The Number Field

This week I had a chance to watch and participate in some of Elena's daily activities, things I've lost contact with since Jenny started staying home. I'm endlessly fascinated by what she does, so I'll apologize in advance for this post. I know how maddening it can be to hear a father prattle on about the inconsequential little details that he can somehow parlay into convincing (to him alone) evidence of his progeny's brilliance. I'll keep it brief, but if it gets to be too much, just stop reading and be thankful that I got this off my chest before I had to corner someone at a social event and bore them to death.

One evening Elena had eaten herself into a much messier state than usual--mostly the result of a biter biscuit--and Jenny asked me to give Elena a bath. Mostly I just had to watch her while she played in the tub with her duckies. She loves those duckies. One of her favorite tricks is putting a duck in a bucket. Then she pulls it right back out. She was also pretty proud that she was able to hold three duckies at one time, because she only has two hands! Okay, it was much more amusing in the moment.

The next morning Jenny left us for an early morning dentist appointment, so I was there for Elena's waking up routine. Before allowing me to pick her up, she handed me her blankets one at a time, so they could come out to the front room with us. Once we were out there, she became more interested in her other favorite toys. She pulled the duckies out of the toy basket. Then, duckies in hand, she stretched up to reach the next shelf where all the stuffed animals live. Not just any stuffed animal would do; she pushed them all out of the way to reach her favorite Lamby who was all the way in the back.

Not too long after that Jenny came home from a triumphant no-cavities visit, and I headed to school. Twisted heights of algebraic numbers will never be as fun as playing with little baby, but it might be slightly easier to unlock their secrets.