Rumpus

It's February in Michigan. Time to bury our noses in books and forget about it.

Since Jude was born we've tried to make sure he gets a daily dose of literature. He will sit for five to eight books in a row before bedtime, and he makes it obvious which ones he approves of and which ones we need to put back on the shelf for awhile.

I'll pull out "Alligator Pie" and by the middle of the first page he has already given me his grunt of disapproval. Sometimes he'll even try to slap it out of my hand. If it's "Nicky's Walk", on the other hand, he smiles behind his pacifier as soon as he sees the cover. When I open it to the first page and read the first two words - "red shoes" - he giggles every time. And then lies in a quiet, enraptured state until I finish it and slowly close the back cover.

Lately I've been letting him choose by laying three options out in front of him. He ponders for a moment, then gestures toward the one he wants. If I even glance at a book other than the one he's chosen, I will hear about it.

Last night the whole family was on our bed while I read "Where the Wild Things Are". There's something about this book that is captivating, and it isn't just the pictures. I think it's the appeal of escape, especially in February, but anyway. After the part where it says, "Let the wild rumpus start...." there is a three-page sequence of wordless illustrations showing the wild things busting moves in the forest. We make up dance beats and do some beat-boxing as a soundtrack for these pages.

Apparently Jude has taken this to heart. When I was about to get to the rumpus part Jono stopped me and said, "Listen to what he does after you say 'rumpus'." So I read up to the move-busting section, finished with "rumpus" and stopped.

We waited for a second and then Jude goes... "bum bum-bum bum".

He was totally imitating a dance beat. I almost passed out. Yet another reminder that children are not dogs. They pick up on things, faster than you can keep up. I guess it's already time to make sure what's coming out of our mouths is age-appropriate :)