Whose Yo Daddy?

Mae's recently learnt from a friend, a technique in getting Jesse to repeat certain words. "Buh-buh-buh-Ball," Mae would say to Jesse, repeating the consonant three times. And everytime she did it, the boy would stare in wonderment at her lips. Then out of the blue he went, "Bahl!" We clapped and cheered like idiots.

Until it hit me that my son said "Ball" before he even tried "Daddy". Hmph.

Mae took pity on me and tried to teach him. "Duh-duh-duh-Daddy!" But Jesse was not impressed. "Bahl," the word rolled of his lips with ease, as if to mock me. "Jesse, say 'Daddy'," I cried in one last futile attempt. Then he turned his little head towards me and gave me his angelic little smile. "Bahl!" It was hopeless.

Over the last few days, he came close. "Duh-duh," he'd say. He didn't mean it, of course. He was playing with the remote at the time, or doing something equally inane.

This morning I was playing with him when he suddenly stopped and said, "Deh-deh!" I grabbed him, gave him a big bear hug and blew a raspberry in his little neck. He squealed like a little monkey.

I tried to get him to repeat it but the boy refused, preferring instead to amuse himself with Mommy's tube of hand cream. Still, it was good enough for me. I'm still grinning from this morning. :)