Mama

Dylan is changing so much everyday now, it's astounding. He's like a little person instead of a baby.

For instance, yesterday he started "fake sneezing". Several weeks ago, my sister Sally was visiting, and we had told her that Dylan loved it when he sneezed -- he'll laugh right afterwards. So she started fake sneezing to amuse him, which also made him laugh. (He often finds real adult sneezes scary, but the obviously fake ones are hilarious.) We were at a friend's house yesterday, and he sneezed, and thoroughly enjoyed it. And then we couldn't figure out what he was doing, but he kept nodding briskly and blinking, a la "I Dream of Jeannie". Then we realized he was fake sneezing, smiling, and looking at us to see our reaction. We were all rolling. It was his first joke! Apparently my son is a fan of physical comedy.

He can sit unassisted. He can stand and hold onto a table or chair unassisted. In fact, one of his favorite things to do is stand NEXT to his exersaucer and play with it, a move that we have dubbed "driving the TARDIS". (It's a Doctor Who reference, for you non-nerds.)

He's got 5 teeth, going on 6. And a toothbrush. And a regular bedtime routine. It's like we're parents or something.

But most amazing of all was when Dylan looked right at me this morning and said, "mamamama!" He's been able to do that syllable for a while, but this time it really seemed like he was actually addressing me. So I asked him, "Am I the mama?" And he said, "Mamama." I just about started crying right on the spot. I told Chris about it when he got home, and he asked Dylan "Where's mama?" I was standing several feet away, and when Chris asked, Dylan turned his head and looked right at me. I think this is pretty cool. Even though Dylan's newly-charged attachment to me means that I'm the only one he wants to comfort him -- which can be draining -- I have to admit that I LOVE that he is starting to think of me as a separate person from himself. A person that he REALLY likes.

I'm the mama!