Sunday, October 12, 2008

Finally!

This morning, for the first time in months, Lukas said "Mama" several times to Mrs. LIAYF! It was one of the first words that he said back at around 8 months, but since then has not used it.

He has, though, been using other words quite regularly, like dada which she worked on with Lukas over and over in his early days. Unfortunately, I hadn't worked nearly as hard to get him to use mama, so it has been rather hard on Mrs. LIAYF, especially the past few months, to not have Luke call out to her by name. She had even said that this is the gift she most wanted for her birthday (which happens to be Halloween day).

I'm not absolutely sure why it has taken this long for Lukas to adopt the use of mama, but I strongly believe that it is because she has always been there for him with nourishment, smiles, laughter, consolation, and unconditional love. She has been his world - ever present, ever near. So, perhaps he's never felt the need to call out for her by name.

But this morning it was terrific to hear Luke call out "mama" several times, and it was equally terrific to see my wife's smile illuminate our dimly lit bedroom on this cool October morning. It was truly the sweetest sound to fill our house in quite some time.

Happy early birthday, Mama!

15 comments:

Martin said...

Ouch that's sweet.

Great picture too by the way.

Helloooo Mama ;0)

Anonymous said...

Ouch! That is a pressure packed gift idea!

Both of our kids have been "da-da" before "ma-ma". I think that is the norm. I joke with her about it to keep things loose. My wife says it doesn't bother her, but I work on "ma-ma" behind the scenes.

Ed (zoesdad) said...

Happy Day! My wife was always elated when the kids finally said mama--long after dada was a part of their everyday language.

Anonymous said...

It drives my wife crazy that our son says dada all the time. He looks at me and says "Hi Dada" and then waves. She can't stand it. I beg him to say mama, but he just won't do it.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Xbox - Thanks, I like the photo too. It was a fun afternoon.

@MTAE - Wiping my brow on that one. The little guy came through in a big way.

@Ed - It didn't help that many of the toddlers we know who are about the same age were already calling mom by name.

@Mochadad - tough isn't it? Especially hard on the moms who have given no less than the whole of thier being to them and are not hearing their name yet. How old is your little guy?

Anonymous said...

Right now I'm enjoying my son's first "words." I think he might be speaking in another language. He's pretty good with dada, and mama, but his specialty is "aaaheeeeeh" repeated multiple times at extremely loud volumes.

SciFi Dad said...

Way to go Lukas. Gotta make your parents work for your affection, otherwise they're just going to expect it all the time, right bud?

(FWIW, Dada was more prominent in our house than Mama for months.)

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Oktober - It is fun isn't it? Around here that is called a Yeti Yell! How old is your son? Thanks for stopping by.

@Scifi - Lukas is pretty good at getting us to do what he wants, a trait that I'm sure he will put to good use in future.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Lukas. I think my Mini-Kamp's first word will be Murphy (the dog), we are always screaming her name.

Anonymous said...

Hurrah!

Even doesn't call my wife Mummy, he calls her by her name - Kerry. This really irritates her which he obviously finds very amusing.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@DC - Lukas was actually saying 'Al-ba' (our cat is Albert) long before 'mama', which didn't help matters any!

@Dan - Yeah that would be a bit hard to take! I don't think that will be the case with Lukas, since Mrs. LIAYF has a name that can be difficult for adults to pronounce.

Jason Roth said...

I'm sure Miss LIAYF's heart melts when he says it too.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Vegasdad - Absolutely!

Scary Mommy said...

Oh, so sweet! It's amazing how that word goes from the most beautiful in the world to the most irritating when it's uttered 500 times a day!

James (SeattleDad) said...

@scary mommy - A week later we are only up to about 20 times a day!