Stuck in the Middle with You

 

It is a big picture because it has made me think a lot.

This past Sunday, Peanut and I went with our church to visit another church outside of Barranquilla to celebrate their anniversary. We went on a big school bus singing songs and enjoying the wind in our hair. We wound up sitting by ourselves, but there were several empty seats and my long legs have trouble fitting, so we spread out a little. We all piled off to join the worship service that was ready to start, and Peanut and I settled ourselves on the floor so she could move around and not climb over everyone.

At 9th (our home church), Peanut gets special attention. All the kids are loved and cooed over, but everyone remembers Peanut's name, she made it on a new church banner, and she just does get something extra. Still, she is a known quantity. She is not new.

At Pital, she was new. She sat with my quietly keeping an eye on what was going on for a while. It is her way. We do not call her "the Observadora" for nothing. Still, after getting a handle on things, she inevitably makes her move. There are probably 30 kids or more at Pital, and they sit in kid-sized plastic chairs in the very front of the sanctuary, and Peanut decided she was going to go hang with them for a little while. There was not a place to sit (and she can't really climb up into a chair on her own so well yet), so she just stood in the aisle. From my spot in the back I saw hands begin to stretch out from chairs on all sides to touch her skin or her hair. At one point she had 5 sets of hands on her somewhere. She took it all in stride - walking back toward me when it was a little too much, but returning again to give it another go.

After the service we went to a church member's home to eat a big stew and share some fellowship time before heading back to Barranquilla. While the food was finishing we all sat together talking and playing ice-breaker games. Peanut hung out in my lap for a bit (watching), then made her move again. I took the picture above just to capture my sweet bean in the midst of so many kids, but after taking it I couldn't help but catch my breath. She is in the middle of everyone, but she isn't a part of anything. 

You may think it is a lot to put on one picture, but it was more the catalyst that put lots of pieces together for me than a commentary on this single moment. It is representative of a lot of Peanut's life, and of our lives, quite frankly. The thing is, we chose this adventure - Peanut, not so much. Right now it doesn't really matter. Peanut is little and she simply feels special I think, so the extra long looks, the patting of her skin, the remarks about her hair or her eyes don't make her self-conscious or worry her like they do me sometimes. I know that when people get to know her, they will love Peanut for the person she is because that is just how it works. Still, some day she will come to me with slightly sad and truly confused eyes and ask me why it is that people treat her differently (even if sometimes it is that they treat her "better"), and why can't she just be like everyone else.

None of this is to discount her privilege in this place, nor our own, but it is to say that same privilege can extract someone from community rather than bond them into it. And so somehow she is in the middle and on the margins at the same time. It is a funny place to be. It might be okay to visit, but I am thinking hard about how or whether she can live there.

Mmmmmm!

As I mentioned in my last post, Peanut eats pretty much anything you put in front of her.

A few things before your viewing pleasure begins:

• Though it does not come up in this video, I would like to note that Peanut has gotten very good at saying a polite and calm "No" if she doesn't want what is on the menu or she has had enough of something (which is nice because she used to just open her mouth anyway and then spit everything back out which was a lot ickier). 

•  She has also gotten pretty good at using her fork as you will see, though hands do still play heavily into the mix depending on the meal options.  

• Though my 7th grade pre-algebra teacher taught me that the 11th Commandment was "Thou shalt not divide by zero," I think Peanut might argue that it is "You cannot blow on your food enough, or even on your fork enough frankly." It is probably more likely to show up in a biblical interpretation rather than in an actual translation.

• We did in fact save the absolute best for last. Nothing makes a mama feel better than a big old "Mmmmmmm!"

November?

Yeah, evidently I kind of missed November...and half of December. I think I might be good in the sprints rather than being a marathoner...except that I don't actually run at all. Whatever.

Part of what I find is that I will have a day or two with nothing really worth noting, and then *blammo* 23 days in a row in which I should note how tremendously awesome Peanut is and how she makes me laugh and shocks my socks off every day, but if I miss that first day...it's all over. Since I totally still owe you baptism and birthday part 3 posts, then I have been that much more computer averse. Did I mention I am an avoider? Yeah, again, whatever. 

To get back on the saddle again, I am just going to post some quick Peanut facts:

1. She now has upwards of twenty words. All are in Spanish except "bye" for which she also says "chao." They include: 

Tía Mala, aka Acky

•  bravo - while clapping, often at the end of a solid mama written and performed number. This is clearly my favorite word, for what I think is an  obvious reason.

• luna - impressive particularly because she seems to have it straight that luna refers to both the moon and the dog across the street. This is her Papi's favorite word.

• nano - for banano. The trick is figuring out whether she actually wants a banana, or if she is merely pointing out the banana and making clear she knows what it is. Mama trick learning is ongoing. I have eaten many bananas.

• acky - for Jacky, or Tía Mala (Bad Aunt - more on this another time), our next door neighbor. Jacky would like me to point out that my last update of Peanut's words should have included this word as well. Jacky would actually like me to say that it was her first word, though that is possibly a complete lie.

• vamos - almost always said with great conviction. She will look at you and say "Let's go!" and head directly to the door. the fact that she has on only a diaper is not an issue.

2. The Nutter eats basically everything.

I know that this will change at some point, and I will likely pine away on this very blog about the "way things used to be," but for now let me just say that my girl can eat. She eats little cooked broccoli trees (and gives a hearty "yuuuummmmm"), auyama (kind of like sweet potato), green beans, black-eyed peas, chicken, open-faced tuna fish sandwiches with pineapple and melted cheese (hey, she asked...), creamed spinach, pumpkin pie, raisin bran, soft-boiled eggs, obviously I could go on and on. The part you should actually be impressed with is that she does it with FOUR TEETH. I mean really, with all this intake, don't you think they deserve friends? 

On a different note, I am greatly heartened by the variety and quality of my potential future meals when all my teeth have departed.

3. We dropped the bottle at her birthday.  

Now she  only drinks from cups (usually with a straw). While there are many things I miss when they go, that is not one of them.

4. She has started her campaign to be Queen of Carnaval.

Each year just before Lent begins, there is Carnaval. In Barranquilla the season of Carnaval basically begins at 12:01am on New Year's Day and from then on there are parties, dancing, and appearances by the Queen. The Queen of Carnaval is a highly coveted honor, usually given to children of wealthy families (nothing too surprising there). Though Peanut was born in Barranquilla, she does not have Colombian citizenship (long story), so that counts as one more strike against her. She, however, is undeterred. 

Deciding that if the odds are high then one must simply work harder, Peanut stops to greet every person (and dog, and cat, etc) when out on a walk. In the land of "Hola Vecina!" (Howdy neighbor! - mostly to cover up the fact that no one actually knows your name), everyone calls out to Peanut by name. She stops to wave at the ladies in Bible study at the back of the Catholic church. She always walks onto Doña Olivia's patio. She makes sure to wave to Carlos, and she often stops to watch the guys at the gym. Even better is that they stop too. One moment, pumping iron and looking tough. The next minute, five guys in sleeveless t-shirts googly-eyed and waving at the little girl on the sidewalk. Wish I had a picture of that to put up here.

5. Peanut looks up a lot.

I notice not only because I get to sneak in kisses under her chin when she does it, but also because she often loses her balance if she is standing and looking up at the same time. It reminds me of how little we all look up actually. Go ahead, do it. It's okay. 

Here's to being back in the saddle, to the ride, and to the marvelous view...be back soon.

Birthday Baptism Bash - Part 2

Birthday 2 - The Day After, and the Day Before

Though we began our celebrations on the actual day of Peanut's birth, there was too much goodness (and too many presents) to be contained in one mere day. 

We only opened two presents on the day, so the 23rd and 24th were spent mostly doling out the birthday love from abuelos, tías, tíos, amigos, and more. We basically opened two presents in the morning and two in the afternoon because more than that and Peanut started getting a little wacky. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest hit was still the bag and tissue paper. Luckily one-year-olds don't know or don't care that you are using the same two bags for every single present...

Before this grand occasion, Peanut had a number of books a few stuffed animals, and a little cube of toys. We felt like she had enough to do a toy change up, but not so much that we would be overwhelmed. Still, she was privileged. Blessed to have books; they are very expensive here. Blessed to have new things. Blessed to be the sole owner of all these things. While we have tried to give things away as she gets older, inevitably the amount of "stuff" she has is increasing. Some of it is hand-me-downs (Thank you McCavits!), but a lot isn't. We want to make sure Peanut has everything she needs to learn and grow, but we also want to remember not to get sucked in to the hype. It helps to realize that the Nutter is getting as excited about the wrapping as the present, and to realize that she can make fun and learning out of even the strangest things.

With blocks, books, and a band (oh my!), we should be all set through Christmas and beyond on gifts, but what we could not have done without was family. It would have been awesome to have everyone together, but we were thrilled to have Abuelita, Grandad, and Nanny in our midst. Peanut was so excited she even started walking for everybody...my girl's got nothing if not good timing.

The night of the 24th we made sure to get Peanut home and in bed early, but the abuelas had other plans. Jacky and Fanny invited them to go get their hair and nails done at a place nearby. I was tired (and I needed to put together the sugar high gift boxes we were giving out the next afternoon), so I chose not to go with them. Luckily, I did not miss out on the action. Why you ask? Because due to the high number of hair dryer, straightener, curler thingies that were being wielded in the beauty shop, the power blew in mid-style. Not to be daunted, our neighbors just piled everyone into their (teeny-tiny) car and brought them back to our home to finish up the job. I may get in trouble for this, but it might be worth it...

 

 

 What was worth it was the effort - on everyone's part - because the next day was big. 

I mean, big.

Video Viernes

As you know, Peanut really likes her books. She likes to read all of them, but one particularly stands out because it is actually a book and song combined - a little bit-o-heaven. The book is called Snuggle Puppy of Mine and is by Sandra Boynton. The song, as it is written in the book, goes:

Ooooooo, Snuggle Puppy of mine. 

Everything about you is especially fine. 

I love what you are. I love what you do. 

Fuzzy, little, snuggle puppy, I love you. 

I say, Ooooooooo, Snuggle Puppy of mine. 

Everything about you is especially fine. 

I love what you are. I love what you do. 

Oooooooo, I love you. *Kiss!*

It's complicated. I know. But it turns out that when you are reading the book, it does feel very odd to say the things Ms. Boynton has clearly defined as a song. However, she does not actually provide a score which one might feel compelled to follow. It's freestyle. 

Well, it turns out that Richard and I sing very different versions of this lovely song with our daughter, so we thought we would share them with you. At the beginning you can hear that Peanut say "Ooooooo" because she can now identify this book by its cover (Judge it? Who knows...). And so we present: 

Snuggle Puppy, Act 1.

And Snuggle Puppy, Act 2.

What we are making here is art people. Art.

Birthday Baptism Bash - Part 1

Birthday 1 - The Actual Day

It started with a crown.

My mom, heretofore known as Abuelita, came the day before in order to be with Peanut on her birthday start to finish. As soon as she heard Peanut's stirrings, she ran in to sing Happy Birthday and so the celebrations began. Allowing her to finish her breakfast, in short order Abuelita had pulled this lovely topper out of her bag and Peanut went straight to royalty. 

Now I didn't think it would last. 

We can put a hat on Peanut's head to protect her from the sun, and if she is not immediately distracted that hat is off within .25 seconds. In fact, we can barely comb the girl's hair without her reaching up and grabbing to use the comb herself (which, perhaps deeply surprisingly, rarely results in combed hair). So I figured this crown, made of curly ribbon and wiry stars was a fun gesture on Abuelita's part, but one that would require some lightening fast fingers on the shutter of my camera to catch an actual photo of it on her head.

I could not have been more wrong. Peanut kept that thing on allllll day.

Sometimes she would toy with it... 

 

And once in a while she would lend it to someone else...

But by and large the girl kept that thing on all day - fascinated I tell you.

Most of the morning and early afternoon were spent doofing around (in a crown), waiting for Papi to get back from Cartagena with Nanny and Grandad. When looking at herself in the mirror got old, climbing in and out of and on top of Abuelita's suitcase became the order of the day. Because Abuelita's bedroom is also called the living room, there was not a lot of space for her to be private, but the upside was that she got to introduce Peanut to the wonders of make-up brushes.

Since Peanut's mom does not actually know what to do with a makeup brush, 

someone was going to have to step in at some point. 

 

 I will note that it is possible the lesson did not fully take as 

"brush-cap-as-musical-instrument" was an equally popular choice.

Once Nanny and Grandad arrived, we deemed it time to celebrate. And what better to celebrate with? 

Why, Cheerwine, of course. 

She looks like she just loves it, right?

 

We talked a lot about what happened a year ago on the 22nd, and noted that Peanut was way to big to return from whence she came, hard as she might try.

And even though the official party was scheduled for the 25th, no one wanted to miss out on this special day. 

We donned the birthday girl shirt and obviously requisite tutu and invited over the rest of the family. 

 So with Tía Jacky (also fondly, and very appropriately known as Tía Mala...), 

Abuelo Alex and Abuela Fanny, we cheered for the birthday bean.

Papi made a scrumptious flan, we sang, we clapped, and we laughed and laughed and laughed. 

Though the prize was well worth it, I am giving September 22, 2011 significantly higher marks than 2010.

But it ain't over yet folks. It ain't over yet.

Video Viernes

Oh, and I forgot to mention one teensy detail.

Peanut is walking...

Ode to a Fork

A FORK. How did it take me this long to think of A FORK?

Peanut is a great eater. She only has four teeth, but they do a looooot of work. (She has actually given me quite a lot of hope for the culinary delights I can still experience in my older years when my teeth mostly fall out.) She eats all types of fruits and has chowed down recently on portobello mushrooms with vegetable filling, rice and beans with peppers and corn, and open faced tuna fish and pineapple sandwiches. I am shoving in everything I can while it is still easily accepted so that when we enter the chicken fingers and french fries era (translated perhaps to the fried plantains (patacones) and empanada phase), she will have a strong base of green veggies on which to pile said mounds of oil and fats.

Anyway, she eats well, but is often very invested in active participation in the eating endeavor. For months we have given her a spoon and tried to avoid overt cringing as food poured down her front or flipped down onto the floor to the delight of ant scouts sent to camp at the foot of her high chair. She has been able to get the spoon to her mouth for a while, but rarely did it manage to actually have food on it when it arrived. Until...voila!...the fork.

We actually only got a fork recently as one of her birthday presents, so there is some excuse for our not considering it as an option, but ah these past days have been magical. It is in this heart-warming, enchanting spirit that I offer you:

Ode to a Fork

Oh thou gift to me dear fork -

Food, once speared, to my mouth arrives!

Though my mother feared faint punctures to my sweet skin,

Thy pleasant tickle on my cheek merely encourages me anew.

Your zest in that dish of watermelon,

The funny way you turn my avocado into guacamole,

It brings a smile to my face to see you at work.

Grace is sometimes lacking in our efforts,

My excitement never wanes.

To you I will always turn.

What mere spoon could compete with your form and function?

On to the veggie pancakes.

Let us conquer together those grains of rice.

Yogurt may be hard,

But in the end we will triumph.

Book Lady

Peanut also digs books.

She is not as patient as she once was, but even when she is most fussy she will usually calm down when you sit her in your lap and open a book. She is a very good page turner (though without some page lifting assistance the result can occasionally cut a story down from 15 pages to 3), and when she is left on her own she will occasionally start to read the book to herself out loud. (At least that is what I assume she is doing even though "brah dah doo dah doo zwoop bah" is not officially part of any of our stories, not even the Dr. Seuss ones.)

Because of this love of books, and because we got a hand-me-down spice rack from Alice Winters when she retired, we decided to put a bookshelf down at legume level so that she could choose her own adventure, if you will. 

Broadly, I still support this decision.

You, however, have already figured out the flaw in our plan.

The only thing that may rival Peanut's love of books is her love of gravity's effects on books. There is nothing that makes a day brighter than pulling abso-loving everything off of her little bookshelf and making a pile on the floor. There are days this humors me, and there are days that...well, not so much. 

I can only imagine that she too has times when she thinks, "Silly Mama, putting those books back up again. Jijiji (Spanish hee, hee), I will just take them off for her again." 

  

While other times something more like, "Eche! (Let's just call that dagnabbit...) What the? Again with the books on the shelf woman?"

Still, a book lady wants what a book lady wants, and at the end of the day a book mama still wants to let her have it. So we read together - from one book or from many all at one time. And I love it. I can't say I would not have it any other way because let's be clear I would have most of the books stay on that shelf most of the time, but I'm sure my mama will tell you it was not always so...and we all survived. So gravity, shmavity for now. When she's a little older, we'll talk.

¿Ño?

Yes, I do owe you photos and stories from the birthday extravaganza. No, this post is not going to have any of them. Here is the thing. If I keep waiting to post anything until I get enough time to get everything together for that birthday post...well, let's just say you will miss a lot and I will go crazy. We don't want any of that, am I right? 

So, because things are literally changing around here every day, I am going to jump in this nap time glory moment to give you a Peanut-ism we are thoroughly enjoying.

 

Peanut loves the phone. 

We do not have a land line, but she watches us talk on our cell phones several times a day. For a while, every time the phone rang, she would quickly put her hand up to her ear and look around until we answered the phone. Saying "briiiiiing, briiiiiing!" did not mean anything to her, but if she caught even the tail end of a faint electronic possibly-it-could-be-a-ring-tone sound -- well buddy, that hand was on her ear in a flash. It was pretty hilarious, and we thought it was awfully stinkin' cute...until it got even cuter.

 The other day we realized that the Nutter had a new word. Every time she would put her hand to her ear (with one of our phones or without) she would say, "¿Ño, Ño?" In Colombia, when people answer the phone they say "¿Alo?"  It sounds a lot like "Hello" really, but for some reason Peanut comes out with something that sounds like a cross between "No" (like huh-uh, I don't think so) and "Anyong" (or 안넹 which is a Korean greeting, used as we might use hello). We knew she was smart, but heeeeyyyyy...

At any rate, now she not only says "¿Ño?" when the phone rings, but also says it when the phone isn't ringing (confusing...) if she wants the phone. Got it? 

The best is to watch her play with our neighbor, her abuelo Alex, who will even call her on one of our phones just to watch her gawk in horror as the cell phone in her hand actually rings and has a voice come out. Remember, she is (already and yet) only one year old. She likes the phone, but she doesn't really get the phone. Usually when she realizes that something is actually happening with the thing in her hand, she passes it off like a hot potato. Well, either that, or she starts punching buttons like mad - basically making the caller on the other end of the line go deaf, but whatever.

Another day I will tell you about all the new functions Peanut has taught me on my phone. Well, as soon as I figure out how to unblock the keypad.

 And don't worry; one day I will get that birthday post up.  Just don't hold your breath.

¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!

Happy Day Baby Light-Light

1 - Wish

There is always more than one wish.

There is always the deep prayer for health and safety and joy mixed with generosity and kindness, grace and wisdom.

There is always the highest hope for profound love and enlivening passion.

There is always the desire for unflinching courage that never needs to be tested, for confident silliness and stubborn faith.

But my one wish for you on this day - the last day of your very fist year - is that your magnetic charm which calls so many people to you may always bring people together but never bring them only to you. That your infectious smile and endearing eyes be gifts that inspire and uplift, an offering out rather than a reeling in. May you enjoy the attention you garner but never need it; love and appreciate the ways people care for you and multiply it for all those around you.

You have been a wish fulfilled in this year dear one, but don't fear, I will keep wishing with you.

2 - New Skills

Though she may say four words, Peanut understands many more, and it is incredibly cool to see her catch on to something new.

For a while we have tried to guide the Nutter as she was getting down off of the sofa, the bed, the ceiling (oh wait, no, that was me...), and our phrase is always "colita primero" or "bottom first." For whatever reason, while we were in Bogotá, it seemed the message finally sunk in. I don't know if it was because we slept in a bed that was very low to the ground so that the whole getting down from the bed process did not seem quite so daunting, or if it was just time. Whatever the case, "colita primero" is now where it is at. As noted in the photo, she will start to slide her colita over to the edge of the bed when she is still dead center. It is a helpful give away at the moment when we are still getting used to the fact that our daughter has a mind of her own and even though we just put her up on the bed, down may look a lot better.

And, though we don't have a photo of it, the second phrase she has learned is "a la boca" - to your mouth! Magically this is one we only have to pull out when there is actual food in front of her. Other times things pop right into her mouth without having to ask or remind even once... Peanut is still not master of the spoon, so it is kind of funny to yell "a la boca"  when she has a spoon in her hand because it goes very quickly to her face...just not always to her mouth. The ants, let me tell you, are equally pleased.

3 - Toys

 

We all know that little kids play with things that we might normally not see as toys. Keys are a favorite, and spatula + pot = happiness for most. Peanut is no exception to that rule, and with just a few "actual toys" on hand, we have seen many things become toys that we did not originally foresee. As you have seen from previous photos, sometimes the home printer/fax machine gets on the play list, but mostly there are things that just never seemed that interesting to us until Peanut got a hold of them...

  

1. Collapsible laundry basket.

Full disclosure - the tag above noting that "this is not a toy" comes specifically from this laundry basket. Thing is, Peanut can't read yet...suckers.

2. Egg separator.

To be honest, this seems closer to a toy than a really usable item to me anyway. It came with the set of measuring cups we bought, and the picture on the front of it is the only reason I even knew what it was. I tried to use it a couple of times as Peanut was just starting to eat eggs since she was supposed to only have the yolks for a while, but every time the whole durn egg would just slip through and I would wind up eating it myself...again. 

Thus, it became the perfect compliment to bath time. After all, if you have a cup that holds water and one that doesn't, surely that has to spark some thought as to why that is, and that is one heck of a lot more than that egg separator was doing for me before.

3. Rosary.

 Yeah, so technically this might be a big no-no. I am going to have to rely on my Catholic buddies out there to tell me whether we need to keep this on the super down-low or what. 

The thing is, we would not even have a rosary if it were not for some nuns in the airport. You see, Peanut is what you call "magnetic." Perhaps it is the blinding white skin; could be the wispy blonde/red/huh? hair; possibly related to the scrunchy faced smile she throws out at those she passes - whatever the case, people come talk to her. As we waited in line to go from Barranquilla to Bogotá two weeks ago there was a bevy of nuns (are they a bevy? they seem like a bevy...) all there to send off a compatriot on our flight. Two young nuns began to "chat" with Peanut and asked if they could put this rosary around her neck. "Sure!" I said, but when we got up to go and I tried to return it to them they said it was for her to keep. So we took a photo of Peanut with her nuns to send to them when we got back, and we just hope the other photo isn't somehow problematically blasphemous. 

4 - Words

Peanut talks a lot. Every day she looks out our window and jabbers and waves (sometimes to people, sometimes to buses, sometimes to dogs, sometimes to the city itself). Sometimes she speaks with great forcefulness such that while I have no idea what she is trying to say, I am clear that she believes very strongly in what she is telling me. Language acquisition is always a bit of a tough thing to chart, but I think it can be even more challenging initially for kids in a bilingual environment. We talk to Peanut most of the time in Spanish, but we talk to each other most of the time in English. Others in Barranquilla talk to her in Spanish, but everyone on the computer (yeah for skype!) talks to her in English. It is bound to be a little confusing.

Still, we have sussed out four words that we think she says pretty clearly and regularly. 

1. Mama

Now, this would warm my heart a little more if the word Mama referred only to me. However it seems to refer to photographs of any sort (regardless of whether I am in them), and it is a general filler word in between other currently indeterminable phrases. Funnier yet is that it often gets put fairly close together with a word that sounds  a lot like Mamie, so then it comes out Mama Mamie. As if the kid had another Mama...(or as if I would let her get away with calling me Mamie). 

Still, when I get a Mama that is clearly about me - well, there ain't nothin' better.

 

2. Papa

This has some eerie similarities to the usage of Mama. Not that she gets us confused; Papa definitely refers to Richard, but it can be other bright, shiny objects as well. 

For a while Papa seemed to get thrown out in fits of irritation, but that has subsided. I am sure it will return at age 13, but that is for another time. In the here and now we will pretty much take it any way it comes. 

3. Baby // Bebé

This is clearly for another baby. The way Peanut says it is actually sort of a cross between baby (English) and bebé (Spanish). I can't quite explain it to you, so I will let you see it in action. The first book is from Tía Shannan and has lots of good words in it. The second one is from Tía Laura and Tía Jess and is called Global Babies. Peanut loves it because it is chock full of babies (of course). She opens it up, points to a picture, says "beby" and then gives the baby a kiss. Love it.

4. Gato

Okay, this may be a word she actually has, or it may not be. 

Gato is the word for cat in Spanish, and as I mentioned two days ago, Peanut became encantada with Carlotto the Cat while in Bogotá. (Hey, that sounds like a children's book...) Every time she saw him she would squeal with delight, and if we said, "¿Dónde está el gato?" ("Where is the cat?") then she would look toward either of his two favorite spots with eyes wide and hopeful. Since then we have heard a lot of things that sound like "ato", so we have basically just decided she is saying gato and chalking up word number four!