Makin' Pizza

Daniel has long enjoyed jumping, snuggling, climbing on Mom and Dad's bed.  The latest craze is "Making Pizza".  When is started a few weeks ago, Daniel would allow himself to be tossed on the bed as the 'dough' then imaginary sauce, cheese and other topping were spread and sprinkled on him.  Even Aunt Jillian got to make a Daniel pie during her visit.  Jill added the step of pulling Daniel off the bed like a pizza on a peel coming out of an oven.  From that encounter, Daniel now requests to be baked until crispy.  These days, he doesn't sit still for toppings but reminds you if you forget, for instance, the 'pepperoni'.

You're a Sharp-Dressed Man, Daddy

This morning, as I was changing his diaper on the changing pad (which he now hangs off, ridiculously, at the knees), Daniel complemented me on my boxers, which were spring green and feature a repeating pattern of tiny Hawaiian wahines in grass skirts, strumming ukeleles. "I... like... your... pants," he said.

Yes, I thought to myself, you are indeed my son.

Daniel the Songwriter

Daniel amused himself today by composing some vulgar songs.

While we were grocery shopping at Target in the afternoon, he started to sing out, loud and proud: "Strawberry mucous! Strawberry mucous! Everybody likes to eat it! Strawberry mucous!"

And then at dinner last night, he altered a bump-ditty from the Disney Jr. cable channel (the original features some of the 101 Dalmations learning "This is how you learn to wipe your paws"). His new appropriation featured the lyrics, "Barf, barf, barf your paws... this is how you learn to barf your paws."

It made my think about the accusations of plagiarism against Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and countless others. People who write songs know that songwriting is more of a exchange with a greater tradition of continuity than individual, hermetic works of untainted inspiration. We want to copyright ideas so we can hold them and cash in on them forever, but in exchange for a livelihood, we're damming the collective flow of creativity.

And, yeah, I thought... yuck. 

EXTRA! EXTRA!

After putting Daniel in his crib for a nap, I listened to him shout "EXTRA! EXTRA!", à la old-timey paperboy, for several minutes.  I have no idea where he would have heard this phrase or in what context.

Parents Have Feelings, too, y'know!

Our little ray of sunshine has been making his Mommy and Daddy feel oh-so-much better today by walking up to us and saying, "I don't like you!"

Also, he has been greatly amused by repeating, over and over, his nonsense(?) phrase, "CACA FOREVER!"

Divide and Conquer

Recently, when Daniel has received a response he doesn't like, he has started to seek a second opinion from the other parent.

"You want ice-cream?" (Daniel tends to make requests right now phrased as questions, switching pronouns as if to suggest rather than demand)

"No, we just ate cookies, no ice cream."

"I go ask Mommy now..."

Daniel Jumps

Several weeks ago, Pappy came over and heckled Daniel a bit because he couldn't jump. "Look, Daniel, you got to get up off the ground when you jump!" he said, demonstrating.

Daniel has now mastered clearing the ground when he jumps.