i think therefore i am

i can understand why babies and infants might fall asleep with their knees and wrists tucked up below their chins. something to do with that whole trying-to-climb-back-into-the-womb theory. that whole trying-to-recreate-the-security-of-the-fetal-position thingy.

but whenever i nod off on the couch with my two-year-old sprawled out on top of me, i always awake to find one of her tiny little hands nestled beneath my shirt sleeve. always. one hand. one shirt sleeve. always.

yeah, yeah. i know it's weird. you don't have to tell me.

but more to the point, why does my wee one perform this bizarre little stunt in the first place? i mean, which biological or psychological imperative is she attempting to fulfill when she decides to jam her fingers into the concave wonderland that is my armpit? there aren't any physical equivalencies to the short-sleeve t-shirt inside the womb, are there? i think i would have remembered reading about that in biology class if there were.

but wait. my youngest has yet another peculiar little habit that bears mention. every evening around ten or eleven, my two-year-old stumbles out of bed and proceeds to make her way down the hallway towards my bedroom in search of my wife. (i am only able to witness this after-hours escapade as the computer table at which i am seated at that hour provides a handy ringside view to the action.) but the best part of this nightly episode is the enormous purple pillow that two carries beneath her arm as she ambles toward the bedroom door. now keep in mind that the sleeping accessory i speak of is almost as long as my daughter is tall and probably twice as wide. and yet night after night, just like clockwork, my tiny bundle of joy somehow manages to wedge that oversized pillow between her elbow and hip before heading off on her incredible journey in pursuit of greener pastures. or warmer sheets.

"when i was a little kid and i got scared, the rain man would come and sing to me." - rain man (1988)

i'm not really sure what this has to do with the post, but here goes anyway: