Hi? Hi!

Two weekends ago, I was in NYC seeing my oldest daughter's (fabulous) new Brooklyn apartment, and attending the World Maker's Faire in Queens. My son, daughter-in-law and grandaughter Lucy came up from NC for the Faire and a visit as well.

The Maker's Faire was cool -- great to see so many people wanting to do and make things rather than just consume. The 3d printing stuff was a little disappointing -- kind of seemed like PCs in 1980, still waiting for the killer app.

But the main reason for this post is Lucy. She was great for the two days they were there. She was 19-1/2 months old at the time. So fascinating to see her young mind growing:

• She knew and could say peoples names.
  
• She knew the name of everything she liked to eat. She learned about "mini-kiwis" over the weekend.
  
• She knew colors and shapes.
  
• She knew animals and the noises they make. A trip to the Brooklyn Zoo was great fun.
  
• She knew cars, bicycles, and airplanes. She pointed at a plane flying overhead and said "airplane".
  
• She knew "walking", "running", "spinning", "dancing", "right side up", "upside down".
  
• Her dancing moves included arm waving, hip swiveling, bouncing, and waving her upper body back and forth from the waist.
  

And she sang:

• The Wheels on the Bus;
  
• Two alphabet songs;
  
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star;
  
• Ha Ha This-A-Way;
  
• Old McDonald;
  
• Itsy Bitsy Spider.
  

After dinner on Saturday, we took turns walking with her outside the (mediterranean) restaurant. She is a great eater, but after she was full she was ready for action. When I was walking with her, she wanted to go up the steps of a brownstone. At the top she said "Open". I showed her the door was locked, got out my keys, showed her that they didn't work. "Please" she says. Too cute.

But the real reason for this post was to note how she did "Hi? Hi!". Her mind would wander and she would just be running subconscious processes. Then, her consciousness, her "narrative I", would wake up. "Hi?", she would say -- hunh, what's this, what's going on here? Then her consciousness would remember herself, and "Hi!" she would say -- it's Lucy, I'm back, I'm alive, how cool! Woo-hoo!

Complete and utter joie de vivre. She would do it every hour or so. It was so, so cool.