Ah-paeee! Ah-paeee! Sure, in retrospect, I ought to have understood that right away. Never mind that it's not English, that it's blurted out unbidden or that it's tucked amid gurgles and gibberish and what I can only assume are curse words in Esperanto. But clearly, Ezra expected me (dad) to comprehend that "Ah-paeee!" meant "high five!"and oblige immediately. I did eventually catch on, and now it's just part of our vocabulary.
This has become routine: we'll notice a couple of syllables recurring, and after puzzling over it for a while, we'll discern their meaning. "Teepee" is "sleepy." "Tookie" is "Cookie Monster." "Muhk" is "milk." This is most gratifying pretty much every time. And it's opened up yet another chapter for us, where Ezra has actually begun to regualarly communicate his needs and desires to us in words. He can tell us when he's tired, thirsty or defecating. He can also reject books he doesn't like, or -- more unwelcome -- songs (tonight as I was putting him down I sang him a song I've been singing him at bedtime since birth. He took his head off my shoulder, shook it vigorously, and said, "Noooo! Noooo!" I switched to Cat Stevens).
His walking progress parallels this -- every day, he is more able to act out his own will. This is, I gather, the basic drama of parenthood, playing out in a million different ways over and over. And yet, it somehow shocks us every time. Well, me, at least. But I'm pretty slow.
Anyway, Nonnie and Grampa Mickey are in town for a few days. Ezra now calls them both by name, asks about them when they're not around, and shows -- from my observation, anyway -- a clear grandparently bond with them. It's beautiful to watch.
Today we went to the Museum of Science and Industry, and Ezra tore all over the place there. It was my first time with him in a place like that since he's been really steady on the
walking/scurrying, and it was so, so fun. He went completely ape-poop for the model trains, especially. He has shown a stereotypically male interest in vehicles, especially trucks and trains. Almost every morning as we walk to the car to head to the babysitter's, he catches sight of an El train, and his face completely lights up.
In a couple of days, we'll head to Ohio for the
annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage. We've chosen to fly this time, rather than subject him to the car seat for 7+ hours each way. There he will catch up with his "Pop-pop" and "Gaga" (whom he can now identify by name in pictures, as well as in person), as well as his "Uck--osh." Um, what's that, kiddo? "Uck-osh!" Is that a word, or a gas bubble? "Uck-osh! Uck-osh! Uck-osh!"
Oh, I see. Uncle Josh. See you soon.
Much love,
Gabe, Ash and Ez
