Lines of communication

I have always thought it was hilarious (in a very unfunny way) when people say that babies become "interesting" and "develop personalities" when they are 6 months old, or older. Call me a biased mother if you will, but I reckon my kids have all been fairly 'interesting' since the two little blue lines appeared on the pregnancy test. And as far as personalities are concerned, in my humble opinion, anyone who thinks that tiny babies are born without personalities has clearly not had one rolling around in their womb, or spent any time with a newborn! As far as a jolly eight month old is concerned, the personality traits are positively bursting from every orifice...!!!!!

Some kids crawl and walk early, others chatter away from a very early age. All three of our kids share a very distinct personality trait in that they all enjoy the sounds of their own voices. None of them move anywhere until around 11 months, which suits me perfectly!! But as far as chat is concerned, we have the market covered (any idea why my children might be chatty?? Anyone??) Jack was a very vocal baby, jabbering away in his own little language. I think he began 'talking' (by this I mean, using words which had a clear meaning for him, regardless of the strange pronounciation!) at about 10 months old. Certainly at this age I understood him perfectly when he was hungry, tired, or wanted something really badly! Phoebe topped Jack's grasp of vocabulary by beginning to talk when she was 8 months old, and I was particularly pleased with her efforts as her first word was 'Mum'. Clever girly!!! And even though I try not to compare my kidlets, I was certainly not expecting Maisie to speak even earlier than her sister. However, there is absolutely no doubt at all that Miss Mouse has been trying to speak since she was roughly 5 months old. She now routinely greets Christian with something that sounds distinctly like "hello, Dad!" (and come to think of it, she doesn't say it to anyone else...) Today, on a trip to the city, it struck me that simply by using one word in different ways, Maisie is able to communicate exactly how she is feeling. With this one little word, she can portray her sunny little personality to the world, so that there is no doubt what she is saying.

For example, while eating her lunch sitting in her pram and people-watching in Australia On Collins, Maisie kept up a stream of quiet little "Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad-dad"'s, interspersed with blurty raspberries in response to Jack's antics. She was clearly happy with the world but not overly excited, just content to let her brother and sister be the clowns for once. When we had been in the menswear section of Myer for a little too long, the "Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad-dad"'s developed a growly edge, became louder and a bit sooky, and it was obvious to all and sundry that she wanted out of the pram! Once safely ensconced in the Baby Bjorn and strapped to Mum's front, the "Dad-dad-dad"'s were joyous yelps at passing strangers, conveying relief at escaping the confines of the stroller, determination that we should go faster, and the discovery that simply by leaning backwards in the sling, she could grab Mummy's face for a big wet kiss. A trip into Borders saw Maisie Mouse back in the stroller next to her big sister, and it was there that her attentions were captured by a little hardback Maisy book. I noticed that the book was being examined very closely (and gummed, and drooled upon...), and she was very, very quietly singing "Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad-dad" to her new possession (which I had to buy because I didn't think Borders would appreciate a thin veneer of spittle on their products...). She was so clearly delighted with the tiny book, and was taking such pleasure in discovering the pictures and textures that her voice had dropped to a soft little baby whisper, with a melodic message that said she was completely happy. Minutes later when I removed the book from her clutches to pay for it, the gentle baby song became an angry how-dare-you-take-my-special-chewing-toy "DAD-DAD-DAD!!!", which wasn't improved when I laughed at her...whoops!! I managed to get her laughing again once we had exited Borders, and thought I would test the waters as far as her new word went. She looked at me and began a conversation. "Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad?" I replied, "Mum-mum-mum!" She eye-balled me, smiled, and then screeched, "DAD-DAD-DAD!! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!" Uh-huh. Nice one, Mais.

I know it won't be long before she learns other words (goodness knows I wish Jack and Phoebs had smaller vocabularies...I seem to be followed by a running commentary most days!), but it's a bit cute at the moment, using only one word for so many different emotions. With just one syllable my baby can display her already distinct personality to whomever cares to interact with her. Spending only a short period of time with Maisie reveals a very interesting little girl, who has strong likes and dislikes, recognises and loves different people, and who very clearly has her own personality. My only issue is her particular choice of first word, and so tomorrow, the coaching begins...her second word will most definitely be Mum-mum-mum-mum!!!!!