Chicken

We experimented with walking to the daycare to pick Monroe up on foot and take her home in the Strolls Royce. The round trip is about 3 miles, and it's a pleasant way to pass a part of the evening that can feel quite rushed. I hope to spare the time for it every now and then.

By way of keeping Monroe amused as the walk home rambled on and she lost her fascination with all the bikes and buses whizzing past, I started talking to her about her day. This is a funny little one-sided conversation I often have with her--usually at dinner. It started as a complete joke. I would infuse my voice with mock formality and ask "And how was your day Monroe?" This was funny because a) we'd been together all day long, and b) she couldn't talk. and she would drool or coo or stare into space. Later, I kept on asking the question in a slightly less comical but still tongue-in-cheek way just as a way of keeping up our little mommy-baby banter which she seemed to so enjoy. Eventually, when I asked "How was your day?" she would nod vigorously. I am still not sure if that meant she liked the questioning itself and wished it to continue or if she was simply trying to communicate that her day was "yes, yes, yes." Either way, it was deadly cute.

And today as the novelty of pointing out bikes and buses wore off and I sensed that a stroller revolt was in the cards if I didn't come through with better entertainment, I started in on a version of the "How was your day?" series. I asked, "Did you play with Simon today?" Simon is the boy we left her sitting next to when we dropped her off in the morning, which I guess that is why he popped into my head. I didn't really expect an answer--I was being a little bit goofy--but she nodded and then affirmed with a surprisingly clear pronunciation of "Simon" in the cutest little voice. So then I asked her "Did you play with Max?" and "Did you play with Harper?" and each time she nodded and carefully pronounced the other child's name with a serious and thoughtful look. We'd never said any of these names before, and I am not sure she had either--she was really on a role. So I was disappointed when I ran out of daycare playmates to mention. Too bad I didn't know more of the kids names! Casting around for anything to keep the amusement rolling, I asked, "and what did you have for lunch today?" Given the fact that I was talking to a 16-month old, I clearly intended this as a rhetorical question. But without missing a beat, Monroe looked up at me and answered, "Chicken."

I nearly fell over in the sidewalk.