Mine

On the other side of the Ari news, he woke up this morning and looked at my book on the bed and said, "This book not Mama's. This book my book." He then took the book and looked at me.

I said, "Oh, this book is not Mama's book, it's Ari's book?"

He nodded and opened up the book to "read" it. "Oh, uh huh," he said, in his "very interesting" voice.

This was repeated throughout the day with increasing ferocity. Suddenly everything was Ari's, to the point that he was snatching things up and saying, "Mine mine mine!" in a shrill voice. It was funny for me because it reminded me of a game Auntie Papaya and I have played for a long time. In loving mimicry of a client of hers who used to go around saying "Mine mine mine!" over every object, she and I used to pick certain objects--usually beds, couches and pillows, and declaim in the same way over them. When we were young and vigorous we used to also shove each other off of said objects. Anyway, Ari's clutching at objects in this way was pretty funny but also developmentally interesting. Anyone know what's going on in that little noggin of his?

A few other funny Ari comments. I'm not sure if they'll translate here or not: a few nights ago I was saying good night to Andi and Ari was asleep. He drowsily roused himself as I whispered, "good night," and added, "moon."

And just tonight he spooned up his cereal and dribbled it from a great height on his high chair tray. Gravely surveying the results he said, "Fun." For some reason we found that comment hysterical.

He is increasingly social, which is hard to imagine but true. He goes and greets the neighbors and on a playground will just walk up to other children and say hello.

Oh, I like to hug him myself and whisper inside, "mine, mine, mine." Lucky me.