Don't be Fooled

Have you ever seen the movie "Baby Geniuses"? I think they're on to something.

Our youngest is getting ready to turn 2 and I'm pretty sure he's got us all figured out. I sometimes believe that he's performing experiments on us to see how we'll react to situations he puts us in.

For instance, he has developed a special scream that we refer to as the 'teradactyl". It's almost superhuman. He puts forth this scream if he has something that he knows he shouldn't have, if we begin moving toward him to pick him up, if we try to stop him from eating dog food or drinking rubbing alcohol. This scream is shrill. It frightens me. It causes people to stare in public. I have to always say to myself, "He doesn't scare me. He's just a baby."

So far, I always win.

Also, just now, as I was typing he brought me a doughnut. I thought he got it from his dad. Lee has no knowledge of said doughnuts. Liam doesn't know I'm watching him and just walked over to the china cabinet and got a whole box of doughnuts. Clearly he went to the store last night while we were sleeping and bought himself some doughnuts for today. That explains why he looks so tired this morning.

I think he likes to gauge our reaction times, too. Spencer has been working on teaching him the ABC's. Liam will repeat back what big brother says. It's very cute. Sometimes, out of the blue, Liam smacks Spencer in the face. He'll look from me to Spencer. Waiting to see what we're going to do. Unfortunately, Spencer usually laughs. I always have to be the disciplinarian. He goes obediently to his time out spot, but I'm not convinced he doesn't get out a small notebook and pencil and write down his observations.

While I'm folding laundry Liam 'helps' by unfolding and carrying the laundry around the house. I sit him on the couch for questioning and he looks at me with his liquid brown eyes and says sweetly, "Help, mama." Good cover, kid.

Sometimes I think I hear him speaking in intelligible sentences in his room when he's supposed to be napping. Liam makes it so believable that 'no' is the only word he knows how to say. I'm onto him, though.

I know that somewhere in his room there is a hidden panel in his closet where he communicates with some secret agency.

I can only hope that we're getting a good report.