Our Two Trick Pony

We’re back from a weekend in Tahoe where our friends Dennis and Marcelle renewed their wedding vows and had a blow-out party on a fabulous deck overlooking the lake. It was a fantastic party, chock-full of great friends who I’ve known since first touching down in SF some 14 years ago. Today my hangover has a hangover.

Much of Mark and my merrymaking was enabled by his mom and stepfather who came from Ohio to care for Kate and check out Tahoe’s summer offerings. I must say, the second best thing to adoring your child directly is watching her grandparents adore her. Gary decided that Kate should call him Papa–the name he used for his own grandfather. Very sweet.

On Friday, quite by accident, I was saying something about Kate’s new trick–clapping her hands–and as I said “clapping her hands” she did it. I did a double take, said it again, and she did it again. Amazing! It was our first two-way communication. There is someone in there, and apparently she is catching on to this whole language thing.

So there I am amazed and impressed and frankly feeling like I’d be content if this was her last great accomplishment, and when we returned from the wedding Peggy says to Kate, “How big is Kate? She’s soooo big!” and Kate holds both her arms up over her head.

The child is a genius.

I have now moved on to teaching her the next sensible stunt, the giving of “high five.” Await a report.