A conversation with Dominic

Dominic can finally talk. That's right -- at 19 months our little prodigee has mastered three words: NO, MORE and BOAT. What this means is that he and I can finally have deep, meaningful conversations about the International Monetary Fund, John Keats and whether Pluto should be reinstated as a planet. Below is one such exchange.

THE SCENE: early (like, REALLY early) this morning. Dominic has crawled up into Vincent's bunk bed, where Vincent is still asleep, and has grabbed his brother's coveted and very fragile pirate ship from the shelf above the bed.
ME (from below, hissing and trying not to wake up Vincent): "Dommie, no! Give Mommy the boat and get down."
DOMINIC (bouncing gleefully on his brother. One mast on the ship has already cracked): "NO! NO! NO! BOAT!"
ME (as I hoist myself up the side of the bed and impale my stomach on the railing): "Dommie, NO. Say 'Yes, Mommy.' Give boat to Mommy."
(I snatch the boat from his little paws and he starts wailing and bouncing harder). 
DOMINIC: "NO! NO! NO! MORE! BOAT!"
ME: "Good boy. Now come down. Say 'Yes, Mommy.'"
DOMINIC: "NO! NO! NO! MORE! BOAT!"
ME: "Down. Now. Say 'Yes, Mommy.'"
DOMINIC (howling and flinging himself all over Vincent, who miraculously is still snoring): "NO! NO! NO!"
ME: "The answer is 'Yes, Mommy.' Now get down." (he swats at me as I try to reach for him)
DOMINIC: "NO! BOAT!"
And then he bites Vincent in the leg.
ME (horrified): "NO! NO! NO!"
DOMINIC: "YES."

The good news is, his word count is now up to four.