Introducing... Mama!

"Mama." Could there be any sweeter word from the lips of your child? Like most mothers, I eagerly anticipated hearing it for the first time. Oh, sure, he babbled it when he was first finding his voice months and months ago, but when would he say it with meaning? When would he say it to me?

And then, just over a week ago, he said it, clear as day. He was climbing up some stairs outside, with me close behind, and he said, "Mama, Mama!" As if to say, "Come on, Mom, hurry up, I have places to go." My heart melted.

And he has said it many times since. It soon became clear, though, that he wasn't talking about me. He was talking about Monkey — his best friend and lovey. Monkey was a birthday present from Mommy and Daddy. I guess we sort of forced him on Andrew. We started putting him in the car seat and in the crib, and pretty soon Andrew was carrying him everywhere. It's awfully cute. Monkey is now a constant companion, and he seems to be a special comfort whenever Andrew is sick or upset. Here are a few shots of Monkey in action:







(Sometimes I tell myself that Andrew really is referring to me when he says "Mama," and that he has a slightly differently pronunciation for Monkey. It's more of a "Mo-ma," isn't it? And he just happened to start saying both words right around the same time. That's likely, isn't it?)