Please help me find the invisible duck before I go mad...

[ICBINEG]

Every night for the last two weeks my DD (19mo) has been raging because I can't see an apparently invisible duck.

She stands next to the head board of the bed (shown here ) and makes all manner of quacking noises and signs duck. I should explain that she doesn't do much talking, only animal noises and signing so far .

If I say "is there a duck?"

She points to the main cross over point in the centre.

If I say "where is the duck?"

She covers her eyes - which usually means hiding, or peekaboo, or the object I am talking about is partially obscured.

If I say "is the duck hiding?" She signs hiding again and looks all expectant.

I have not yet found anything to say after this point that does not result in a screaming fit of rage. Including silence.

If I deviate from the above script in any way she has a screaming fit of rage.

I am starting to feel like I am trapped in a 80's text adventure, the only outcome of which is a screaming toddler...

Please help me find the duck!

[deefyr]

She remembers you saying 'fancy a quick duck while she's still asleep.....'

[EmpressOfThePuddle]

Has anything turned up behind the curtains yet?

[ICBINEG]

Gah! I was explaining the incident and the MN response to my mum when I saw the email! DANG - another blown cover!

lol at the idea that is my room...

[diamondsinthesand]

Just stunned at how neat and tidy your room is.....

[Bignorthernlass]

I see 2 ducks heads bent down pecking the pillows, heads touching in the middle as if both drinking. A bit like those old toys where the duck would continually dip in a cup of water if you tipped it, it's that shape! Hope you see them now!

[NorksAreMessy]

Heee heee heee
This made the round up as well as classics :)

Perhaps you need to print it off and put it into the DD souvenirs box as 'the time you were a celebrity amongst a nest of vipers' for when she needs cheering up aged 14

[nymac]

Hi i found this discussion very interesting. Do you think your dc could mean 'duck' in the sense of bobbing down and she wants you to play a game of Peek a boo behind the bed? Have you found a solution yet?

[Cafemum]

What a clever little one you have. And it is hard work.
. I can see two ducks pecking the pillows. Brilliant!
Id be tempted to say,/sign look at the ducks, they're having some food, or similar. Time for them to go to bed. Night night ducks, pat in direction of ducks. They say night night DD , time for bed etc
Shhh night night. And so on till you get her to bed,
Good luck.

[ICBINEG]

heh! these invisible ducks get everywhere....

[Jojobump1986]

At breakfast this morning my DS pointed out the window & quite clearly said 'duck'. Thankfully he didn't seem concerned that I couldn't see it!

[NorksAreMessy]

Night night babyicbineg sleep tight, don't letthe ducks bite

[ICBINEG]

lovely MrsR!

So tonight we had blissful peace and quiet....okay we didn't we had to have three iterations of "all the little ducks go upside down" but at least there was no screaming....and no further mention of anything hiding in the curtains either....

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

ICBINEG..... don't worry, a year ago I was stuck in the same never ending game of charades/screaming/miming/screaming/signs/screaming/pointing/screaming.....

He started talking practically overnight, pronunciation is still shocking and he can't do most of the consonants but I can hold conversations with him with almost no need for guessing!

[HecateWhoopass]

Holy crap, this thread is amazing! How did I miss this for 2 whole days?

[MrsReiver]

Here you go - a round up with the big reveal.

i46.tinypic.com/106xd1s.jpg

[GrimmaTheNome]

Why oh why doesn't she just start speaking?

Because she's having far too much fun playing charades signing!

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

Thank you kate

[ICBINEG]

aww

[Tee2072]

Whoot! Thanks Kate!

[KateSMumsnet]

Must admit I've been following this thread with great interest, SO glad you figured it out!

We're shortly going to move this thread to its rightful place in Classics.

[Tee2072]

I have nominated this thread for Classics with HQ. Hopefully it will get in there!

[EugenesAxe]

On a side note, her imagination sounds awesome OP. I love the idea of pear fish. Reminds me of my DDad carving a fish shape from his carrot (funnily enough) one dinner time, and then wobbling it from the fish tank next to his chair, into his mouth. My poor little sister was and in tears; I'm ashamed to admit the rest of us were in hysterics.

[ICBINEG]

yy eugene!

[ICBINEG]

Eugene, Bertie

Yes I must confess both of you seem to have given the correct answer with hindsight. I did read both posts at the time but couldn't join the dots until the penny dropped IYKWIM.

MrsR I think it is just the brown bit....like a lady duck upside down bobbing for food....

DD does not have a sign for carrot as such although she signs 'snowman' by miming a long orange nose (when she does this I tend to say carrot nose snowman) so I reckon if she did want to communicate carrot she would do snowman and then point to her nose. This I would not have understood...but now I am mentally prepared for carrot ducks!!

just before xmas she managed to convey through mime that once you slice a pear it looks like a fish...at least I think that is what it was...she stopped banging on about it once I said that...

TBH my life seems to involve being trapped in one long game of charades!

Why oh why doesn't she just start speaking?

[EugenesAxe]

Thanks MrsReiver! Just the peach area though; not the green bit.

As in this image.