MOU: laughter is contagious

I miss my kid.

Otter's off at daycare, and I'm working at home, wishing I could just ditch all this silly dissertation stuff and just be a parent today. He's so amazing these days, learning so much every minute. He loves to make you laugh, and woe betide you if you crack up when he does something you don't want to encourage, because he will repeat and repeat and repeat until you're giggling with him.

For example, he loves to put his bowl of mostly-gone yogurt up over his face while sticking his tongue out toward the bottom of the bowl. The bowl is transclucent plastic, and too big for his tongue to reach the bottom, so he just looks at you through the bowl and giggles, darting his tongue out over and over.

Of course, as an eating strategy, this is not designed to result in much food INSIDE Otter instead of ON him.

As a clowning startegy, however, it's strikingly good. Both G and I find his deep giggles as he does this irresistible.

I have no idea how we'll manage to help him learn to behave in a more civilized fashion when he's so skilled at being amusingly uncivilized.