Over the past week little L has come up with a host of new words. Last weekend we visited his grandmother and Chachaji and Chachiji who were with us in Chicago and the little tyke managed to learn how to climb the stairs in their split level home. Up and down he wanted to go, and all of a sudden when we woke up in the morning and saw him with his feet hanging off the bed we knew we’d had it. Little L is truly on the move. Now, at my parents’ house this week, he squirms out of my arms as I’m attempting a diaper change and he swings his feet over the side of the changing area and hangs them down using his belly for support and slowly makes his way to the floor. I don’t have it in me to test him out fully.. I can’t let him to down by himself; I’ve got to give him a little support, but I’m curious about whether he’d be able to slide down without falling down and hitting his head. Considering how often he falls and hits his head these days I’m not optimistic about the results from sliding down.
Similarly when confronted with the wonderfully daunting staircase, L wants to go up, and he doesn’t want mommy to help him (unless he is tired, that is). And he has this amazing way of turning around in circles again and again when he is about to do something: when he is dancing, when he is about to climb the steps, when he’s looking at books. It’s as if he’s not quite sure what he wants to do but wants to move. So there he goes, ever twirling twirling twirling. Apparently he twirled for quite some time today. I’m sorry I missed it by having to be at work. But oh the joy of seeing that squealing boy run toward me when I get home. I always look forward to our reunions, L’s and mine.
Several new words have entered L’s vocabulary today. Last weekend he got to spend some close and personal time with bubbles. We were at the playground in Chicago, and let me tell you: those bubbles made us popular. While his mother was traumatized by his nearly getting knocked over by the other children who ran straight for the bubbles, L was totally content to look and try to chase bubbles. And after that: to watch his dad and chachaji play with his 97-cent inflatable beach ball.
So the new word from Saturday and Sunday: Bubbles. “BUH-buhhhLLl!!” What a yummy sound. Now L is spending lots of time with his cousins A and V. They dote on him and carry him around. A sings to him and dances with him while V blows him “buhbuhs” and kicks soccer balls for him. Meanwhile T amuses him with various nonsense music and Indian “nakara” So clearly L must be learning some words from them, right? So he says a lovely “Arey Wah” (prounounced uh-rray Vah, a Hindi way of saying “Oh my Goodness” or “Oh Wow!”) and when they yell “Dshoom Dshoom” he makes a hilarious hand gesture akin to his “all done.”
And from today, while he grabbed at some old first birthday hats which were lying in the dining room, Little L began to say “Birthday” — more of a bird day but still a pretty good version of the word! So amazing.