Books to read

We're eating dinner. Actually, we've just finished. Just finished for Tahlia means that she has started playing with her food. If you ask her if she is going to eat anymore, or just play with her food, she will always answer honestly. Either it's "Eat more," or "Play with my food." There is no hesitation in her answers; no attempt at concealing what she is doing; we don't think she sees anything wrong with either of those two actions.

Suddenly, in the middle of twirling her finger in some white macaroni and cheese, which sits in her pink monkey plate, she turns to Mommy,

"You want a magazine?"
"Where will you get a magazine?" Mommy inquires.
"At the grocery store." Grocery is actually more like gross-y
"Are you going to go to the grocery store and buy a magazine for Mommy?"
"Yet. You want a magazine, Mommy?" Head cocked to the side. Voice rising to signify the question.
"Yes Tahlia."

Tahlia quickly turns away from Mommy to face a plant that is in the corner of the room. She reaches her arm out into the air, a foot away from touching anything, as if taking something off of a shelf. Her fingers wiggle. She mumbles a little to speak to the cashier or whom ever is helping her, and then turns back to Mommy.

Deftly, with her left hand, she holds up two fingers. Holding up two fingers is a skill taught to Tahlia by Mommy. After Tahlia turned two, Mommy began asking her how old she was. She, of course, would say, "Yeah." At that time, "yeah" meant "I don't know." After a little while, she could say that she was two. When we would tell her she was two, we would always hold up our index finger and middle finger to give her a visual representation of her age. She became interested in this finger posturing and asked Mommy how to do it. Mommy complied, and very shortly, Tahlia was able to not only say that she was two, but, by holding up "pointer" and "long man," show the questioner how old she was.

"You want two magazines, Mommy?" She asks. Magazines is actually "mag-a-eens."
"Sure Tahlia." Mommy takes what she believes is two magazines.
"You read magazines, Mommy?"
"Oh, should I read the magazine?" Mommy smiles and begins pretending she is reading the magazine.

Tahlia is staring intently at Mommy, pleased with her ability make her mother happy. Mommy thought she had both magazines. She was wrong. Tahlia is skillfully holding up Mommy's other magazine. Apparently, Mommy took the magazine that was the pointer, so now, long man, also known as one's middle finger, is held up right in front of Mommy's face. Tahlia's other fingers are carefully clasped in a fist.

"Mommy? You want other magazine?"

We all attempt to stifle our laughter and Mommy happily takes the last magazine.

"Daddy? You want a book?" Daddy only is offered, and given, one book. Aunt Chris has three.

And, although Mommy doesn't like anybody reading at the dinner table while people are eating, in short order, we are all perusing our various books and magazines. Mommy's, of course, is only one long finger that she gleefully waves around for all to see. Mommy always gets the best books.