February 28, 2001 - Wednesday
Harry has a new word: "mommy," with a heavy emphasis on the second syllable. Initially, this word was greeted with fond appreciation, just as "mama" has been since he learned that. However, over the course of the couple of days that he's been working this out, it's become clear that Harry's not using this new term as an endearing call to his responsive mother, or even as a pained cry for help, but rather as the new default for desire, discontent, or just random vocalizing. Mom-my' is apparently the new substitute for the expression Harry once denoted with "dat," and more recently "mine." Very unfortunately, for the present Mom-my' has become the annoying word we hear far too often as Harry makes his way around the house and through the hours of his day, always spoken with an apparent urgency that's never satisfied with a loving response.

In a somewhat related event, this evening Harry exhibited his first mini-tantrum. He was in the hall outside the bathroom and his pending evening bath, but anxious to go to the next room down the hall. Halted by his mother, Harry found himself tummy down on the floor and restrained. Along with the expected cry of discontent, he got his legs pumping and his feet kicking the floor. It was quite charming in an odd way, but it was a charm that quickly diminished with the realization that this behavior is sure to come again and almost certainly again under more deliberate and less pleasant circumstances.


Comments, opinions?