Early Walky Pants

My mama's life has been hectic of late. I go to sleep at nine now, which means she can't get much work done since she comes home late sometimes anyway. I stay awake because I miss her. I time my naps to be right before she comes home. She has a lot going on at work, too, but I've been going there at least once and lately twice sometimes just to get some milk and comfort and face and arm and kissy hug time with my mama. We love each other so much. We are so grateful for my daddy who takes such good care of me and brings me to my mama so we can have a strong, loving, connected family. It is hard. My mama says raising a family is hard for everyone in different ways. Some Umas in the world only have one parent to do everything that I have many people to do for me.

I seem content enough with my life, do I not? My parents have been blessed (by my grandparents) with lots of space for me to experience and use my body, what I love to do the most. My mama says she has tried to set up our home with as much "Yes" as is humanly possible. I can open cupboards and peek into nooks and grab things off shelves without being told "no" very often. Of course, some of my favorite things to explore are the "no" things: plugs, wires, buttons that turn off the Skype/phone conversations I am having with my grandparents, the oven and dishwasher, and--most of all--little things off the floor. My daddy is constantly telling me not to put things in my mouth that I picked up off the floor. I love my parents, but that doesn't mean I understand them. I like these things, and I want to explore. I foresee us having these conversations more because LOOK! I can walk!

The whole point is, my mama took a long time to get these moments of early walking to you because I and those kids at school have been needing her like crazy lately. I can now walk way better than this thanks to another sudden development. In fact, that is the night that I woke up in the middle of the night, sat straight up in my swaddle, smiled away and said, "Thath! Thath!" The next day, when my mama got home, she told my daddy about it. While they were talking about it I said what sounded very, very close to Dog, signed dog and pointed outside (my usual conversation). It sounded, strangely enough, like what I had said at night, but with more clarity. In fact, I said my third word, which is (in hindsight) probably my first word because my mom mistook this very sound for me saying bath. She had good reason; we were going to take a bath. It is clear now, though, that I was really saying "dog." So, it would seem that "dog" was my first word, followed by mama and then a much clearer spoken/signed "dog" that came with walking.

All that, after this video...