More dogs

Oliver has learned two new words over the past two weeks. The first of his new words, NO, has brought about several delightful interactions in which he proceeds to throw spoons, play with food, and push us away as he makes clear his difference of opinion. While this word is less fun than mom, or dad, the use of NO has been quite useful for the little guy. We like knowing when he disagrees with us, and given that these occasions are happening increasingly often, his new word has been pretty insightful.
With all that said, his newest word has been much more fun than no. Oliver has held an affinity for dogs since time began. For as long as I have known the little monster, he has enjoyed staring at them. Both of his grandparents have dogs, and he loves to point at them as they run by (not his grandparents, but the dogs).
Two weeks ago, Oliver started saying dog whenever he saw one. Then, out of nowhere, he began saying dog whenever he saw anything. Cars. Animals. Butterflies. They are all dogs.
This past week, we took Oliver to the zoo. We enjoy the relaxing walk, and he enjoys staring at all the dogs. He loves the pink dogs with the skinny legs (flamingos), the large dogs with the trunks (elephants), the dogs with stripes (zebras and tigers), and the dogs that sit around eating while people watch them (giant pandas). When my wife, a teacher, brought home a butterfly cage from her classroom, Oliver started yelling dog every five seconds. Today, he called me a dog.
Hopefully, he soon learns that we aren’t all dogs. Although, if he doesn’t, I’ll have an excellent excuse for my messy eating habits and love for sleep.