A conversation with XXM (2)

During our bedtime routine,

"Mummy, N...inside...tree.."
 "Yes tian tian, what are you trying to say?"
 "N... go inside the tree."
 "N go inside the tree?" I wondered out aloud. I was trying to decipher what my boy was saying based on his limited vocabulary.
 "Are you saying that the ants go inside the tree?" I queried.
 He muttered, "umm."

"I think you are saying, the ants crawl up the tree."
 "How many ants did u you see? Just one or many ants?"
 "One"
 "Was it a big ant or a small ant?"
 "Small ant."
 "Was it a red ant or a black ant?"
 "Black ant", replied my boy confidently.
 "So you saw a small, black ant go inside the tree?"
 "Umm."
 "Did you notice it or 奶奶 pointed out to you?"
 "奶奶."
 "Oh I see. Good job tian tian. Can u show it to me the next time?"

He nodded his head.

I am so pleased that XXM witnessed the wonders of nature on his own initiative. Had he not thought that it was important to share with me, I would have missed an important development of his. My son had practiced careful observation –  a trait highly regard by charlotte mason. What I did was  to simply build upon it by providing him with the vocabulary to complete what he saw.  This is one lesson that books can’t teach.

P/S: I think he was just repeating the last word of my question. Nonetheless, I thought it was great to engage him in a conversation.