Building the Database

We love to make connections. To pair things, match things, put things together.

I think it's true for all humans, but I am especially wired this way. My husband comments on it frequently, usually to tease me, because he finds my need for connections to be both painful and amusing. If I tell him a story about someone he doesn't know (or doesn't remember), it's inevitable that I'll go through six degrees of separation to connect that person to someone else we know and include the background stories for each before actually getting to the point!

And what do you know? I'm doing that now. I'm writing this post because it's so interesting to see some of these basic human desires (needs? tendencies?) manifest very early. Observe a toddler for a while and you'll be fascinated by the things they do and say.

Jacob is not even 23 months, and he's really starting to sort and pair things. Last week in the tub, out of the blue, he started saying "Two things! Two blue ones." I looked over and saw two blue "x" shaped toys -- one was a foam letter, and the other a little plastic "x" from a shape-sorter. They were the same shape and color, but different sizes and materials. I was impressed!

Tonight he was at it again. This time I was reading something on my phone (bad mommy!), and I heard him saying "Two Daddies!" I've been showing him who some of his foam letters are "for" for a few weeks (D is for Daddy), and he's picked up more on who they're for than the letter names…sure enough, he had picked  out two D's and stuck them to the tub. I got excited and asked him if he could find an M for mommy, and he found three! He lined them up next to the D's and counted to three; "Three Mommies!" Then, the part that surprised me most: next he found two red T's and stuck them on the stark, white wall. "Two Uncle Tims," he said, satisfied. Really? Amazing, kid.

So I guess the nugget for today is that we begin building our "database" (hubby's term) of connections quite early in life. I think Jacob is going to be doing the six degrees of separation thing before I know it. It's fun to see which personality traits he gets from mommy and which favor daddy -- I see these little hints of his grown-up self already, and I can't wait to get to know him as a big person.

Okay, yes, I can wait! Please don't grow up too soon, little man.