Lost in translation...

I took Rachel to her 15-month check-up about a month ago and had to stifle laughter when the doctor asked, "Does she say anything besides mommy or daddy?"

Um, yes, she does. In fact, we're hard pressed to get Rachel to say mommy or daddy but she's more than happy to spout off, "I want ball" or "Norman, back up!" She has a whole line of words that describe what she wants, "cup" "ilk" "ookie" "anket" "baa" "this!" "cracker" "book" "baby" "utside"... you get the idea.

But, no matter how hard we try I'm afraid we will never figure out what this means:

First we hear a giggle giggle chuckle laugh (possibly even a snort) which is followed immediately by a SCREAM, a kick, and what can only be described as a full blown tantrum being thrown on the floor.

Folks, we're at a loss. What exactly does this mean? We think we might have a few ideas...

1. "Mom...dad....I need some space"
2. "In an effort to keep from spoiling you with the sound of my laughter, I will now scream my head off until you wish you could remove yours"
3. "I'm sorry, I'm only under contract to be happy for 5 minutes at a time. Did you miss the memo?"
4. "Yes, we're all glad that tomorrow is Monday"
5. "I'm almost two. I completely lack self-control and have no desire to learn more about this inside voice that you speak of"
6. "I want a pony"
7. "Where's the beef?"
8. "This is a test. It is only a test. Had this been a real emergency you would have received detailed instructions and possibly a glass of wine"
9. "Look mom, no hands"
10. "I don't know how it got in my bag. I'm just holding it for a friend"


Regardless of the true meaning behind this perplexing and quite frustrating behavior there will always be an upside....she is more than happy to visit her time-out chair every single time.