There’s a magic hour, somewhere between 9 and 9:30AM, where Aiden wakes for the sole purpose of play. It’s a great time, considering he’s not quite ready to stomp on the world from the haunches of his walker but still filled with all the happiness I know him to be. These past few days, he’s discovered that he, indeed, has his own mouth and can use it for things other than eating.
His latest obsession? The “word” ba.
Yesterday, for a full 30 minutes he rattled off the word ba in a variety of groupings and tones – each, of course, dripping with (drool) and its own meaning. It struck me as odd how this simple sound meant so much to me as a father, watching my little boy change so fast in front of my own eyes. The harsh reality that this same noise, redressed in its more mocking, annoying 5-year old version, would probably come back to haunt me – I joined in on the fun.
I should have kept my mouth shut. I’m not sure if he was shocked that Dad could keep up. I’m not sure he was trying to figure out how to emulate me. I am sure that he stopped, stared, and solved the problem in the loving way he knows best – he smacked me in the face and covered my mouth with the heaviest hand under 3 inches wide. A couple of months ago, a friend was over and taught him the trick of placing your hand over your mouth to make different noises. He’s not forgotten it since.
These small memories – the ones that I would likely forget, as I increasingly do, are the ones I want to save for as long as I can. I don’t know that either of us will remember them in 5 years, but we’re doing our best to make sure we can with LittleGrams.