One day when I came home from an afternoon of doing errands, my husband greeted me with the news that Tadin had learned a new sentence. Tadin just turned three in October, but didn't really start speaking until six months ago. He's going full throttle now, talking and singing about everything constantly. He looks in the mirror and says, "Dat me? Dat me aw day?" (Is that me all day?)

When his diaper needs changing he comes to me and says, "I dot one boop." (I got one poop.) (Which, of course, is better than many.)

He trots up to Peter or me and asks, "What are you do-ning, Mommy? Where are you go-ning, Daddy?"

Sometimes I think I don't want my kids to learn to speak properly (now don't jump on me, all you diction coaches and anti-babytalk people!) because they sound so cute mispronouncing everything. When I tickle a toddler and he squeals, "Top it! Top it!", I can't top myself.

The new sentence he learned is a great one. Tadin smiled up at me and said, "Yub -- make -- me -- happy!" I gave Peter a quizzical look and asked him what he said. Tymon blurted out, "He said, love makes me happy!"

How sweet! Peter said that Tadin came in the office for a hug and a kiss and Peter asked him, "Do you like true love?"

Tadin said, "Yes."

Peter said, "Why?"

Tadin said, "I dunno."

Peter said, "You like true love because it makes you happy. Say: "Love makes me happy.""

"Yub -- make -- me-- happy!"

Now he's really getting into giving that response. We ask him everyday if he likes true love and he stumbles midway into the sentence: "MAKE? ME? HAPPY?" (Kind of a cross between Alfred E. Neuman's, "What, me worry?", and Clint Eastwood's "Make my day.") It warms the heart.

During Tadin's recent, third birthday party, he was truly thrilled. His consciousness grasped all the fuss being made over him. He beamed at our family, saying, "You dot me a gake and a doy?" (You got me a cake and a toy?") He also learned the song, "Happy Birthday to You". Now he sings it spontaneously as we're driving somewhere, or as he is playing with toys. His version goes:

"Happy Buttday tew yew, Happy Buttday tew yew, Happy Buttday to Mommy, Happy Buttday tew yew..."

Peter and I prompt him, "It's birth day, honey. Say, BIRTH day."

"Buttday."

"Well, he'll get it one of these days," Peter says, reassuring me.

We rented the movie, "The Three Ninjas", which features three little boys who call themselves by the nicknames, Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum. Tadin, Ranin and Tymon became enamored with this movie, and started calling themselves by the Ninja's nicknames. Tadin began announcing, "I Dum Dum!"

"You mean, Tum Tum!"

"Yeah. I Dum Dum!"

"He'll get it one of these days."

Our kids take baths two at a time usually. We were taking stock of the troops a few nights ago and Peter hollered, "Tymon, are you in the bathtub?"

Then we heard Tadin's little voice hollering back, "We am, Daddy, we am!"

I wanted to run in there and squeeze his chubby cheeks. How could anyone live without being around children? How can anyone live with children and not melt a hundred times a day from all the adorable things they do? It reminds me of a Chinese love poem I once read called, "A Small Girl". The line which stands out in my mind most, reads:

"She walks so nicely, she makes people die of love."

Which in essence, is a lot like: "Love makes me happy."