Baba Gaga Wawa, oh My!

Babies are funny little things. One minute,  you’re up to your eyeballs in dirty diapers and dirty clothes and dirty dishes and for that matter, a dirty house and just plain dirt . . . and the next moment they are chattering about the big dog they saw yesterday while putting on their own shoes and walking out to the car. It all goes by both tauntingly too slow (as all sleep-deprived parents can state) and much too heartbreakingly fast. So when it comes to accelerating the process from baby to adolescent, there are a few areas in which we would happily linger and procrastinate.

For instance, there were several words that our baby learned before she started vocalizing clearly that were apparent only to us as her daily companions. She calls diapers “baba” and water “wawa” and eye glasses “gaga” (although she also refers to tigers as “gaga” so context is important). My sister, who is younger and single and without child, in her infinite wisdom has questioned our continued use of these words as discouraging proper speech (to be fair, she is the most vocal critic, but hardly the only one – others are probably just more tactful). She was also one of several folks who were also concerned about our use of sign language to communicate with our preverbal child. But there’s nothing quite so satisfying for baby or parent when a need is communicated effectively and met instantly, especially if that need happens to be a change of “diaper” or to “eat” or “more” or for “milk” to drink. And there is nothing more endearing than to see her sign “please” (and say “peas!”) and sign “thank you” (“took-you”), even if it is only in the pursuit of more chocolate from the chocolate cupboard.

Now, we understand her concerns, but when you have a baby who is too precocious to remain a baby for long, there are certain idiosyncrasies you cherish and encourage to prolong this sweet and transient phase. What we would give to hear her say “nnnnnnnnoooooo” again in that sweet drawl or “yesshhh” or “dooooooorrrr” these are the moments that fill your heart and embrace your soul. Of course, we also relayed to my sister that her fears were unfounded and our 18 month old daughter often says quite proudly, “daddy says ‘water,’ baby says ‘wawa’ . . . mama says ‘water,’ ‘baby says ‘wawa’ . . . “

This holds true for grammar as well, at least for now. Trying to make the distinction between personal pronouns for a toddler is beyond my current level of mental exhaustion and parental patience. One day, we may regret this decision, but for now, her ability to communicate her wants and needs and ready affection are good enough for us. So if she wants to fetch me my gaga in the morning so I can change her baba while she sips on her wawa, I’m fine with that. Especially as she could very well demand her "cup of tea" to go with her "quiche" and the "motey" (remote) to watch her "Classical Baby" during breakfast.

Language - A Mixed Bag

Now, we've all heard the phrase, "little pitchers have big ears," and my husband and I have tried very hard to curb our language since having a baby. We were pretty good the first week (honestly, we were so tired that our language resembled that of a toddler: bed, food, bed, water, bed, bathroom, bed, ick - what the hell is that?!?). But we relaxed a bit when we realized it would be weeks, months even, before she would start copying what we say. Unfortunately, it's a subtle, gentle slope into mimicry, and you seem to realize overnight that you now have a copy cat on your hands.

We had started her on sign language, and luckily the few key signs we knew didn't include anything embarrasing. But as is often the case, one day I dropped something heavy on my foot (or she might have thrown something heavy on my foot, both of which are equally likely) and I started to say "oh shhhh . . . oot!" For someone who's not into sports, this was a game-winning save. And seconds later, she could be heard going around saying "oh shoot!" Of course, then she also tried to say "sit!" which sounds a lot like the same four-letter word I had just avoided saying, so it's a bit of a wash on that one. And she happily continues to repeat phrases, with or without prompting.

Discipline becomes more difficult when they start to vocalize as well. Much as I try to correct certain behaviors, it's much harder when you are trying not to laugh. For instance, she likes to get water from the refrigerator door for her cup, take a couple of sips, then deliberately dump the rest on the floor, look at me smiling, and utter "oh Charlotte!" and sometimes an "oh shoot!" or an "uh-oh" as well. Or we'll try to teach her moderation and tell her she can only have "one" and hold up one finger, to which she will repeat "one" and hold up a finger, accept the treat, and then come back for another morsel a minute later. When you say "no, you've had your one piece" (and yes, it's usually chocolate here), she'll look at you winningly and say "one" and hold up her little finger and then say (and sign) "peas?" (please) and "took-oo" (thank you) unprompted. It's hard to hold out against that kind of blatant manipulation. And there's nothing more endearing than hearing that little voice ask for a "cup-a-tea?"

One of the more endearing side-effects of living with a little parrot however is that you also learn more about yourself. Little idiosyncrasies you may never have realized you possess are repeated often and eventually you realize where they learned all of these funny little actions. For instance, she went through a phase where she would hold her arms and hands out in a "I don't know" kind of expression and would answer questions with this cute little stance. This puzzled me for days until I finally asked my husband, "that's so cute, but I don't know where she picked that up" and then proceeded to do the exact same hand/arm motion. Or when she started to say "sorry" as she shoved past us to get somewhere - apparently I do this too in lieu of "excuse me."

For now, her vocabulary at 18 months was just over 200 words and none of them included words above a PG rating. So we'll just sit back and enjoy the ride and if every once in a while, we have some fun with it and teach her to repeat "fruit, peasant!" while pointing at her father and then her snack cabinet, or teach her to say "silly daddy" in response to anything her father states, well, that's just the perk of raising a child. Next up, the lyrics to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot.