Man, that was incredible. That was one of the most remarkabe feelings I’ve ever had. I had just brought him into the house in his car seat. I put him up on the counter, and was playing with him. He’s been “talking” a lot lately, making lots of oooohs and aaahs, so I was speaking to him in his language. I bent over him, and went “aaaah!” He looked back and went “aaaah!”
I did it again.
He did it again.
I did it again.
He repeated it, this time with a big smile on his face.
We stood there in the kitchen talking to each other like that for another 5 minutes, me saying “aaaah!”, and him waiting just a second, and then repeating it back to me, looking right into my eyes and smiling.
Incredible, amazing feeling. It was so obvious that he knew exactly what I was doing. I was talking to him, and he understood that, so he talked back. He wasn’t doing that last night, or even this morning.
I think I just witnessed the birth of a new consciousness, and WOW. Pure magic.
My daughter is 22 months old so I still remember that moment well. It is a wonderful thing.
I’ve noticed that there seem to be a number of communications milestones along the way, where suddenly the child is communicating at a more advanced level than before - not just saying first words but things like responding to instructions, putting two words together in a unique way (rather than just repeating memorized phrases), demonstrating an understanding of more abstract concepts (up, more, later) and so forth. There’s more joy to come, Ogre.
I remember the first time Dweezil cooed at me. He looked me right in the face and went “oooooo” and clearly it was intentional, and it was utterly mindbending.
I’ve been feeling bubbly all morning because of this. You know, newborns are such lumps. They’re cute, but they communicate on such a primitive, almost frustrated level. The first time he “aaaah”-ed at me, and it was clear that it was intentional, I literally did a double take. Did he just DO that? Let’s try it again. HOLY SHIT HE DID IT AGAIN, AND HE’S SMILING ABOUT IT.
I’m so happy for you that you got to experience that moment.
I had a friend who described newborns as really demanding pets. I think that was pretty accurate. Just wait 'til he coos and reaches for you. Remember - keep his nails trimmed and your nose clean. They always go for the face first.
If you want something really fun to look back on, keep a journal of this sort of thing. I have a stack of “Cute Kid Stories” I used to send friends when Ralf, Jr. did fun stuff like this. One day when he was about 14, I pulled it out and handed it to him. He remembered some of them, some he was clueless about, and some embarrassed him to the soles of his feet.
And if the Ogre-let hasn’t done so yet, just you wait until the day when you can tickle him and get bushels of infectious baby-laughs. You’ll be absolutely spellbound…
Babies are cute so you fall deeply enough in love for them to survive their teenage years Congratulations, it’s a wonderful time.
And earrings. Beware of hoops and dangly earrings. I have a friend with a torn earlobe thanks to her darling adorable grandson. One hooked finger and someone (BAD Grandpa) tickling him and suddenly it’s blood and screaming.
I am going to be a dad in august… and I’ve been talking to the baby. I don’t know if she can tell it’s me or not, but everytime I come into the room and say something, she reacts, and I put my hand on my wife’s tummy and I say hello and she gives me a kick. It’s very strange and wonderful. I have been told they can hear in the womb, and it seems she can recognize my voice and/or hand pressure.
The first thing my daughter parroted was sticking out her tongue. We could stare at each other for hours, sticking our tongues out and then giggling about it.
