Baby Talk

The housekeeper never got into the house this afternoon. I thought I’d covered all of the bases but ‘lo and behold the poor thing melted on my front porch for 35 minutes and finally gave up. Where was the nanny? Nothing worse than expecting a clean house only to come home to the same dirty piles of dirt, more dirt and other incarnations of dirt.

Baby woke at 5:40 this morning but I was sorta grateful because I had completely soaked the right side of my pajama top with baby hooch. Lying in a river of leche on a fluffly down mattress is really gnarly. I think he could smell me like a fresh baked apple pie because he got super emotional as I made my way down the stairs. I had my fingers crossed that he’d fill his tiny belly and drift back off to sleep but instead he poked at my face (in the dark, mind you because the sun HASN’T COME UP YET!), clapped his hands and sang songs in his own little language. We got up and went into the living room where I proceeded to recline on the sofa as he cruised the furniture picking up things babies shouldn’t play with…sunglasses, a glass of melted ice, yesterday’s paper, my car keys. I had closed the one eye I had open that was watching him when all of a sudden there was a huge breeze and blinding light. W had found the remote to the fan and turned it to 11. He was standing there looking up with the silent surprise like the boy in the Close Encounters of The Third Kind when he sees the spaceship hovering above for the first time. It doesn’t take much to amuse the little guy. Mommy was mildly amused.

Gogo made a guest appearance yesterday. She and her boyfriend had been in a nearby town for a wedding. When she called to let me know she was on her way she says “Where are you?” I says “I’m at Target.” Duh, mom. I got Willem a blue swimming noodle that I cut in half since it didn’t fit in his bitty pool. It’s the perfect teething toy for the two pearls that are making their way beyond the gumline. I also got some stuff for the housekeeper but we all know that was a waste. I’m so bummed. The biggest event of the weekend was when Willem identified a kitty cat I pointed out to him. I said “Willem, look at the kitty kitty, pretty kitty,” and he chimed in with “Kee, kee, kee, kee,” and said it whenever I asked him about the kitty. It was awesome! His third word after “Dada” and “Mama”, in that order. He’s doesn’t say “Mama” much but says “Dada” all of the time. It usually starts out with a kind and gentle “Daa daa daa” but always evolves into a militant “Da da da da da!” with a crazy wide-eyed look on his face and spit flying.

We're going to get on this baby sign language stuff stat. W’s effort to communicate via blood curdling screams is horrifying to say the least. I don't care if he first learns how to flip us off to let me know he needs something. Anything is better than screaming. He had his 9-month well check today and he’s in the 25% for his weight, 50% for height (no change in either of those departments) and 90% for his head! I’m special ordering him a helmet b/c this learning to walk thing is going be scary. He has mastered the push/walking toy thing that earlier had him running and weaving out of control like a drunken frat boy. He has figured out that he controls the speed but what eludes him is how to get out of a corner or detach it from chair legs. He successfully gets us to help him out by, you guessed it, screaming like a freaked out girl.