2 nights ago as I was sitting in the bath with the kids, it happened. (And while your mind just went there... No. No one did a doody in the tub.) Liam FINALLY said "Dada." He was looking over at Patrick who was shaving his head and said it just like that. Like he had always been saying Dada. Previously the closest he had come to saying Dada was flapping his arms excitedly when he saw Toby (our dog) and saying "Da". Patrick looked a little shocked as he finally got what he had been waiting for. I felt a little vindicated since the situation was reversed when Laney was little and I had to endure weeks of Dada before being rewarded with a Mama.
Liam has been saying "mommom" for about a month or so, and even started saying dog last week. He also says "dat" while pointing at things, so Dada brings his list of words to a grand total of 4. Until today, that is. We were sitting at Chick's waiting for our order this morning when he pointed to the bottle in my diaper bag and said "aba." Either he really likes Swedish pop music, or he was trying to say "baba" which is what we call bottles in our house. (Coincidentally, Laney thinks it is hilarious that Uncle Sean called it a "babu.")
I'm amazed at Liam as I watch his mind expand to envelop the idea that making a certain sound or word will get you things. He is really jazzed by this new idea and really seems to be trying to say other words like milk, drink, all done, bath, etc. Things he really cares about. I am also amazed that I am still amazed by this process, seeing as how I have already witnessed it firsthand with Laney. What I find truly interesting is that humans evolve in their growth in predictable patterns, yet each pattern is like a snowflake: never to be repeated. Laney and Liam are technically hitting their benchmarks at the same time, but they have arrived at them in such different manners that it is hard to believe they are related at times. For instance, you can show Liam how a toy works 2 or 3 times and then he picks it up and figures it out. Laney had all the same toys and there are a few that had to be demonstrated hundreds of times before she would interact with it. I'm not saying that Liam is smarter than Laney, just that they learn in drastically different ways and that is already very clear to me. The one thing that remains the same developmentally for both of my kids is a love for books. I have really made reading a part of Liam's nap and bedtime routine and he is showing a genuine interest in books. He turns the page for me and likes to lift the flaps or touch the fuzzy animals in his baby board books. Quite sophisticated for a 12 month old! I know that all moms think that about their kids, but I truly am impressed.
Another thing that really impresses me is how much Liam loves to play with Laney. She truly is his favorite toy. Their new favorite game is to stand on opposite sides of a push toy or chair and do laps around the kitchen. Liam walks forward and Laney walks backward. This activity has generated some of the biggest smiles I have ever seen from both of them. Today he began holding hands with Laney and she slowly walks backward, coaxing him to walk forward toward her. Priceless, until he falls down because she goes to fast, but still, worth it for me. Also a great outlet for Laney's inner bossiness. I am so tired of her trying to tell P and I what to do all the time. We have been having SO many drama queen moments and time outs lately, and I am really starting to understand why Pat Benetar thought that "love is a battlefield." She is fiercely determined to be independent and doesn't like not being in charge. Playing with Liam seems to remedy this emotion in her, except for when he doesn't follow directions and they end up hitting each other. That reminds me of another song entirely. One by LL Cool J entitled "Mama Said Knock You Out." That's how I feel as I separate them and calm the dual screaming, forcing them to hug it out after the claws have been retracted. No wonder I am so happy to see them go to bed on time! Sibling rivalry sucks.
Well, I am off to sort through some toys since both of the kids have (blissfully) gone to bed. Time to get rid of some of those baby toys and make room for Santa's swag. I am looking forward to a little spring cleaning in the closets, but boxing up those little toys and rattles makes me feel nostalgic for their baby days in a small way. Then I remember how little I enjoyed having newborn babies in the house and how much I am looking forward to having 2 full blown toddlers to play with. Life is a journey, and I am totally digging mine.
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