Sad

I was getting Nikko ready to sit on the toilet while Denis would give Ronin a bath. The two boys were scrambling for a second on the bathroom floor and then Nikko came up with his hands over his face, which was contorted into the beginning of a cry.

I looked sternly at Ronin, who stood in the tub, and he squawked, "No, Nikko, don't take my car! I want my racing car!"

I gave Nikko a hug and told him I was so sorry. He cried a little bit, and then he put his open hand over his face, dragging the hand downward and said, "Sad. Sad. Sad." I was surprised and smiled over at Denis because Nikko signed Sad, said it, and identified an emotion correctly.

I also made the sign for Cry (dragging both index fingers down your cheeks like tears) and said, "Cry? Cry, Nikko?" He stopped and looked at me for a second, then scrunched up his eyes and cheeks and made a fake whining noise as if he were crying. I burst into laughter because he was acting out a Cry, while his real cry was finished a minute ago. He knew what he was doing. I started signing Happy and Laugh to move on, and to get him sitting on the toilet.