What thinking sounds like before it goes underground
From thoughts about babies thinking aloud to thoughts about putting children under ground... Random reflections.
Since he was about eight months old, Liam has started his day by talking to himself, often for a good half hour and sometimes even longer. Arnulfo and I are fairly addicted to the sweet sound of him jabbering away, a jabbering that is steadily resolving itself into actual language. I'm starting to realize, though, that in the next year or so--maybe less--he won't be doing his thinking out loud any more. What will I do when all of that joyful noise goes underground and he thinks his thoughts for himself alone?
I tell myself pretty much daily, in advance of this retreat of my son's thinking away from my ears, Remember. Remember what this was like.
Probably I should record him. Although it won't capture everything, a recording would be a crutch for remembering the feeling.
Yes, Liam's thinking is going to go underground, but I hope his sweetness won't. Nor his smirking playfulness, his stubborn streak, his radar for raisins and bread.
I realize, of course, that I am drifting away from the idea of language going underground. That is probably because right now I am writing a novel in which many, many children die in a school explosion. And I wonder--cringing the whole while--what it might be like to put your own child under ground.
I am writing the book, but I am also letting it spur me on to be present to my family now, to savor every second, to brace myself against loss and hope that it doesn't come.
In the meantime... I tell myself, Remember. Remember. Remember. I want to take the sound of my son's voice--his just-waking-up yammerings--with me forever.
Happy Birthday, Monsieur Mono!
Today, our little boy Liam Miguel turns 2. He's traveled a lot of miles in his short life, and he seemed to enjoy his Paris birthday very well. I made his cake, and you'll notice the three languages (English, Spanish, French) there. Yes, he speaks them all a little; he's a very global little fellow! We're enjoying hearing him talk more every day.
Why "Monsieur Mono"? We sometimes call Liam that when he's being a little silly... or just as a term of endearment. He does an excellent monkey impression when he's in the mood.
Liam, thanks for bringing so many new kinds of joy into our lives. Feliz cumpleaños, joyeaux anniversaire, happy birthday!
Pimping out my writer's notebook with borrowed parts
My most recent writer's notebook--cute as it is--doesn't have a pocket for my lists. In the past, I've done different things like pasting in envelopes to provide for the necessary expansion space. But supplies are limited in our Paris apartment. My solution was to jack the pocket from my previous PaperBlanks notebook. Bonus? When I removed the pocket, I managed to get the elastic band, too! So now my slim little notebook is as fully featured as any gal could ask for.
Who says I wasn't paying attention when my brother was watching all those reruns of "MacGyver"? I guess it's not a duct-tape-reinforced, mosquito-repellent explosive, but I'm proud of myself. It's the small pleasures...
