Yesterday Eva whipped off all her clothes (a commonplace event) and jumped up and down on her bed—an activity with potentially hazardous results for a child not yet potty-trained. “It’ll be OK,” I assured myself. “Even a hamster won’t pee in the same corner of the cage he sleeps in.”

As day turned into night we cuddled up for her bedtime story, and I discovered toddlers are nothing like hamsters.

Early this week I broke out the animal flashcards to help foster Eva’s growing vocabulary. “Look, Eva. A butterfly.” “FLY!” she cried, always ready to tackle that last syllable. “Seahorse.” “HORSE!” “Guinea pig.” “PIG!”

Since then, she’s been running around the house, grocery store and classroom showcasing what she’s learned. “FLY! HORSE! PIG!”

I am really starting to regret ever mentioning the word peacock.