I woke up around 8:15, refreshed and as happy as one who needs to bury his mother can be. This is the second day in a row Desiree let me sleep in. Could this be our new normal? I really hope so and tiptoe to her room and peek in. She’s still asleep, so I shower, eat, and tend to the money tree. I thought she might be awake then, so I check in again and she’s still asleep! Not only is she still sleeping, she’s tossing herself all around that crib, working those back muscles like a boss. Today is the day she’ll sit up, and I can’t wait until she wakes up to prove it.
She has been winning at this infant game lately, so I put some extra bubbles in her bath. She doesn’t know she’s being rewarded, but she is having the most fun ever. I’ve never heard her giggle so much; it’s such a treat for my ears. The only thing she loves more than blowing raspberries now is babbling. She swears she is spreading salacious gossip with us, and I go along with it, saying, “Oh, for real? I know, right? Whaaaaat? That’s crazy,” every now and then, hee hee. I also try to get her to say daddy, but she’s still not quite ready for real words. She’ll get there, though.
After fresh clothes and a bottle, I take her to the hallway for showtime and call Sophia to watch because she won’t want to miss this. Desi grins when I sit her up. I think she is excited and ready to show us what she’s made of, but she’s probably still high from an epic bath and a full belly, heh. She was a little wobbly at first, but that did not deter her smile. I would later learn she had a special grand finale planned, but let’s not get ahead of the story. I told Sophia about her rolling around in the crib, so she suggested I sit back and let her figure it out. She chanted her name, and I joined in.
Desi didn’t know what to do with all of that attention and was grinning up a storm. Honestly, I think we distracted her because she’d been sitting up for a little while and toppled over shortly after we started cheering. My heart sank a little because I was certain she was ready, but the day wasn’t over yet, and she looks quite happy with herself. As I bent down to pick her up, she said something. I’d been listening to her talk all morning, so I didn’t think anything of it, but Sophia thought she heard something familiar.
“Luca! Did she just say dada?!”
I gasped and turn my attention back to Desi.
“Did you say daddy?? Can you say it again?”
She giggled, blew some raspberries, and said it again. She called my name! We have a little genius on our hands! Sophia looked a little miffed, but she was much too proud to be mad.
It’s almost midnight, and I am pooped. Sophia usually takes out the trash, but with all the stinky diapers Desi generates, we’ve been taking it out multiple times a day. I just had to get those things out of the house before I turned in for the night. At 11:54, I walk in the door and see Desiree sitting up on the play mat with a smug expression, as if she had been doing it her entire existence. I knew today was the day! We only had six minutes to spare, but she did it!
I scoop her up and plant kisses all over her face. I started to take her upstairs to bed, but then the best idea came to me. The smooches are reward enough for her, but I plant her in the highchair for the first time to try solid food. She’s hesitant about this new vantage point, and her head is like a swivel rotating around, trying to view everything. Her world is so big now, and it’s intimidating, but I think she’s excited too.
“You’re a big girl now, Des! I’m about to blow your mind. I’ll be right back.”
I go to the pantry and bring back a jar of mashed sweet potato; it’s the only food appropriate for this moment, heh. I had sent Sophia a picture of Desi sitting up, and expected she would rush downstairs to see in person, but she must be asleep, so I went ahead without her. I open the jar, and the sweet aroma grabs Desi’s nose. She doesn’t know what it is, but she’s definitely interested.
I scoop out a teaspoonful and put it in front of her mouth, but she doesn’t know why I’m doing it, so I put on a show for her. The airplane routine works just like they said it would on the parenting forums, and I shove the spoon in her mouth while she’s excited and laughing.
She closes her mouth and lets the sweet potato sit on her tongue for a moment before deciding what to do with it. Then she looks at me with an expression I’ve never seen her do. It’s hilarious and looks like she’d just learned the secrets of the universe or something.
“See? I told you I was going to blow your mind.”
She smacks on the sweet potato a bit more and sits there quietly, looking like she’s thinking about the meaning of life or something. I’d never seen a child contemplate so much before, and it’s so funny. To me, it’s just sweet potato, but for her, this is a whole new ballgame.
She likes it! Actually, I think she more than likes it. I think she loves it. I didn’t want her to have so much food on her stomach while she’s asleep, but she finished the entire jar! Every time I tried to walk away with it, she screamed for more until there was nothing left. She’s only supposed to have half the jar, but today is a special day, and she can have whatever she wants.
