January 2 – Daniel hands me a piece of paper he’s written on: “This says Mama is a funny guy.”

January 5 – Papa: “I love you, little man.” Daniel: “Awww. Isn’t that nice?”

January 6 – Daniel was curious about breaker boxes when I told him we had to turn off the oven at the breaker box. Looking at a picture of one he was guessing what each switch was for. He pointed to one and said, “and this one turns off the Sun.”

January 6 – On Special Agent Oso there is a character named Dottie with a pretty extreme Southern accent. Daniel said something then said, “I sounded kind of funny when I said that. I sounded like Dottie.”

January 8 – Daniel: “Knock, knock.” Papa: “Who’s there?” Daniel: “Boo.” Papa: “Boo who?” Daniel: “Banana.”

January 8 – Daniel: “I’m going to sing you a lullaby.” Me: “That would be wonderful. Please do.” Daniel: “I’m just going to sing it in my brain.”

January 9 – In the spirit of full disclosure, Daniel walks up to the appliance repairman and says, “I have a virus. It’s making me sick.”

January 9 – Daniel called his great grandmother and said “I have a virus. I just can’t figure out what’s going on with me.”

January 10 – Me: “How are you this morning?” Daniel: “Well enough.”

January 11 – Daniel put various items in Glad storage containers and put them under the tree playing Christmas presents. Then he said, “Where is my camera? I need to take a picture of you before you open the presents because that’s how we usually do it.”

January 13 – Daniel woke and needed a little reassurance at 1 a.m. As I left his room he said, “I love Mickey and Friends and Ma and Pa.”

January 14 – Reading words off a plastic cup from Swanky’s – Me: “Do you know what ‘chill’ means?” Daniel: “It means relax.” Me: “How did you know that?” Daniel: “Sometimes I hear my voice. I hear my voice in my brain and it tells me stuff.”

January 19 – Daniel: “You let my pea juice cool off and let it get all funky.”

January 20 – Daniel looking at a cross section of a slice of celery: “God made this heart for me because He loves me.”

January 25 – Daniel: “I don’t like to grow.” Me: “Why?” Daniel: “I don’t want to be any bigger than I am right now.”

January 27 – Daniel, after saying a bunch of gibberish: “Listen. I’m speaking in a different language.”

January 27 – Coming home from a nice trip to Kroger, I hear from the back seat: “Welcome valued customer. Beep beep beep. Do you have any coupons?”

January 29 – At a self checkout at a grocery: “I’m the checker and you’re the bagger.”

January 31 – Daniel got in a laundry basket and set another laundry basket inverted over him. He said he was an egg. I asked if he was a chicken or a lizard. He said he was a dinosaur.

January 31 – Me: “I love going places with you and being with you every day. You’ll grow up and meet a pretty girl and get married and I won’t see you every day.” Daniel: “And when I’m done being married I’ll come back and you will see me again.”