Shovel pain

Sadly, our favorite of Oscar's malapropisms bit the dust this week. For the longest time, "Subway train" has been "Shovel pain," but no more. A bulldozer is still a "Bullzoder," blue is still "Bee-loo," yellow is still "Llello," orange is still "Ange." But now, a subway train is just a subway train, and we are poorer for it.

He has, in the past few weeks, really started speaking in sentences, which can be a little fanciful. The other day, for example, he observed: "Rocky like Momma's yellow socks." I guess he saw her lying on a pair. One evening recently, we were in the lobby of our building and he was performing his ritual protestation of going home, and he said: "Oscar no want walking out-tide," which I took to mean that he would much prefer to go back outside and go for a walk than to go upstairs.

The playground is now a nightly stop on our way home. He's obsessed with basketball, skateboards, scooters, bicycles and tricycles. Jen got him a Nerf basket, which he demands to be lifted up to, over and over, so he can place objects in it. We're going to get him a scooter next.



He did the strangest thing Saturday. He was sitting on this climbing structure at the playground across the street from our place, above a chain ladder. Jen and I were on a bench 20 feet away. we try to give him a lot of room. It's a confidence builder -- lets him know we trust him and that he's capable of making decisions for himself. And usually, he makes good ones. But this time, we saw him gesturing to us to catch him and mouthing "Mama! Papa!" And then, when we weren't there, he just jumped into space. He caught himself on the chain ladder, so he didn't fall very far, but it was terrifying nonetheless for all of us.

And strange, because he's always been so careful and conscientious about what he's capable of. He's plenty rambunctious, but thoughtful -- not the type of boy who just charges blindly into things. Instead, he observes, tests, prods and then does, once he's confident of what he's doing.

That night, he told Jen: "Bolek fall down." Jen asked: "Was Bolek hurt?" Yeah, said Oscar. "Was Bolek scared?" Yeah. "Is Bolek okay now?" Yeah.

This evening, in the bath, he was playing with cups, and he told Jen he was "Making coffee bubbles." Jen, playing along, offered him a "croissant," actually a foam letter 'C.' He dipped it in his "Cah-chee-no." What can I say? We go to Ceci-Cela alot.