Prodigy
We have always thought that Leta is the brightest kid to ever walk the Earth -- she can already differentiate between the sounds of an airplane and a helicopter, although she does often point to an empty sky and say, "BIRD!" but we aren't going to mention that to anyone who works in any sort of admissions office -- but now we have proof to silence all the skeptics: video that shows she is a mathematical genius. All that is missing is a clip of her running in circles with a bucket on her head.
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Heather talks about public tantrums (from kids) on today's Momversation.
- RIP Louis Mortimer Armstrong: http://bit.ly/1R4tv6
- Hugs and kisses to you, too! RT: @Monkey_Tree: @dooce he probably committed suicide because he was tired of LISTENING TO YOU WHINE.
- Our fish just died. And I'm sitting here crying. And it wasn't even my fault!
1. chumbot said:
i can't get enough of these videos. more more more!!!
2. wendyboswell said:
I like how she arranged her hair "just so" before answering.
3. jams said:
i think that she may have a lucrative career in hand modeling in her future.
her fingers look so long and not at all sausage like, the way most two year old hands look.
4. Cindy said:
So adorable!!!!
5. MissDirected said:
If I ever have a kid even a quarter as cute as Leta, I'll consider myself lucky. Who cares if she can count? With that adorable hair toss she's got "Pantene Commercials" written all over her.
6. fixedupgirl said:
What a ham!
I enjoyed the wiggling of her index finger promptly upon answering you! She's too adorable.
7. Kung Foodie said:
Ahhhhhh....so cute!!!
8. dancingnancy said:
I'll bet she knows who flushed the towels down the toilet.....
9. KookieDangerous said:
The screen test went well, Mr. Selznik. We'll have to get her a dialogue coach, but besides that, she's a natural. Give her an open - ended contract right away!
10. cagey said:
Too bad you already blew her College Fund on your new sewer thingie. Bah. Education is over-rated in the light of a quality dump that is free of Flushing Tension.... :-)
11. bee said:
She's blinking with mile-long lashes there and all I can here is
*doink* *doink,doink*
I need those lashes!
12. KaraMia said:
Hey, I saw that finger waggle at least two times, I think you might be underestimating her. Besides, if she doesn't become a math wiz, you can always sign her up for Top Model...she's got that hair flip part down!
13. Amy D. said:
too cute....but I can only see HALF the new masthead (?). I'm guessing because IE sux the old sweaty goat balls, but does it say "neither representing nor keeping it real"....? desperate to know!
14. Nichole said:
The June masthead makes me happy.
15. Amy D. said:
aahhh...nevermind ;-)
16. Kissyface said:
Yummy Mummy and Pretty Baby - you two are quite the pair. The new masthead exceeds all expectation.
17. smoness said:
Call Ed McMahon and get that girl on Star Search! -- Too cute.
18. kristentatious said:
I'd like to comment, but I'm choking on the cuteness.
19. Wendy Mac said:
Remember Barbie who said, "Math is hard"? Leta says, In your face, Barbie!
I hope Leta is one of my math students when she grows up.
20. JennJenn said:
Well I'll be darned...
That's the same gesture I use when the cops ask how many I've had to drink!
21. jes said:
Oh, gaaaah. Who cares if she can count? She SO. CUTE. If you ever want to rid yourself, just set her on a plane toward Dallas. love it
22. jes said:
She SO. CUTE.?
So mesmerized by the cuteness that I have lost all grammatical ability.
23. Leesa said:
If I am not mistaken, she is already using "imaginary number", quite an accomplishment.
24. Vaguely Urban said:
Work those eyelashes! And the bandaid, too! Use everything you've got! (Leta knows how to be FIERCE.)
25. Carrie Johnston said:
REDRUM!
26. beautifulmess said:
can i gobble her up? cause i so want to gobble her up.
27. Pascha said:
She's thinking, "Maybe if I just keep wagging this finger it will mesmerize mama into giving me more gubby bears."
28. Jaida said:
Adorrrrrrrrrrrable!! Put her in pigtails more often! It's precious now, but not when she's 50+ at some swap meet!
Leta is a cutie pie!
29. Laura Smart said:
She is a natural in front of the camera. Look at her putting on her best poses! I especially love the one where she lowers her chin on top of her hand and looks up at the camera imploringly. What a little sweetheart!
30. timothyjlambert said:
I've never seen another child look quite so adorable when trying to shake the Devil out of their head as Leta in this video. And she can answer questions at the same time. Now that's talent.
31. JessicaRabbit said:
Yet one more post I have to sneak and watch when my girlfriend isnt around to hear me talk baby talk to the monitor.
Shes so paranoid that I just want her for her uterus..
32. Natasha said:
She is so fucking cute.
33. giantmt said:
brilliance never looked so cute.
34. MelanieinOrygun said:
Good lord. The way she says "two" is just damn cute.
"tyoop."
Ahhhh... I love to see the babies, but am so glad I no longer have the babies. Heh.
35. kalisah said:
I don't think the finger was meant to represent her age - I think she was merely trying to show us how that top knuckle is double-jointed.
36. Jonniker said:
She's flirting. You are *so* hosed when she's 15.
37. Mack'sMom said:
I can't get the to load correctly, but I have to comment anyway:
I taught my 2 year old daughter, "One, Two Buckle My Shoe, Three, Four Close The Door..."
I'm sure I have the words wrong, but in just a week she's started sing the numbers.
"One! Two! Shoe...Three! Door! Door!...FIVE FIVE FIVE!"
Okay she's struggling but it's so cute that she holds up the right amount of fingers and so into it!
38. north said:
It looks like she started wagging that finger and mesmerized herself. She's all, "well, will you look at that? I've never noticed my finger doing THAT before."
And, of course, to be part of the chorus, freaking adorable.
Love the new masthead, too. What a conformist I am...
39. Tiggerlane said:
Batting the lashes...
Flipping the hair...
Giving you the doe eyes...
HOLY CRAP!! You are in big trouble when she grows up!! Too precious!!
(And I gotta love how Chuck's shoes match the tone of his nether-regions. Rockin' it like a drag queen!)
40. Fireflower said:
CUTE! As I say often to my girl, Pretty Baby. Must be the lashes. And the big brown eyes. Gets them every time.
41. Bucky Four-Eyes said:
Did I not beg you to cease and desist the over-the-top cute baby stuff? Couldn't you show some video of Leta throwing a fit, or causing objects to fly through the air through the sheer force of her will?
Please stop. I just heard Jess refer to me as "fertile soil" and it makes me AFRAID.
42. EEE said:
What a cute little crumb snatcher! Honest to god Dooce, reading your site and seeing Leta's transformation from baby into little person has inspired me to get knocked up. I'll have my own little moviestar come winter!
43. Cauri said:
hahah, i love the time it takes her to prepare for the camera. What a little star =)
44. monkey said:
Fingers are overrated. The important thing is that she knows she's two..lol
45. deeryluv said:
I love when she shoved her little paw into her neck as if she was absent mindedly checking to see if her trach was still there.
That's the freaking raddest video yet. (Geeze, how much from CA am I?)
46. Hemlock said:
I'm totally with deeryluv... just doing a little trach test.
She's the cutest. I thought the entire video was just going to be her throwing her pigtails around. That would have been sufficient. Seriously.
47. mmwc said:
i love how she batts her eyelashes before she answers.
48. Varla said:
the pouty lip! the hair tousle! those eyelashes! she's a riot.
49. Kristen said:
What a little character, getting into position before answering. And the look on her face while she wiggles her finger...hilarious.
50. emily said:
I think that's the "new math" the kids are learning these days...
51. whisper_lover said:
Leta is *so* precious! I want to eat her up!
I'm having a hard time coming up with anything original...I love the new masthead, love your writing as much as ever, I love your site, and I strongly dislike the haters, such as they are.
That's all I have for you. You ROCK!
52. liisemignon said:
I think she wiggled the finger two times to convey "two" to you.
Her hair is getting long yes?
53. Diana said:
Come on...let us see her with her bucket :-P
54. margalit said:
No doubt about it, she's eztremely gifted.
And she is just SO beautiful. Her eyes have such a sparkle of mischief in them. Downright adorable is Leta.
55. Claudia said:
Augh, she is SO DANGED CUTE!!!!!
56. Les said:
Very Strange!
57. Ktkat said:
Oh my... her fingers remind me of my best friend's fingers. Not that is relevant in any way, just, comforting in a weird way... ha!
Anyway, can SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me how to comment to an entry if nobody has posted yet? Sometimes there will be an entry that I want to post a comment to, but nobody has commented yet, and I can't be the first one... ANYBODY? HELP? THANK YOU!!!!!
58. Ktkat said:
Oh my... her fingers remind me of my best friend's fingers. Not that is relevant in any way, just, comforting in a weird way... ha!
Anyway, can SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me how to comment to an entry if nobody has posted yet? Sometimes there will be an entry that I want to post a comment to, but nobody has commented yet, and it won't let me be the first one... ANYBODY? HELP? THANK YOU!!!!!
59. fred said:
there must be a video of leta throwing a tantrum.. because she just seems like the perfect innocent child... the kind that they tell you about before you decide to have kids.
60. Ktkat said:
Oh my... her fingers remind me of my best friend's fingers. Not that is relevant in any way, just, comforting in a weird way... ha!
Anyway, can SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me how to comment to an entry if nobody has posted yet? Sometimes there will be an entry that I want to post a comment to, but nobody has commented yet, and it won't let me be the first one... ANYBODY? HELP? THANK YOU!!!!!
61. Ktkat said:
Uhhhhhh, sorry for the double... no TRIPLE post... I had premature e-post-ulation....... :)
62. dooce said:
Ktkat, sometimes I don't open up comments on a post, for whatever reason, and then I usually close an open comment thread within a day. That's what's going on.
Or maybe, I'm totally trying to mess with your mind. I'll never tell.
63. jodimichelle said:
Thats great. We, too, think we have a genious on our hands. Now we all know what that means.
64. rivetergirl said:
I love the unaffected mannerisms and the utter lack of self-consciousness that exists in toddlers. They just react to their environment and act in the manner they feel will most likely get them cookies.
It's a good way to be.
65. tsans said:
heather, watching this video makes me think of the moment about a year ago when we were watching videos of my now 4 year old son. i realized that since i'm the only one who ever videos, all you hear is my loud ass voice prompting him to do cute things. that is when i began my silent film era, and his 3rd birthday party is simply a silent panning of the events. now my second son is 1 1/2 and all the video of him entails me whispering for him to say things, or do things, or show off. i'm just glad i'm not the only one who's so damn loud!
66. The Lizzy said:
Am I the only one waiting for her to start shouting REDRUM! REDRUM!!!!!!!!!???
Are you pregnant again yet, Heather?
67. Lori MacBlogger said:
She has all the makings of a successful hair model.
68. Nick T said:
Brilliant, no doubt about it.
My two year old daughter holds up all four fingers to tell us her age.
69. Ms.Q said:
Wha? I don't get it! She said "two" and held up her (adorable) finger.
I am this many *holds up 3 and 7 fingers*. What's wrong with that?! Oh wait, I just remembered I am not a math major but I do have beautiful hair! I want to be Leta when I grow up.
70. coffeygirlb said:
red rum red rum
71. BigA said:
Damn - not only does she know her age but then she spells out the word 'TWO' in morse code?!?!
72. The Bold Soul said:
I can hardly wait until she grows up and writes a tell-all NY Times Bestseller about what it was like growing up as the daughter of the Dooce.com blog. Notice I said "blog" not "blogger" - cuz she's everybody's baby now!
73. Karen Rani said:
Jon better himself one of dem dere gun licences, because honeypie, the boys will be a-flockin' to ya'lls house in 12-14 yars.
74. AmandaR. said:
Haha... that's too funny! I love how she violently shakes her head so her curls will bounce!
This reminds me of a two and a half year old kid who went to the same church I did for awhile. You would ask him how old he was and he would hold up both of his hands and say "Tweennddy four!". Seriously the cutest thing in the world.
75. marnie said:
how did Leta figure out my secret wave?
76. Maniacal said:
She sure is cute. Such a flirt with the camera!
77. jody2ms said:
I love how she flutters and blinks her eyes at the beginning.
What a doll!
78. butterfrei said:
heh heh - so freakin adorable...everyone at the office thinks I'm a junkie. Truth is, the man's filters keep them from experiencing the video cuteness themselves.
Forget the counting! How professional is Leta at t-hwwooo...only 2 and already 1) checking the cuteness, blink, blink, tossing the 'tails, checking the voice box...oops, almost tripped heheh, oh, I'm on..yes, first question, mama...
you know that split second, when she's blinkin' - did you get similar blinks when you told her, "...nuh-uh! Orrrrrrrrrrr not a chance!�
79. keagansmom said:
You weren't kidding when you said she had freakishly long fingers! WOW!
and she is so freakin CUTE!
80. Snickrsnack Katie said:
That is great - and oh my lord the child does have long fingers. I can now be at peace knowing I am not the only person out there with freakishly long digits. See, really, her fingers are so long, that each finger is like worth two regular two-year olds fingers. So when she flashes one finger, it is worth two. Leta is way smarter than you think.
Yeah, there ya go.
81. LTG said:
Too late. I work in an Admissions Office. I'm making a note of all this for future reference!
- LTG
82. raspberry queen said:
Okay, enough with the clips of your adorable daughter. It sets off my biological clock and that's just so wrong.
Yeah, I know I don't have to watch or listen to those clips. But she's cute, dammit.
83. Ellen said:
What a great post -- thanks for the laughs. I decided to try not getting a TV for my own daughter and was amazed that she picked up books very early on and began to read. She also learned to love the outdoors and to create and do art. Today she's still doing all those things as a secondary school teacher... who has taken her students to China, and helped kids in Russian orphanages... I often wondered if it was right so kept asking her what she thought and she decided she was too busy for the tube... Your daughter sounds brilliant ... it will be fun to see the paths she chooses and the worlds that continue to open for her! She already inspires! Thanks for sharing...
84. cate said:
Those eyes.
85. Candice said:
Ohhh, Leta! How you make me smile.
I just want to give her a hug.
86. oO_Bubblez_Oo said:
Awww, so cute it makes my ovaries want to explode! I just spent the last week with my cousin Aimee who is about 1yr younger than Leta, and I wanted to bring her home with me!
Also, I LOVE your hair in the daily photo, it's so hot right now!
87. laurellz said:
oh my gosh you need to nip this in the bud. it just gets worse, i swear it.
at sixteen i still do this.
"how many, lar?"
"FOUR!" *holds up three fingers*
88. goddesschristine said:
There is nothing about that little girl, that I don't totally adore.
89. seppukuqueen said:
I'm really not supposed to say that she's cuter than mine...Trying...so...hard...
The head shaking reminds me of my little girl, but she opens her mouth when she does it, and attacks face. (We think it's her attempt at "kissing")
90. mmoxxie said:
She looks so much older than 2, and when I see these videos and hear her talk, it's really weird to realize that she is so young!
91. Amber Lee Pence said:
Dude, there is not a cuter kid on earth doing a cuter thing at this moment. So cute, ahhh the baby lust damn it why won't my boyfriend propose already.
92. Mami Delux said:
You have such great humour!… … most parents are always trying to prove how their kids are superior to ones kids, constantly comparing and making awkward remarks….and to me that takes the fun away from being a parent…. you should be able to enjoy your kids and I think you do that so well with your Leta, without being in any way insulting towards her… I just love your humour… and I also find it a relief in what can be very competitive and humourless territory: mommy world.
93. E-Lo said:
Adorable. Just adorable. Love the hair. Love the finger wag.
*gobble*
94. TxSuzyQ said:
She totally knows that 2 fingers up means she is 2 years old. Silly people!!! She just couldn't get the 2nd finger to cooperate!
95. Magellan said:
I wonder if when Leta thinks of her mom, she sees a woman with half a face and half a camera.
96. Lynne P said:
Just curious...are there still people out there who *don't* think Heather has an accent?
97. rch7279 said:
so adorable! I think it is a great thing that she answers correctly. When my nephew was 2 and someone asked "how old are you" he would always say 5! It was super cute but I think he really did think he was 5 :)
98. minxlj said:
She is just too cute - I love the way she puts her hand under her chin. I agree with posts above, she looks and acts way older than 2!! She's grown up so quickly!!
99. Latisha said:
Two...is that right Leta. Congrats on being two.
That's s cute.
100. AnitaBonita said:
I downloaded the video on my computer and my son is now fascinated with Leta!!
And weirdly, whenever she does the finger thing, he laughs and laughs and laughs!! And then signs More to see it again.
She's a hit with the toddler set!!!
101. Mellissa said:
Oh man that is too cute. My daughter heard the video clip and ran over to see what I was watching. She watched Leta hold up one finger and say "Two" and shook her head and said "That's not two, this is!" and held up two fingers. Believe me when I say she JUST learned that in the last few months while preparing to turn 4. I guess my 4 year old is a prodigy too, LOL! ; )
102. VeddyVeddyBadAng said:
OMG, what a freakin' MORON! And butt-ugly to boot! Geesh, can you stop with the videos already!
Just kidding. After reading 100 posts full of "cute" and "adorable", I was getting a little glurge overload there.
103. Tracy aka Fuzzball said:
OWWWWWW MY OVARIES!
Seriously, I love that kid.
104. elise said:
chuck is a balancing genius!
105. i.e. said:
Your daughter is adorable - but what I really wanted to do was comment on the new masthead...I.LOVE.IT...very cool!
106. karmajunkie said:
Ahh, you see, your daughter IS a genius... She's making a conceptual leap from chopsticks (represented by her fingers' chopsticky action, of course) of which there are TWO, to her age! It is merely the adults of the world who are unable to see the true nature of her creative mind, bound as we are to the strictures of this "counting" propaganda perpetuated by the existing bourgeouis order.
Rest assured, young Leta is destined for greatness...
107. Antigone said:
Every once in a while I go someplace, or sit and think by myself for a bit, and when I do, I am often bombarded by mental images of Leta.
Now, I am not sure if this means that I have a photographic memory and she just happens to be the highest on my favourites list, or is she possibly has telepathic powers, causing me to think of her every time I'm in a toy store; sending me mental images of Elmo and Boobah so that those precious, precious friends can be bought for her.
So far I have been able to resist the temptation. But with every new video you post, I can feel my resolve weaken.
In another few weeks you may have another Elmo.
108. brandy said:
Dear Heather,
Please stop with the video clips.
Everytime you post one I get baby fever and start talking about talking folic acid and going off the pill.
This of course is putting a strain on my man, who because he is a man does not feel the baby fever but sometimes thinks he should club animals.
I just want you to know that if I should become pregnant I'm holding you responsible and will seek legal action.
Seriously.
The cuteness is just too great for me to ward off!
Thanks
109. Karen Mashek said:
I think the waggling finger was just a fascination with her waggling, wiggling, bendy, double-jointed finger and NOT directly linked to the number she was telling you! LOL!
She is beautiful!! Awww!
P.S. I'm pretty thrilled to be able to comment here!
110. Heather said:
Well she's close mom!! She did put down her finger and pick it back up, maybe her thinking is just of a higher sort and she was counting off, one, two. :-)
111. Kelly Greenawalt said:
Atleast she's cute! ;)
112. tmkirsten said:
Hi Heather,
I've never commented before but I do agree that Leta is GORGEOUS!
I also HAD to say something about Chuck's pic today. Being that I live, breath and of course, drink in Wisconsin, I thought you should know we usually only balance Leinenkugel on our heads. It's made here :)
113. Tracey said:
She's just trying to leave them guessing...is she two? Is she one? WE DON'T KNOW!
My daughter (just turned two last week) sticks out all her fingers when she says she's two, so Leta's doing quite well, I think.
114. Dang Cold.. said:
What a little darlin'. I agree she does seem older than two.
115. Ana Calabresi said:
What a cutie!
Laura does the same. She turned 2 in April. She counts to 12 maybe, in Portuguese. And to 6 in English. ;o)
116. dancingnancy said:
maybe she's hit that magical era in life when you start to forget your own age. my friends say that's anytime after 25, but hey. the kid's a genius right?