Today at daycare Ivan took me around the room and pointing out people and saying their name. I tried to head out after he’d pointed at each person, but he said, “No!” and marched over to the sofa to point at the sleeping dog there and say her name, “A-See.” She is Lacey.

He has long asked for the song “baa baa” which is baa baa black sheep. Today he asked for “baa baa ool” referencing the wool in the lyric. He also asked for “teeko teeko stah” which until now he had referred to as just “teeko teeko.”

Yesterday at our polling place, the volunteers were charmed by Ivan who was doing his happy walk which looks a little like a less exuberant Snoopy Dance. When we left and I got my sticker, Ivan said “tick-ah” and was gifted with his own “I voted” sticker. Then he pointed at the piano in the room and said, “Piano.” I did not even know he knew the word piano. Polling place volunteers praised his obvious brilliance, but I think it was the happy walk that made them smile.

I am often unsure about what the availability of media and screens in every pocket means for parenting and how best to navigate it. But, my heart melted for the scene in the photos below where Ezri is carefully teaching Ivan how to zap bugs in a game called Bugs and Buttons on the iPad.

She has also worked to teach him to be quiet while hiding. This led to parent terror while Ivan has wedged himself quietly amongst my pajamas in the closet. He gave the biggest smile when found that it was almost worth the terror.