As Requested

When John and I woke up to Braden’s “request” (request here means loud, shrieking wails of displeasure at being alone) that we come get him this morning, I put on this shirt:

We went into Braden’s room, saying, “Good Morning, Sweetie!” and got the Good Morning Smile.

[Those of you with children know the GMS. It is sometimes a child's saving grace - one of the things you can bring to mind when he's flinging food in your face or screaming, red-faced, while tantrumming on the floor... that helps you to not kill him. The GMS can be like a cocaine high to a tired, weary parent.]

Braden wanted me to pick him up, so I did, holding him against my front. He leaned back, looking at my chest. Pointing at the shirt, he happily exclaimed, “Ogg-ogg! Ogg-ogg!”

You’re darn right, Boy. That’s a doggie. The parental units were quite pleased.

Oh, and here’s the best I could come up with as per the requests, “We want movies of Braden talking!” It’s not always easy to catch him right when he’s saying a “real word.” You must also understand that those of you who do not speak “Garbled Toddlerese” will have a more difficult time discerning the things he’s saying. Don’t worry, we’re still learning, too.

This video was filmed October 16. It was the first time we heard him mimic “Peekaboo!” This book (Peekaboo Zoo, by Lamaze) asks questions about who is behind each flap, and when you lift the flap, you see an animal and it says, “Peekaboo!” (so, of course, that’s what we exclaim when he lifts a flap).

Observe Braden’s first version of this word:

The next video is a really great example of him identifying The Mexican. It really needs no explanation other than he freakin’ loves this dog, so it’s no wonder that he talks about him.

In this video, Braden gives us one of his versions of “airplane.” Here it sounds like, “deh urpah,” which means, “the airplane.” Often, it’s “aba,” or “dat aba.”

You have to have your audio turned up to catch it… he says it quietly right at the end.

And please excuse the HORRIBLE quality of the video. It was the audio I was more concerned about.

This last delightful video shows Braden reacting to hearing a bird.

That’s right, folks, a heretofore uncatalogued word. I present to you, “bird.”

(You must listen carefully… he says it twice – right at the beginning and right at the end.)

If you were listening carefully, you heard “that?” and “is that?” several times, too.

I could just eat him up!