We’ve got a budding singer on our hands. If you strain to listen, you perhaps can even hear “and Bingo was his name-O” (we’re working on vocal projection – give her time). Makes you want to take a long car ride with the Johnsons, right?!

Best of all, it’s like Name That Tune. At first, we have no idea what she’s singing (or THAT she’s singing), then all the sudden the Wheels on the Bus go round and round. Or Mary has a little lamb or someone’s rowing a boat or it’s a famous (to Zoe) Baby Signing Time song like the ever-popular “Wash Wash, Scrub Scrub” – sometimes it’s a medley.

Speaking of medleys, I’ve been thinking about all the cute verbal things she’s picking up as she goes along, and in the spirit of documentation, I think it’s time to write ’em down. So here goes:

1. GIMME GIMME! Translation: “Please give me that ____, mom and dad. I so need it.” We’re trying to get rid of this one…
2. NO, NO TAKE IT! Translation: “Please don’t take that (sharp object, tiny choke-me object, _____), mom. I’d only like to hold it for a second.” Also undesirable – we’re working on it.
3. I GOT IT! Translation: “I got it!” Ok, so this one’s self-explanatory but super cute, and most frequently used when she chases a ball and “gets it”. Frequently preceded by “I GET IT“, which technically means “I’ll get it”, but pretty cool she sees the difference.
4. BABADOOOOO! Translation: “My bottle is in sight, and I am dying of thirst. Might I have it, please?” We have no idea where this came from… but it’s hilarious and likely short-lived, but we’ll see.
5. OH-BOY-OH-BOY! Translation: “Daddy’s going to read my night-night books now. How exciting!” We also have no idea where this came from but it happens every night at the end of the night-night ritual.

Oh, the night-night ritual. That’s worth sharing. It’s pretty simple (and can happen anywhere):

• Daddy helps with a bath (insert splashing, lots of “sit down! yeah, it’s slippery”, and various toys)
• While the bath is going on, Mommy preps the room (white noise app, night-night diaper, PJs and baba)
• Then Mommy gets a wet Zoe and wraps her in a towel, which we call the Baby Burrito (and she now asks for “baby burrito”)
• Mommy is responsible for lotion and PJs, then Mommy & Zoe take inventory of the room, in order: Monkey, Owl, LadyBug, “Feed-Me” Fish (yes, we have a fish), Penguin, Music (white noise on an iPod), Books, Baba and DADDY!
• When we get to DADDY!, she leaps from Mommy’s arms into Daddy’s lap and says “OH-BOY-OH-BOY”, then Daddy reads a few books, sings Twinkle Twinkle and puts little Zoe to bed

Sounds like a lot when I type it out, but it only takes 30 mins (less if it’s been a long day…). So now you know. And likely not only do you want to take a long road trip with us, but you want to move in. Or not.