How do you s-p-e-l-l that?

I've pretty much always been a good speller. I placed second at the all-school spelling be as a 5th grader (I lost to a 6th grader, so it was an honorable defeat) and then went on to win it the following year. Truly, as happy as I was about winning, it just wasn't a huge deal for me. I've always connected with words and letters and love reading, playing word games (I remember my dad encouraging me to play the Seek & Find puzzle with him in the daily newspaper), and learning words that are new to me. I love words so much, I even married an English professor! (Okay, that's not the only reason I married him, but hearing him read poetry to me while we were dating was pretty heady stuff!)

I know the parental model is a strong piece of a child's development, so I figured Declan would enjoy reading as well. Jim and I read daily, whether it's actual book reading, or the newspaper or a magazine. We also have a stack of books on each of our nightstands (though mine has grown too large and now is also on the floor) so I'm not surprised that Declan has started collecting them as well. He currently has a small stack on the built-in bookshelf in his room...and one full shelf to himself on our main bookcase...and a small stack on the piano bench...and 3 or 4 at the kitchen table...and a couple in the bathroom (because he truly is a Hayes when it comes to reading in that room). I moved the one that was in the middle of the hallway this morning after I tripped over it, and then took care of the one in Thane's bed so the poor pooch had a place to snooze. Most of the time I shake my head and ask myself if I'll ever get my house back...and then I just can't help but smile at how much Declan loves to read.

What I didn't expect was that Declan would understand so many of the words we spell to each other. How did he figure this stuff out so quickly? I know he knows how to spell some of his colors, because his preschool regularly sends home these little "color" song books. They say things like, "To the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider: B-l-u-e spells the color blue, " and so on. So, we sing them at the table, and at bath time, and pretty much any time he is awake and moving around the house because he often proclaims, "Do music, Momma!"

I'm glad he's catching on, but also now have to really watch what I'm spelling because he's grasping the context of our conversations and will fill in the blanks. I don't remember what the word was, but I was spelling something to Jim at the table the other night and Declan (who I thought was engrossed in the messiest pasta sauce moment ever) piped right up and filled in the blank for me. I must have sat there with my mouth open for a good few seconds and didn't really know how to recover. Jim and I just looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

I can't wait until he announces to Miss Sue (his teacher) he knows how to finish spelling s-h-i-*. That will be a priceless moment! Then again, when I asked him how to spell "green" the other day, he piped right up, "B-I-N-G-O!!!" Lord, I love that kid!