First name basis

Deaglan still doesn't really say much - that we can understand. I mentioned a few weeks ago that he says "cheez". Recently he's added "teest” which means please. He also says “wrrashssss” which we know to mean Crash (0ur Cat). When he`s really proud of himself he exclaims this “I di ya!” which we strongly believe means I did it!

But I think the most entertaining linguistic development has gotta be that he has begun to call Shaune by first name. A few weeks ago I called to Shaune who was a floor below me. Deaglan echoed me yelling: Shau!! Then he looked at me to see my reaction. I stifled a giggle. I called Shaune again. And again he yelled Shau!! Shaune walked up the stairs, the look on his face, hurt, incredulous.

“Did he just call me Shau?”

“Yes.”

“Well don’t let him. I don’t want my son referring to me by first name.”

“What do you want me to do? He is turning into a sponge. He’s gonna copy everything we do and say.”

“Well than start calling me Daddy.”

“Oh please! You’ve got to be kidding.”

A few days later, I forgot and yelled to Shaune again while holding Deaglan. Shau!! he echoed back. I`ve had a good laugh telling our friends and relatives this story.

But then tonight while I was transporting him from the tub to the change table, Deaglan craned his neck out of the warmth of his towel and yelled “Shau!!” Shaune wasn`t even home.

Am I getting the short end of the stick here I started to wonder. Not only had Deaglan been saying dada for a few months, now he was taking the trouble of learning Shaune’s given name. And then there was the Cat. . His first real attempt at communication was with the cat – I captured it on video back in November.

I felt a bit of resentment creeping in. I’m pretty sure the Cat didn’t carry him in his uterus for 41 weeks and three days, or shuffle to and from work when he could barely stand on his swollen extra large feet, listening to people exclaim things like: Are you sure you’re not having triplets, or WOW I’ve never seen boobs so big - you look like you’re gonna fall over!

Would it kill him to throw me a stray “ma-ma” here and there???