Dooce

My darling Doodlebug,

I always expected to be a 'Mummy'. Certainly when I was pregnant I always talked about becoming a 'Mummy'. Yet somehow, from the moment that you were born, I have been a 'Mamma'. I have spent 18 months referring to myself as Mamma, as has everyone else, so how is it that when you finally got round to calling me by name the other day, I have become Mammy?

Your first word was Doddy (doggy), followed closely by Niddit (Nugget, aka the wonder Hound), followed by E-O (Hello) as in "E-O Niddit." That was all in one gorious weekend on 26th June 2009. We were spending the weekend on the coast with our friends Simon and Amelia. At first none of us could quite believe you were saying anything discernible as you seemed to spend all your time chuntering melodic nonsense, but realisation dawned slowly as we walked along the Promenade in Broadstairs after a fabulous lunch. Every time you saw a doggy (which you love more than life) you squealed with delight and said Doddy. Daddy and I were quite giddy and spent practically the whole day making you say it. It's a wonder you ever spoke again. But then the next morning came Nugget. To our dismay, Daddy and Mammy/Mummy came waaaay down the list after:

No
Oh-No
More
Peese (Please)
Da-doo (Thank you)
Apple
Nana (Banana)
Bubbo (bubble)
DD (DVD)

Daddy came long before Mammy. In fact Mammy only came this week and it seems as if you've been saying Daddy for aaaaages. It was the word you used for me too. And just recently you've been using it for 'man'. Everey time we see a man in Bromley, you say Daddy. I'm fairly sure that's made a few heart's skip a beat, and it makes me laugh every time. When you were in the Doctors' Surgery yesterday, you pointed and started saying "Man, man, man" to a boy who could only just be described as a man.

You're working on a dozen or so words at the moment: bye, snowman, biscuit, teaset spring to mind. Most of them are only discernible to the cognoscenti. But yesterday, in the midst of a virus which has been causing you to cough so hard you vomit, you sat up in bed andasked for Dooce (juice). You even said please. It made the sleepless nights (and days) almost worthwhile. It's amazing how quickly the words seem to come now. After a day of Nurofen and cough syrup, you says "Medi" whenever you see the bottle coming your way. And bless you, you're even working on sentences, putting "more" together with "DD" and "dooce" with "please". Soon you will be chatting away in a language we do understand. You've taken to repeating everything we say. Which means that now I shall have to stop swearing, something I have been saying that I will do since you were born. But until now, I haven't  really put much effort in to. That's what you get for having a clever daughter!

All my love,