How Far I've Come

It has been a busy week with Greyson. His naps have shortened yet again, so other than the hour and a half that he takes midday, I am running around trying to keep up with him until Roque comes home in the evening. I find that one of the most exhausting things I do with Greyson is just talking to him. Our child continues to be exceedingly verbal and loudly so. It is a day-long dialogue of him calling out alphabets, colors, Stop signs, Open signs, animals sounds, and the like. I would sooner not respond but if I don't, he just keeps saying it louder and louder until I concede to his burgeoning need for verbal validation. Recent English words include "Evay" (elevator) "Down", "Up", "Wo wo" (lotion), "bluebuhbuh" (blueberry), "TuTu" (thank you), "Pees" (please), "Yoyo" (yogurt), "Hilo" (hello), "Oduh" (open) "More", "Bah" (bath), "Kah" (New England for "car"), "Bow" (bowl), "Bean", "Goo" (good), "All Gone", "Whoa", "Wa Wa" (water), "Peas", "Yeah", "Ugg" (hug) and "Doh Doh" (pillow). Recently, he has changed our names from "Mama" and "Papa" to "Mami" and "Papi" all by himself. We have no idea where he got that from, the kid doesn't watch television.



I find that I am enjoying greater boldness and freedom with him as he gets older. On Wednesday we went to the zoo. I took the leap and decided to forgo the stroller and risk my biceps. It worked out well. There were a few times when he wanted "Up" but he did pretty good overall. I had planned to be home for his lunch but after being seduced by the daily special of potatoes au gratin and braised short ribs, I decided impulsively to have lunch at the Zoo Cafe. There we were, no bib, no feeding spoons, no backup food, eating out on the spur of the moment. It was fabulous. Greyson was a doll, walking close by me as I carried our tray to our table. He ate cheerfully and quietly with his plastic fork and spoon, tried all the food I gave him and amazingly, stayed clean. It was just me and my boy having lunch out. I can still remember a time when going out with him by myself was unthinkable, then unbearable, then doable, then enjoyable; now, a year or more later, it has become preferable. Look how far I've come.

He loves to sit on this chair at snack time, and eat blueberries out of his blue bowl. Today he asked to sit in it after breakfast and after we put him on there, he looked at me and said "Bluebuhbuh?" He like to put one foot up on the seat "like a trishaw puller", as my mother would say.

Several people have either called me or commented about my last post. For the record, to all fellow tired mothers out there, personal shopping is a free service. There is no obligation to purchase, at least not at Nordstrom. So liberate yourselves and go enjoy, girls. Lastly, yes, my husband is a rock star.