Kindergarten has given Girl a new appreciation for words. Here are a few of her recent adaptations:

- Octopus: This is the biggest word she knows how to spell, so she puts it on everything. She learned it one evening, right before Open House at her school. So of course, she had to tell every teacher there that she could spell octopus. And they, being teachers, all replied, “Spell it.” And she did. Recently I taught her how to send an email, so now she begins her correspondences with “octopus” as well.

– Dumbongous: Girl made up this word to describe something that is humongously dumb. There’s a new cartoon called Glenn Martin DDS that she hates so much she can’t believe it’s on TV. That’s what inspired dumbongous.

– No. 3: Girl is going through an incredibly modest phase right now. Anything scatological embarrasses her to death. Especially the word diarrhea. So she calls it going No. 3. (It’s No. 1 and No. 2 combined.) Boy and Bob supplied ideas for No. 4 and No. 5. I won’t even go there with you.