I find it amusing how easily I can catch Kate unawares. I can see why kids think their moms have eyes on the back of their head, but they’ve got it wrong; it’s not another set of eyes, it’s really big ears!

Kate will sometimes wander into the kitchen and I will let her be for a few minutes as long as I recognize the sounds, which is how it went yesterday. That one’s her little kitchen; that one is the broom; that one is her climbing in the big canvas bag. Silence – that always gets my attention. Then little noises I am not familiar with. I get up and walk into the kitchen to check on her and I see her crouched down on the other side of the kitchen, staring very intently at something. She’s poking and picking it up. I see her stand up, take a couple of steps, then that hand with whatever bit of dirt or whatnot held in her thumb and forefinger moves up up to her mouth. I’m standing right there in the middle of the kitchen. She clearly doesn’t see me at all because when I gave a loud, “Uh-uh!” she startled so bad she almost fell down. There was a brief flicker of something across her face – maybe a “rats, foiled again!” – and then she walked over to me and held out her hand, smiling widely, as if this had been her plan all along.

I kind of enjoy my new superpowers.