our Great Dane

One of the best things Dane can do lately is filling in the words in books we read and songs we sing. I am always amazed at how quickly he can memorize how books go (either that, or he can already read and we just don't know it, HA). He can start filling in words when we pause after just reading it three times. One song that he loves for us to sing to him is "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, although we of course sing it as "Sweet Baby Dane" for him. He calls it the "young cowboy" song (because of the first verse), and he loves to say his own name in the chorus, like this:

"So goodnight, you moonlight ladies, Rockabye Sweet Baby--" "Dane!"
"Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose, won't you let me go down in my dreams, and Rockabye Sweet Baby--" "Dane!"

He is obviously trying to sing and match the tone that he knows the word should be at, too. He also corrects me when I say that the young cowboy is "dreaming about women and glasses of milk," and says, "Glasses of beer!" (I obviously changed the lyrics because I felt weird singing to the baby about beer, but now he's heard the actual song and he is wise to the ways of the world.)

Dane loves for us to tell him stories when we're rocking him before bed. He loves the three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears, and made-up stories involving himself, Sparky, Dumbo, Lightning McQueen, and Winnie the Pooh. He's started telling his own stories now too, usually when we ask him to. The other day, we were sitting on the couch, and he said, "Mommy, I tell story. Once upon a time, Dane saw Dumbo. Naughty boys tease Dumbo. Dane fly on Dumbo's back! Dane happy!"

We've been reading Are You My Mother? a lot lately, and I'll always ask him afterwards, "Who's your mother, Dane?" and he says, "Mommy!" Yesterday afternoon, he was playing with his cars, and he said, "Yellow car be my mother, Mommy." So I guess I'm getting replaced by a matchbox car. Good luck, car, have fun.

He's started saying, "Mommy so pretty!" while I'm getting ready in the mornings. It KILLS ME. Also, he's learned the word "bootiful!" and says it randomly as well, like when we put the Halloween tablecloth on our table.

I said, "Dane, you're a smoothie monster!" and he said, "No, I smoothie car!" Not sure if he got it...