Monday, March 24, 2014

Weird Things You Say (To a Baby)

I find that there are a lot of things adults say to babies that would just be strange if said to another adult. For instance while playing with a pool noodle larger than he is, I affectionately referred to Jude as 'Noodle Face.' That would be weird enough on its own but then I followed it up by exclaiming, "Aw, if you had a noodle face you'd be like an adorable little Cthulhu!" What? That's such a weird thing to say and it just slipped right out of my mouth, no filter.

I also do the Irish thing and refer to him as a baba instead of as a baby but then it gets out of hand and morphs into 'Babo' (babe-oh), or worse 'Babalo' (bob-uh-low) which is just nonsense. It means literally nothing, but I say it all the time. Like it's some archaic language only mother and child comprehend.

He is also frequently called a 'Silly Billy' though there are plenty of Williams in our family, he is not one of them. To make it even sillier he can't even just be a Silly Billy. He's a 'Silly Billy Pumpkin Pie.' I don't even know why. I can't explain it to you. Pumpkin Pie actually gets added onto the end of many things referring to Jude for reasons I can't tell you. It's become a household suffix.

Then there's just the weird crap you say to the baby in general like, "You're so cute I just want to smush you!" Or, "I could just eat you up!" One thing I say a lot is, "I want to hug you until there's nothing left." I would never actually hug him to death, of course. Obviously. But it's a thing I say and it's weird. Or just point blank asking him if he's pooped yet, or if he is pooping now. Has anyone other than a doctor asked about your bowel movements? Probably not.

I'm not alone in this. People say things like this to him or other nearby babies all the time without a second thought. Around children are our brain filters just shut down? I usually think nothing of it. It's just a thing people do. However when you really think about it, it's so bizarre.

Can you imagine if someone walked up to you, a grown adult, and said, "Hey, Silly Billy. I want to hug you until you're dead!" You'd be like, "What the hell?!" Yeah, it's a little creepy. I'd probably run away from them without looking back. But to a kid? Totally fine. Everyone knows you aren't serious.

What are some entertaining things you call/say to your children?

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Love, Truly

When it came to love or hate, I have always chosen love. I love vastly and deeply. I love my mother, my grandfather, my family in general, Aaron, his family -- now my extended family, and my friends. That said, I never really understood love until I had my first child.

This does not mean that I love any of the above less or even that I love my child more, somehow. But really, truly, love was a stranger to me even though I held such an abundance of it before this life changing event. I see it purely now, unbridled, as it is meant to be, and I think all of my relationships have benefited from this revelation. Even my interactions with complete strangers are more positive.

Before having a child you may think you know the bounds of love, how to do it unconditionally and freely, but trust me when I say you're only breaking the surface. There is so much more to love and I honestly cannot think of a better way to experience that breakthrough than holding in your hands for the first time a being that depends upon you entirely. A life you created, through love.

Not like a puppy or a kitten that will become self-sufficient in a short order of time, but a brand new person with their own personality, wants, and needs that will depend solely upon you to fulfill them for years to come. A little person who will infuriate you and entertain you and overwhelm you with joy all at once sometimes. Accepting that responsibility and truly owning up to it expanded that word: l-o-v-e to me to such a degree it's really not even explainable, try as I might here to get the message across.

I hope, at the very least, you can appreciate love a little better now. For as much as you experience it daily, there is so much more of it waiting for you, for when you have that breakthrough yourself and realize the sun is indeed a little brighter than you thought it was yesterday.