Z's Grasp of Language

Z has this Winnie-The-Pooh book that he likes to read every night...several times. Sometimes I read it to him, sometimes he reads to me, either way we read about three to five times. Not a truly interesting book unless he reads it -- then he cracks me up! However earlier this week, he broke my heart...unintentionally of course but it happened.

In his How Do You Hop So High book, there is a page where two birds are sitting in a nest and one of them is learning to fly. Once you turn the page the focus of the story is now on something different (not the birds) but you can still see the tree and the nest in the background. Well, Z was "reading" to me and he points to the nest that now only holds one bird and looks to me and says "Where did his mommy go?"

I wasn't sure how to answer and I said something lame I am sure like -- getting food or looking for daddy bird -- I don't remember. His response I remember.

He says pointing again to the little bird sitting by itself in the nest in the back of the picture "That's Zachary bird. He is all alone -- his mommy flew away." Gulp...I know he wasn't necessarily saying anything about me but the guilt - a nice combo of Catholic and Mommy -- filled me. Bleech.

But a funnier thing happened on Tuesday this week so I will share that too.

A little background on the Martin house. I travel quite a bit for my job and our extended family is spread out across the US so my amazing husband had a brilliant idea. He took little magnets and stuck pictues of family and friends on them. He then put a large map up on the fridge and placed our family magnets where ever they may be at the time. For example, Z's godparents live in NJ so Uncle Andrew and Aunt Jessie's magnets are on the east coast. Gramps is in Illinois, MiMi is in San Angleo, Uncle Jamey in Denver, etc. Then when I travel, Z and his dad move my picture magnet where ever I am in the country.

This past Monday I was in Austin for the day and before they left for daycare, Z and Dad moved my picture; however Z decided I was in Iceland not Austin. Anyway on Tuesday night, I was standing in the kitchen (cooking! no really -- a shock I know!!) on the rug in front of the sink. Z and Dad were in there puttering around getting ready for Halloween and Dad noticed that I was still in Iceland so he asked Zachary to "Move Mommy on the Map." Zachary came over to me at the sink and started pushing on me. I asked him what he was doing and he said "Move Mommy Move!" I said "What?" And he said "Move Mommy -- off the mat."