Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 7)

I have been collecting these for a while now ... last weekend, though, pretty much every other thing that Elle said was hilarious and quotable, and I found myself jotting down A LOT of funny stuff. I think we're definitely at an age where the conversations are going to be memorable and the insights priceless :)

Tim left to return to work after his dinner break.
E: "Where did Hon go?"

E: "The good news is Wesley is not crying. The bad news is you're not being helpful."

E: "Oh, you ruined my gravy!" (She meant graveyard. Doesn't everyone overturn chairs in their living room and pretend they're graves and yell at their mother when she tries to tidy up the "graveyard"?)

 
E: "Be patient."
Me: "Do you know what 'be patient' means?"
E: "What?"
Me: "It means you have to wait for something. Some people say the waiting is the hardest part. Do you agree?"
E: "I DO agree."

Stylin'.

I was battling a pretty awful cold. Tim came home for his dinner break and told me I looked thin and asked if I had been eating (I hadn't much because I had had no appetite, but not to the point of noticeable weight loss). Then the random compliments continued.
Tim: "Your face looks really clear, too."
Me: "Thanks, but my nose is just probably so red you don't notice any blemishes."
E: "Guys, STOP FIGHTING!"

Dr. Elle Belle: "You're going to be good as better!" (I guess "good as new" is overrated.)

E: "Mommy, I love your purple shirt. It looks pink."
Me: "It *is* pink."
E: "Oh."

E: "Why does Sidney have a tail?"
Me: "Because he's an animal, and some animals have tails."
E: "Do I have a tail?"
Me: "No."
E: "Why do I not have a tail?"
Me: "Because you're a little girl, not an animal."
E (turns her back to me): "But do I have a butt? Why do I have a butt?"
Me: "Hey, Elle, why don't we talk about Christmas?"

And sometimes, she rests.

Elle, talking about some hot chocolate I gave her in a heart-covered mug that Tim gave me years ago as part of a Valentine's Day gift: "I yove you for cocoa. I very yove cocoa. You gave it to me for Valentine's Day!"

E, talking about the story that I told her about the Valentine's Day mug: "Can you tell me that story again?"
Me: "Why?"
E: "Because I yove you!"

Elle had a cold and I was stroking her hair as she tried to go to sleep one night.
E: "Can you stop petting me? It's too tickly."

Listening to Wesley "talk" and explore the noises his mouth can make, I was reminiscing with Elle ...
Me: "Elle, do you know what your first word was?"
Elle: "What? My first word?"
Me: "Yes. Do you know what the first word you ever said was?"
Elle: "Ominous?"
Me: "Uh, no. 'Baby.'"

E: "Sorry Mommy. Is that for me to give you? I mean, do you forgive me?"

Having a tough night with the kids, including an Elle with a cold. She sums it up, though: "I yove Mommy. No one listens to her." 

E, after dropping a toy: "Ugh ... You've got to be kidding me!" (Another new one: "Oh man!")

 

It was "cold" in Florida, so as we were about to head out on some errands one evening I put on a large hoodie that I have permanently borrowed from Tim.

E: "You look like a hockey player." 

 

I told Elle about something that was going to happen tomorrow.

E: "Today?"

Me: "No, tomorrow."

E: "Is it Wednesday?"

Me: "Yes, Elle."

Elle: "Is tomorrow today?"

 

E: "Daddy, can you help put this foot thing on?"

Tim: "You mean shoe?" 

 

I grabbed some Bounty paper towels at the store because they were on sale. Elle told me I needed to get Sparkle (way to go, commercial with the memorable little pixie fairy). When we got home, I asked Elle to tell Tim about what paper towels I was supposed to get.
E: "Use Sparkle to clean big messes without your piggy bank."

 

E: "I have many toothpasteses."

 

Me, singing to the tune of "Won't You Be My Neighbor" at the grocery store: "Won't you be my baby?"

E, without missing a beat: "Won't you get a cookie?" 

Stripes are the new black.

On Groundhog's Day, we were having a random conversation. Elle was having trouble with the concept of time and wanted to know when Christmas was going to be. I was trying to explain that we had several other holidays and birthdays that would come before Christmas and she was frustrated.
E: "But we already HAD Thanksgiving!"

Me: "But those holidays and our birthdays happen every year, once a year. So you have a Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas and other holidays every year."

E: "And Hedgehog Day."

Elle had been watching TV in our bedroom while Tim worked in the living room and I put Wesley to bed. I peaked in to find her standing on the bed. When I took her from the bed and told her we don't stand or jump on the bed, she got very, very upset. I asked her what she'd been doing, and she said "But I was practicing flying!" In the words of Elle, "OH MAN."

Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 6)

Me: "You're driving me bananas!"
E: "You're driving me oranges!"

E: "Is this Daddy's toothpaste?"
Me: "Yes, but don't touch it. It's sticky."
E: "Lemme smell it. *sniffs* You're right - it is sticky."

E, playing doctor: "You're all done with your check up, Mommy."
Me: "Thanks, Dr. Elle Belle. Will I be OK?"
E: "Yes. ... Maybe."

Elle checks for my "heart beep." She also diagnosed Wesley with Spittyittotis.

We were talking about going to see fireworks at the beach for Independence Day. I wasn't sure if Elle would be scared or love them, so I was trying to prepare her for the possibility of us not going by telling her that the weather might not be good.
Me: "I wonder what the weather at the beach might be like. It might be windy, or sunny, or rainy, or too sandy."
E: "Or fireworky."

It's going to be a fun one today based on this convo with Elle about a balloon we got at the store yesterday:
E: "Why is my bayyoon not fyoating?"
Me: "Because it takes a special kind of air to blow it up called helium. They sell helium in a tank at the store, and we don't have a helium tank here."
E: "But why is my bayyoon not fyoating?"
Me: "Because we can't just blow it up like other balloons."
E: "Do they have fish at the store?"
Me: ... "Oh! No, not a fish tank, Elle. A different kind of tank with special air in it."

Me: "That's a pretty awesome breakfast."
E: "It IS pretty awesome."

Me: "Please don't argue with me. Do you remember what quarrel means?"
E: "What?"
Me: "To fight or argue."
E: "No!"

Me: "Elle, can I please fix your hair?"
E: "In a minute, honey."

E: "You're just the sweetest Mommy in the world, aren't you?"

E, for the millionth time: "How do monsters burp?"
Tim: "Why do you keep asking that question?"
E: "Because. It's just the way I am."

Wesley and I were putting Elle to bed, and he fell asleep while I read her a few books.
E: "I wanna hold him."
Me: "Why? He's asleep."
E: "But I deserve to!"

Practicing her tummy time.

E: "Mommy, do you see that sun on that stopbus?" (She meant 'bus stop.')

E, watching me itch my leg where I had some bug bites: "Stop scratching! You're going to make it worse."

E: "Daddy, do you know why you're wrong?"
Tim: "Why?
E: "Because you're singing the wrong song."
Tim: "No, I'm not."
E: "Yes, you aren't."

Tim: "Elle, why are you combing your hair with your spoon?"
E: "To make it pretty."

Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 5)

E: "Mommy, why are you making me mad?"

E: "Mommy, Sydney is a girl."
Me: "Yes, your cousin is a girl."
E: "I have a kitty named Sidney."
Me: "Yes, and he's a boy. You know how we call him Sidney Boy?"
E, pauses: "Mommy, Sidney not a boy. He's a kitty."
Me: "Yes, but he's a boy kitty."
E, talking about our other cat: "Mario is a boy."

E, frustrated that I had left her in another room and told her to stay there: "But Mommy, you're not being my best friend."

Me: "You're soggy!"
E: "Where's the sog?"

Explaining her painting:
"But Mommy, you have to try something new."

E: "Who's my favorite little brother?"
Me: "Who, Elle?"
E: "Wesley?"

E, sing-songy and dancing around the kitchen: "I've got a new cousin! I've got a new cousin!"

E: "I'm Elle Belle the Great Magitician! Where's my magic cape?"

E, asking about Wesley: "Why doesn't he know anyting? ... Why is he scared of everyting?

While playing an imaginary game on our complex's tennis courts:
"I'm the best winner!"

"Look at what I just did - is that cool, dude?"

We spent some time at a friend's house, and Elle was obsessed with the toys my friend's cat had. I told her we had some at home (although the cats normally aren't big on playing with toys, so they aren't usually out). Elle was entranced and couldn't wait to share with the kitties: "Sidney, look at dese! They're special for ya."

"It's an emergency - we have to go to Pizza Hunt."

E pretends to take a photo of Tim with an old cell phone: "Oh, that's great!"

Me: "Elle, your belly is huge."
E: "Yeah, it's bigger than I thought it was."

Tim gave Elle a Cadbury egg and told her it was a chocolate egg filled with cream.
E: "If I eat this, then I'll be a queen?"

The concept of a braid is seriously confusing her ... she keeps saying "is that my brain?" Or "did you put my brain in?"

E: "What's in your belly? Is it Weswey?"
Me: "Yup - he's getting big and strong, and then he'll come out to meet us."
E: "I so excited!"

E, after patiently watching the Belmont Stakes with Tim and I: "That was a very fun race — can we watch Sprout now?"

Me, asking if Elle wanted to spend time with one of her favorite babysitters: "Elle, do you want Ashley to come play with you tomorrow?"
E: "Yeah! ... Where are you guys going to go?"

E: "Are you done arguing with me?"

I poured water over Elle's head in the bath to rinse out her shampoo, and apparently she was not in the mood for it.
E, sputtering: "This ... is ... ridiculous!"

E: "Stop coffeeing me!" and "Mommy, I'm coffeeing you!" (It's COPY-ing, sweetie ...)

Elle: A Teenage toddler

At two months shy of her third birthday (!), Elle is a complex little person. She's definitely figuring out who she is and where she stands in the world, and it's fascinating to watch her develop, learn and explore. Boundaries are questioned, buttons are pushed and emotions flow like a river, but I love watching how she picks up on things, makes connections and asserts herself.

Elle is never short on attitude (no idea where she gets it). But lately she's been dishing out the 'tude at times when it just cracks us up and showing her strong-willed, dynamic personality in new ways.

Some examples:

Tim was telling Elle about some construction work that is being done a few blocks from our house. They drive by it at least once a day, so he asked Elle "What do you think they're digging?" Elle replied with a bored "I don't know. Maybe we can talk about it later?"

Elle was trying to climb some rolls of wrapping paper in our bedroom. I kept asking her to stop and told her it wasn't safe. She kept telling me they were a ladder. Finally, Tim called from the other room: "Elle, what are you doing?" Elle responded with the highly accurate "Making Mommy mad."

We've also been served with an impatient and/or excited "What are we waiting for?" Like if I tell her we're going to have a special treat later that day, she replies with a breathless "What are we waiting for?"

Love this little monkey.

And to show that she's not only got teenage attitude but also some manipulation up her sleeve, she very innocently and casually suggested "Hey guys, let's have some more" a few weeks ago when we gave her a piece of chocolate after dinner. The careful and hopeful delivery had Tim and I busting up, and now she knows that she'll get a laugh out of us any time she says it :)

I also feel like we've got a mini-teenager on our hands in other ways. She is obsessed with hair bows. She is opinionated on what shoes she wears and makes observations on who or what her outfits match. She's obsessed with Taylor Swift's "Trouble" and Katy Perry's "E.T." (Side note: There is nothing cuter than hearing her sing along to these songs. There is nothing less cute than hearing her beg and whine to hear the songs.) She loves having her nails painted or seeing the nail polish on other people's fingers.

We've reached a cool age where Elle likes to act things out, from her bath toys to her stuffed animals to discussions she initiates with the cats. Last night, she played doctor for a while, saying "I have a diagnosis" and naming some of her princesses after various doctors (some real, like her pediatrician, others imaginary). Then she quietly said "I yuv you, yittle princess," and I melted.

She says "Yeah" like she's Little John - I have no idea where it comes from, but this is what it sounds like most times:

We love how she always says "ya," too: "I'm gonna take a picture of ya." "I'm gonna kiss ya." "I wanna hug ya." 

She knows when she's being good and cute and knows when she's misbehaved or disappointed us. She frequently asks "Are you happy?" when she knows that we're decidedly NOT happy with the way she's acting. I feel like we've had the "terrible twos" pretty easy until now, and for the last quarter of the year she's going to try real hard to "catch up" (this will likely turn in to an entire post on the banshee-like tantrums that she has recently started throwing).

But for as opinionated and stubborn as she is, she's also extremely sweet and adorable. She accidentally kicked me in the face the other night as I put her socks on, and she quickly said "I'm sorry, Mommy. Aren't you glad I didn't kick Wesyey?" She's protective of me and her little brother, "guarding" us from another kid at daycare by throwing her arms around my belly and saying defensively "My mommy! My Wesyey!"

I took her with me to my 32-week appointment - she'd been to the pediatrician the week before, and I wanted her to see me interacting with a doctor in a positive way and wanted her to be involved with Wesley's nearing arrival. My appointments aren't normally scheduled at a time that are convenient for her to go with me, but we lucked out on this one. I figured seeing the doctor and watching him check me and Wesley might help her understand a little bit about what's going on. She told me she was going to protect me (since I had to "protect" her during her appointment the week before), and she was great. She told everyone who came near her that she didn't need a check up and followed it with "I have a little brother named Wesyey."

When the doctor came in to listen to the heart beat and check my measurements, though, Elle got a bit argumentative and bossy. She had a photo album with family snapshots in it but when the doctor called it a photo album she insisted they were pictures and not photos ... then when he measured my stomach she said "Hey! I can't see!" and later tried to tell him her heart was in her stomach (let's hope she doesn't plan on becoming a doctor).

She also started calling Wesley "yittle fella" last night:. As soon as I started filming, she wanted to see the camera and was uber distracted, but you can still get a basic idea of how cute it was from the shaky clip :)

 
This age? It's exhausting, trying and bipolar. But it's also hilarious, fun and rewarding.

Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 4)

Tim: "Elle, it's a touchdown!"
E, eating dessert: "I'm busy."

E: "Where's Daddy going?"
Me: "He's going for a run, like a chump."
E: "I want to run like a chump too!"

E: "I yike diamonds." (We were coloring and she was asking me to draw shapes, but still ... I think we're in trouble.)

Me: "Elle, who is your best mommy?"
E: "Daddy."

E: "You're a good friend to me, Mommy."

E, frequently, in a sweet voice: "I loooovvveeee you, Mommy. CanIplaywiththeiPad?"

E, addressing her various bath toy ducks: "There, there ... it's all right, Elle Belle's got you."

I gave Elle a thumbs up for peeing in the potty. She said "Thumbs up!" I repeated, "Thumbs up, peeing in the potty!" E: "I not peeing in the potty. I'm Elle Belle."

Me: "I love you."
Elle: "I love you too, but you have to listen to me."

E: "I want my blankie."
Me: "Did you know I had a blankie when I was little? It was green."
E: "Green?"
Me: "Yes, with flowers."
E: "With flowers?"
Me: "Yup."
E: "But now you're a mama?" 


Minutes after talking about how we needed to replace a burnt out light bulb:
Me: "Elle, what should we have for dinner tonight? Tacos?"
E: "Yes, light bulbs." 

Elle was watching the iPad and was apparently way more distracted than I realized.
Me: "Elle, are you hungry?"
E, without looking up: "I love you, too, Mommy." 

Tim threw a small pillow to Elle and told her to catch it. 
E, completely missing the pillow: "Can you catch it to me?" 
Me: "Elle, Wesley can catch better than you."
E: "Yes, he can teach me how to learn!"

Me: "Elle, what are you doing?"
E: "Just being crazy."

Overheard from the toddler in the bathtub: "I'm going to tell my duck all about my secret fart."

E: "Mommy, can you walk on your pitty toes?" (I made her say it like five times before I told her it is "tippy toes," but I like her version better.)

Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 3)

Tim, singing to Vanilla Ice: "Stop - collaborate and listen."
Elle: "No."

Tim, starting to sing to Vanilla Ice again: "Stop ..."
Elle, channeling her inner MC Hammer: "Daddy Time."

Anytime I say "Stop - collaborate and listen," Elle says "Daddy says dat."

Elle takes off sunglasses and hands them to Tim. "I want to go to the park with my eyes OPEN."

"If you're happy and you know it shout hooray, hooray! If you're happy and you know it shout ... my feet hurt."

Elle can now wink, although
it's a pretty intense process.

I clear my throat.
E: "Mommy's sick!"
Me: "Elle, sometimes people cough even when they're not sick. You cough, right?"
E: *coughs*
Me: "Are you sick?"
E: "Yes."
Me: "What do you have?"
E: "The hiccups."

Apparently explaining who I was to the cashier at Target: "This is my friend, Mom."

"Bubble bath, bubble bath, give me something good to eat."

I was putting Elle's shoes on and football was on the TV.
E: "What's dat?"
Me: "That's the Packers. See that guy? That's Aaron Rogers. He's a baby. He goes 'whhhaaaahhhh.'"
E: "He wants his mommy."

E: "I want to wake up Daddy!"
Me: "Do it nicely."
E, yelling in Tim's face: "BOOOOOOOO!"

E: "Is that my candy?"
Me: "Yes, those were Skittles, but no, you cannot have any right now."
E, as if coming up with a brilliant idea for the first time: "Skittles?"

One can never overaccessorize?

I took E to Sears for a special portrait event with a "Rebel Rider" theme. I wanted to get photos of her taken with a mini-motorcyle to give to my dad for Christmas because he has a motorcycle. They had quite a spread, including removable tattoos and a leather jacket/bandana/sunglasses ensemble. I put a flower tattoo on Elle's upper arm, and for the next few days, she'd periodically look at it and ask what it was. I told her it was hibiscus. When I took the tattoo off a few nights later, she grabbed her arm and said "Where's my biscuit?!"

E: "I'm two. ... What's yours?"

Me: "You mean, how old is Mommy?"

E: "You're 28."

Nice, kid.

E, talking to herself about Mario: "He got down. He was NOT listening to Mama."

E, calling to me as I walked ahead of her: "Wait! I have to listen to you!"

E, finding a plastic pig she hadn't played with in a while: "It's my pig! His name is Babe. He loves to run and do the hokey dokey." 

E: "Mommy, can you sing 'Reindeer Nose?'"(aka Rudolph)

Elle had been sick with a bad cold but asked for a treat for dessert:
E: "Ice cream?"
Me: "I don't think that's a good idea for your tummy."
E: "But it's a good idea for my mouth! ... Daddy, can I have ice cream?"
Tim: "No, Elle, that's not a good idea."
E: "It's not a good idea for my tummy, but it's a very good idea for my mouth."

Elle says the darnedest things ... (v. 2)

The funnies have been piling up again, and even though I'm sure I'm forgetting some, here are some of Elle's recent funny moments and one-liners:

E, to Tim about some fruit she was eating: "It's on sale."

E: "Let's go to the Mommy-Mommy store."
Me: "What do they sell at the Mommy-Mommy store?"
E: "Ummm ... Thomas tracks?"

"Daddy's a big boy. I'm a big boy, too!"

"I'm gonna help Mommy, too!"

Me: "Hey Elle, we should go to the beach this weekend."
E: "I wanna go to the beach, too!"

Joyfully: "We're at the mall!"

My compassionate little funny one.

"It's OK, Mommy. Here's a toy."

... soon after that, she was whispering to Sidney (our cat) as I was fake crying: "Mommy's OK."

"Cupcapes."

"Monkey, monkey sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the horses and mommies again, couldn't put Monkey together again."

Hickory Dickory Dock = "Tinky Winky Dock." (Darn Teletubbies ...)

"Nemo nemo meinie mo."

"Sit on the couch watch TD with Mommy the Reds?" (Meaning: "Mommy, will you sit on the couch with me and watch the Reds on TV?")

"Cincinnati!"

"Go Reds!" (whether it be baseball or golf)

"Go Buckeyes!"

In the reflective plate of the bathtub:
"Hi! I'm swimming!" ... "We're going to have fun today!"

"Just a little minute! ... I'm making dinner."

Me, bending over to put her shoes on: "I hear your belly."
E: "I hear my farts."

"Mommy, do catch ups!" she said as she pulled on my hands to get me in position for push ups.

"I'm going to sit here real fast."

Fake coughs :: "I have a sick."

Towering. Duh.

"I'm towering," she said as she stacked blocks.

"Mommy, hear the doggies woofing?"

"I'm sweaty. I AM sweaty."

"This is a little one rock."

"I farted in my crib."

"Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o. On that farm he had some flowers ... with a smell smell here and a smell ... (realizing this is going nowhere fast) Had some kitties! ..."

Me: "Elle, what should Mommy do tonight?"
E: "Ummmm ... laundry?"

We were finishing dinner, and I was about to take Elle's plate when I realized she was talking quietly. She took her tortilla, spread it over the uneaten cheese from her sandwich, and was whispering "Sleep tight. See you in the morning!"

Elle was nomming on the legs of a plastic princess bath toy.
Me: "Elle, that can't be good. Is that yummy?"
Elle: "Mmmmm ... tastes like mustard."

"I'm so tired."

Me: "Elle, see that tow truck over there? See how that car is going up on that truck?"
Elle: "Wow ... that's a really good idea!"

Not such a "really good idea."

"Sit/play/draw/share wif me!"

"Mommy, will you come over here on this floor?" (asking me to leave the kitchen's tile floor to join her on the living room's carpeted floor)

Every time she sees someone new: "Hi! I'm Elle Belle. ... I'm Elle Belle. ... I'M ELLE BELLE!" until they acknowledge her.

Standing on my legs after her bath:
Me: "Elle, what are you doing?"
E: "I'm upping!"

"What doing, Mommy?"

"What's Elle Belle gonna do?"

"Mommy, are you driving?! Go faster!"

During an incident where she earned the nickname "Smell Belle":
Me: "Elle, are you pooping? Do you want to go sit on your potty?"
E: "No, Mommy. You stay over der. (a few seconds later) I soooooooo stinky!"

Elle says the darnedest things ...

It's been hard for me to come up with a format for this post, but I've been compiling Elle-isms for the last two or three months and realllllly just need to publish them before she turns 2. I'm sure the funnies will only multiply over the coming years, but there are some things that she has said or done that I just don't want to forget. I tried to give context where possible/necessary, but sometimes she just throws out a one-time, one-liner or I can't remember exactly what happened before she laid out the humor.


In summary, this kid cracks us up constantly.

After grocery shopping, she picked up a cantaloupe. Before I realized what she was doing, I heard a thud - she'd chucked it across the kitchen like it was a plastic ball. 

After dinner a few months ago, we were playing with her blocks, and she decided she wanted some of them to go on her new train. Normally extremely good with pronouns, she kept asking for my assistance, saying "Mommy help you?" At one point, after I helped her, she said, "Thanks, sweetie."

Robots = "ebots"

She was making some weird noise, and after I told her that she sounded a seagull, she ran down the hall shouting "I'm a seagull, Sidney!"

Talking to herself in the nursery: "I'm going to read you a story. Baby bear, baby bear, what do you see? Mama Bear!"

Elle has this Grover microphone and apparently thinks that my hair dryer looks just like it. Grover says "Let's rock!" on the toy (below). Elle loves to go through my gym bag, and she constantly pulls out the hair dryer and says "Mommy rock and roll!"

"Oopsie daisy!"

"Good job, Mommy. Good buckle."

"That's an orange diaper ... not blue. Not green. Just orange."

She sings parts of this song any time we put her in a disposable diaper: "M-I-C, K-E-Y. Why? Because I yike you! M-O-U-S-C."

"Too youd."

Elle, pointing: "Bug bite."
Me: "No, Elle, that's your nipple."

"Ouch. I'm hurting."

"... 8, 9, 10. ... I forget."

Olive oil = "Mommy's syrup."

"Boom in the curtain." = I was showing Elle a thunderstorm one night and now she thinks they live in her curtains. Luckily, she's not afraid, just very aware of this.

"No monkeys. They're dirty." Elle's response when I asked her what pajamas she wanted to wear - apparently she thought the monkey PJs were in the hamper.

I've been joking that Elle thinks she's Kanye West. Many of her declarative sentences are along the lines of "Imma go see Daddy" and "Imma run down the hall."

Tim: "Elle, are you coughing?"
Elle, in a bored, you've-got-to-be-kidding-me tone: "Yes, Daddy."

We usually listen to Elle's music in the car, but one day Tim played his satellite radio. Elle said, "I like Daddy's music, too!" (Although the next time they were in the car she requested her songs and said "Daddy's music later.")

Apparently I often tell Elle that "It's not funny." You know, like when she refuses to get out of the bath tub, or she's taking her shoes off and we're already five minutes late to leave. She used to just mock with me with "It's not funny!" But now she's started responding with the grammatically incorrect: "It's IS funny."

Elle and I were in the bathroom and we heard one of the cats vomit. (It's sad that my child identifies the noise with a plaintive "Kitty puke.") When we went to find the location so I could clean it, though, Elle started saying "Kitty puke, where are you?" in a sing-song voice.

When you ask Elle how old she is, she says "Good." Eventually she'll tell you that she's one. (One time she answered with "I'm probably one.") Then she'll start her own little dialogue: "How old is Mommy? Mommy 31. How old is Daddy?" And she forgets how old Daddy is. I caught her on an off day, though, and as she remembered how old she was, she forgot how old Mommy was and finally said "Mommy thirty old." Sigh. Thanks, kid.

"I yike it chocolate milk."

"Oh, ice cream. It's so good."

Any time she farts or poops: "Mommy/Daddy smell you?" The only thing funnier than this is when she bends over to try to smell herself.

I don't curse much, but I've tried especially hard to make sure I don't slip up in front of Elle. I was in the kitchen a few weeks ago and was having trouble with something - I think I was cutting something for dinner or had dropped something - and under my breath, I said "Frickin' A." Elle heard me in the other room and cried "Broken egg!" Tim nearly died laughing. Now whenever Tim is frustrated with something, he shouts "Broken egg!" And the little miss quickly echoes him.

I'll often say "Who wants (fill in the blank)? ... I do!" and Elle will echo it. We've had many a "Who wants to go to the park? I do!" or "Who wants lunch? I do!" I was making dinner one night, and Elle pitifully called out "Who wants hungry? I do."

Mispronunciations: Dinder. Yunch. Finnder. (Translation: Dinner. Lunch. Finger.)

Helping me unload the dishwasher, handing me utensils: "One for me, one for you." And "I'm helping Mommy!"

If she wants something and doesn't feel that she's being appropriately responded to, she'll call Tim or I "Hon" or "Babe."

Me: "I love you, Boo Bear."
Elle: "I love you, green bear."

Me: "Ohhhh, Boo Bear."
Elle: "Ohhhh, orange bear."

I'll take compliments whenever she dishes them out, although admittedly this was an odd one: "Beautiful arm!"

Singing the Teletubbies theme song: "Tinky Winky, Pepsi, Laa-Laa, Po."