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Friday, January 28th, 2011
One month ago, on the day after she turned 7 months old, Ruby said “Mama” for the first time. D was holding her while I tried to get some work done at the computer, and I could hear her behind me getting worked up in a certain way that meant I’d have to go fetch her soon. Then, suddenly, she very plainly yelled, “MAMA!” As you can imagine, Mama came running then. I couldn’t stop grinning for an hour.
Saying “mama” coincided with a sudden burst in babbling activity. Until that weekend, she’d still been stuck on vowel sounds, only sprinkling in a rare “w” or “g” sound. Then we were out at our favorite Mexican restaurant on a Friday night, and she suddenly started saying what sounded a lot like, “Habla, habla, habla!” (ahblah, ahblah, ahblah). I immediately decided she was a future multi-lingual genius.
The “blah” sound quickly became a favorite, along with a puma-like growl, “la la la la la,” and others. Then came the sweet sound of “mama.” (Daddy also says he heard her say “dada” the next day, but it hasn’t been heard since.)
Over the next few days, even weeks, she said the magic word again only a handful of times, usually reserving it for “emergency” situations, such as when she woke up from a nap in her crib and wanted to be rescued. (This child hates to be alone.)
But in the past week, “mama” has become her new favorite word. When she is trying to crawl, and she gets sooo close but then gets frustrated and decides she’s stuck – “MAMAMAMAMAMA!” When she’s feeding herself Cheerios and runs out and I don’t notice because I’m reading Entertainment Weekly – “MAMAMAMAMAMAMA!” When someone else is holding her and she wants me, “MAMAMAMAMAMA!” When I’m holding her, and she’s happy about it, “mamamamamama.”
It’s also sometimes her babble of choice, along with the old standy blahblahblah, for when she’s watching TV or playing with her toys in the floor.
I try to act cool about it, but to tell you the truth, every time she says the m-word, I’m elated. When she leans toward me to get me to take her back from someone else, or works her way over to my desk chair and tries to pull herself up to me, I’m secretly filled with glee.
She has always been mine; she has always known me, but before, she showed very little preference for me over anyone else, except when it came to eating. Now she is claiming me as hers, and the fact that sometimes no one else will do makes me feel pretty good.
D, on the other hand, is hurt that sometimes he’s not enough and that she won’t say Dada. Until recently, she wouldn’t give him a kiss, while she kissed me constantly. He was so touchingly thrilled when she finally did plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek!
I reassure him that babies say “mama” indiscriminately at first, that it’s probably just coincidence that she made the sounds for “mama” before “dada.” And though she’s definitely becoming a mama’s girl, I’m careful to point out the many instances when she wants him to pick her up, or lights up when he comes in the room. Daddy is the one who more often holds her hands and helps her slowly walk around the living room, the one who more often takes her outside, and she loves those things.
Besides which, it’s only natural she’s more attached to me right now, since I’m the one who’s with her 24 hours a day, compared to his 4 waking hours. And I have a feeling my time in the sun is fleeting. Once I stop breastfeeding, and she becomes a toddler, the more active, outdoorsy Daddy may seem a lot more fun than Mama.
But that’s okay. I look forward to all the coming stages and all the fun words coming soon. Wonder when she’ll be old enough to learn the word Victorian?
This may or may not apply to D, but my niece refused to kiss my husband’s or her father’s cheek for close to a year because they were “too sharkey” meaning too much beard/stubble.
Congratulations on the “mama” My daughter is about 3 months younger than Ruby so I love looking into the future.
They always come back to Mama.
:) Too sharkey! Yeah, I told him it was probably because of his stubble! Then he went and shaved himself all smooth, so maybe she’d kiss him!
Fwiw, supposedly most babies say “Mama” before “Dada” b/c the “M” sound is easier for them to make than the “D” sound….W/in my limited sample size (a dozen or so much younger cousins and neighbors), there’s seems a 2-5 month delay b/t the “Mama” and “Dada” phases.
I just went to Flicker and looked at Ruby pictures. You have one seriously cute little girl there. Waiting for more stories about her.
My boys both said Dada before Mama. I didn’t think that was fair. So I like that Ruby said Mama first.
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