Grandchildren say the darndest things

I love (most of the time) the way kids pick up what they hear. Some weeks ago, Augie greeted his grandpa with, "So, how was your shopping?" He got himself in some trouble last week and stalled for time with, "Grandma and Pa, I have something to tell you." Oh, we said, what's that? A moment of thought, and then: "So, how is your day?"

Recently, he cracked up his mom at bedtime with, "Please don't leave, I'm begging you!" (Turns out that in "Do the Alphabet," Baby Bear says "I'm begging you" to Big Bird.)

This morning, Augie was making his way through our living room, which was so thick with toys that even he had to watch where he was going. "I'm losing my mind," I heard him say. No idea why.

Meanwhile, Vi is stepping up conversationally, too. Some of her meaning is obvious. "More oatmeal." "Yo-yo Ma" or "Ernie and Bert" (video choices). "Mali (our cat), where are you?"

Some requires translation. "Too" means "I want what Augie's having." "All done" used to mean "I'm finished eating" but now means, "You are done (sitting in that chair, or playing the drums, for example) and now it's my turn." This is gradually being replaced with "Vi turn," and, when she's had enough, "Augie turn."

One of my favorites is when she says something you don't quite understand. "Upsht baby pa gamma carry-you." So you try to clarify: You want to go upstairs? "Okay!" Now, you may have intended not to go upstairs, but she seems to think you invited her, so of course you go. She hands you the baby doll and says, "Up-hts mbld carry-you," and again you aren't sure so you ask: You want me to carry you? And she says, "Okay!" as if you just made the greatest suggestion.

It's exactly what Augie used to do, when his diction was still a little indistinct, and it still cracks me up every time.

Now, he knows words like "umbilicus," "nocturnal," and "Matt Nokes is a catcher who flies his own airplane."

BTW, in the photo above, Augie had just stacked all the tuna cans on top of the cat food cans on top of the counter. He likes it when the stack totals 20, but the cat insists on being fed, so it's often less. Augie seems to be adjusting to this situation.