"What's that?"

Edward's latest verbal achievement. I think I've said before that he seems to learn a new word daily. This past week "cracker" and "bus" were added to the line up. And also, a phrase, "What's that?" I thought he was saying it, but wasn't sure and didn't mention it to John. Then John was making coffee Saturday morning and Edward pointed and asked, "What's that?" John came in the living room wide-eyed. "Did you hear that? Did he just say 'what's that?' " We spent the weekend answering that question and expect to do so for many months (years?) to come. Sometimes it's hard to tell what he's asking about. For instance, tonight at the grocery store, he pointed to the produce display and asked, "What's that?" I tried to follow his gaze and specify the vegetables. Hope I didn't provide any misinformation!

This week we also tried on some of the size 2T gifts Edward received at birth including these awesome gamebibs from Aunt Ann. For non-Iowans, let me just tell you that these are difficult to find in children's sizes, but fly off the shelves for die hard "adult" Hawkeye fans who wear them to sporting events--mostly football games. We tried them on over his regular clothes, so the shirt doesn't really complete the outfit, but you get the idea. They're still quite a bit long, but we'll roll the cuffs and send him out there with a "Go Hawks!" (Maybe that can be this week's phrase, in anticipation of the big Iowa-Iowa State showdown on Saturday.)

Last week, Edward got the thrill of his young life when he woke up from his nap to see John mowing outside his window. We've mentioned his love of lawn mowers and to see his beloved father pushing one was almost more than his little heart could take. He stood rapt at the window watching John go back and forth, shrieking with delight when he got close and leaning almost through the screen when he walked away. When John finished the side, Ed ran to the front window for the second act of the show. And as if this weren't enough already, he got to watch four mowers in simultaneous action on Monday when we stopped for a quick lunch on the way home from our Dubuque trip. We sat by the large front window so he could watch the mowers along the side of the highway. Ketchup and lawn mowers--what more could a boy ask for? He had sweet dreams all the way home.

Grandma and Grandpa Kenyon also got a treat this week--a visit to Edward's daycare on Friday for lunch. Families were invited for a potluck, but since the kids eat at 11, and I work until noon, the timing wasn't quite right. They're also having a special Grandparents Day celebration tomorrow afternoon, but it's during Ed's nap time, so again, we were off. But sending Grandma and Grandpa for the potluck was a stroke of genius. They loved it and Edward was clearly thrilled to have them there. When I arrived to take him home, he was sitting in the rocking chair with Grandpa. I asked, "Edward, who came to see you today?" He grinned his big toothy grin and pointed emphatically at Bill's chest, then looked over to Holly. We practiced saying "Grandpa" on the way home and he was getting close. He can already say "PopPop" for my dad. "Grandma" seems to be the hardest, but he'll get there.

Happy Grandparents Day!