"Opa!"

My son has a crush on my dad. I realized this for sure last week when I pulled the car into my parents' driveway. "Here we are at Oma and Opa's house," I announced. From the back seat, I heard a quiet voice saying, "Opa. Opa. Opa."

Opa is also a favorite topic of conversation -- or rather, any topic that comes up, Isaac manages to bring it around to Opa. Sometimes it makes perfect sense -- for example, if I ask Isaac whom he's calling when he plays with the phone, he answers "Opa." (Then if I ask, "Oh, are you calling Opa?" he always counters with "Oma," so don't feel left out, Mom.)

Sometimes the connection between the topic and my father takes me a moment to understand, but it exists. Today as Isaac and I were sitting in the garden discussing the holes we had just dug, he said, "Opa!"

I thought about it, and then said, "Yeah, last week you watched Opa dig holes with a shovel." Then I asked, "Do you like Opa?"

"Yeah!" Isaac exclaimed. Then, "Guitar!" (You'll have to imagine the R pronounced like a W. And my dad does play guitar with him -- I guess it made a big impression.)

Sometimes I doubt that there is a connection, however -- in the last hour, Isaac has said "Opa" in regard to a cat, a wrench, and moles. Honestly, I think he just wants to talk about his grandfather. Here's how it happens:

Isaac: [pointing at a mole on my cheek] Mole.

Mama: Yep, that's a mole.

Isaac: Daddy.

Mama: Yeah, your dad has a mole too.

Isaac: Baby.

Mama: Does Isaac have any moles?

Isaac: No. [pause] Opa!

Mama: Yes, I guess Opa has moles too.

Now that I've written out this dialog, I realize that what I've been thinking of as rich two-sided conversation is often just Isaac listing the people he cares about. It doesn't matter. I think that Isaac mostly understands our conversations, and we both enjoy them, even if I do fill in most of the details myself.

It turns out I'm not having much trouble with those 32 million extra words.