Monday, November 21, 2005

Julia Marches On

Julia learned to say six words today: "Bert," "Ernie," "draw," "Brea" (one of her cousins), "Bono" (actually, "Mono," from an iPod ad on the back of a magazine) and, best of all, "cuddle," which she pronounces "duddo." Not even the cold, half-defunct heart of our vice president could resist her shuffling up, saying, "Duddo, duddo," climbing onto your lap, and whisper-mumbling, "Yaya?" - her way of asking you to sing. Not that I'd let her get anywhere near that bastard. Anyhow, I doubt he would sing selections from the Radiohead songbook, as I am wont to do. "No Surprises" is a surprisingly good lullaby. Until the listening comprehension improves, at least.

On top of the linguistic and appellate accomplishments, she is also learning to revel in experimentation. This evening in her bath, she started dunking a little red bath-toy cup into the water, open end down, and then yanking it back out of the water so that the water inside came out in a pretty silver arc, all over her head, the tub wall, my arms, etc. The harder and faster she stabbed the cup into the water and pulled it back out, the higher and longer and wetter the arc. Good for ten minutes of fun.

Speaking of long times consumed in toddleriffic activity, yesterday evening she spent twenty minutes simply placing three rubber duckies in various spots and configurations in our basement: all three on one box, two on the TV and one on the floor; one on the books, one on her trike, one in her hand; et cetera almost literally ad infinitum. In textbook toddler-play fashion, she checked back with me every few minutes, but otherwise simply motored around the basement, getting her ducks in a row.

Playing for so long in the basement is a good thing because last week, the basement became a scary place after we had a plumber, Bob, come to do some work. His sawing at a pipe woke Julia up from a nap, and of course once awake she had to see what the $#@#$@ was going on. But just as we got to the basement stairs, the plumber surprisingly bounded up towards us. Bob slowed when he saw the baby, and even talked nicely and softly to her, but the whole rest of the time he was working down there, she was very alarmed by his presence and by the unprecedented noises he was making. She watched him drive off later on, but still, ever since, any movement toward the basement elicits the alarmed question, "Bop? Bop?" and we have to say again, "No, honey, Bob went home." Poor kid.

But, pathos aside, she's also mastering the art of the appeal. Lately when going to bed, she calls out for aid to everyone she can: Momma, Dadda, Boppa, Nonna, and even Ditty. Of the two people and one feline who can actually hear her plaints, only the cat seems likely to respond. Not that I wouldn't love to run in and spend a few more minutes with her.

4 Comments:

alison said...

Great update! And, of course, I LOVE that one of her new words is "Mono" as in "Bono."

That's 2 for 2 so far - Matrix AND Bono. Well done! ;)

2:10 PM  
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