Sound Bites

More sound bites from the Nugget:

"Another one, please. More ones."

"That dog's moving! It's moving!" (said frequently when Doggie walks past)

"(Neighbors) M & C aren't outside. They're inside. Inside maybe eating breakfast. Probably eating oatmeal."

"I do'd it. I do'd that."

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We took the Nugget to ride his bike on campus today (a favorite fair-weather activity in our household), and he spotted a patch of sidewalk just covered with rust-colored seeds. I'm no tree expert, so I'm not sure what species shed them, but they made soft fluffy piles. The Nugget exclaimed, "Wanna dig those seeds!" and thunked his bike down in a hurry. He scampered over to the patch of seeds, bent over and started digging just like Doggie; he used his hands to push handfuls back between his legs. When his pile shrunk, he'd pivot and start again. Several passerbys paused to giggle with him. A few minutes later, he said, "All done!" and started back off on his bike. On his way back to the parking lot, he rode his bike carefully through several empty bike racks, his head ducked for the low clearance. At the end, he beamed like a gymnast who'd completed a flawless routine, and an elderly couple clapped and cheered for him.

I'm guilty of letting our daily routine ratchet up my anxiety level. In fact, on the way out the door this morning, I turned my back to put on a sweater and found the Nugget had dumped the bowl of sliced grapes I'd prepared for him to eat in the car. I wish I had dug deeper to find the endurance to encourage him to help me pick them up and rinse them, but instead I snapped and scolded (and later apologized). I'm so glad we have this haven of campus nearby - being there really helps me feel the calm and peace I need to refocus and be truly present instead of just existing.