The Papaya, my 18 month old granddaughter, is sick with a cold and cough, and I agreed to be default caretaker when she can’t go to daycare if possible. So here I am, and this a little excerpt about how my day is going, or more accurately how Maia’s day is going so far.
“Hi Gegah!”
“Boppy seeping?”
“Peek-a boo Boppy!”
“Doggie ou’side?”
(Me: Yes.)
“Doggie ou’side!”
“Mimi?” (Asking about the cat.)
“Mimi!” (She sees the cat)
Gegah house!
Boppy house!
“Gegah shair.” (chair)
“Boppy shair.”
“Maia shair.”
“Rocky?” (Her chair is a rocking chair.)
“Keeness?” Asking for a kleenex.
“Dirty!”Passing keeness to Gegah.
“Paci?”
“Yump!”
(Me: “What?”)
“Yump!” (Making a little motion like trying to jump up.)
“Me: Oh, Jump!”
“Yeah!”, smiling, happy that I have understood, and trying to jump again.
“Mimi yump!” as she catches the cat jumping of the desk.
“Boppy yump?” Boppy accommodates.
“Gegah yump?” (Afraid not. Knees don’t allow for it.)
Meantime we stroll around the house looking for things to amuse her, me getting my coffee, taking time out to do the hokey-pokey which she thinks is great fun, despite my off key singing.
We turn on the Christmas music and it’s Alvin and the chipmunks and she is fascinated and laughing she points to the radio and says, “Baby, baby sin’in!” In fact it does kind of sound like babies singing.
We go back to playing.
“Ball!”
“Two Ball” (There are in fact, two.)
“Poker ships.”
“Mimi ‘tick.” (Cat toy on a stick. which she then uses to try to entice the cat, but instead ends up just poking the cat who retreats.)
“Boppy, awa.” Which means Boppy’s agua (Spanish for water) bottle. She learned to use agua for water in a previous daycare, and now this is always what she calls water. She likes to play with Boppy’s water bottle so she can take the cap off and put it on again.
(Me: “Time to take a nap, Maia. “)
“No!”
But Gegah is serious and puts her to bed. Not without a lot of protest. I hear her saying “Wa ma Gegah!” “Wa ma Gegah!”. But I am firm. Sorry little Papaya, but you really do need a nap because you are sick. In two minutes, not a peep.
Now Gegah is going to make cookies.