thirteen months

Max is thirteen months old today...I am officially entering the realm of those parents who totally confuse the rest of the non-child rearing world with the month count. He's a year old plus some. We newbie parents just obsess over every little bit of aging, progress, distance form the beginning, I guess. Does my saying "he's thirteen months old" remind me that I had 7 months of spotty sleep or six months of "sleeping" through the night? I think maybe for me its the desire to sing happy birthday with great frequency.

He has been looking at the picture of his dad on the fridge during mealtimes and saying "Da Da" Sometimes just pointing and smiling or (like today) pointing and cocking the head quizzically with a "Da Da?" like...Where the hell is that joker and when is he coming home? I quickly distract him with the picture of the BABY (himself of course) which always makes him laugh. "Nana" is still serving as banana when inflected with a note of desperation and all other beloved fruits when repeated in a rocking incantorial fashion. I think "maalm" is trying to integrate itself into the vocabulary. He used it for mango but also for the morning smoothie so maybe its just another kind of yummy. There is an occasional Ma MA but all other words are pretty much variations on "Ba." Which works well because most of the things he really enjoys start with Ba. Ball BALL BALLLL (he says without the "LL" while pounding his fist on the giant ball and bouncing up and down. Balloons also inspire a pretty lively "BA BAAAA." However, the most wonderful use of his favorite sylable is the peekaboo game. He basically stands in the general vicinity of something he could hide behind then bend his knees, pops up and says "BA" which I take to be Boo. Then I act really startled and he laughs his pants off. Often leaning on a nearby object for support while he cracks up.

BAAAAA just like my old uncle Cooksie.


ps i just made a blog for work just a little placeholder until we get real pro-specional (as Fluff might say)...bye