Kiddo#4 gets a letter

For Christmas, Kiddo#4 got the Melissa & Doug See & Spell. He loves it, and he’s now even able to recognize some of those words out of context, but I’d noticed our set’s letter distribution was a bit problematic. We have six Cs and three Ks, for example, but only one T, only one L, only one M, which made it difficult to go off-list with our spelling games. And even working according to the rules, we got into trouble: he couldn’t spell CAT and BOAT at the same time.

Oh, the tragedy.

But Kiddo#4 loves the set and plays with it daily and when he began to tell me, “We need a T. Hafta get it from BOAT,” I called Melissa & Doug’s customer service number. I spoke to Mary (ie, she put up with a lot of half-caffeinated nonsense from me) and asked if I could buy an extra package of letters.

It turns out I couldn’t just buy a bag, but she would find the letters we needed. I asked for T, L and M, but they had only T available. Not a big deal: I shouldn’t be off-roading with a two-year-old anyhow. I already had one kid self-teach to read at age two, and nothing good comes of it.

(FLASHBACK: “Mommy, what it mean, ‘To open gate, lift bar and slide to right’?”)

Anyhow, today I opened the mailbox to find an envelope from Melissa & Doug.

Brace yourselves.

I got into the house and called, “Kiddo#4? You got a letter!”

They set me up perfectly for that. I can’t ever thank them enough.

Kiddo#4 was very confused, and I had to show him how to open the envelope. Inside that was another envelope, and by now he had an audience of three older siblings.

Kiddo#1 said, “What is that?”

I said, “He got a letter.”

Kiddo#4 then got the little envelope open, to reveal not one but two Ts. He squealed, “Yetters!”

There was much laughter because my Kiddos have not yet learned the proper response to a pun is to groan. And Kiddo#4, rejoicing, proceeded to spell both CAT and BOAT.

Thank you, Melissa. Thank you, Doug. (And thank you too, Mary.)

0 Comments

Normandie February 17, 2011 at 7:40 am

What a great picture, Jane! His smile made me break out in a big grin. Thanks for sharing that.
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:36 pm
  
  He’s started doing this unnatural anime smile whenever you get out a camera nowadays. You don’t even need to be pointing it in his direction: if he thinks a photo may take place, he does this: ^_^
Mary Lindsey February 17, 2011 at 8:00 am

Darling!
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:36 pm
  
  Thanks!
Jason Block February 17, 2011 at 8:36 am

This blog post is sponsored by the letter T. 😛
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:35 pm
  
  And by the numbers 1 and 4.
  1. Michael February 17, 2011 at 4:44 pm
    
    Shouldn’t that be the number 2?
    1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 5:33 pm
      
      I figured the numbers 1 and 4 for the Kiddos who played a role in the story, but it could be 2 for T (T for 2) as well.
cricketB February 17, 2011 at 11:18 am

He’s got good problem solving skills, getting T from boat. Where was that company when my kids were young?
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:35 pm
  
  Probably Connecticut. 😉 I started seeing their products around the time Kiddo1 was three or four.
melissaanddoug February 17, 2011 at 12:20 pm

That photo is so adorable and I LOVE that story!
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:34 pm
  
  OMG — celebrities commented on my weblog! 🙂 Thanks so much for amazing toys and top-notch customer service. 🙂
Wyldkat February 17, 2011 at 12:30 pm

“got the little envelope open, to reveal not one but two Ts.”

So now he can have Tea on the Boat with the Cat?
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 12:34 pm
  
  You win!
J. R. Tomlin February 17, 2011 at 1:35 pm

Oh, god, that is one cute photo.
1. philangelus February 17, 2011 at 1:50 pm
  
  He doesn’t normally smile like that, but whenever he saw the camera…out came the anime smile.
capt_cardor February 17, 2011 at 5:07 pm

All I can say is that the picture is “glorious”.

Wow!

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