What's Red, and Furry, and Cute All Over?

We have an admission to make: we love Elmo. And I say "we," because it's not just Jack, our eighteen-month-old. No, Mommy and Daddy have also developed a soft spot in our hearts for the fuzzy little monster who welcomes us into "his world" every weekday at 10:35 am. He's just so darn cute! Often we will be doing something else, like reading a book or doing the bills, and both of us stop what we're doing to watch with Jack, because it's actually entertaining and interesting! The format of the show is the exact same every single day, but with a new topic. It's so predictable, and yet somehow it still manages to make us laugh. We love how Elmo "talks" to Dorothy, his pet fish, and how she never responds. We love Mr. Noodle and his brother, Mr. Noodle, and how silly they are, and the responding laughter from the children at all their antics. I love that the other day Eric called to me from the living room couch, "Annika!! Quick--come look! Mr. Noodle has a sister, too!" We love how Elmo talks in third person, because it's more developmentally appropriate for kids: "Elmo wants to know how YOU brush your teeth." We love how Elmo always ends with, "Now Elmo will ask a baby," and how these adorable little babies just sit there and look at Elmo with fascination, while he waits patiently for their "answer." And how he then giggles and says, "Ok, thank you, Baby!"

Perhaps the part I look forward to most is when Elmo calls to his TV and watches the "(Fill in with day's topic) Channel." Today it was the "Getting Dressed Channel." There's this silly cartoon that comes on and talks about the day's topic, and at the end they have an "announcement" for what's coming up next, and it's always a play on words. Today they said, "Stay tuned for Socks and the City, followed by Shall We Pants, starring Shirt Reynolds." I love that those little jokes are thrown in there for just for me, and any other grown-ups that might happen to be watching. It's just another thing I love about Elmo.

Recently we also began renting Elmo and other Seasame Street CD's from the library to listen to in the car. At first, Jack would lean way over in his carseat; he must have thought we had a TV hidden up front or that Elmo was actually in our car. But now he just listens contentedly, cheering and clapping as each song ends. One of his favorites is "Happy Tappin' with Elmo" (quite a classic, if you haven't heard it yet); he enthusiastically starts tapping his hands on the sides of his carseat and bobs his head back and forth. Eric and I really enjoy, "The L Song," by Bert and Ernie, as well as "One Fine Face" by Elmo and Ernie. I do NOT, however, enjoy "Doing the Pigeon" by Bert; for some odd reason that song really creeps me out.

The other day, Jack was watching a "Best of Elmo" DVD that we had rented from the library. Eric and I were eating lunch at the dining room table when, all of a sudden, we heard the "One Fine Face" music playing from the TV in the living room. We looked at each other, and although our mouths were full of turkey sandwhich we could read each other's thoughts: "We've never seen this one!!" In almost perfect sync we both grabbed our plates and headed to the living room to enjoy the segment. Is that just the saddest story you've ever heard? Two grown adults forfeiting a quiet lunch together to watch Ernie and Elmo point out their facial features to one another through song?

I don't know what's worse: that we actually enjoy watching Elmo and his Seasame friends, that we often find their songs stuck in our heads and don't mind, that we look forward to PBS at 10:35 every weekday, or that recently, in a completely absent-minded moment, I actually called my son "Elmo"? The funniest part is that Eric didn't even notice, and Jack didn't seem to mind. What's wrong with this family?