May 25, 2001 - Friday
When Harry and I drove into the garage coming home from daycare, he immediately pointed at my bike helmet hanging on the wall and said "daddy." I figured he must want to got for a bike ride and that seemed to me like a good way to pass the time before his mother got home. So, I asked "did you want to go for a RIDE?" Harry got all excited and I figure that was it. We'd go for a bike ride. However, I was wearing long pants and really needed to change so as I got Harry out of the car I explained that Ôwe'd go for a ride, but that we have to go inside for just a minute to change daddy's pants, then we'd be right back out and we'd go for a ride.'

Harry looked a little perplexed, but didn't complain as much as I would have thought. Perhaps he understood enough of what I was saying. But, when we got upstairs so I could change my pants, Harry found the newly opened train set and began to play. And, when I was ready to go for a ride, Harry was not.

"Harry, didn't you want to go for a RIDE?"
"No."
"Didn't you want to go for a ride on the BIKE?"
"No."

I suppose we could have just stayed upstairs and played with the trains, but now I was wondering whether he was really answering my questions or just using his overused pat response to the majority of questions we ask. (I can't help wondering about his frequent use of "no." I like to think that we don't say that to him all that much, but it's clearly made an impression. I suppose that's normal, though.) So, thinking I could mow the lawn, I asked one more question.

"Did you want to go for a ride on the TRACKER?"
I guess he wasn't just saying Ôno' to be independent because this time he perked right up with "cractoe!"
"Yes, tracker, did you want to go for a ride on the TRACKER."
"Ride. Cractoe."
Sold.



Comments, opinions?