Why?

At almost 27 months to the day Baby M entered his “why” phase. I can actually pinpoint the conversation that announced it

Me: Let’s put your jacket on
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because it’s cold outside
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because it’s winter
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because the Earth revolves around the sun on a tilted axis
Baby M: Why?
Me : That’s just Earth’s nature

I have noticed that no matter how many iterations of “why?” and “because…” we go through, there ultimately appear to be just two answers—“That’s just X’s nature” and “Because I was born clumsy.” I suppose once you think about it, they are really the same answer. Being clumsy is just my nature.

Hide & Seek

Baby M's new favorite game is Hide & Seek. I am still not sure where he learned it. My best guess is that he picked it up from Sesame Street, you know the one where Rosita gets angry with Zoe for not not playing Hide & Seek correctly and then Cuba Gooding Jr. gets angry with the word angry for wandering off.

Anyway, one afternoon Baby M said to me "Mommy. Hide & seek." I gamely said, "Ok, go count in the kitchen," which to my amazement he did. He counted all the way to 10, pretty impressive for a not quite 2 year old, if I do say so myself. I quickly ran and hid behind the door of his bedroom. Baby M started wandering through the house singing "Maa-meee, Maa-meee." When he finally found me he gave me the biggest grin ever and gleefully shouted "Hide again, Mommy!"

We played a few times. Actually, more than a few times. I would be tempted to say one too many times. Each time he would begin by looking in my previous hiding places. He would check behind the door or in the bathtub and announce, "No Mommy here" and "Not in bathtub" as if going through a little checklist. I love this new game playing phase of Baby M's and am looking forward to afternoons filled with hours of Hide & Seek, Tag and Red Light Green Light. Hours and hours and hours. Hmmm. Well, I am mostly looking forward to it.