone to the dentist, Daniel recalled memories from the visit: "New Toothbrush! Prize! Balls!" (the dentist provides kids with prizes from a gumball-style machine).

And last night, Christy mentioned Jill in conversation, and Daniel piped up: "Aws-trail-ya! Aunt Jill-Ee-In."

This hasn't happened all at once, but it's becoming increasingly clear now that he's hearing what we're saying, even when we don't notice. And it's also clear that when we ask him about something that's happened recently, he's recalling it in his mind's eye and then telling us what he sees. It's pretty amazing to see this unfold.

The Nopes

Daniel has been experimenting with contrariness for the last week or so, at least where Daddy is concerned. I can ask him almost anything, and he will quickly reply, "nope."

However, if I press on, there is nearly always a repeated pattern to his replies. It goes like this:

"Daniel, do you want to go to Disneyland and meet Mickey Mouse?"

"Nope."

"You don't want to go to Disneyland? Meet Mickey Mouse?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

*pause* and then a resigned "...ho-kay."

He doesn't do this all the time, however. Sometimes he actually listens to what I'm saying. I thought I was being clever yesterday morning when (as I was getting annoyed at the flurry of 'nopes' coming back at me), I asked him, "Do you want to eat candy all day?"

*pause* "...candy? Candy! CANDY!"

The candy chant went on all morning long.

Every Little Soul

Daniel has been in a musical mood the last few days. He has started singing phrases from songs he likes. He really likes the song 'Mr. Rabbit' ("Every Little Soul...") from the new 'Music Together' collection ("Bells") that he just got last week.

The chorus goes like this: "Every little soul must shine, shine, shine."

We were having lunch at the Grandview, and he was singing "every li'l soul" over and over.

So I sang the first part: "Every little soul must..." and waited.

Daniel quickly followed with the rest: "shine, shine, shine!"

It's the first time that I can remember that we have traded off parts of a song.

Ra Ra Ra

A friend recently expressed amazement that, at 2, Daniel can clearly say her name, which begins with an R.  Daniel's pretty good with Rs, but Ls not so much.  We have a book called "Storytime for Lamb" that he requests by saying "Ram! Ram!"  This could be technically correct given that the lamb's gender is not clear.  Also, our music teacher is named Melissa and Daniel calls her "Rissa".  It's like living with a small, blond, Japanese tourist :)

Dark Here and Upside Down

Daniel is enjoying 2 new games these days.  "Dark Here" involves going somewhere dark (closet, rack of clothing in a store, under a blanket, parking garage) and stating that it is "Dark Here!"  Ideally, the other players (Mommy and Daddy) will join him in the dark place and agree that it is indeed dark.

"Upside Down" is a new activity best performed on Mom and Dad's bed.  Previously, jumping on the bed was the most fun.  Now, Daniel likes to be turned upside down over the bed.

Evoked Companions

Thinking about Daniel Stern's "evoked companions" today: I put Daniel in his crib for a nap about half an hour ago, and he has been chatting away ever since with Grandpa, Grandma, his uncle Ryan, and Santa Claus.

Banging & Shaking

For the last week or so, Daniel has become preoccupied with banging things. More specifically, picking up objects and then slamming them down. This isn't new behavior, but he seems to have become fixated on it recently for some reason.

Today, he also spent quite a lot of time shaking things, like bottles. Again, not new behavior, but it seems to have caught his interest.

Another behavior that is new is that he is experimenting with the tone of his voice when he talks, so when he's really excited, he talks in a very high pitched voice now (just like we adults talk to him when we're excited about something he's done).