For the Nina

Dear Nina,
Remember that time, just a few days ago, I asked you to send me a picture message with your picture? I wanted it to show the Animalia another, newer picture of you, so that she'd be up to date when you visit. I showed it to her the very next day. She said "Nina!" after I said "Nina!" Then I put my phone away. The Animalia waved and said, "Babye, Nina!"

The next day, all on her own, she found my phone and handed it to me. "Nina?" she asked. I found the picture. "Nina!" she said. And then she said, "mmmmmwwwwahhhh!" Again, she said, "Bye Nina," when I put the phone away.

One more day, and she clearly knows who you are. This last time she said, "Nina pretty," and petted your picture when she saw it.

Considering all this, and considering that you were all prettied up to go see Madonna the night you took the picture, you might want to do your hair and makeup before you see Animalia. So that she recognizes you. Just saying.

Love,
The Mama (of Animalia and no one else)

Apple Toes

About a week ago, the Animalia was playing with her Daht. "Apple toes," she said, or we think she said. There are two theories. Mine is that she was actually saying "elbow toes" because, in Animalia-speak, elbow and apple sound fairly similar. Daht's is "apple toes" because he thinks she was saying that her pieces of apple, left over from a snack, looked like toes. Either way, he started to say "Uh oh, apple toes!" right after she took a little tumble. And now, everytime she falls or throws herself, bouncing, on our bed, couch, or big fluffy pillows, she says,"Uh oh, apple toes!"

Me llamo Babao!

So we're back to her little joke, the one where we ask her name and sometimes she says Aya! And sometimes she says Aya Manos! And sometimes she says Babao and giggles. And then we tickle her and call her silly which prompts her fake laugh because one is supposed to laugh when anything is either "funny" or "silly." Occasionally her first name is Aya and her last name is Babao and then she barks at us or the real babao and she laughs and laughs.

Aya go pati?

Monday, March 16, sometime in the early a.m.:

Me: I need to go potty. Mama's going potty.
Animalia: Aya go pati?
Me: Do you want to go?
Animalia nods.

We go find her potty. It's in the kitchen, somewhat dismantled, because she was playing with it, and you know, potties go in the kitchen. I take it into the bathroom. She follows. I put it together, take off her pants and her diaper. I sit, she sits. I pee, SHE PEES! I freak out with total joy! I clap, she claps. "Aya go pati! YAY!" she says. I scream to her Daht to bring the camera. We take pictures. She's happy. We're happy. She flushes the big toilet on her own. She's very proud.


The next few days are filled with her using the potty, not exclusively, but enough for us to be shocked and awed. Our baby is so SMART. One day she doesn't quite make it to the potty but starts to go right before she sits down, peeing on her pants a little. She frowns and says,"Aya... uh oh!" And it's very cute and I smoosh her a little.

Then Thursday comes along and we ask her if she wants to go potty and she nods yes and she goes to the bathroom and I help her with her pants and diaper and she takes off her shirt and walks away. It was just a ruse to be naked. She does this naked thing a few times and I realize that she wasn't interested in potty training, she just wants to be naked. Any excuse.

Then comes yesterday. She says, "Aya popo," which means poop but I check her diaper and there's none in it. A few minutes later she does and she looks at me like,"Mum, I told you I needed to poop," and I feel a little bad but resolve to pay more attention. And then this morning she says "Pipis!" and I take her immediately to the potty, and she does!

She's a tender girl

The Animalia is sweeter than pie, sweet as candy, sugar, and all that stuff. She just is. And I wonder where this tender lovey personality came from because I'm just not. I guess I am, with her, but she's a dear. She'll randomly run up to her Daht and give him kisses, muah! muah! and will randomly throw her arms around her tata and say "HUG!" (only it sounds like hog, kind of). She makes her dolls and stuffed animals kiss each other. And when she's not ordering the dog around and telling him NO! she loves on him too.

Lately even her NOs are kind of sweet. "Noh, Nama, no," she says, no longer with the clipped urgency of her previous NOs. Those were abrupt NOs, they were short and with an exclamation point at the end. Her new NOs are soft explanations of what she doesn't like. "Noh, Dah," she'll say, when he's messing with her face. They're not eye-rolling NOs, not yet, and it's very cute.

Last night, when I got home, she saw me and said "MAMA!" and then she danced the way she dances when we give her something good to eat. And then she ran to me and threw her arms around my legs and said "Lahb!" which I think is LOVE.

She's a love.

Coco

Animalia pointed out my knees. "Mama knees," she said. Then she noticed the bruise. "Ooohhhh," she said, "Mama coco." And then she made a sad sound and petted me.