I’ve been meaning to write about this hilarious thing Keana does. It’s called “slaw” and here’s how it works: when getting dressed in a long-sleeved shirt—usually pajamas at bedtime—and her hand is covered in the sleeve, she sticks her covered hand out and sings in a very high, loud opera-like voice, “SLAWWWWW!” I was an instant fan the first time I observed it, which was about seven or eight months ago I think (maybe earlier). It cracked me up and when I asked her about it at first she couldn’t really explain it. Then after a while it came out that “slaw” was like a trunk of an elephant spraying water, so if you got “slawed” you were all wet. One might also have “slaw foot” if your foot is mostly covered by the leg of your pants. It was really cute when Keana noticed newborn Maia’s hand covered by her sleeve, remarking, “Hey! Maia has slaw too!”

Of course now that I finally wrote this down, the great “slaw” is beginning to fade. Keana doesn’t say it hardly at all anymore and I almost feel like us, The Old People, catching onto it, killed it. Isn’t that the way it is? By the time adults catch onto the latest slang or music or style, the kids have already moved on to the next thing while rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in embarrassment.