The Hubs and I love to play games with The Munchkin. It always results in lots of laughing and laughing is always fun. One of our favorites is the Nose game. It started off as either The Hubs or I poking The Munchkin on her nose and saying, “Boop.” This action is almost guaranteed to get a giggle from her. Later, we decided to add an educational component to it and replaced the word, “Boop,” with, “Nose.”
We played it so often that eventually, The Munchkin began initiating the pokes. At first it was just anywhere in the nose/mouth/eye region of the face. But the more we played, the more often The Muhckin began reaching her “nose” target. Then, something new happened.
Here is my MOMent:
The Munchkin and I are just getting home (after work for me, a day of fun at Grandma’s for her) and since it’s winter, the process of transitioning from outside/travel mode to inside relaxing-at-home mode is a bit of work, starting with lots of unbundling. I put The Munchkin down in front of me, grabbing the first toy I can find to distract her for a few moments while I climb out of my coat and scarf and put them away. The toy I grab for her happens to be a half-blanket/half-stuffed animal combination we lovingly refer to as, “Snuggly Bear.”
Once I am down to appropriate indoor attire, I pull The Munchkin onto my lap to begin the process of unbundling her. As soon as her little hands are free from her mittens, she assumes the poking position. She looks at me, looks back at Snuggly Bear, and without a pause takes that poke and gets Snuggly Bear right on the nose. Then, smiling with pride, she proclaims, “Nose!” Ok, it’s really more like “nooooe” but I know exactly what she means. I am so thrilled! My daughter knows what a nose is! I give her an ambitious round of applause and a great big squeeze because she’s so darn cute and smart and I’m having one of those overwhelmingly giddy mommy moments and then she takes that little finger and pokes me right in the nose. “Nooooooe,” she says again. I am bursting with pride.
The Hubs gets home from work, and I test her new trick. “Where’s daddy’s nose?” I ask her (before he even has time to get past the welcome mat). Out comes the little pointer finger and pokes The Hubs smack on the tip of his nose, followed by The Munchkin’s version of the word. We both laugh and clap excitedly and soon her chubby little cheeks are smothered in kisses.
It’s one of those little family moments that to outsiders may seem silly, especially to people who don’t have kids. But it’s the little moments like this that we live for. No other part of my day is as meaningful or defining as a time like this with The Hubs and our Munchkin, filled with laughter, learning and lots of love.
Later The Hubs and I agree that those kids on the “My baby can read,” informercials have got nothing on our kid. She knows nose.
