"...Say Yeah!"

Friends, we are happy and we know it. Thus, we: CLAP OUR HANDS!!! That's right, Elliot has acquired another new significant skill: hand clapping. Thrillingly, B and I were both there when he clapped for the first time this afternoon. We were walking along and Elliot seemed to clap in an accidental yet extremely effective fashion: he made a loud CLAP. He paused. He smiled. And then burst into hysterically laughter, followed by more clapping, and then more laughing. Clapping and laughing. Clap clap clap.

We are very excited about this, since we've been trying to encourage clapping for a while now with no success. It's amazing how apt the song is: he quickly associated clapping with happiness. Later in the afternoon Elliot clapped again, when he saw me making another baby laugh. I would smooch the baby, she would laugh, and Elliot--on cue!--would burst into applause.

Later, when he was tired and fussy and knew that he was for sure not happy, there was nooo applause.

Not that the applause is very loud or even really audible; the clapping at this point is a little, how shall we say...short bus. Is that mean? I'm sorry. But it's the best description I can think of. But even if it is a little "special" it is extremely charming. I shall try and document it's awesomeness soon.

In other news, the weather is gorgeous and we have good friends with whom to enjoy it. Today, for the second day in a row, my neighborhood mamas and I got together to savor the day (yesterday we were joined by a papa and a Kati, which was also very lovely). We talked about: childcare, the fear of accidentally killing your child, environmental recovery scenarios, how gender affects parenting, union policy, the hypocrisy of supporting a pro-life agenda without also advocating for substantial changes to education and welfare laws, mormonism, and antebellum slave legislation. We also debating the merits of "corn" versus "sweet potato" gerber star puffs, and discussed whether spinach causes diaper rash. Needless to say, I clap my hands. To my life, I say, "yeah!"