For more or less the first time since mid-June, last night Scarlett slept the entire night without needing her blanket fixed, her hair-tie fixed, or a cup of water. It was nice to get some rest.

I don’t know if this is above average, normal, or below average for a 2.5 year old, but the following exchange left me impressed yesterday:

Me: I am married to your mom. So, your maternal grandmother is my mother-in-law. Who is my father-in-law?

Scarlett: Maternal grandfather!

I also heard that while she was in NYC she correctly surmised that my wife’s grandfather was my mother-in-law’s father.

Me: Daddy is a?

Scarlett: BOY!

Me: Scarlett is a?

Scarlett: Girl! No! Princess!

Don’t worry birds, I will feed you. Dad, feed the birds.

-Scarlett speaking to the birds in the woods behind our house (and then to me) a couple weeks ago

Well, more like finishing each verse, but it’s still pretty fun.

For a while during Scarlett’s second year Danielle and I went back and forth on whether we should take Scarlett to Disney just before her second birthday or whether we should wait until she was older. On the one hand - she’s not going to actually remember this trip. Or rather, any memories she has are sure to be false memories triggered by the photos and videos we took. On the other hand - whether or not she remembers it, it’s still forming her base memories; memories that anchor most of the subconscious feelings we feel about our lives.

I’ve mentioned before that I find Scarlett’s mental development utterly fascinating. As someone who’s always been fascinated with the science of cognition ( You Are Not So Smart is my new favorite podcast) and psychology, it’s amazing to see her capabilities grow and change as long with her physical growth. Her most recent new ability is understanding cause and effect. If you ask her a “why” question, she gives a “Because” answer. Now, this can border on the surreal absurd as when she recently painted her face with finger paint. The exchange went like this:

Yesterday Scarlett pointed at herself and said, “Me… Scarlett”. She’s responded to her own name forever, but she is just now starting to realize that she is but one of many people inhabiting her reality. She is a person named Scarlett, I am a person “named” Daddy, and so on. It’s always been incredibly fascinating for me to see how her perception of the world has changed as she’s gotten older. It fascinates me more than her acquisition of new physical and mental skills (which is still cool on its own). Later on I asked her, “What’s your name?” And she responded, “Scarlett.” Up until now she’s just given us a blank “duh” stare whenever we’ve asked her that question. I’m sure this is but one of the reasons that parents put up with the stress of raising a child - for moments like this.

Near the end of August Scarlett started waking up saying “Mommy” or “Daddy” instead of crying (although sometimes in addition to some light crying). Pretty neat and I think it signifies a further understanding that we’re around when she wakes up - she just needs to summon us. I better enjoy it - in about 6 months she’ll be able to come to our room when she is in her toddler bed.

Not cool guys. Haven’t we been having this argument for years now? You’d think you wouldn’t be so gosh-darned clueless.