Carolyne

Drowning Elmo

Well, after such a long absence, I had to come back with something catchy, no?

Anyway, since my last post, Carolyne’s world (and various body parts) has expanded into new things: more talking, facing forwards in the car seat and self-propulsion of a kind (more on that later). The eating has been a constant; her mother rightfully says that she’ll try anything once, and usually likes what she tries. Enjoyment of the water, too, has continued, especially pools. And in the bath she has enhanced her previous routine by turning herself around and interacting with an ever-wider range of toys and bathing accessories.

Which brings us to Elmo, or rather, to the Elmo hand-washcloth puppet we have. (I should mention here how much I admire the marketing folks at PBS, because while Carolyne has had limited exposure to Elmo, she sure seems to know who he is.) Last night in the bath, I grabbed the Elmo cloth and offered it to Carolyne. She quickly seized it, as she does most things you offer her, and started twisting it in her hands.

Then, she plunged Elmo under the water and pressed down on his face for several seconds. She did this repeatedly.

The several times I asked her if she was drowning Elmo, she usually said, “Nooooo.” (Oh yes, she knows that one quite well.) But it sure looked like it to me.