Say that one more time?

This was originally posted on September 13, 2005, as a much-needed follow-up to "Somebody Else's Kid."

Today, Peter's penchant for oft-repeated phrases took a delightful turn. I was in the process of cleaning up one of his larger messes (I didn't tell you about that, did I?), this time in the laundry room. He had moved a bucket next to the dryer, used it as a step stool to climb onto the dryer, and from there managed to get into the laundry detergent and liberally sprinkle the dryer, the washer, the floor, and his hair. I was heading down the stairs with the cleaning equipment and said, for no particular reason aside from habit, "I love you, Buddy!"

He responded with his usual, "Wuv oo too." Then I heard a slightly eerie but very sweet echo of myself as he said, in my precise inflection, "So-o-o much." It warmed my heart, every single one of the seven times he said it.