“Hey little guy. How’s my little man doing?”
Sitting in a high chair replete with elephants and lions and other blue colored jungle animals was plump baby boy. He gave a huge, open-mouthed grin at his mother, his entire face lighting up with the kind of joy only found in young children.
“Baaahhhh!” he answered emphatically.
“Hey buddy,” the sudden sound of voice to his other side startled him, causing the baby to start and quickly turn to the source of the talking. On his left sat his father, smiling at him and ruffling his scant hair.
“Can you say daddy?” the man asked with a big grin plastered on his face.
“Baaahhhh!”
“No, you’re mama’s little boy, aren’t you?” his mother asked rhetorically, luring his attention to the other side. “Can you say mama?”
“Baaaahhh!” The baby rocked himself back and forth, laughing hysterically.
“Say dada.”
“No, say mama.”
The baby looked back and forth with a slight look of confusion on his face as if he couldn’t decide which way to divert his attention. He turned to his mother, with mouth partly agape and tongue visible, a facial expression that would be considered evidence of mental retardation in an adult, but was cute on a baby. One could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he mulled over the ramifications of these competing requests.
His father held up a favorite rattle and shook it, causing that familiar and comforting sound. “Say dada.”
He handed the toy to the baby, who shook it with great glee and answered with a perfunctory, “Baaaahhh!”
“Honey,” said the sweet voice of his mother, “say mama.” She offered him his favorite soft and snuggly teddy bear, which he quickly grabbed and hugged tightly.
“Baahhhh!”
“Say dada”
“Say mama”
“Dada!”
“Mama!”
The baby looked back and forth, bewildered and torn, unsure of which way to follow. His eyes grew wider and he smiled again with a great, big grin. “Baaahhh!”
His father was getting obviously agitated at the repeated response. “Say dada, dammit!”
The baby looked back and forth, first at his father and then at his mother, before smiling and laughing wildly.
“Ah…ah…ah…,” he began as if he were choosing his words with great care. His mother and father leaned in closely and with great anticipation.
“Ah…ah…da….”
The parents crowded in even closer as if their proximity might affect the child’s budding vocabulary. “Yes, honey, go on.”
“Da…,” the child’s smile suddenly widened and it seemed as though a certain mischievous gleam flashed in his eyes.
“Dammit!”
