What dat, Mommy? What dat?
The questions have begun!
Everyone who's been through the stages of childhood before you is quick to tell you everything you're in for. And plenty of people have forewarned me about the question stage. Most stories have referenced the ever-popular "Why?" But you, at least for now, are stuck on the "What?"
You used to just point to something and say "Dat" on occasion and I'd tell you what it was. But your speech has just taken off over the last few months and you're now basically talking in some pretty big sentences. So one-word queries are a thing of the past. Nowadays your standard question is simply, "What dat, Mommy?" (Or Daddy, of course.) (Oh, and every question or statement generally includes a Mommy or Daddy reference within.)
I love answering the question because I feel like I'm really helping you explore the world, but lately you've been FULL OF QUESTIONS. I swear you say "What dat?" about 500 times a day! And today, for the first time, you asked "What dat, Mommy?" (A shark.) And you had an immediate follow-up question: "What the sharks doin', Mommy?" I'd better get ready with some good answers.
The funniest part is that you don't just ask "What dat?" about things you're unfamiliar with. You will ask it of things you know by heart. A truck goes by and you ask it. A man is walking a dog on the street and you point and ask it. Mommy gets a plate out of the cupboard and you ask it. I tend to throw these back at you, at first because I was curious as to whether you were experiencing some kind of memory loss. :) But I'll just say, "I think you know what that is, Devin. Can you tell me?" And then you answer your own question.
Other popular queries:
"What Daddy doin'?"
"Where Mommy at?"
"What dat noise, Mommy?"
"What dis road, Daddy?" (This one started last weekend and totally cracks me up.)
And the cry of desperation, "Where my kitty cat at?"
That last one is so cute. You're not referring to the live felines, but to the stuffed cat you've got crammed into your crib with the gazillion other stuffed animals, three pillows, and five blankets. No wonder you can never find it. But one morning Mommy and Daddy woke up to hear you in there, very calmly asking to whoever was listening, "Where my kitty cat at?"
You also asked it last night after Daddy had said goodnight and closed the door. You weren't about to go to sleep until you'd located all the animals that matter so you called out for help finding the cat. We comply because if we don't, you'll scream and cry until we do.
There's one other type of question that you've come up with lately, and it's just so darn sweet the way you do it. Last night, for example, I was experimenting with my flash while you watched "Madagascar". I was having trouble getting it to work in a particular mode and was saying things to myself like, "Hmmmm." "Darn." "Oh, I don't know." Not loudly. Just to myself. But you heard me. You cocked your head to the side and said, "Mommy need help?" In the cutest tone. You have this lyrical little twist you put on the end. What we need is to get that on video. There are other variations of the question, but this is the most common...wondering if I need help, or if Daddy does. You're so thoughtful.
And while I'm on the topic of thoughtful, I can see that you're learning to be aware of others and their feelings a lot more. Two examples from today. First, I went to walk around you when you were riding your scooter around the dining room and I didn't quite clear the path. The wheel caught my foot. It didn't hurt, but I think I said, "Oh, oops!" Your immediate response was, "Sowwy, Mommy!"
The other time we were reading stories and you got very excited and were laughing about something. The book was in your hand and you accidentally bopped me in the cheek with it. I let out a bit of an "ow!" and you quickly said, "Sowwy, Mommy!" I thanked you and told you that I knew it was an accident. But you're clearly beginning to see that your actions have consequences.
Among all those questions was a simple statement that you made the other day. I had to stop and ask you to repeat it. You'd been doing something silly, although that part I don't remember at all, but you were marching through the dining room with your arms swinging at your sides and you just announced, "I happy." You were just doing some everyday thing and you were happy. You're two and you thought about that feeling inside of you enough that you were able to tell me that you me about it. To voice it aloud. And more than that? The fact that you're happy, that you can articulate that thought, just amazes me. And thrills me.
