Dottie Syntax

This is going to be another "ode to Dottie" entry. I really do love Elliot too, but he just doesn't say the funny things Dottie does yet. Since Dottie's been at school, I've been thinking about the funny little phrases she says. Here's a list of some of my favorites and the translations:

I don't know; is it in the dryer? When something is missing or misplaced and I ask Dottie where it is, this is her response. I don't know why she thinks everything is in the dryer, but she does.
I not! Dottie's defiant phrase that roughly translates into "I don't want to," "I won't" or "I am not."
My eyes are going to turn green like yours. Emily thinks Dottie's eyes are going to turn green like mine. She tells this to Dottie all the time, and Dottie takes what Emily says very seriously. So she really does think someday her eyes are going to magically turn green.
Oh, I don't have to. There are a couple of variations here: "I don't have to," "I don't want to," "I don't need to." I don't know where she got these from, but she says them all the time. Especially when it comes to finishing her dinner.
Mommy, I need a snack. I hear this phrase probably every hour Dottie is awake. She doesn't want meals; she wants snacks. At lunch time, I say, "Let's eat some lunch. I'll make you a sandwich." Dottie replies, "I don't want a sandwich. I want a snack. You HAVE TO give me a snack." Puh-lease, Dottie. Cut me some slack sometime.
What color is it? Dottie asks me what color EVERYTHING is, whether it be food, her shampoo, her clothes, the sky, etc. For example, I just gave her a fruit leather. She said, "What color is it mommy?" And if I don't reply right away, she'll keep on asking me.
It's a . . . (raised voice at the end). When we're reading a book, Dottie will point to something she obviously recognizes, say, a flower. She'll pretend she doesn't know what it is, and say to me, "Mommy, what is that? It's a . . . " And I have to tell her what it is, or like everything, she'll keep on asking. I guess I got myself into this mess by quizzing her too much to improve her vocab. She's just doing the same thing to me, to make sure I know what the things are around me.
Where are we? or Where are we going? Dottie is very concerned about where we're going whenever we get in the car. I'll answer her: "Safeway, the grocery store." And she'll keep on asking and asking and asking, no matter how many times I answer. When we get home, she'll talk about the trip and the store. She doesn't call the grocery store the grocery store, she calls it Safeway. And she also loves Target and Walmart, too.
Don't leave me! or I have to come! If you open the door to go outside for a second, say to get the mail, Dottie goes ballistic. She seriously thinks I'm abandoning her. She starts wailing and throws herself on the ground. You can ask my mom. In PA, she did this every time my mom opened the door.

Okay, that's all for now. You get the picture. I have an inquisitive, emotional child on my hands. Here are more pictures from the first week of Joy School. I'm really loving the second week. I'm not teaching, and my baby takes a nap when she's gone! It's like I'm single again!

Dottie did her own eye makeup the other day. You can't see it very well in these pictures, but there are spiky brown eye shadow streaks on her lids.

The Elliot update: My baby is getting his top four teeth all at once. Quelle horror. I tried to get a picture, but alas, he's too wiggly.