Adventures of a New Dad: Teaching a 1yr Old to say, "nose."

Saturday Evening in January:

"Eye?"

She looks me in the eye and I return the look trying to feel confident. We've been at this for months and the result is always the same. I'm feeling positive. Tying anyway. All babies figure this stuff out ventually. Right?

"Yaaay. That's right. That is your eye. Oops! Don't point at it quite so hard sweetheart. That's better."

Gently pinching her ear, I give it a little waggle.

"Now, this is your ear. Can you say ear?"

"Eeeh?"

She reaches up, giving her ear a less gentle yank and blinks at me.

Almost.

"Eee-urh. Can you say eee-urh?"

"Eeeh?"

I sigh, but now is the time for courage. This isn't even the hard part. Game on.

"That's right! Good job. You're such a smarty baby. Aren't you."

Picking her up off my lap I rub my hair into her tummy. She giggles and squeals. I set her back down and once I have eye contact I go for it.

"Now, where's your nose? Can you show me your nose?"

She pauses. She's pointing at her nose! She never points at her nose! This is it. She's got it. Months of repetition and she can find her nose!

"Eye?"

"What was that?"

"Eye?"

Her pointing is slowly morphing into exploratory probing.

"Silly baby. That's your nose. Nnnnoohzzuh."

"Eye?"

"NOSE!"

She senses that she's missing something and moves to surer territory.

"Eeeh?"

"Very good. That's your ear. Where is your nose?"

She gives one of her little, bottomless, beautiful, innocent blue eyes annother uncomfortably sharp poke.

"Eye?"

"That is your eye."

she pokes one of my trying-so-hard-to-encourage-but-loosing-ground-to-impatience green eyes.

"Eye?"

"Yes. That is daddy's eye."

She climbs up, reaching out with one little hand.

"Eeeh?"

"That's daddy's ear. Very good."

I give up. She wins.

I pick her up and rub my hair into her tummy again. As I set her down she leans over to me and pats my chest.

"Daddy!"

That's sweet. She's done that since she was 6 months old and it still feels awesome. (Mia is sooo jealous because she won't say, "mommy," any more than she'll say, "nose." Heh.

Completing the ritual i pat her on the chest.

"Baby!"

She giggles.

"Mmmmmm...."

She draws her lips into a tight line and gives me a damp kiss. Then burrows into my chest and makes her, I'm snuggling this now, sound.

"Awwwww."

Maybe I win too.