Stuck!

Norah is learning new words on a daily basis. While I find her new nouns adorable, like "nack" (snack) and "meow" (for cat), what I am finding most fascinating is how she is learning to use words for abstract concepts. She now asks "Where?" She knows that food and the air from the heat vent is "hot." She knows that when she throws food on the floor, it makes a "mess." She is also using more two-word phrases: "Where Daddy?,""Where baby?," "no bye-bye," "more juice." We have also been working on the use of "please," which she is using consistently with prompting ("how do you ask?").
I have to say that my current favorite is "stuck." A couple of weeks ago I was zippering Norah's jacket and the zipper split. I tried to mask my frustration as I gently (and not so gently) manipulated the zipper-pull, all the while seeing how late we were getting out the door. Norah watched me for a minute or so and then said "Stuck, mommy!" She was right! Since then she uses "stuck" when her blanket is caught under the leg of the ottoman or when the toy she is trying to pull from the toy box is caught under something else. Last week, her and Tom were playing clapping games. He introduced the idea of clapping and then letting his hands clasp together. He pretended not to be able to unclasp them and told Norah "they're stuck!" She thought this was hilarious and continues to play that game, clasping her own hands and reporting "stuck" with a sly chuckle.
Sunday night Tom and I had a date night, our first since Finn was born. Both children stayed at home with Uncle Dan and Angie. When we settled into our seats at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, Tom took my hand. While our hands were clasped together, he joked "stuck." I thought about that during the show. We are "stuck." We are stuck with each other. We are often stuck at home with our small children while our friends go out. We are stuck with two car seats, two sizes of diapers, lots and lots of laundry. We are stuck watching "Calliou" and "Dragon Tales." We are stuck with a stroller, pack & play, a bib, a sippy cup and a diaper bag every time we
leave the house....
I am glad that when Tom and I met, we "stuck!" I wouldn't want things any other way!