DAS MINE!

It is pretty interesting from a sociological/evolutionary perspective that a child not even two years old can most emphatically claim ownership of any and everything. Seamus has recently and increasingly learned to stake his claim on all things in the house, exhibiting his survival of the fittest or hoarding for himself caveman like behavior.  Even things that are clearly not his fall prey to his proclamations...like the eyeglasses that are perched upon my nose or the shirt I am presently wearing or the pacifier that Thomas is currently sucking that is not even big enough to appease Seamus' two year old mouth.

[Slight digression/tangent - Seamus now walks around with three different pacifiers, which he affectionately calls "binkas," from which he chooses at any particular moment to replace with the next one in line. He hands you the "binka" and says, "no binka!" (my enthusiasm increases momentarily as I think this may be the moment he graduates from binkydom), and is then quickly followed by "more binka?" Also, because he is so attached to them, he now possesses a gap where his front teeth should have decended, but that is for another post. I vow that on his 2nd birthday he will quit his oral fixation cold turkey.]

He screams out: "Das MINE!" which is followed by a minor struggle back and forth between mom and son with whatever he's grabbed onto like a pit bull. I, of course, am holding back my laughter and Thomas is quietly observing (or taking note for later usage).

Most of the time these are short-lived exclamations as I am now very adept at redirecting him to another "thing" that I or Thomas no longer need/want. 

Thankfully, Thomas has not received any blows or bops to the head nor yanks to the arms from Seamus' snatching so it seems under control...for the time being.