polite little duck

Up until a few days ago, Garrett would say please by firmly nodding his head in much the same way Jeannie did when she granted wishes on TV back in the '60s. It was as if he was telling me, "Yes, I really, really want what you are offering really, really bad." Now, though, when I ask him to say please, he says it, and when he does it comes out sounding like a desperate "Eeeeeese!" Though I realize he's not the first kid to say please in this fashion, I'm still charmed by the toothy grin he bears when he says it. Sometimes, for good measure, he'll still even throw in the head nod.

Another thing he's recently learned to say is "quack quack" in answer to "What does the duck say?" (which I now ask him all the time because I love the way he'll drop everything and say "kack kack"). He picked this one up on our trip to Provo when he helped his Grandma Nancy feed the ducks and then, when we ran out of duck food, happily chased them around the pond. When Garrett is not busy being swept off his feet by the adorable Baby Elizabeth, he is consumed by his love for animals. He can spot a bird, dog, squirrel, or ant from a mile away, and once he does he can't take his eyes off them, nor stop chattering and making animal sounds in an effort to communicate with them. We don't see a lot of ducks waddling around Brooklyn, but I'm sure you can imagine what our duck-themed bathroom accessories can do to excite him.

And so, without further ado and introduction, let me present my polite little duck: