Conversations with my Little Owl

Emma progressed so quickly with her language that I have barely had time to capture it; she went from word repetition to life and world narration (There is a blue ball! She is throwing it! That is a green swing! Want to go on it!) to actual exchanges that make a lot of sense within the span of the summer. She's opinionated. She's funny. She's delightful — and delighted with herself. And very, very in the moment. To wit, when walking home from the beach (as my mother is my witness) she was chattering about all the birdies and surfboards and shovels she saw on the beach. She then put her head down on my shoulder and said, "I'm tired." Then, after a moment, "Mommy loves Emma." I said yes — Mommy does love Emma. She then replied, "I love you TOO. And I have a little bit of diarrhea in the pants."

She loves — loves — the beach. For her, it's the greatest playground ever. She's at the perfect age, too; last year she was mostly eating sand, not yet ambulatory, and very uncomfortable. This year she is one with the sand. (If you don't believe me you should see her little swim diaper, whose lining is full of Emerald Isle.) She'll rack up miles and miles just going the same 50 or 100 feet to the edge of the water and back to wherever we're digging, with her little buckets, saying, "Need to wash your hands. Mommy (or Pop-Pop, or Daddy…) come with you! Need a little bit of help fill the bucket! Need to fill it!" A moment later — "Dump!" Then, back to the waves.

This evening, we played in a tidal pool for a long time. Mostly this activity consists of her running back and forth screeching joyfully and spinning and falling down with Cordelia (whose name she can fully say, but whom she prefers to call DeeDee). She got tired pretty fast; all that salty air and spinning will do that to a girl who only weighs 20 pounds. I saw the circles form under her eyes and then the telltale, "Need to go in Mommy's arms!" Then, this, as we headed up the beach:

SLL: Are you ready to go home?
EEL: I'm ready to go home. Ready to swim. In the pool!
SLL: I think we're going to skip the pool and go straight to the bath.
EEL: Want to take a bubble bath! With the shamPOO!
SLL: Okay. Oh, look! Do you see the sandpiper?
EEL: There is the sandPIPER! He is running!
SLL: Where is he going?
EEL: He is running on the sand! He is walking! He is walking to the ocean!
(We turn around briefly to pick up toys) SandPIPER! Where ARE you? There he is!
SLL: Did you have a good time playing today?
EEL: I had a good time on the ocean! Made a mudPUDDLE!
SLL: You must be tired. But you took a good nap.
EEL: I had a good NAP! Good DREAMS!
SLL What did you dream about? Did you dream about … seagulls?
EEL: I dream about sandPIPERS!
SLL: You did! What else did you dream about? Did you dream about … surfing?
EEL: I dream about Mommy!

I love you, my little owl.